题目内容

Mars Was Not Always Bitterly Cold

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have reported evidence that Mars was warmer and wetter long ago than it is today.  The Caltech scientists say they have directly established the temperature of Mars four billion years ago. At least, they established the surface temperature on part of the planet at that time. The researchers say it is the first such evidence to be discovered and presented.

The Caltech scientists say carbonate（碳酸盐） minerals formed on Mars at about eighteen degrees Celsius. They reached the finding after studying a meteorite（陨石） that had its beginnings near the Martian surface.

Today, the average temperature on Mars is sixty-three degrees below zero Celsius.

The finding was reported on the website of the National Academy of Sciences. Caltech Assistant Professor Woody Fischer helped to prepare the report. He says eighteen degrees Celsius is not especially cold or hot. He says this makes the finding extremely interesting. Knowing the temperature can give scientists an idea of the climate on Mars long ago. It can also help them decide whether the planet had liquid water. Spacecraft orbiting Mars have shown what appear to be rivers, lakebeds and mineral deposits. These pictures suggest that, at one time, water did flow there. Mars Rover vehicles and other spacecraft have confirmed the information.

Caltech Geology Professor John Eiler was another writer of the report. He says knowing the temperature of Mars from long ago provides valuable information. It shows that early in the planet's history, at least part of Mars could support a climate like that of Earth.

The meteorite the scientists examined is one of the oldest known rocks in the world. It is called the Allan Hills meteorite. Its name came from the place in Antarctica where it was found in 1984. The meteorite is believed to have blown loose from the Mars' surface when another space rock struck its "home."

1. The underlined word “establish” in Paragraph 1 probably means “___________”.

A．to set up

B．to make people accept a belief

C．to discover or prove

D．to start having a relationship with others

2.How did the scientists reach the finding?

A．By studying Allan Hills meteorite.

B．By using spacecraft orbiting Mars.

C．By studying minerals gathered on Mars

D．By studying a meteorite on the Martian surface.

3.According to the fourth paragraph, what have spacecraft orbiting Mars done?

A．Measuring the temperature of Mars.

B．Taking photos of the surface of Mars.

C．Confirming that there is water flowing on Mars.

D．Finding where human beings will probably land on Mars.

4.How did Allan Hills meteorite get its name?

A．From its original place on Mars.

B．From where it was found on the earth.

C．From the name of the scientist who found it.

D．From the name of the aircraft that discovered it

5. Where can we most probably read this passage?

A．In a biography of scientists.

B．In a geography magazine.

C．In an environment report.

D．In a science report.

 

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.B

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：

1.从第一段最后一句The researchers say it is the first such evidence to be discovered and presented结合前面两句可以说明科学家发现了40亿年前的火星地表的温度的证据。

2.从第二段They reached the finding after studying a meteorite（陨石） that had its beginnings near the Martian surface.及最后一段It is called the Allan Hills meteorite可知答案A, D答案错在on the surface.

3.从第四段倒数第二，三可以看出宇宙飞船火星轨道是给火星地表拍照的。

4.从最后一段Its name came from the place in Antarctica where it was found in 1984可知正确答案。

5.从第一段第一句可知本文主要讲的是一个科学报告，故选Ｄ

考点：科普说明文

点评：本文主要说明一个科学报告：许多年前火星比现在更温暖，潮湿。科普说明文要注意首段首句，往往会在首句点明一个科学研究发现。

 

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NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues① for water and possible signs of life.

The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples② to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.

Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes③ existed in the ice.

Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.

True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous④ missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.

The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.

Notes:

clue  n. 线索

sample  n. 标本，样品

microbe  n. 微生物

previous  adj. 先前的

The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

        A. clues of water will be found in Phoenix

        B. Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars

        C. August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off

        D. the Mars Scout program will be carried out

The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

        A. on time     B. behind the time      C. out of work       D. ahead of time

According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.

A. in May 2008            B. in August 2007   

C. in August 2008          D. in September 2008

According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.

        A. rebirth         B. death        C. energy        D. hope

After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.

        A. find soil samples and send them to the earth

        B. look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples

        C. take photos and send them to the earth

        D. find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

President Bush may talk about a plan to Mars, but Bruce Jones thinks there is still a healthy thirst for exploration into underwater worlds on our own planet. After growing up with a grandfather in the marine construction① business, Jones quickly got a feel for the water. He started diving at age 9 and, by the 1980s, began offering advice for those interested in the submarine② business. By 1993, he was running his own company, U.S. Submarines, which designs and builds submarines for others.

Jones has $40 million spent in building a hotel where the most expensive rooms will be 50 feet under the sea off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Unlike the Jules Undersea Lodge — the only undersea hotel now, just off the coast of Key Largo, Fla. — guests at the Poseidon won’t need to put on a wet suit to their rooms. They also won’t need to worry about changing pressure levels since the rooms will be kept at above-surface pressure. Instead, they can move easily to their $1,500-a-night underwater rooms by escalator③.

“I think there are a large number of people who would be interested,” said Jones, “including anyone who is looking for a different experience.”

Each room will feature strong walls that look out onto coral④ gardens. There will be controls in each room that guests can use to change the lighting of the underwater worlds outside their windows and to provide food to fish swimming just outside. It sounds exciting— but will it happen? It’s hard to say.

“By now I envisioned⑤ we’d have whole underwater cities,” Cooper said. “It’s about time some of these visions became reality.”

Notes:

① marine construction  海洋建筑

② submarine  adj. 海下的

③ escalator  n.  自动梯

④ coral  n.  珊瑚

⑤ envision  v.  展望

1. The first paragraph takes President Bush for example in order to ______.

  A. praise President Bush’s plan to Mars

B. humorously introduce the main subject to readers

  C. support President Bush’s plan to Mars

D. show Bruce Jones is against President Bush’s plan

2. According to the text, who had a great effect on Bruce Jones?

  A. His father.     B. His friends.       C. His grandfather      D. His grandmother

3. According to Bruce Jones’s undersea hotel, we know that ______.

  A. fish outside can be seen through the hotel’s walls

  B. the hotel has been built and came into use

  C. it will be easy to swim into the underwater rooms

  D. visitors will have to wear wet suits against water

4. According to Cooper’s words, his attitudes towards the underwater hotels are ______.

  A. disappointed       B. critical       C. objective      D. hopeful

NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 线索
②    sample  n. 标本，样品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的

  1. 1.

    The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

    1. A.
      clues of water will be found in Phoenix
    2. B.
      Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars
    3. C.
      August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off
    4. D.
      the Mars Scout program will be carried out
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

    1. A.
      on time
    2. B.
      behind the time
    3. C.
      out of work
    4. D.
      ahead of time
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.

    1. A.
      in May 2008
    2. B.
      in August 2007
    3. C.
      in August 2008
    4. D.
      in September 2008
  4. 4.

    According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.

    1. A.
      rebirth
    2. B.
      death
    3. C.
      energy
    4. D.
      hope
  5. 5.

    After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.

    1. A.
      find soil samples and send them to the earth
    2. B.
      look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples
    3. C.
      take photos and send them to the earth
    4. D.
      find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

       Most people around the world use the same calendar(日历) as you do, which is called the Gregorian calendar. The months are named mostly for gods from ancient myths(神话). For example, the name January comes from Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways. And March comes from Mars, the Roman god of war.

       But native people in North America had another way of choosing names for months. Different tribes gave them different names, depending on happenings in the natural world. Also, months were called “moons”, since they were measured from one new moon to the next.

       For one tribe, the Moon of Popping Trees came at the beginning of the year, when frost made branches creak(吱吱作响) and crack with cold. Other tribes had names for months such as Baby – Bear Moon, Buuding – Moon, Maple(枫) Sugar Moon, and Strawberry Moon. And it’s not hard to guess what happened during Egg – Laying Moon. Goose – Calling Moon, or Food – Almost – Gone Moon.

       Want to make your own calendar? Start by going outside with a sheet of paper and pencil. Notice the natural things around you. Look. Listen. Sniff. Are flowers blooming? Birds singing? Squirrels building nests? On your sheet, write down the date and the interesting natural things you see. You can make little drawings too.

       Do this several times during the next few weeks. By the end of the month, you can choose your favorite natural event and name the month.

       We’d love to see the names you choose—and copies of your sheets well! Send them to us after you name the first month, or when you’ve named a few. The address is:

       Ranger Rick, Dept. NC;

       8925 Leesburg Pike;

       Vienna, VA22184.

       And keep an eye out for n ext month’s GreenZine Coumn. We’re starting up a natural calendar of our own. Check it out!

45．The best title of this passage would be       .

       A．Galendars in Use Now                                 B．Ancient Calendars

       C．Make a Natural Calendar                              D．Calendars in the World

46．For some native Americans, the Moon of Popping Trees was        .

       A．a month in winter                                       B．a month with a moon

       C．a month with blooming flowers                    D．a month with almost no food

47．Which of the following is NOT necessary when making a calendar of your own?

       A．Drawing some pictures to record what you’ve done or seen.

       B．Going out to observe nature.

       C．Learning the Gregorian Calendar by heart.

       D．Studying traditional calendars to get some ideas.

48．It is implied in the last three paragraphs that         .

       A．you should write to Ranger Rick once a month

       B．the mailing address is not used

       C．you need to pay for your calendar to be selected

       D．your calendar may be published next month

BEIJING, CHINA ( Reuters)—China and Russia will make a joint effort to explore Mars and one of its moons in 2009, Chinese media reported on Wednesday following an agreement to strengthen cooperation between the two ambitious(雄心勃勃的) space powers.

A Russian rocket will lift a Chinese satellite and Russian exploration spaceship to survey Mars and Phobos, the biggest of the red planet’s moons, China Daily reported, declared by China’s National Space Administration.

The announcement followed an agreement signed on Monday in Moscow, which Chinese President Hu Jintao has been visiting. A Chinese space official said the agreement would strengthen cooperation between China and Russia, both eager to expand their presence in space as the United States seeks to keep its lead.

“It shows the two sides have taken a key step forward to working on a large space program,’ said the official, according to China Daily.The small Chinese satellite will explore Mars while the Russian spaceship will land on Phobos to explore the environment and dig soil samples（样品）.

In 2003, China put a man in space, becoming only the third county to achieve the feat (功绩) after the United States and the Soviet Union(前苏联). It launched a second manned space flight last year and plans to land a person on the moon.

The United States has announced its own plans to expand exploration of Mars and send a manned spaceship there. Washington scolded Beijing in January for testing an anti-satellite missile (导弹、飞弹)that destroyed an old Chinese satellite, scattering（散落） debris(碎片) that could damage other satellites.

1. The underlined word “Phobos” in the passage refers to _____.

　 A. a Chinese satellite

　 B. a Russian spaceship

　 C. a moon of Mars

　 D. the biggest planet in space

2. When was the news reported according to the passage?

　 A. Two days after the agreement was signed.

　 B. On Monday when President Hu was visiting Russia

　 C. On the date of agreement being signed in Moscow

　 D. In 2003 when a Chinese spaceman was put in space.

3. The cooperation program in space tells us that ____ in 2009.

　 A. China and Russia will jointly send up a spaceship to explore Mars

　 B. a Chinese satellite will be sent up by a Russian rocket to explore Mars

　 C. a Chinese satellite and a Russian spaceship will be sent up to land on Mars　

　 D. a Russian spaceship will be sent up to land on Phobos and explore its moon

4. The last paragraph implies that the United States _____.

　 A. opposed the cooperation n space between China and Russia

　 B. fears that China will be a threat to it in space exploration

　 C. feels that it has fallen behind China in space exploration

　 D. expands exploration of Mars to prevent China developing missiles

 

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