题目内容

Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don't hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."
【小题1】By saying "don’t hold your breath", the author advised the reader not to _____.

A.keep silentB.give upC.expect soD.be afraid
【小题2】Dr Smith concludes there probably aren’t any aliens because other planets _____.
A.are too far away from the earth
B.are different from the Earth in size
C.don’t have rich natural resources
D.don’t have a suitable living environment
【小题3】Researchers from the University of London are mentioned to show that ______.
A.they have better explanations about aliens
B.aliens certainly exist on many planets
C.they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion
D.aliens can pick up signals from the earth
【小题4】What’s the main idea of the text?
A.There must be other life forms in the universe.
B.We can communicate with aliens in decades.
C.The chances of finding aliens are slight.
D.Many other planets are quite different from the Earth.


【小题1】C
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】C

解析试题分析:文章讲述了天文学家对外星人是否存在的事实进行论述,要想找到外星人的几率是非常小的,几乎可以说我们是太空唯一的生物群。
【小题1】推断题。从后文A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.可知科学家已经得出不可能有外星人的存在,我们是宇宙中唯一的生物,故选C
【小题2】细节题。从文章the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.可知,由于生存条件的恶劣,不可能有像外星人这样的生物存在,故选D
【小题3】细节题。从文章Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets.可知他们认为有外星人的存在而Dr Smith并不认为这样,故选C
【小题4】主旨题。从全文及最后一段reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."可知,要想找到外星人的几率几乎是微乎其微,故选C
考点:科普类说明文
点评:本文不难,文章结构简洁,题目设置很清晰。解答此类说明文的题目,要注意答题的方法。为了在有限的时间的快速作答,可以先看题目,按照题目所问的问题在文章中的找到对应的段落,或总起句,在这些地方去找答案,作答难度并不大。

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【1】Who says you need super power to save the world? On April 22, more than a billion people worldwide celebrated Earth Day by taking part in green activities in their communities. However, you needn’t wait until Earth Day. You needn’t be an adult, either! Every day, young people across the globe are doing their part to keep the Earth healthy and green. These are just a few kid heroes for the planet.

Manatee (海牛) minder

【2】When she was in second grade, Stephanie Cohen read about a baby manatee hit by a boat off the coast of Florida. Biologists saved the manatee. But caring for the sea creature was expensive. Stephanie took up a collection and raised 27 dollars in one day. Now 18, Stephanie still raises money to help these "Gentle Giants".

Goodbye paper bags

【3】When Adrienne Smith, 15, was in sixth grade, she noticed that many of her classmates carried paper lunch bags. To help kid cut down on waste, she invented an eco-friendly lunch bag. It is partly made from recycled plastic bottles. "Kids like it because they can fold it up and put it in their backpacks," said Adrienne. She sells the bags at greenearbag.com. And some of the money goes to charity.

He's skiing to save the earth

【4】Parker Liantaud, 15, wanted to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the polar regions. He set out to become one of the youngest people ever to ski the North Pole. Although the cruel conditions forced Parker and his guide to finish the last 15 miles of the journey by helicopter, Parker felt he met his goal to inspire others. "All young people have the power to make a change," he said.

He ______ the earth

【5】Every year, Max Kesselman, from Pennsylvania, USA, celebrates his birthday December 3 by cleaning up the Earth. When Max was 6, he noticed trash on the sides of the road. He wrote a letter to local leaders suggesting a cleanup day on his birthday.(words:353)

1.What is the main idea of the passage? (no more than 8 words)

2.What does the word "it" (Line 3, Paragraph3) probably refer to? (no more than 5 words )

3.Fill in the blanks of the title of Paragraph 5 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)

4.Why didn't Parker ski the North Pole all the way?(No more than 7 words)

5.Write out  at least one other Green Activity you can take part in?(no more than 8 words)

 

It’s certain that the following tale is a nice example that can teach us a good lesson. One day, a young man  16 begged from door to door along the street.  17 an old wallet in hand, he was asking for a few coins to buy something to eat. He kept complaining about his bad  18  and kept wondering why those who had so much money were never   19  and were always desiring more.

“As for me, if I had only enough to eat and to wear, I would not want anything more."

Just at that moment Goddess Fortune  20 the beggar among the crowd and approached him, greeting, “Hi, young man, I have wished to   21  you for a long time. If you open your wallet, I will pour my gold into it. But keep in mind that I will do that only on this   22 : All that falls into the wallet will be pure gold belonging to you; but every piece falling upon the ground  23 become dust, worth nothing. Are you clear?”

“I see. Now I’m ready. ” said the beggar with confidence.

“Then you should   24 ! It’s obvious that your wallet is a/an   25 one, so don’t load it too heavily,” said the Goddess Fortune. 

The excited beggar could hardly   26 to have gold. He quickly opened his wallet, and a   27  of yellow coins was poured into it. The wallet became heavier and heavier.

“Is that enough? Isn’t it cracking? Will your wallet strong enough for more?” warned the Goddess.

“Never  28 .It’s still strong enough now” replied the beggar firmly.

The wallet was filled with so many coins that the beggar’s hands began to   29 . “Ah, if only the golden stream would   30  forever! Just a little more,” said the beggar, “  31  just a handful or two.”

“There! It’s full. The wallet will   32 .” warned the Goddess again, but the beggar insisted, “ I know it will  33  a little more, just a little more.”

One more piece was added and the wallet split. The   34  fell upon the ground and became dust. The greedy beggar had now   35  but his broken wallet.

1.

A.in debt

B.in rags

C.in danger

D.in trouble

 

2.

A.Picking

B.Gathering

C.Winning

D.Holding

 

3.

A.clothes

B.wallet

C.fortune

D.chance

 

4.

A.relaxed

B.disappointed

C.worried

D.satisfied

 

5.

A.admitted

B.seized

C.realized

D.spotted

 

6.

A.help

B.forgive

C.praise

D.comfort

 

7.

A.occasion

B.condition

C.situation

D.suggestion

 

8.

A.shall

B.would

C.should

D.might

 

9.

A.look down

B.look after

C.look up

D.look out

 

10.

A.small

B.worn

C.empty

D.full

 

11.

A.stand

B.think

C.breathe

D.wait

 

12.

A.stream

B.piece

C.pair

D.variety

 

13.

A.ask

B.request

C.insist

D.fear

 

14.

A.spread

B.shake

C.loose

D.close

 

15.

A.pour

B.end

C.dry

D.freeze

 

16.

A.take

B.lend

C.add

D.send

 

17.

A.flow

B.change

C.disappear

D.burst

 

18.

A.attract

B.hold

C.include

D.permit

 

19.

A.present

B.food

C.treasure

D.metal

 

20.

A.nothing

B.anything

C.everything

D.something

 

E

“How’s the basketball coming on?”

I put down my drink and looked across at the next table. I was curious about that because both the man and the woman were at least 65.

“Oh, I’m not playing much basketball these days,” the woman replied. “But I’m getting much better at golf.”

What’s this, I thought. I opened my packet of crisps, thoughtfully. “I’m still pretty hopeless at chess, I’m afraid,” the man said. “It beat me on level one this morning.”

The penny dropped. These two were the proud owners of computer games.

It’s very likely that one of the results of the development of the silicon chip(硅片) will be that a lot of people will have more exciting ways to spend their leisure time. It already has. Space invader machines are now a familiar sight everywhere. A lot of people play them, and some, particularly school children, get remarkably high scores. How, one wonders, do they find the time (and money) to become so good?

If you have your own computers, the possibilities are endless. You can play any active sports without stepping out of your living room.

You can become an expert at chess or backgammon without ever playing with another human being. Indeed, human beings aren’t needed at all.

So, what of the future? Will we see school children stealing or even robbing to feed space invader machines? Will football grounds lie empty as families sit at home playing video football, or watching the national video football championship? Perhaps, it won’t go that far. But we won’t have to wait long for the Video Olympics. I’m sure of that.

Back in the pub, I stood up, took out 20 pence, and went over to the space invader machine. I may not be much good at beating computers at backgammon, but any space invaders who arrive on Earth anywhere near me had better watch out.

72. The reason why the writer felt curious about the talk between the couple was that ____.

A. he thought they were too old to play basketball

B. they looked young for their age

C. the old seldom went to the bar

D. he didn’t believe they played basketball so well

73. The underlined sentence “The penny dropped.” in the fifth paragraph probably means ____.

A. his wallet was stolen

B. he dropped a penny into the space invader machine

C. he asked for another drink for a penny

D. he’s come to see what they meant

74. The text is mainly written to tell us that ____.

A. computers will make people have a better time in their leisure time

B. the writer was worried about the side effect of computers

C. the old couple were excellent at playing golf

D. school children shouldn’t play space invader machines so much

75. We can infer form the passage that ____.

A. we can do everything without leaving our home in the future

B. the writer was good at playing the space invader game

C. school children will certainly steal or rob to feed the space invader machines

D. the woman is better at playing chess than the man

 

Just how far does the euro(欧元) have to fall before Europe actually becomes reasonable?

Anyone traveling to the old continent from the U.S. in recent years has learned the hard way how expensive it is. The situation has improved in the last couple of months, thanks to the Greek financial crisis. But it still has a way to go.

Alarm about Greece—and other financially unstable countries in Europe—has dragged down the euro sharply. In November, before the crisis struck, you needed about $1.49 to buy one euro. Today you need only about $1.36. That's a 9% cut.

What does that mean for you, the would-be traveler? It's a big sale.

As recently as November, when the euro was flying high, the OECD estimated that countries like France, Italy and Germany were about a third more expensive than the U.S. Not all European countries were quite as expensive for the American visitor: Greece only cost about 17% more than the US, while the Czech Republic (which is not part of the eurozone) was actually about 15% cheaper than back home.

Fast-forward two months, and the situation looks somewhat better.

At current exchange rates, places like France will still cost you about 23% more than the U.S., but cheaper countries such as Spain and Greece are now only about 6% more expensive. The Czech Republic's a fifth cheaper than the U.S.

European prices will only break even(持平) with the U.S. if the euro falls to about $1.10, says the OECD. But is it going to get there?

Greece's financial crisis may or may not be over. Members of a labor union just occupied part of the finance ministry to protest against the planned austerity(紧缩) measures. No, it doesn't inspire confidence!

Julian Jessop, chief international economist at the Capital Economics consultancy in London, sees the euro falling to $1.25 by year-end. “We still think the euro should be a lot lower,” he says. “We think the outlook for the European economy is a lot worse than for the U.S. And Greece is only a symptom of a wider problem: Does the eurozone make sense as a currency union?” If he's right, you may want to wait to change your money or book a trip.

67.   In the passage the writer offers some suggestions to the travellers from______.

A.USA           B.Europe             C.Greece             D.China

68.   The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to ______.

A.the planned austerity measures

B.Greece’s financial crisis

C.the protest from a labor union

D.the decline of the euro in value

69.   Julian Jessop has a negative attitude toward the euro because he thinks ______.

A.Greece’s financial crisis may not be over

B.the euro will drop to $ 1.25 by the end of the year

C.the European economy is a lot worse than the US’

D.the other European countries have a similar problem like Greece

70.   The purpose of the author writing the passage is to tell the readers that ______.

A.the euro shall be further reasonably lowered

B.travelers to Europe will save less in the future

C.the economic situation in Europe is worsening

D.the Greek financial crisis influences the whole Europe

 

It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight   36  .

I worked in a   37   doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run   38   than usual. It seemed I was going to be late   39   home and my husband, being the   40   person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe   41   I hurried, I could still make it home.

I was heading inside to   42   for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for   43   to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just   44   a few minutes ago.

The young man at the counter was trying to be   45   in explaining how to get there, with two other people making   46  . One of them was   47   trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the   48  ?”

A look of   49   crossed the woman’s face.

“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an)   50   since I had just made up my mind to do   51   that.

I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right   52   me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to   53  . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.

Later, as I arrived home, my husband   54  , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”

I said, “Sometimes it’s   55   to be late.”

1.A. break      B. fever            C. cold         D. headache

2. A. foreign       B. common       C. busy         D. noisy

3.A. earlier        B. later            C. easier           D. simpler

4. A. getting       B. cooking      C. calling          D. working

5. A. tough     B. punctual     C. generous     D. careful

6.A. as         B. since            C. while            D. if 

7.A. pay        B. change           C. wait         D. search

8.A. opinions   B. trouble          C. directions       D. money

9.A. reached        B. visited          C. called           D. left

10.A. skilled       B. helpful          C. experienced      D. active     

11.A. comments  B. promises     C. jokes            D. offers

12. A. only     B. still            C. even         D. ever

13.A. station       B. office           C. hospital     D. hotel

14.A. panic     B. relief           C. sadness      D. peace

15.A. duty      B. fact         C. reason           D. lie 

16.A. partly        B. properly     C. exactly      D. perfectly

17.A. across        B. before           C. beside           D. behind

18.A. go up     B. die down     C. speed up     D. turn down

19.A. teased        B. shouted      C. burst            D. laughed

20.A. possible      B. usual            C. good         D. safe

 

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