IS THERE LIFE ON EARTH?

There was great excitement on the planet of Venus(金星) this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.?

The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan (named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20 000 light years ago).Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility(可行性) of a manned flying saucer(飞碟) landing on Earth.A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.?

“We have come to the conclusion,based on last week's satellite landing,” Pro. Zog said,“that there is no life on the Earth.”?

“How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked. ?

“For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete(混凝土)and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.”?

“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?”?

“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than we originally planned. ”

“Are there any other hazards that you discovered in your studies?”?

“Take a look at this photo. You see this dark cloud floating over the surface of Earth? We call this the Consolidated Edison Belt. We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have to make further tests before we send a Venus Being there.”?

“If what you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?”?

“Yes, but we shall proceed as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds.”?

“Prof. Zog, why are we spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth when there is no life there?”?

“Because if we Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then we can live anywhere.”

During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information on whether they can_______.

A. land a satellite with Venus astronauts on Earth

B. make a first?rate flying saucer?

C. get a Earth Being to Venus

D. direct a flying saucer into Manhattan?

According to Prof.Zog,the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because_______.?

A. they need it on their way to the planet of Earth?

B. the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases?

C. oxygen is far from enough in the area of Manhattan where the saucer is to land?

D. there is no air on the planet of Earth?

The “dark black cloud” on the photograph refers to_______.?

A. the polluted air floating over the surface of Earth?

B. the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth?

C. the things that are unknown to everybody?

D. the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks?

The author wishes to call our attention to the fact_______.?

A. that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extent that he might destroy himself if he went on like this?

B. that there is no point in spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth?

C. that pollution has become so serious a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable?

D. that it is difficult, if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth

For well over a thousand years, smallpox was a disease that everyone feared. The disease killed much of the native population in South America when the Spanish arrived there in the early sixteenth century. By the end of the eighteenth century, smallpox was responsible for about one in ten deaths around the world. Those who survived the disease were left with ugly scars on their skin.
It had long been well known among farmers that people who worked with cows seldom caught smallpox; instead, they often caught a similar but much milder disease called cowpox (牛痘) . A British doctor called Jenner was extremely interested in this, and so he studied cowpox. He believed that, by vaccinating (给接种疫苗) people with the disease, he could protect them against the much worse disease smallpox. In 1796, he vaccinated a boy with cowpox and, two months later, with smallpox. The boy did not get smallpox. In the next two years, Jenner vaccinated several children in the same way, and none of them got the disease.
News of the success of Jenner’s work soon spread. Vaccination soon became a common method to protect people against other diseases caused by virus, such as rabies (狂犬病), and vaccines were sent across the world to the United States and India.
It took nearly two centuries to achieve Jenner’s dream of getting free of smallpox from the whole world. In 1967, the world Health Organization (WHO) started a great vaccination program, and the last known case of smallpox was recorded in Somalia in 1977. The story of vaccinations does not end there, however. There are many other diseases that kill more and more people every year. Besides, many new diseases are being discovered. The challenge for medical researchers will, therefore, probably continue for several more centuries
【小题1】Smallpox was so serious that _________________ by the end of l8th century

A.its death rate was up to ten percent
B.those who caught it were certain to die
C.one in ten people in the world died of smallpox
D.one in ten deaths in the world was caused by smallpox
【小题2】Edward Jenner discovered that vaccination with cowpox could ____________.
A.make smallpox much milder
B.stop people from getting smallpox
C.protect people against any disease
D.prevent people’s scars after smallpox
【小题3】Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A.The first experiment with cowpox was made by a British doctor.
B.After 1977 smallpox disappeared around the world according to WHO.
C.Vaccination had existed among ordinary farmers before being discovered.
D.Vaccination can be used to protect people in the world against not only smallpox.
【小题4】The author of the passage thinks that _________________.
A.vaccinations bring many new problems
B.vaccinations end the spread of diseases
C.there is a long way to go to fight against diseases
D.there is a long way to go to discover new diseases

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