题目内容
Columbia, ________ can be easily guessed, was named in memory of Columbus, who discovered America in 1492
A.as B. what C. that D. it
A
Drawings of human colonies on other planets often picture the entire community under a glass or plastic bubble. The bubble is intended to create an atmosphere with adequate oxygen and other essential elements. But similar bubble-like structures have also been constructed on earth. One of the most famous, and controversial, is a site in the Arizona desert.
Biosphere 2, as it is called, was built not far from Tucson in 1984 and is now run by Columbia University. This huge(7,200,000-cubic-foot)glass and steel construction contains several separate ecosystems, including a desert, a rain forest, and a 900,000-gallon “ocean.” The climatic conditions-humidity, temperature, air quality-are regulated by sensors and can be adjusted as needed or desired. For example, a rainstorm can be created to increase the humidity. The adjustable features of Biosphere 2 make it an ideal location to perform experiments to help determine the effects of such climatic changes as global warming.
The current conditions at Biosphere 2 are vastly different from those in 1993, when eight people who had moved into the environment with great fanfare two years earlier moved out in failure. Though promising to be self-sufficient(自足的), these “colonists” had so much trouble regulating the environment that they reportedly had food smuggled into them. Oxygen levels became dangerously low; most plants and animals died. In taking over the unsuccessful site, Columbia hopes to erase its notorious past by focusing on small research projects that gradually answer some of Biosphere 1’s — that is, Earth’s most basic environment questions.
1.This passage primarily deals with _________.
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A.conditions of life in Biosphere 2 |
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B.building controlled environments on other planets |
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C.why Biosphere 2 failed in the past |
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D.what makes a good biosphere colonist |
2.Biosphere 2 is now run by _________.
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A.a group of eight colonists |
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B.Columbia University |
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C.the city of Tucson |
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D.scientists who hope to establish Biosphere 3 |
3.The passage suggests that earlier colonists of Biosphere 2 _________.
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A.did not like living in a controlled environment |
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B.found it very difficult to live in a controlled environment |
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C.still are involved with Biosphere 2 |
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D.have now left the country in disgrace |
4.The writer helps you understand what Biosphere 2 is like by _________.
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A.comparing its features with those of an outer space biosphere |
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B.explaining the process by which it was constructed |
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C.referring to an interview with one of former inhabitants |
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D.describing its appearance and conditions |
5.In paragraph 3 the word “notorious” means _________.
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A.well known for something good |
B.well known for something bad |
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C.very dangerous |
D.quite interesting |
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent(潜流) of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will appear, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from Isaac Newton.
Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn't been born yet, or is a baby now. That's because the search for a unified theory that would explain all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created after the problem can be solved.
But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein appearing anytime soon. For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein's day, there were a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theorists who could argue with Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to spare. Education is different, too. One key aspect of Einstein's training that-is little noticed is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager --- Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently about space and time and it wasn't long before he became a philosopher himself.
And Einstein was a clever musician. The interplay between music and math is well-known. Einstein would play his violin hard as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.
Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren't many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills. Those who stay in science don’t work alone and they sometimes do experiment together which takes years.
It's hard to imagine a renegade(背叛者) like Einstein standing it. “Maybe there is an Einstein out there today,” said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, “but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard.”
1.According to the second paragraph, the next Einstein will ___________.
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A.have to create new math |
B.create a unified theory |
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C.have to be born now |
D.push math to its limits |
2. The underlined words “knotty” in the fourth paragraph means ____________.
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A.easy |
B.interesting |
C.strange |
D.difficult |
3. Which of the following will be useful for the next Einstein to be born?
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A.There will be music around. |
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B.There will be no problems to solve. |
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C.There will be suitable philosophy to study. |
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D.There are only a few physicists. |
4.The bold words “unified theory” in Paragraph 2 refers to ___________.
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A.agreement |
B.mathematical rule |
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C.unique idea |
D.physical saying |