Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星)which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.

       However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse(椭圆形).

       Now Halley set to work. He figured out(解决,计算出)the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearance had been 75 to 76 years apart.

       This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the ore his thought that there had been three different comets as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.

       It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain though to make a prediction(预言)of what would happen in the future. He decided that this would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested. In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.

 

5 Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of ____.

       A. some different comets appearing several times

       B. the same comet appearing at different times

       C. three different comets appearing at the same time

       D. several comets appearing at the same time

6. Halley made his discovery ____.

       A. by doing experiments

       B. by means of his own careful observation

       C. by using the working of other scientists

       D. by chance

7. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year____.

       A. 1704          B. 1705     C. 1706           D. 1707

8. This passage in general is about ____.

       A. Halley and other scientists

       B. the orbit of a comet

       C. Newton and Halley

       D. Halley and his discovery

9. Which of the following is TRUE?

       A. Edmund Halley was an American scientist.

       B. Halley made his discovery by doing experiments.

       C. Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician.

       D. The orbit of a comet had the shape of an around.

      In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of  comet(彗星).When the fragments(碎片)landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientist here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

       The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the earth. The news has caused panic.

       On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The waves moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

       Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.

       Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the earth. The dinosaurs(恐龙)were on the earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believed that the earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

 

1. Which of the following in NOT true according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?

       A. The whole world becomes extremely cold.

       B. All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed.

       C. The whole mankind becomes extinct.

       D. The visit of the comet results in war.

2. Why does the author mention dinosaur at the end of the passage?

       A. Because they could only live in the warm climate.

       B. Because they once dominated the earth.

       C. Because their extinction indicates future disasters.

       D. Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age

3. In writing the passage, the author intends to ____.

       A. give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

       B. prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

       C. tell the historical development of the earth

       D. warn of a possible disaster in the future

4. It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ____.

       A. horror story                                   B. news report

       C. research paper                               D. article of popular science

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