Scientists have found living organisms trapped in crystals (晶体) that could be 50,000 years old.
The organisms were found in a hot, but beautiful cave system in Naica, Mexico. These ancient life forms can be seen only with a microscope. Penelope Boston, who leads the Astrobiology Institute at NASA, the space agency of the United States, says the ancient microbes were able to live by eating minerals such as iron.
She spoke about the discovery recently at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. If the findings are confirmed, they will show how microbes can survive in extreme conditions. Forty different kinds of microbes and some viruses were found in the underground area. The genetic structures of these organisms are 10 percent different from those of their nearest relatives.
The caves in Naica are 800 kilometers deep. They were once used for mining lead. Before the miners began working in the caves, the area was separated from the surface and the outside world. Some of the caves are as big as the large religious centers built during Europe’s Middle Ages. There are crystals covering the walls. The caves are so hot that scientists must wear special clothing to keep cool. The clothing keeps the crystals safe from human germs (病菌) or other damage. Boston said the researchers could only work for about 20 minutes at a time before they had to go to a room that was 38 degrees Celsius to cool down.
NASA officials would not let Boston share her findings with scientific experts before last week’s announcement. So scientists could not say much about the findings. But Norine Noonan, a biologist with the University of South Florida, said she believed them. “Why are we surprised?”Noonan asked. “ As a biologist, I would say life on Earth is extremely tough and extremely colorful.”
Boston is also studying microbes commonly found inside caves in other countries, such as Ukraine and the United States. These microbes appear to be impossible to kill. Boston said they show how difficult life on Earth can be.
1.The existence of the ancient microbes relies on ________.
A. surrounding insects B. eating minerals
C. diverse plants D. absorbing air
2.What can we infer about the eaves in Naica from the passage?
A. The temperature in the caves is quite low.
B. The environment in the caves is difficult to adapt to.
C. The walls are covered by crystals.
D. The caves have been explored since they were formed.
3.What is the biologist Norine Noonan’s attitude towards the findings?
A. Neutral. B. Doubtful.
C. Positive. D. Indifferent.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Living organisms bring hope to scientific research.
B. Caves provide living environment for living organisms.
C. Microbes show great power to survive in terrible conditions.
D. Scientists Discover 50,000-year-old “super life” in Mexico.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Scientists have found living organisms trapped in crystals(晶体) that could be 50,000 years old.
The organisms were found in a hot, but beautiful cave system in Naica, Mexico. These ancient life forms can be seen only with a microscope. Penelope Boston, who leads the Astrobiology Institute at NASA, the space agency of the United States, says the ancient microbes(微生物) were able to live by eating minerals such as iron.
She spoke about the discovery recently at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. If the findings are confirmed, they will show how microbes can survive in extreme conditions. Forty different kinds of microbes and some viruses were found in the underground area. The genetic structures of these organisms are 10 percent different from those of their nearest relatives.
The caves in Naica are 800 kilometers deep. They were once used for mining lead. Before the miners began working in the caves, the area was separated from the surface and the outside world. Some of the caves are as big as the large religious centers built during Europe's Middle Ages. There are crystals covering the walls. The caves are so hot that scientists must wear special clothing to keep cool. The clothing keeps the crystals safe from human germs（病菌）or other damage. Boston said the researchers could only work for about 20 minutes at a time before they had to go to a room that was 38 degrees Celsius to cool down.
NASA officials would not let Boston share her findings with scientific experts before last week's announcement. So scientists could not say much about the findings. But Norine Noonan, a biologist with the University of South Florida, said she believed them. "Why are we surprised?" Noonan asked. "As a biologist, I would say life on Earth is extremely tough and extremely colorful."
Boston is also studying microbes commonly found inside caves in other countries, such as Ukraine and the United States. These microbes appear to be impossible to kill. Boston said they show how difficult life on Earth can be.
1.The existence of the ancient microbes relies on _______.
A. surrounding insects B. diverse plants
C. eating minerals D. absorbing air
2.What can we infer about the caves in Naica from the passage?
A. The walls are covered by crystals.
B. The temperature in the caves is quite low.
C. The caves have been explored since they were formed.
D. The environment in the caves is difficult to adapt to.
3.What is the biologist Norine Noonan’s attitude towards the findings?
A. Critical B. Positive.
C. Doubtful. D. Indifferent.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Living organisms bring hope to scientific research.
B. Scientists Discover 50,000-year-old “super life” in Mexico.
C. Microbes show great power to survive in terrible conditions.
D. Caves provide living environment for living organisms.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Scientists have found living organisms trapped in crystals (晶体) that could be 50,000 years old.
The organisms were found in a hot, but beautiful cave system in Naica, Mexico. These ancient life forms can be seen only with a microscope. Penelope Boston, who leads the Astrobiology Institute at NASA, the space agency of the United States, says the ancient microbes were able to live by eating minerals such as iron.
She spoke about the discovery recently at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. If the findings are confirmed, they will show how microbes can survive in extreme conditions. Forty different kinds of microbes and some viruses were found in the underground area. The genetic structures of these organisms are 10 percent different from those of their nearest relatives.
The caves in Naica are 800 kilometers deep. They were once used for mining lead. Before the miners began working in the caves, the area was separated from the surface and the outside world. Some of the caves are as big as the large religious centers built during Europe’s Middle Ages. There are crystals covering the walls. The caves are so hot that scientists must wear special clothing to keep cool. The clothing keeps the crystals safe from human germs (病菌) or other damage. Boston said the researchers could only work for about 20 minutes at a time before they had to go to a room that was 38 degrees Celsius to cool down.
NASA officials would not let Boston share her findings with scientific experts before last week’s announcement. So scientists could not say much about the findings. But Norine Noonan, a biologist with the University of South Florida, said she believed them. “Why are we surprised?”Noonan asked. “ As a biologist, I would say life on Earth is extremely tough and extremely colorful.”
Boston is also studying microbes commonly found inside caves in other countries, such as Ukraine and the United States. These microbes appear to be impossible to kill. Boston said they show how difficult life on Earth can be.
1.The existence of the ancient microbes relies on ________.
A. surrounding insects B. eating minerals
C. diverse plants D. absorbing air
2.What can we infer about the eaves in Naica from the passage?
A. The temperature in the caves is quite low.
B. The environment in the caves is difficult to adapt to.
C. The walls are covered by crystals.
D. The caves have been explored since they were formed.
3.What is the biologist Norine Noonan’s attitude towards the findings?
A. Neutral. B. Doubtful.
C. Positive. D. Indifferent.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Living organisms bring hope to scientific research.
B. Caves provide living environment for living organisms.
C. Microbes show great power to survive in terrible conditions.
D. Scientists Discover 50,000-year-old “super life” in Mexico.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists have found living organisms trapped in crystals (晶体) that could be 50,000 years old.
The organisms were found in a hot, but beautiful cave system in Naica, Mexico. These ancient life forms can be seen only with a microscope. Penelope Boston, who leads the Astrobiology Institute at NASA, the space agency of the United States, says the ancient microbes were able to live by eating minerals such as iron.
She spoke about the discovery recently at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. If the findings are confirmed, they will show how microbes can survive in extreme conditions. Forty different kinds of microbes and some viruses were found in the underground area. The genetic structures of these organisms are 10 percent different from those of their nearest relatives.
The caves in Naica are 800 kilometers deep. They were once used for mining lead. Before the miners began working in the caves, the area was separated from the surface and the outside world. Some of the caves are as big as the large religious centers built during Europe’s Middle Ages. There are crystals covering the walls. The caves are so hot that scientists must wear special clothing to keep cool. The clothing keeps the crystals safe from human germs (病菌) or other damage. Boston said the researchers could only work for about 20 minutes at a time before they had to go to a room that was 38 degrees Celsius to cool down.
NASA officials would not let Boston share her findings with scientific experts before last week’s announcement. So scientists could not say much about the findings. But Norine Noonan, a biologist with the University of South Florida, said she believed them. “Why are we surprised?” Noonan asked. “As a biologist, I would say life on earth is extremely tough and extremely colorful.”
Boston is also studying microbes commonly found inside caves in other countries, such as Ukraine and the United States. These microbes appear to be impossible to kill. Boston said they show how difficult life on earth can be.
1.The existence of the ancient microbes relies on .
A. surrounding insects B. eating minerals
C. diverse plants D. absorbing air
2.What can we infer about the caves in Naica from the passage?
A. The walls were built during Middle Ages.
B. The temperature in the caves is quite low.
C. The environment in the caves is difficult to adapt to.
D. The caves have been explored since they were formed.
3.What is the biologist Norine Noonan’s attitude towards the findings?
A. Neutral. B. Doubtful.
C. Positive. D. Indifferent.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Living organisms bring hope to scientific research.
B. Caves provide living environment for living organisms.
C. Microbes show great power to survive in terrible conditions.
D. Scientists discover 50,000-year-old “super life” in Mexico.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Scientists from the United States say they have found fish and other creatures living under key waters in Antarctica. They made the announcement after completing three months of research at the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest floating ice sheet.
The researchers hoped to find clues to explain the force of the melting ice and its effect on sea level rise. Reed Scherer and Ross Powell are with Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. They just finished up their research on our southernmost continent. Money for the project came from America’s National Science Foundation.
“We chose a study site where, in the first year ,We went into the subglacial (冰川下的)lake and tried to understand the environment in there, both ecologically and in terms of the ice dynamics about how the lake operates ,and how the sediment(沉淀物) underneath the ice sheet operates, as well, because it’s the water and the sediment underneath the ice that controls how fast the ice is flowing into the ocean” says Ross Powell, who led the investigation. The team included scientists ,engineers, machinery and other supplies across the ice from the main U.S. scientific base at Mc Murdo Station to the researcher’s camp .The camp was near a subglacial lake ,where an earlier study took place,
Ross Powell says the latest study may provide evidence that can help predict the effect of climate change on rising sea levels.
“What we have found is that these are very sensitive areas to the stability of how dynamic the ice is and how fast the ice may react to increases of melting both from the ocean and the atmosphere.”
Among the new instruments built for the project was a powerful hot water drill. The researchers used the drill to dig down some 740 meters. They collected water ,sediment and other material from the grounding zone.
Working around the clock before the deep hole refroze, they sent a video camera down to the 400-square-meter undersea area.
Reed Scherer says the video images they saw in the Command Center were a total surprise.
“It’s a very mobile environment. The bottom is changing constantly. And so the things that we saw were all very mobile organisms, things that swim and some things that crawl. And obviously they are getting enough nutrition that they can thrive, Some of the little crustacean-like creatures called amphipods that we saw swam quite quickly and were quite active.”
This is the farthest south that fish have ever been seen. How did the creatures get here? What do they feed on? And what effect will the retreating ice have on them?
Ross Powell says the ice and sediment cores taken from the grounding zone can offer clues.
“We know that the ice is melting there at the moment and so by opening up the cores once they get back, we hope to be able to understand what the ice was doing in the past ,relative to what it is doing now. And because it is melting so fast or seems to be melting fast at the moment, we anticipate that there will he some differences that we’ll see in the history of the ice sheet from the sediment cores, once we open them up .”But Ross Powell says the work raises more questions than it answers.
1.Scientists conducted the three-month research at the Ross Ice Shelf with the intention of .
A. predicting how climate change influences rising sea levels.
B. finding out whether there are life forms existing deep under Antarctic ice.
C. proving the speed of ice flowing into the ocean is controlled by water.
D. discovering an explanation of the effect the melting ice has on sea level rise.
2.What made the researchers surprised when they saw the video images?
A. Researchers saw fish in the farthest south for the first time.
B.A video camera was able to work well under deep icy waters.
C. Sediment cores present differences in the history of the ice sheet.
D. The drill should dig down 740 meters to collect things.
3.From sediment cores taken from the grounding zone, scientists will probably know .
A. what the ice will do in the near future
B. the ice in the grounding zone is melting at the moment
C. some differences rarely exist in the history of the ice sheet
D. something about the creatures under icy water in Antarctic.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Scientists will conduct a follow-up study on the frozen continent.
B. No creatures once appeared or lived in icy water in Antarctica.
C. America’s National Science Foundation is in complete charge of the research.
D. Researchers have found how the sediment underneath the ice sheet operates.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists have always been interested in the high level of organization in ant societies. American researchers have watched ants build life-saving rafts(筏子) to keep afloat during floods. They also have documented how ant colonies choose their next queen — the female whose job is to produce eggs rather than seek food for others.
New technology is helping to improve researchers’ understanding of the insects. But there is still a lot to be learned. Fire ants living in Brazilian forests are perfectly at home in an environment where flooding is common. To save themselves, the insects connect their legs together and create floating rafts. Some ant rafts can be up to 20 centimeters wide.
David Hu, who is a mechanical engineer with the Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, says, “If you have 100 ants, which means 600 legs, 99 percent of those legs will be connected to a neighbor. So they’re very, very good at maintaining this network.”
David Hu and other Georgia Tech researchers want to study ants and the secret of their engineering. They freeze ant rafts and then look at them with the help of computed technology, or CT, images. The pictures show that larger ants serve in central positions to which smaller ants hold. The larger ants form pockets of air that keep the insects afloat.
Scientists say small robots or materials that can change shape could be programmed in a similar way, working towards a shared goal.
Researchers at North Carolina State University are also studying ants. They examined how Indian jumping ants choose the leader of the colony when they lose their top female or queen.
1.The duty of the queen ants is to_____.
A. seek food B. keep organized
C. lay eggs D. keep guard
2.The author takes fire ants as an example to tell us _____.
A. how ants seek food perfectly B. How ants save themselves from floods
C. how ants communicate D. How ants connect their legs together
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Ants know the way to form a harmonious society.
B. The Georgia Tech researchers first discovered Indian jumping ants.
C. All the worker ants in the colony are physically larger.
D. Small and shaped-changeable things might work just like ants do.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Scientists say they have found key clues（线索）into how long we will live. One of them is a firm __21___. British researchers believe a firm strong handshake is not just a __22___ of confidence but also an indicator of a long life. Lead author Dr Rachel Cooper of University College London said her study looked __23___ 33 different reports on the __24___ of handshakes. The research involved more than 50,000 men and women and __25___ 40 years. Dr Cooper concluded that __26___ with weaker handshakes were 70 per cent more likely to die earlier than those with the __27___ handshakes. She concludes that people with a firm strong handshake __28___ from a happy childhood that __29___ a healthy diet and __30___ of exercise.
The new study, __31___ in the British Medical Journal, also found other signs of living a longer life. These 'measures of __32___ capability' include walking at a faster pace, getting out of a chair quickly, and being able to __33___ on one leg. The study showed that slow walkers were almost three times __34___ to die at a younger age than those who walked quickly and actively. Those who __35___ to get up from their armchairs were twice as likely to die earlier than those who sprang __36___ their chairs. Dr Cooper believes there __37___ more research into the link __38___ physical capability and a long life. “Research that helps people to __39___ a long and healthy life is ever more important to help provide for an ageing __40___.” she said.
1.A．childhood B. relationship C．hardship D．handshake
2.A．sign B. symbol C．trip D．sigh
3.A．at B. into C．to D．on
4.A．strength B. length C．likeliness D．confidence
5.A．last B. past C．lasted D．passed
6.A．women B. they C．those D．men
7.A．weaker B. strongest C．weakest D．strong
8.A. must benefit B.could have lived C. should come D. may have benefited
9.A．concluded B. consisted C．included D．including
10.A．plentiful B. plenty C．a number D．the number
11.A．published B. being published C．publishing D．having published12.A．physician B. physics C．physiology D．physical
13.A．stand B. balance C．live D．shake
14.A．likely B. likelier C．likelihood D．liking
15.A．wanted B. hoped C．struggled D．were dying
16.A．out of B. in front of C．ahead of D．away from
17.A．needs to be B. need to be C．ought to be D．must be
18.A．from B. among C．between D．beneath
19.A．benefit B. involve C．make D．enjoy
20.A．popularity B. pollution C．population D．publication
高三英语完型填空简单题查看答案及解析
Chinese scientists have found a new way to use cells found in human urine （尿液）that could aid in the treatment of a range of nerve disorders.That is a new technique for reprogramming cells in human urine into nerve progenitor cells that can grow into multi-functional nerve and brain cells.
The technique is expected to be used in the study and treatment of nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other nerve disorders.
Pei Duanqing, a professor at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his research team has combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram kidney epithelial(肾表皮) cells in urine into NPCs.
These NPCs, normally only found in the human brain, were later proven to be transgene-free and self-renewing, he said.
"These nerve and brain cells can survive for up to one month when transplanted into the brain of a newborn rat," said Pei. "My team is working hard to understand why our experimental condition allowed the urine cells to become NPCs, because we want to improve the technique and make it more efficient".
Scientists have long searched to treat and study neural disorders by obtaining and transplanting neural stem cells. However, the previous method of getting and using cells from either fetal (胎儿)or adult human tissue remains challenging due to ethical concerns and immune system rejections, he said.
Pei hopes the discovery will be used to generate NPCs from patients with nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease. "These NPCs from patients may help us discover new drugs for these diseases."
"It is a remarkable advance in the stem cell field. The results and methods obtained from this study will be of great value and significance to the field, " said Fred Gage,a professor with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. NPCs are beneficial in treating human diseases.
B. Chinese scientists succeeded in making NPCs from human urine.
C. Chinese scientists have found cures for all diseases.
D. A new technique was used to study the use of human urine
2.Pei and his tean try their best to work hard in order to________.
A. make more contributions to medical study
B. discover another new technique
C. make the technique more perfect
D. treat more patients suffering from bad diseases
3.What is the challenge of making NPCs in the previous method?
A. The ethical comcerns and immune system refusal
B. The difificulties in getting cells from human.
C. The under-developed techniques in medical science.
D. The lack of financial support from the government.
4.From the last paragraph we can infer________.
A. the new technique will be developed in science
B. the results and methods will be applied to treating cancers
C. the study will give a major push to the stem cell field
D. the mew technique will bring great profis
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists in Norway have more good news for coffee drinkers. Researchers have already found evidence that the drink — or the beans can help with weight loss, _______one's risk of developing some diseases, _______ muscle growth, protect against certain types of cancers and can even reduce one's risk of _______ death. Now comes word that a cup of coffee reduces physical pain.
The surprising finding is based on a study _______ 48 volunteers who agreed to spend 90 minutes performing fake computer tasks meant to mimic office work. The tasks were known to _______pain in the shoulders, neck, forearms and wrists, and the researchers wanted to _________ how people with pain and those who were pain-free tolerated the pain of such tasks. As a matter of convenience, the scientists allowed people to drink coffee before taking the test "to avoid _______effects of caffeine deprivation, e.g. decreased vigor and alertness, sleepiness, and fatigue," they reported.
But when it came time to analyze the data, the researchers from Norway's National Institute of Occupational Health and Oslo University Hospital noticed that the 19 people who drank coffee reported a lower _______ of pain than the 29 people who didn't. In the shoulders and neck, _______, the average pain intensity was rated 41 (on a 100-point scale) among the coffee drinkers and 55 for non-coffee drinkers. Similar gaps were found for all pain sites measured, and coffee's apparent pain-reduction effect ________.
However, the authors of the study, which was published this week in the journal BMC Research Notes, cautioned that since the study wasn't designed to test coffee's influence on pain, the results came with many ________. For starters, the researchers don't know how much coffee the coffee drinkers consumed before taking the computer tests. ________they doubt whether the coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers were ________in all respects except for their coffee consumption. Problems like these tend to ________ the importance of the findings. But those doubts are ________ to trouble the coffee drinkers looking for any reason not to cut back on their daily caffeine habit.
1.A.rise B.reduce C.release D.suffer
2.A.shape B.establish C.boost D.preserve
3.A.mutual B.subtle C.premature D.prepared
4.A.involving B.researching C.interviewing D.qualifying
5.A.cause B.endure C.ease D.cure
6.A.warn B.compare C.relieve D.treat
7.A.unpleasant B.modest C.significant D.positive
8.A.tendency B.intention C.intensity D.extension
9.A.on the contrary B.as a result C.for instance D.in one word
10.A.turned up B.broke out C.pointed out D.took up
11.A.satisfactions B.uncertainties C.consequences D.qualifications
12.A.Moreover B.However C.Otherwise D.Nevertheless
13.A.contemporary B.similar C.temporary D.initial
14.A.realize B.attach C.demonstrate D.weaken
15.A.unlikely B.sensible C.influential D.definite
高三英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析
Scientists in New Zealand have found fossilized (化石的) leg bones from a penguin believed to have been about the size of an adult human. The previously undiscovered giant penguin species likely stood about 1.6 meters tall and weighed up to 80 kilograms.
The penguin existed about 60 million years ago. The bones are believed to be from the oldest of several species of giant penguins that lived after dinosaurs died out. A fossil hunter found the bones last year in the Waipara River bed near the city of Christchurch. The bones are from the animal’s legs and feet. Scientists confirmed that the bones came from a newly discovered species.
Paul Scofield is senior curator (馆长) at New Zealand’s Canterbury Museum. He co-wrote a paper on the discovery. He said that the bones are an important find. They show that the species is similar to another giant penguin found in Antarctica in 2000. The latest discovery, he said, helps show a clear connection between the two areas during the Paleocene period. This period lasted from 66 million to 56 million years ago.
Scofield said the penguins were able to grow larger after entering a new development period following the extinction of dinosaurs, sea reptiles and huge fish. Scofield added that the giant penguins became extinct within 30 million years, as large mammals began to rule the waters.
John Cockrem is a penguin expert at the country’s Massey University who was also not involved in the research. He said the discovery helps add to what we know about giant penguins. He said it also confirmed New Zealand as the penguin center of the world.
New Zealand is believed to have been home to many giant bird species that later disappeared. These included the world’s largest parrot, a giant eagle and an emu-like bird called the moa. Recently, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of an unusually large parrot believed to have lived about 19 million years ago. Scientists say the bird stood about one meter tall.
1.What is special about the penguin found in New Zealand?
A.The place it lived in. B.The age of its existence.
C.Its species and size. D.Its shape and habits.
2.Why did the giant penguins die out?
A.Large mammals controlled the sea.
B.They were killed out by huge fish.
C.Climate changes were not fit for them.
D.They grew too large to feed themselves.
3.What do we know from the last paragraph?
A.All kinds of penguins live in New Zealand.
B.Many giant birds used to exist in New Zealand.
C.The world’s largest parrot lives in New Zealand.
D.New Zealand owns the most bird species in the world.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Similar Penguin Fossils Have Been Found Again
B.An Ancient Creature Has Been Found in New Zealand
C.Some Giant Penguins Appeared after Dinosaurs Died Out
D.Scientists Found Bones from Giant Penguin in New Zealand
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Scientists said they have found evidence of a giant planet far out in our solar system. In a statement, the California Institute of Technology(Caltech) said this planet travels a strange “highly elongated orbit in the distant solar system”.
The discovery was made by two researchers at Caltech; Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown. They used mathematical modeling and computer simulations (模拟)to find the planet. So far, there have not been any direct observations of the planet. “My jaw hit the floor,” said astronomer Mike Brown, the moment he realized there might be a ninth planet.
The scientists said it would take this planet 10,000to 20,000 years just to make one full orbit around the sun. The new planet, called “Planet Nine” has a mass about 10 times the size of Earth.
It is believed that the planet orbits, or travels, around the sun from a great distance. The planet Neptune’s average distance to the sun is about 4.5 billion kilometers. But “Planet Nine” could be 20 times farther away from the sun than that. While they did not get a picture of “Planet Nine” yet, the scientists say they are using the biggest and best telescopes on Earth to try to find it.
Brown and Batygin reported their finding in The Astronomical Journal. They say that this new planet is so large that there should be no doubt that it is a true planet, once they confirm it.
Robert Massey is with the Royal Astronomical Society in London. He told AFP that planets have been predicted before, and then were not found. But, he said the work of the these researchers is definitely worth following up. “It would be a really exciting thing to find. At the moment it’s simply a prediction.”
1.How was the evidence of the ninth planet found?
A. Through a special telescope
B. Through researchers’ direct observation
C. Through studying its special orbit in the solar system
D. Through mathematical modeling and computer simulations
2.What can we know about “Planet Nine” from the text?
A. It is much smaller than the earth
B. It travels a normal orbit like other planets
C. Its distance to the sun is about 90 billion kilometers
D. Its picture has been caught by the biggest and best telescope
3.What’s Robert’s attitude towards the discovery of “Planet Nine”?
A. Worried B. Supportive
C. Indifferent D. Opposed
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. The discovery of the largest planet
B. A big prediction of the solar system
C. A ninth planet may be in the solar system
D. The ninth planet has been found in the solar system
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析