NASA scientists have found evidence of flowin...

NASA scientists have found evidence of flowing water on Mars. This opens up the possibility of___ and wonders we can’t begin to imagine. The____undoubtedly is an astonishing achievement.

We may be excited by the thought of living things on another ______, but we seem to have lost _______in our own. In the past four decades, the world has____50% of its vertebrate( 脊 椎 )wildlife. But across the latter half of this period, there has been a steep___ in media coverage (报道)of the subject.

Think of what would change if we valued_____ on the earth as much as we value the possibility water　 on Mars._____ 3% of the water on this planet is fresh and of that, two-thirds is frozen. Yet we lay waste to　 the ___part. Sixty percent of the water used in farming is____by careless irrigation. Rivers, lakes and aquifers ( 地 下 蓄 水 层 )are sucked dry, while what remains is often so bad that it____the lives of those who drink it. As for salty water, which so______us　 when apparently detected on Mars, however,　 on Earth,　 we express our___ by destroying it. A new report suggests fish numbers have　 halved since　 1970. Coral　 reefs are under such___ that most could be gone by 2050.

A couple of weeks ago, I launched a column focusing on extreme consumption, and___ suggestions. They have flooded in. Here are just a few of the _____:wigs(假发)for babies, to allow “baby girls with little or no ___at all the opportunity to have a beautifully realistic hair style”; The iPotty, which _____little　 children to keep playing while toilet training; a smartphone for dogs to take pictures of themselves....

As clever new ways of wasting stuff are continually___ , we become more and more used to the___ consumption of the world’s precious resources. Isn’t it time for us to have second thoughts about our lifestyle?

1.A.peace B.trust C.life D.danger

2.A.appearance B.discovery C.performance D.operation

3.A.planet B.stage C.level D.island

4.A.courage B.hope C.pride D.interest

5.A.spread B.lost C.ignored D.found

6.A.climb B.turn C.increase D.decline

7.A.water B.plants C.animals D.air

8.A.Often B.Only C.Even D.Last

9.A.private B.public C.unclear D.accessible

10.A.checked B.chosen C.wasted D.polluted

11.A.saves B.threatens C.enriches D.changes

12.A.interests B.satisfies C.frightens D.terrifies

13.A.complaint B.doubt C.appreciation D.surprise

14.A.pressure B.control C.guidance D.attention

15.A.made B.considered C.invited D.followed

16.A.benefits B.reasons C.features D.products

17.A.time B.hair C.help D.knowledge

18.A.allows B.promises C.persuades D.advises

19.A.criticized B.reported C.replaced D.created

20.A.expensive B.limited C.pointless D.stable

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is not until recently ______ the scientists have found proof of there being water on Mars.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Mars(火星) appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water, at least in the summer, scientists reported Monday. “It suggests that it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars,” NASA’s science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a news conference on September 28, 2015.

The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long, scientists said. “What we’re dealing with is wet soil, thin layers of wet soil, not standing water,” said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson, the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s high-resolution imaging experiment.

Because liquid water is essential to life, the findings could have major implications for the possibility of Martian life. The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet.

The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or living on Mars. Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket fuel. NASA’s goal is to send humans there in the 2030s.

The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark, narrow streaks(条痕) on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade the rest of the year.

Mars is extremely cold even in summer, and the streaks are in places where the temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice.

The source of the water is a mystery. Scientists noted it could be melting ice. It could be an underground aquifer, which is rock or sand that can hold water. It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere. Or it may be a combination Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars exploration program, said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there’s life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth—something a U. S. lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do.

1.According to John Grunsfeld, there seems to be　　　　　　　　　 on Mars.

A.salty water B.standing water

C.rocket fuel D.human beings

2.Scientists are uncertain about the　　　　　　　　　　 of the water on Mars．

A.state B.source

C.temperature D.taste

3.What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars?

A.The distance from the sun B.The favorable climate

C.The gravity of the earth D.The salt in it

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Streams of Water Spotted on Mars

B.Astronauts will Land on Mars

C.NASA’s Mars Exploration Program

D.A Breakthrough in the Exploration of Mars

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mars( 火星) appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water, at least in the summer,scientists reported Monday.　 "It suggests that. it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars," NASA's science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a news conference on September 28, 2015. The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long, scientists said.

"What we're dealing with is wet soil. thin layers of wet soil, not standing water," said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson ! the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-resolution imaging experiment.

Because liquid water is essential to life, the findings could have major implications for the possibility of Martian life. The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet.

The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or living on Mars. Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket fuel. NASA's goal is to send humans there in the 2030s.

The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark, narrow streaks(条痕) on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade the rest of the year.

Mars is extremely cold even in summer, and the streaks are in places where the temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.　 But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice.

The source(源头) of the water is a mystery. Scientists noted it could be melting ice. It could be an underground aquifer, which is rock or sand that can hold water.　 It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere, Or it may be a combination Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program, said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there's life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth - something a U. S. lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do.

1.What would be the best title for the text? '

A Streams of Water Spotted on Mars

B. Astronauts will Land on Mars

C. NASA's Mars Exploration Program

D. A Breakthrough in the Exploration of Mars

2.According to John Grunsfeld, there seems to be　　　　　　　　　 on Mars.

A. salty water

B. standing water

C. rocket fuel

D. human beings

3.Scientists are uncertain about the　 　　　　　　　　　 of the water on Mars.

A. state

B. source

C. temperature

D. taste

4.What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars?

A. The distance from the sun.

B. The favorable climate.

C. The gravity of the earth

D．The salt in it．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mars( 火星) appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water, at least in the summer,　 scientists reported Monday.　 "It suggests that. it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars," NASA's science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a news conference on September 28, 2015.

The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long, scientists said. "What we're dealing with is wet soil. thin layers of wet soil, not standing water," said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson ! the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-resolution imaging experiment.

Because liquid water is essential to life, the findings could have major implications for the possibility of Martian life. The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet.

The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or living on Mars. Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket fuel.　 NASA's goal is to send humans there in the 2030s.

The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark, narrow streaks(条痕) on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade the rest of the year.

Mars is extremely cold even in summer, and the streaks are in places where the temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.　 But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice.

The source(源头) of the water is a mystery. Scientists noted it could be melting ice. It could be an underground aquifer, which is rock or sand that can hold water. It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere, Or it may be a combination.

Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program, said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there's life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth - something a U. S. lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do.

1.What would be the best title for the text?

A Streams of Water Spotted on Mars

B. Astronauts will Land on Mars

C. NASA's Mars Exploration Program

D. A Breakthrough in the Exploration of Mars

2.According to John Grunsfeld, there seems to be　　　　　　　　　 on Mars.

A. salty water

B. standing water

C. rocket fuel

D. human beings

3.Scientists are uncertain about the　 　　　　　　　　　 of the water on Mars.

A. state

B. source

C. temperature

D. taste

4.What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars?

A. The distance from the sun.

B. The favorable climate.

C. The gravity of the earth

D．The salt in it．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mars（火星）appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water,at least in the summer,scientists reported Monday."It suggests that it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars," NASA's science mission chief,John Grunsfeld,said at a news conference on September 28,2015.

The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long,scientists said."What we're dealing with is wet soil.Thin layers of wet soil,not standing water," said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson,the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-resolution imaging experiment.

Because liquid water is extremely necessary to life,the findings could have major possible effects for the possibility of Martian life.The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet.

The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or living on Mars.Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket fuel.NASA's goal is to send humans there in the 2030s.

The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark,narrow streaks（条痕）on the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade the rest of the year.

Mars is extremely cold even in summer,and the streaks are in places where the temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice.

The source of the water is a mystery（神秘的事物）.Scientists noted it could be melting ice.It could be an underground aquifer（砂石含水层）,which is rock or sand that can hold water.It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere,or it may be a combination Michael Meyer,lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program, said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there's life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth-something a U.S.lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do.

1.What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars?

A. The distance from the sun.　　 B. The favorable climate.

C. The gravity of the earth.　　 D. The salt in it.

2.According to John Grunsfeld,on Mars there seems to be　　　　 .

A. salty water　　 B. standing water

C. rocket fuel　　 D. human beings

3.Scientists are uncertain about the　　　　 of the water on Mars.

A. state　　 B. source

C. temperature　　 D. taste

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Streams of Water Spotted on Mars

B. Astronauts Will Land on Mars

C. NASA's Mars Exploration Program

D. A Breakthrough in the Exploration of Mars

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

Images of the Mars caves from Northern

Arizona University

The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.

“If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,”said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.

Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.

One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.

“I said:‘Wow,that’s a cave’,”Dr.Clarke said excitedly.“People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them.”

He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.

“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,”he said.“If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”

The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.How the caves were formed on Mars.

B.How scientists found these caves on Mars.

C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.

D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.water has already been found on Mars

B.the scientists found all the caves at night

C.it is certain that there is life in these caves

D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold,radiation-soaked and dry

3.According to the passage,Dr.Clarke was so excited because _______.

A.such caves could provide energy for life

B.they had finally found the caves on Mars

C.such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life

D.scientists had long been looking for these caves

4.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include _______.

A.lava and energy

B.water and radiation from space

C.gases and lava

D.water and protection from radiation

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

NASA on September 28, 2015 announced the strongest evidence yet for liquid water on the red planet, increasing the possibility that astronauts journeying to Mars could someday rely on the planet's own water for their drinking needs.

You may feel like you've heard about the hunt for liquid water on Mars before—and the researchers involved know it may seem played out. But science has yet to truly prove that water flows on Mars once and for all, and doing so could completely change the way we view the planet. This new data is a big step in the right direction.

"Liquid water is an attractive topic, and we like the thousandth time someone has discovered water on Mars," Lujendra Ojha, the Georgia Tech PhD candidate who led the research announced Monday, told The Post. But there's a good reason that liquid water is so "attractive": Mars is now the only planet in our solar system to show evidence of the stuff on its surface, other than our own. Other worlds have it in subsurface oceans, or scattered around as vapor in the atmosphere. But Mars is the only place where we have solid evidence for liquid that sits right there in the open air. While it would be a major leap to suggest that Mars might harbor life—even microbial life—liquid water at least makes it possible that parts of the planet are habitable.

The study builds on research from April, when scientists using data from the Curiosity rover noted that the planet had the seasonal potential for liquid water. We know that because of the extremely low pressure on Mars, water has a boiling point of just a few degrees Celsius, after which it evaporates. The April study noted the presence of perchlorates (高氯酸盐) —a kind of salt—which could make the boiling point of Mars' water much higher, theoretically allowing it to remain liquid. They affirmed that the planet's temperature would be right for liquid, perchlorate-filled water to form every day during winter and spring.

1.What does the Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A. The significance of the discovery.

B. The doubt of the discovery.　

C. The difficulty of the discovery.

D. The expense of the discovery.

2.The underlined words "our own" in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.

A. Mars

B. the earth

C. liquid water

D. the solar system

3. What plays an important role in making Mars' water in the state of liquid?

A. The thick atmosphere around Mars.

B. The physical structure of Mars.

C. The extremely low pressure on Mars.

D. Perchlorates in Mar's water.

4. The best title for the passage can be "________".

A. Water on Mars could be used for dringking

B. There might be some kinds of life on Mars

C. NASA would send astronauts to journey to Mars

D. NASA confirms the best-ever evidence for water on Mars

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

NASA’s Mars detector (探测器), Opportunity, succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet. Opportunity landed on Mars in January. Scientists now believe that the planet could once have supported life.

This discovery was chosen by Science, one of the world’s leading magazines, as the most important scientific achievement of 2004 last Friday.

“This little, wheeled, one-armed box went around another planet and has done something no human has ever managed,” according to Science. “It has discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed.”

“Although we still can’t say that life could have existed in this environment, it is now certain that there was water on Mars,” said Steve Squyres, one of the scientists working on the Mars mission. The evidence comes from pictures and chemical readings taken by Opportunity. It includes marks on rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds. Scientists said the new evidence proved beyond doubt that water has existed on Mars. But it is still unknown whether the water on Mars was like an ocean or justice.

While Opportunity has not found any signs of life, the presence of water means life is possible. “In everything we know about life on Earth, there is no example without liquid water,” Squyres said. “So water is important for the search for life on Mars.”

Researchers agree that a future mission (任务) should bring back physical samples (样品). But some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth. “The problem here is how to get the samples back,” Squyres replied. “I think it is our responsibility to limit any risk.”

1.________ prove that water existed on Mars.

2.Which of the following is TURE according to the text?

3.How did scientists draw the conclusion that there was water on Mars?

4.It can be inferred that, if the creatures from Mars came to Earth, ________.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析