Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don't hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."
【小題1】By saying "don’t hold your breath", the author advised the reader not to _____.
A.keep silent | B.give up | C.expect so | D.be afraid |
A.a(chǎn)re too far away from the earth |
B.a(chǎn)re different from the Earth in size |
C.don’t have rich natural resources |
D.don’t have a suitable living environment |
A.they have better explanations about aliens |
B.a(chǎn)liens certainly exist on many planets |
C.they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion |
D.a(chǎn)liens can pick up signals from the earth |
A.There must be other life forms in the universe. |
B.We can communicate with aliens in decades. |
C.The chances of finding aliens are slight. |
D.Many other planets are quite different from the Earth. |
【小題1】C
【小題2】D
【小題3】C
【小題4】C
解析試題分析:文章講述了天文學(xué)家對外星人是否存在的事實進(jìn)行論述,要想找到外星人的幾率是非常小的,幾乎可以說我們是太空唯一的生物群。
【小題1】推斷題。從后文A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.可知科學(xué)家已經(jīng)得出不可能有外星人的存在,我們是宇宙中唯一的生物,故選C
【小題2】細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.可知,由于生存條件的惡劣,不可能有像外星人這樣的生物存在,故選D
【小題3】細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets.可知他們認(rèn)為有外星人的存在而Dr Smith并不認(rèn)為這樣,故選C
【小題4】主旨題。從全文及最后一段reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."可知,要想找到外星人的幾率幾乎是微乎其微,故選C
考點:科普類說明文
點評:本文不難,文章結(jié)構(gòu)簡潔,題目設(shè)置很清晰。解答此類說明文的題目,要注意答題的方法。為了在有限的時間的快速作答,可以先看題目,按照題目所問的問題在文章中的找到對應(yīng)的段落,或總起句,在這些地方去找答案,作答難度并不大。
科目:高中英語 來源:2014屆江西贛州市十一縣(市)高二上學(xué)期期中考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
閱讀下面短文并回答問題,然后將答案寫到答題卡相應(yīng)的位置(請注意問題后的詞數(shù)要求)。
【1】Who says you need super power to save the world? On April 22, more than a billion people worldwide celebrated Earth Day by taking part in green activities in their communities. However, you needn’t wait until Earth Day. You needn’t be an adult, either! Every day, young people across the globe are doing their part to keep the Earth healthy and green. These are just a few kid heroes for the planet.
Manatee (海牛) minder
【2】When she was in second grade, Stephanie Cohen read about a baby manatee hit by a boat off the coast of Florida. Biologists saved the manatee. But caring for the sea creature was expensive. Stephanie took up a collection and raised 27 dollars in one day. Now 18, Stephanie still raises money to help these "Gentle Giants".
Goodbye paper bags
【3】When Adrienne Smith, 15, was in sixth grade, she noticed that many of her classmates carried paper lunch bags. To help kid cut down on waste, she invented an eco-friendly lunch bag. It is partly made from recycled plastic bottles. "Kids like it because they can fold it up and put it in their backpacks," said Adrienne. She sells the bags at greenearbag.com. And some of the money goes to charity.
He's skiing to save the earth
【4】Parker Liantaud, 15, wanted to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the polar regions. He set out to become one of the youngest people ever to ski the North Pole. Although the cruel conditions forced Parker and his guide to finish the last 15 miles of the journey by helicopter, Parker felt he met his goal to inspire others. "All young people have the power to make a change," he said.
He ______ the earth
【5】Every year, Max Kesselman, from Pennsylvania, USA, celebrates his birthday December 3 by cleaning up the Earth. When Max was 6, he noticed trash on the sides of the road. He wrote a letter to local leaders suggesting a cleanup day on his birthday.(words:353)
1.What is the main idea of the passage? (no more than 8 words)
2.What does the word "it" (Line 3, Paragraph3) probably refer to? (no more than 5 words )
3.Fill in the blanks of the title of Paragraph 5 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
4.Why didn't Parker ski the North Pole all the way?(No more than 7 words)
5.Write out at least one other Green Activity you can take part in?(no more than 8 words)
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科目:高中英語 來源:2014屆浙江省高二上學(xué)期11月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:完型填空
It’s certain that the following tale is a nice example that can teach us a good lesson. One day, a young man 16 begged from door to door along the street. 17 an old wallet in hand, he was asking for a few coins to buy something to eat. He kept complaining about his bad 18 and kept wondering why those who had so much money were never 19 and were always desiring more.
“As for me, if I had only enough to eat and to wear, I would not want anything more."
Just at that moment Goddess Fortune 20 the beggar among the crowd and approached him, greeting, “Hi, young man, I have wished to 21 you for a long time. If you open your wallet, I will pour my gold into it. But keep in mind that I will do that only on this 22 : All that falls into the wallet will be pure gold belonging to you; but every piece falling upon the ground 23 become dust, worth nothing. Are you clear?”
“I see. Now I’m ready. ” said the beggar with confidence.
“Then you should 24 ! It’s obvious that your wallet is a/an 25 one, so don’t load it too heavily,” said the Goddess Fortune.
The excited beggar could hardly 26 to have gold. He quickly opened his wallet, and a 27 of yellow coins was poured into it. The wallet became heavier and heavier.
“Is that enough? Isn’t it cracking? Will your wallet strong enough for more?” warned the Goddess.
“Never 28 .It’s still strong enough now” replied the beggar firmly.
The wallet was filled with so many coins that the beggar’s hands began to 29 . “Ah, if only the golden stream would 30 forever! Just a little more,” said the beggar, “ 31 just a handful or two.”
“There! It’s full. The wallet will 32 .” warned the Goddess again, but the beggar insisted, “ I know it will 33 a little more, just a little more.”
One more piece was added and the wallet split. The 34 fell upon the ground and became dust. The greedy beggar had now 35 but his broken wallet.
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科目:高中英語 來源:貴州省09-10學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期3月月考試英語 題型:閱讀理解
E
“How’s the basketball coming on?”
I put down my drink and looked across at the next table. I was curious about that because both the man and the woman were at least 65.
“Oh, I’m not playing much basketball these days,” the woman replied. “But I’m getting much better at golf.”
What’s this, I thought. I opened my packet of crisps, thoughtfully. “I’m still pretty hopeless at chess, I’m afraid,” the man said. “It beat me on level one this morning.”
The penny dropped. These two were the proud owners of computer games.
It’s very likely that one of the results of the development of the silicon chip(硅片) will be that a lot of people will have more exciting ways to spend their leisure time. It already has. Space invader machines are now a familiar sight everywhere. A lot of people play them, and some, particularly school children, get remarkably high scores. How, one wonders, do they find the time (and money) to become so good?
If you have your own computers, the possibilities are endless. You can play any active sports without stepping out of your living room.
You can become an expert at chess or backgammon without ever playing with another human being. Indeed, human beings aren’t needed at all.
So, what of the future? Will we see school children stealing or even robbing to feed space invader machines? Will football grounds lie empty as families sit at home playing video football, or watching the national video football championship? Perhaps, it won’t go that far. But we won’t have to wait long for the Video Olympics. I’m sure of that.
Back in the pub, I stood up, took out 20 pence, and went over to the space invader machine. I may not be much good at beating computers at backgammon, but any space invaders who arrive on Earth anywhere near me had better watch out.
72. The reason why the writer felt curious about the talk between the couple was that ____.
A. he thought they were too old to play basketball
B. they looked young for their age
C. the old seldom went to the bar
D. he didn’t believe they played basketball so well
73. The underlined sentence “The penny dropped.” in the fifth paragraph probably means ____.
A. his wallet was stolen
B. he dropped a penny into the space invader machine
C. he asked for another drink for a penny
D. he’s come to see what they meant
74. The text is mainly written to tell us that ____.
A. computers will make people have a better time in their leisure time
B. the writer was worried about the side effect of computers
C. the old couple were excellent at playing golf
D. school children shouldn’t play space invader machines so much
75. We can infer form the passage that ____.
A. we can do everything without leaving our home in the future
B. the writer was good at playing the space invader game
C. school children will certainly steal or rob to feed the space invader machines
D. the woman is better at playing chess than the man
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科目:高中英語 來源:湖北省六市2010屆高三下學(xué)期聯(lián)合考試英語試題 題型:閱讀理解
Just how far does the euro(歐元) have to fall before Europe actually becomes reasonable?
Anyone traveling to the old continent from the U.S. in recent years has learned the hard way how expensive it is. The situation has improved in the last couple of months, thanks to the Greek financial crisis. But it still has a way to go.
Alarm about Greece—and other financially unstable countries in Europe—has dragged down the euro sharply. In November, before the crisis struck, you needed about $1.49 to buy one euro. Today you need only about $1.36. That's a 9% cut.
What does that mean for you, the would-be traveler? It's a big sale.
As recently as November, when the euro was flying high, the OECD estimated that countries like France, Italy and Germany were about a third more expensive than the U.S. Not all European countries were quite as expensive for the American visitor: Greece only cost about 17% more than the US, while the Czech Republic (which is not part of the eurozone) was actually about 15% cheaper than back home.
Fast-forward two months, and the situation looks somewhat better.
At current exchange rates, places like France will still cost you about 23% more than the U.S., but cheaper countries such as Spain and Greece are now only about 6% more expensive. The Czech Republic's a fifth cheaper than the U.S.
European prices will only break even(持平) with the U.S. if the euro falls to about $1.10, says the OECD. But is it going to get there?
Greece's financial crisis may or may not be over. Members of a labor union just occupied part of the finance ministry to protest against the planned austerity(緊縮) measures. No, it doesn't inspire confidence!
Julian Jessop, chief international economist at the Capital Economics consultancy in London, sees the euro falling to $1.25 by year-end. “We still think the euro should be a lot lower,” he says. “We think the outlook for the European economy is a lot worse than for the U.S. And Greece is only a symptom of a wider problem: Does the eurozone make sense as a currency union?” If he's right, you may want to wait to change your money or book a trip.
67. In the passage the writer offers some suggestions to the travellers from______.
A.USA B.Europe C.Greece D.China
68. The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to ______.
A.the planned austerity measures
B.Greece’s financial crisis
C.the protest from a labor union
D.the decline of the euro in value
69. Julian Jessop has a negative attitude toward the euro because he thinks ______.
A.Greece’s financial crisis may not be over
B.the euro will drop to $ 1.25 by the end of the year
C.the European economy is a lot worse than the US’
D.the other European countries have a similar problem like Greece
70. The purpose of the author writing the passage is to tell the readers that ______.
A.the euro shall be further reasonably lowered
B.travelers to Europe will save less in the future
C.the economic situation in Europe is worsening
D.the Greek financial crisis influences the whole Europe
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科目:高中英語 來源:2011-2012學(xué)年山東省濰坊市三縣高三10月聯(lián)考英語試題 題型:完型填空
It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight 36 .
I worked in a 37 doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run 38 than usual. It seemed I was going to be late 39 home and my husband, being the 40 person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe 41 I hurried, I could still make it home.
I was heading inside to 42 for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for 43 to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just 44 a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be 45 in explaining how to get there, with two other people making 46 . One of them was 47 trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the 48 ?”
A look of 49 crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an) 50 since I had just made up my mind to do 51 that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right 52 me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to 53 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband 54 , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s 55 to be late.”
1.A. break B. fever C. cold D. headache
2. A. foreign B. common C. busy D. noisy
3.A. earlier B. later C. easier D. simpler
4. A. getting B. cooking C. calling D. working
5. A. tough B. punctual C. generous D. careful
6.A. as B. since C. while D. if
7.A. pay B. change C. wait D. search
8.A. opinions B. trouble C. directions D. money
9.A. reached B. visited C. called D. left
10.A. skilled B. helpful C. experienced D. active
11.A. comments B. promises C. jokes D. offers
12. A. only B. still C. even D. ever
13.A. station B. office C. hospital D. hotel
14.A. panic B. relief C. sadness D. peace
15.A. duty B. fact C. reason D. lie
16.A. partly B. properly C. exactly D. perfectly
17.A. across B. before C. beside D. behind
18.A. go up B. die down C. speed up D. turn down
19.A. teased B. shouted C. burst D. laughed
20.A. possible B. usual C. good D. safe
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