For hundreds of years humans have dreamt of finding life on distant planets. Now the hope of discovering real evidence of life has greatly increased

NASA’s Mars detector (探測器), 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 been existed on Mars. But it is still unknown whether the water on Mars was like an ocean or just ice.

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 (任務(wù)) should bring back physical samples (樣品). 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.

A. The physical samples with salty chemicals            

B. The marks on rocks and salty chemicals

C. Scientific achievements of 2004                          

D. Creatures from Mars

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

A. It is now certain that there was water on Mars.             

B. The water on Mars was like an ocean.

C. Evidence of life on Mars has been found.                    

D. Search for life on Mars is a great risk to humans.

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

A. The world’s leading magazine has announced the fact.

B. Scientists have taken many pictures and chemical readings on the Mars.

C. Astronauts have got some rocks from Mars.

D. Scientists have made a study of the pictures and readings sent back by Mars detector.

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

A. they would be kind to humans                   

B. they would be cruel to humans

C. they would be a great danger to Earth

D. it would be hard to say whether it would be a good news or bad news

1-4  BADD


解析:

1.   事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)短文第五段“It includes marks on rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds”一句可知：巖石上有類似地球上水流的痕跡和化學(xué)物。

2.   事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段“succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet”一句可判斷，火星上有水

3.   事實(shí)歸納題。人們對火星的研究是通過探測器“機(jī)遇號”發(fā)回的圖片和數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行分析得出的，人類還沒有登上火星，所以B、C兩項(xiàng)不符文意。A項(xiàng)“雜志上報(bào)道的”更不能作為結(jié)論的根據(jù)。

4.   推測題。根據(jù)短文最后一段“some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth”的意義，科學(xué)家有這種擔(dān)心外星人是否會(huì)對人類造成危 害。由此可推測：如果外星人來地球，是好是壞不得而知。

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