Question

Possible Earth-Like Planet Next Door?

Scientists say they discovered an earth-like planet outside our solar system (太阳系). It is a planet that could support life.

This planet is just 4.2 light years away from us. It is so close that space scientists have considered it as a next door neighbor. They say it could be reached by an unmanned spaceship before the end of the century -- in time for people alive today to see it.

An international team of scientists found the planet moving around the star called "Proxima Centauri". The result came out last month from the scientific magazine Nature.

Scientists have long thought that a planet with water is important for life. And it has to be neither too hot nor too cold. The newly-discovered planet is a little larger than earth Scientists have named it Proxima B. It moves around its sun, Proxima Centauri, once every 11 days.

American scientists have been using instruments for years to look for earth-like planets. In 2013, scientists' best guess was that there are about one billion (1,000 million) "earths" in space.

Alan Boss is the chairman of a group for outer space research. He said that Proxima B not only confirms (确认) the discovery of a planet, but also increases the number of other possible“earths” greatly.

Boss said it is possible, even likely, that most stars have at least one earth-like planet, which he considers surprising.

So from the early number of a billion, this new research suggests there may be as many possible earth-like planets as there are stars in the Galaxy (银河系). That is, anywhere from 250 billion to 500 billion "earths".

This makes the possibility of living things increasingly likely Boss said he believes human beings will be able to show that there is life in places besides earth in his lifetime. "I am 65," he said, "but I expect to still be alive when it happens."

1.When will it be possible for an unmanned spaceship to reach Proxima B?

A. In about eighty years.

B. In about 4. 2 years.

C. In about eleven days.

D. In about one billion years.

2.In the fourth paragraph, the writer thinks that _______ is necessary for life.

A. water

B. light

C. air

D. wind

3.What does the underlined word "This" stand for in the last paragraph?

A. Scientists have discovered an earth-like planet last month.

B. There are far more earth-like planets than people thought.

C. Proxima B is not far from earth and is just like our neighbor.

D. The Galaxy will be the only place for living things to live in.

4.What does Alan Boss mean by saying "but I expect to still be alive when it happens"?

A. His health is in good state and he's sure he will live a long life.

B. Science is developing much faster than ever in recent years.

C. Scientists may soon find fact that there’s life on other planets.

D. America is far ahead of other countries in space research.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】文章大意：科学家们说他们在太阳系外发现了一颗类似地球的行星，这是一个可以支持生命的星球。这颗星球离我们只有4.2光年，以至于科学家们认为它是地球的邻居。科学家们说，在本世纪末，可以通过一艘无人驾驶飞船到达那里，让今天活着的人及时看到它。科学家们一直认为有水的行星对生命很重要，这颗新发现的行星比地球稍微大一点，科学家们把它命名为Proxima B。美国科学家多年以来一直使用仪器寻找类地行星，Proxima B的发现，不仅证实了行星的发现，而且大大增加了其他可能的“地球”数量。新的研究表明，银河系中可能存在的类地行星和恒星一样多。Alan Boss说他相信在他的一生中，除了地球，人类将能证明地球上还有生命。

1.理解计算题。根据They say it could be reached by an unmanned spaceship before the end of the century -- in time for people alive today to see it.可知，在本世纪末以前，人们可以通过一艘无人驾驶的宇宙飞船到达那里，本世纪末即2099年，现在是2018年，2099-2018=81，所以大约八十年后，故答案选A。

2.细节理解题。根据Scientists have long thought that a planet with water is important for life.可知，作者认为水是生命所必需的，故答案选A。

3.词义猜测题。联系上文So from the early number of a billion, this new research suggests there may be as many possible earth-like planets as there are stars in the Galaxy . That is, anywhere from 250 billion to 500 billion "earths".可知，“This”指的是银河系中存在有比人们想象的其它更多的类地行星，故答案选B。

4.理解推测题。根据This makes the possibility of living things increasingly likely Boss said he believes human beings will be able to show that there is life in places besides earth in his lifetime. "I am 65," he said, "but I expect to still be alive when it happens."可知，Alan Boss教授希望在他的有生之年能看到科学家们发现其它行星上也有生命，教授今年65岁了，所以可推知科学家们可能很快就会发现其它行星上也有生命，故答案选C。