Question

Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.

A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.

At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving  so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system — pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.

NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking about being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”

“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.

Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”

1.What is very important in determining if we are alone in the universe?

A. Finding an Earth-like planet

B. Orbiting other stars.

C. Developing new telescopes

D. Finding more exoplanets.

2.What’s an exoplanet?

A. It’s a planet like Earth

B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.

C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun

D. It’s a planet where life have developed.

3.The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.

A. understand fully         B. make full use of

C. search for              D. do more research on   

4.From the passage we can learn that __________.

A. an Earth-like planet has been found

B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe

C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe

D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文是有关宇宙探索的一篇科普文章。文章说：天文学家在不久的将来就要找到类似地球的行星，在那儿有可能繁衍生命或者已经有了生命。以梵蒂冈天文台台长为代表的天文学家表达了自己的希望：在未来的四五年，人类可以找到类似地球的行星提供人类来居住。

1.A 推理判断题。根据第一段“天文学家在不久的将要找到类似地球的行星，这是确定人类宇宙中是不是还有同类”推断A项正确。

2.B推理判断题。根据“so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system”我们知道：所谓的“exoplanets”是指“那些太阳系以外行星”，根据地理常识就是指“围绕其它恒星(不是围绕太阳)转的”行星。故B项正确。

3.A词义猜测题。根据上文“closer to answering the question离问题的答案越来越近”就是不久将来科学家们就可以回答“Are we alone?”这个问题，说明就要彻底弄懂这个问题。故A正确。再者根据“get to the bottom of”字面意义也可以推测。该词组的意思是：弄清……底细。

4.D主旨大意题。根据文章的首段和最后一段，我们可以归纳出“不久的将来有可能发现类似地球的行星”。

考点：科普类阅读理解