Question

In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. It prevents our view of some of life's most striking sights: stars, planets, and even galaxies（银河系）.

“When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember looking up and the sky was filled with stars. I became an astronomer because I was amazed by their beauty，” says Robert Gent，“Now in most big cities kids can't see the stars like I did.”

Normally, about 2，500 individual (单个的) stars are visible to the human eyes without using any special equipment. But because of light pollution, you actually see just 200 to 300 and fewer than a dozen from some cities. Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls.

Fortunately, there's an inexpensive and useful way. If we shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the sky, and use lower brightness levels, we can save big amounts of energy and keep the beauty of the night skies. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night，making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution.

Light pollution affects more than our view of the heavens and can harm wildlife. Migrating birds （候鸟）sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from exhaustion. Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and won't approach bright lights. Too much light at night may even affect human health. For all these reasons, researchers are working on ways to use lights only when and where they are truly needed. Everyone deserves to look up at the sky.

1.According to the text, using our naked eyes, ________．

A. people in remote（遥远的） areas can see more stars than those in big cities

B. over one third Americans can see our own galaxy

C. about one in three Americans in big cities can see our own galaxy

D. Americans can only see 200 to 300 stars

2.Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night mainly to ________．

A. save the electricity

B. make sure of cities' safety

C. let you count the number of stars

D. avoid much light pollution

3.The underlined word “exhaustion” in the last paragraph means ________．

A. air pollution    B. tiredness

C. breath    D. brightness

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

A. Light Pollution    B. Seeking the Sky

C. Stars in the Sky    D. City Pollution

Answer

1. A

2. D

3. B

4. A

【解析】

本文主要讲述的是被很多人遗忘的光污染，在文章中列举了多个事例进行了详细说明。

1.细节题。根据文章第三段最后3行Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls.可知只有在远离城市的地方，人们可以用肉眼看到我们的银河系。也就是说生活在远离城市的地方，人们看到的星星比生活在城市里的人要多。故A正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night，making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution.可知，许多城镇已经通过了限制夜间照明的法律，主要是为了避免大量的光污染。故选D。

3.词义猜测题。根据最后一段中Migrating birds （候鸟）sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from exhaustion. 候鸟有时会飞过城市上空，被城市的光亮弄得晕头转向，不停地盘旋，直到精疲力竭。由此推知划线词的意思是“筋疲力尽”，故答案为A。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段第一句 In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution.可知本文主要讲述的是光污染的话题，在下面几段里做了详细的举例说明。故A正确。