1.AEuropeanspacecrafttookofftodaytospearheadthesearchforanother"Earth"amongthestars.

2.TheCorotspacetelescopeblastedoffaboardaRussianSoyuzrocketfromtheBaikonurcosmodromeinKazakhstanshortlyafter2.20pm.

3.Corot,shortforconvectionrotationandplanetarytransits,isthefirstinstrumentcapableoffindingsmallrockyplanetsbeyondthesolarsystem.Anysuchplanetsituatedintherightorbitstandsagoodchanceofhavingliquidwateronitssurface,andquitepossiblylife,althoughaleadingscientistinvolvedintheprojectsaiditwasunlikelytofind"anylittlegreenmen".

4.DevelopedbytheFrenchspaceagency,CNES,andpartneredbytheEuropeanSpaceAgency(ESA),Austria,Belgium,Germany,BrazilandSpain,Corotwillmonitoraround120,000starswithits27cmtelescopefromapolarorbit514milesabovetheEarth.Overtwoandahalfyears,itwillfocusonfivetosixdifferentareasofthesky,measuringthebrightnessofabout10,000starsevery512seconds.

5."Atthepresentmomentwearehopingtofindoutmoreaboutthenatureofplanetsaroundstarswhicharepotentialhabitats.Wearelookingathabitableplanets,notinhabitedplanets.Wearenotgoingtofindanylittlegreenmen,"ProfessorIanRoxburgh,anESAscientistwhohasbeeninvolvedwithCorotsinceitsinception,toldtheBBCRadio4Todayprogramme.

6.ProfRoxburghsaiditwashopedCorotwouldfind"rockyplanetsthatcoulddevelopanatmosphereand,iftheyaretherightdistancefromtheirparentstar,theycouldhavewater".

7.Tosearchforplanets,thetelescopewilllookforthedimmingofstarlightcausedwhenanobjectpassesinfrontofastar,knownasa"transit".Althoughitwilltakemoresophisticatedspacetelescopesplannedinthenext10yearstoconfirmthepresenceofanEarth-likeplanetwithoxygenandliquidwater,Corotwillletscientistsknowwheretopointtheirlenses.

8.MeasurementsofminutechangesinbrightnesswillenablescientiststodetectgiantJupiter-likegasplanetsaswellassmallrockyones.Itistherockyplanets-thatcouldbenobiggerthanabouttwicethesizeoftheEarth-whichwillcausethemostexcitement.Scientistsexpecttofindbetween10and40ofthesesmallerplanets.

9.Corotwillalsoprobeintostellarinteriorsbystudyingtheacousticwavesthatrippleacrossthesurfaceofstars,atechniquecalled"asteroseismology".

10.Thenatureoftheripplesallowsastronomerstocalculateastar’sprecisemass,ageandchemicalcomposition.

11."Aplanetpassinginfrontofastarcanbedetectedbythefallinlightfromthatstar.Smalloscillationsofthestaralsoproducechangesinthelightemitted,whichrevealwhatthestarismadeofandhowtheyarestructuredinternally.Thisdatawillprovideamajorboosttoourunderstandingofhowstarsformandevolve,"ProfRoxburghsaid.

12.Sincethediscoveryin1995ofthefirst"exoplanet"-aplanetorbitingastarotherthantheSun-morethan200othershavebeenfoundbyground-basedobservatories.

13.Untilnowtheusualmethodoffindingexoplanetshasbeentodetectthe"wobble"theirgravityimpartsonparentstars.ButonlygiantgaseousplanetsbiggerthanJupitercanbefoundthisway,andtheyareunlikelytoharbourlife.

14.Inthe2010s,ESAplanstolaunchDarwin,afleetoffourorfiveinterlinkedspacetelescopesthatwillnotonlyspotsmallrockyplanets,butanalysetheiratmospheresforsignsofbiologicalactivity.

15.Ataroundthesametime,theUSspaceagency,Nasa,willlaunchTerrestrialPlanetFinder,anotherspacetelescopedesignedtolocateEarth-likeplanets.

ChoosetheappropriateletterfromA-Dforquestion1.

1.Corotisaninstrumentwhich

(A)canhelptosearchforcertainplanets

(B)isusedtofindplanetsintheorbit

(C)canlocateplanetswithhumanbeings

(D)canspotanyplanetswithwater.

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?Forquestions2-5write

TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

FALSEifthestatementcontraictstheinformation

NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthisinthepassage

2.Scientistsaretryingtofindoutabouttheplanetsthatcanbeinhabited.

3.BBCRadio4recentlyfocusesonthebroadcastingofCorot.

4.Passingobjectsmightcauseafallinlight.

5.CorotcantellwhetherthereisanotherEarth-likeplanet.

Basedonyourreadingofthepassage,completethesentencesbelowwithwordstakenfromthepassage.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.

Withmeasurements,scientistswillbeabletosearchforsomegaseousandrockyplanets.Theywillbeextremelyexcitediftheycandiscoversomesmall6.__________,theexpectednumberofwhichcouldbeupto7.__________.

Corotwillenablescientiststostudythe8.__________ofstars.Inthisway,astar’smass,ageandchemicalcompositioncanbecalculated.

AccordingtoProfRoxburgh,changesinlightcanbecausedbypassingplanetsorstar9.__________.Therelatedstatisticscangainusabetter10.__________ofthestarformationandevolvement.

Observatorieshavefoundmanyexoplanets,whichare11.__________otherstarsthantheSun.Thecommonwayusedinfindingexoplanetscanonlydetecthugegasplanets,whichdonot12.___________.

WiththelaunchingofDarwin,astronomerswillbeabletoanalysewhetherthoserockyplanetshave13.__________forlife.

查看答案
正确答案:

1. 答案:A

2. 答案:TRUE

3. 答案:NOT GIVEN

4. 答案:TRUE

5. 答案:FASLE

6. 答案:rocky planets

7. 答案:40

8. 答案:interiors

9. 答案:oscillations

10. 答案:understanding

11. 答案:orbiting

12. 答案:harbour life

13. 答案:atmospheres

答案解析:

暂无解析

上一题
你可能感兴趣的试题

newweapontofightcancer

1.Britishscientistsarepreparingtolaunchtrialsofaradicalnewwaytofightcancer,whichkillstumoursbyinfectingthemwithviruseslikethecommoncold.

2.Ifsuccessful,virustherapycouldeventuallyformathirdpillaralongsideradiotherapyandchemotherapyinthestandardarsenalagainstcancer,whileavoidingsomeofthedebilitatingside-effects.

3.LeonardSeymour,aprofessorofgenetherapyatOxfordUniversity,whohasbeenworkingonthevirustherapywithcolleaguesinLondonandtheUS,willleadthetrialslaterthisyear.CancerResearchUKsaidyesterdaythatitwasexcitedbythepotentialofProfSeymour’spioneeringtechniques.

4.Oneofthecountry’sleadinggeneticists,ProfSeymourhasbeenworkingwithvirusesthatkillcancercellsdirectly,whileavoidingharmtohealthytissue."Inprinciple,you’vegotsomethingwhichcouldbemanytimesmoreeffectivethanregularchemotherapy,"hesaid.

5.Cancer-killingvirusesexploitthefactthatcancercellssuppressthebody’slocalimmunesystem."Ifacancerdoesn’tdothat,theimmunesystemwipesitout.Ifyoucangetavirusintoatumour,virusesfindthemaverygoodplacetobebecausethere’snoimmunesystemtostopthemreplicating.Youcanregarditasthecancer’sAchilles’heel."

6.Onlyasmallamountofthevirusneedstogettothecancer."Theyreplicate,yougetamillioncopiesineachcellandthecellburstsandtheyinfectthetumourcellsadjacentandrepeattheprocess,"saidProfSeymour.

7.Preliminaryresearchonmiceshowsthatthevirusesworkwellontumoursresistanttostandardcancerdrugs."It’saninterestingpossibilitythattheymayhaveanadvantageinkillingdrug-resistanttumours,whichcouldbequitedifferenttoanythingwe’vehadbefore."

8.Researchershaveknownforsometimethatvirusescankilltumourcellsandsomeaspectsoftheworkhavealreadybeenpublishedinscientificjournals.Americanscientistshavepreviouslyinjectedvirusesdirectlyintotumoursbutthistechniquewillnotworkifthecancerisinaccessibleorhasspreadthroughoutthebody.

9.ProfSeymour’sinnovativesolutionistomaskthevirusfromthebody’simmunesystem,effectivelyallowingthevirusestodowhatchemotherapydrugsdo-spreadthroughthebloodandreachtumourswherevertheyare.Thebighurdlehasalwaysbeentofindawaytodelivervirusestotumoursviathebloodstreamwithoutthebody’simmunesystemdestroyingthemontheway.

10."Whatwe’vedoneismakechemicalmodificationstothevirustoputapolymercoataroundit-it’sastealthviruswhenyouinjectit,"hesaid.

11.Afterthestealthvirusinfectsthetumour,itreplicates,butthecopiesdonothavethechemicalmodifications.Iftheyescapefromthetumour,thecopieswillbequicklyrecognisedandmoppedupbythebody’simmunesystem.

12.Thetherapywouldbeespeciallyusefulforsecondarycancers,calledmetastases,whichsometimesspreadaroundthebodyafterthefirsttumourappears."There’sanawfulstatisticofpatientsinthewest...withmalignantcancers;75%ofthemgoontodiefrommetastases,"saidProfSeymour.

13.Twovirusesarelikelytobeexaminedinthefirstclinicaltrials:adenovirus,whichnormallycausesacold-likeillness,andvaccinia,whichcausescowpoxandisalsousedinthevaccineagainstsmallpox.Forsafetyreasons,bothwillbedisabledtomakethemlesspathogenicinthetrial,butProfSeymoursaidheeventuallyhopestousenaturalviruses.

14.Thefirsttrialswilluseuncoatedadenovirusandvacciniaandwillbedeliveredlocallytolivertumours,inordertoestablishwhetherthetreatmentissafeinhumansandwhatdoseofviruswillbeneeded.Severalmoreyearsoftrialswillbeneeded,eventuallyalsoonthepolymer-coatedviruses,beforethetherapycanbeconsideredforuseintheNHS.Thoughtheapproachwillbeexaminedatfirstforcancersthatdonotrespondtoconventionaltreatments,ProfSeymourhopesthatonedayitmightbeappliedtoallcancers.

Questions1-6

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?Forquestions1-6write

TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

FALSEifthestatementcontradictstheinformation

NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthisinthepassage

1.Virustherapy,ifsuccessful,hasanadvantageineliminatingside-effects.

2.CancerResearchUKisquitehopefulaboutProfessorSeymour’sworkonthevirustherapy.

3.Viruscankillcancercellsandstopthemfromgrowingagain.

4.Cancer’sAchilles’heelreferstothefactthatvirusmaystaysafelyinatumorandreplicate.

5.Toinfectthecancercells,agooddealofvirusesshouldbeinjectedintothetumor.

6.Researchesonanimalsindicatethatviruscouldbeusedasanewwaytotreatdrug-resistanttumors.

Question7-9

Basedonthereadingpassage,choosetheappropriateletterfromA-Dforeachanswer.

7.Informationaboutresearchesonviruseskillingtumorcellscanbefound

(A)onTV

(B)inmagazines

(C)oninternet

(D)innewspapers

8.Totreattumorsspreadingoutinbody,researcherstryto

(A)changethebody’immunesystem

(B)injectchemotherapydrugsintobloodstream.

(C)increasetheamountofinjection

(D)disguisethevirusesonthewaytotumors.

9.Whenthechemicalmodifiedvirusintumorreplicates,thecopies

(A)willsoonescapefromthetumorandspreadout.

(B)willbewipedoutbythebody’simmunesystem.

(C)willbeimmediatelyrecognizedbytheresearchers.

(D)willeventuallystopthetumorfromspreadingout.

Questions10-13

Completethesentencesbelow.Chooseyouranswersfromthelistofwords.Youcanonlyuseeachwordonce.

NBTherearemorewordsinthelistthanspacessoyouwillnotusethemall.

Inthefirstclinicaltrials,scientistswilltryto……10……adenovirusandvaccinia,soboththeviruseswillbelesspathogenicthanthe……11…….Theseuncoatedviruseswillbeapplieddirectlytocertainareastoconfirmsafetyonhumanbeingsandtheright……12……needed.Theexperimentswillfirstlybe……13……tothetreatmentofcertaincancers

Intheearlieststagesofman'sdevelopmenthehadnomoreneedofmoneythananimalshave.Hewascontentwithverysimpleformsofshelter,madehisownroughtoolsandweaponsandcouldprovidefoodandclothingforhimselfandhisfamilyfromnaturalmaterialsaroundhim.Ashebecamemorecivilized,however,hebegantowantbettershelter,moreefficienttoolsandweapons,andmorecomfortableandmorelastingclothingthancouldbeprovidedbyhisownneighborhoodorbytheworkofhisownunskilledhands.Forthesethingshehadtoturntotheskilledpeoplesuchassmiths,leatherworkersorcarpenters.Itwasthenthatthequestionofpaymentarose.

Atfirsthegotwhathewantedbyasimpleprocessofexchange.Thesmithwhohadnotthetimetolookafterlandorcattlewasgladtotakemeatorgrainfromthefarmerinexchangeforanaxeoraplough.Butasmoreandmoregoodswhichhadnofixedexchangevaluecameonthemarket,exchangebecametoocomplicatedtobesatisfactory.Anotherproblemarosewhenthosewhomadethingswantedtogetstocksofwoodorleather,oriron,buthadnothingtoofferinexchangeuntiltheirfinishedgoodswereready.Thusthedifficultiesofexchangeledbydegreestotheinventionofmoney.Insomecountrieseasilyhandledthingslikeseedsorshellsweregivenacertainvalueandthefarmer,insteadofpayingthesmithforanewaxebygivinghimsomemeatorgrain,gavehimsomanyshells.Ifthesmithhadanyshellsleftwhenhehadboughthisfood,hecouldgetstocksoftherawmaterialsofhistrade.Insomecountriesquitelargethingssuchascowsorcamelsorevenbigflatstoneswereusedfortrade.Later,piecesofmetal,bearingvaluesaccordingtotherarityofthemetalandthesizeofthepieces,orcoinswereused.Moneyasweknowithadarrived.

1.Exchangeofgoodsbecamedifficultbecause_________.

Amanbecamemorecivilized

Bsmithsbegantolookafterlandorcattleintheirsparetime

Cmoreandmoregoodswhichhadnofixedexchangealuescametothemarker

Dfarmershadn'tenoughgrainormeattoprovidefor

skilledworkers

2.Moneywasnotuseduntil_______.

Apaperwasinvented

Bpeoplepracticedasimpleprocessofexchange

CnothingcouldbeofferedinexchangeDtheexchangeofonethingforanotherbecametoocomplicated

3.Thebesttitleforthispassageis_____.

AWhatismoney

BWhataremoney'sfunctions.

CTheimportanceofmoney

DThebeginningofmoney

Yourdonationscan_____poorchildren____foodandachancetostudy.

A、provide;to
B、provide;for
C、provide;with
D、provide;against

-----Dad,lookatthebuilding.Itisonfire.

-----Call119____________mobilephonerightnow

A、in
B、by
C、on
D、with

Don'twashthosefossils!

StandardmuseumpracticecanwashawayDNA.

1.Washing,brushingandvarnishingfossils—allstandardconservationtreatmentsusedbymanyfossilhuntersandmuseumcuratorsalike—vastlyreducesthechancesofrecoveringancientDNA.

2.Instead,excavatorsshouldbehandlingatleastsomeoftheirbountywithgloves,andfreezingsamplesastheyarefound,dirtandall,concludesapaperintheProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencestoday.

3.AlthoughmanypalaeontologistsknowanecdotallythatthisisthebestwaytouptheoddsofextractinggoodDNA,Eva-MariaGeigloftheJacquesMonodInstituteinParis,France,andhercolleagueshavenowshownjusthowimportantconservationpracticescanbe.Thisinformation,theysay,needstobehammeredhomeamongthepeoplewhoareactuallyoutinthefielddiggingupbones.

4.Geiglandhercolleagueslookedat3,200-year-oldfossilbonesbelongingtoasingleindividualofanextinctcattlespecies,calledanaurochs.ThefossilsweredugupatasiteinFranceattwodifferenttimes—eitherin1947,andstoredinamuseumcollection,orin2004,andconservedinsterileconditionsat-20oC.

5.Theteam'sattemptstoextractDNAfromthe1947bonesallfailed.Thenewlyexcavatedfossils,however,allyieldedDNA.

6.Becausetheboneshadbeenburiedforthesameamountoftime,andinthesameconditions,theconservationmethodhadtobetoblamesaysGeigl."AsmuchDNAwasdegradedinthese57yearsasinthe3,200yearsbefore,"shesays.

Washin,washout

7.Becausemanypalaeontologistsbasetheirworkontheshapeoffossilsalone,theirmethodsofconservationarenotdesignedtopreserveDNA,Geiglexplains.

8.Thebiggestproblemishowtheyarecleaned.Fossilsareoftenwashedtogetheron-siteinalargebath,whichcanallowwater—andcontaminantsintheformofcontemporaryDNA—topermeateintotheporousbones."NotonlyistheauthenticDNAgettingwashedout,butcontaminationisgettingwashedin,"saysGeigl.

9.MostancientDNAspecialistsknowthisalready,saysHendrikPoinar,anevolutionarygeneticistatMcMasterUniversityinOntario,Canada.Butthatdoesn'tmeanthatbestpracticehasbecomewidespreadamongthosewhoactuallyfindthefossils.

10.GettingholdoffossilsthathavebeenpreservedwiththeirDNAinmindreliesoncloserelationshipsbetweenlab-basedgeneticistsandtheexcavators,sayspalaeogeneticistSvantePbooftheMaxPlanckInstituteforEvolutionaryAnthropologyinLeipzig,Germany.Andthatonlyoccursinexceptionalcases,hesays.

11.Pbo'steam,whichhasbeensequencingNeanderthalDNA,continuallyfacestheseproblems."WhenyouwanttostudyancienthumanandNeanderthalremains,there'sabigissueofcontaminationwithcontemporaryhumanDNA,"hesays.

12.Thisdoesn'tmeanthatallmuseumspecimensarefatallyflawed,notesPbo.TheNeanderthalfossilsthatwererecentlysequencedinhisownlab,forexample,hadbeenpartofamuseumcollectiontreatedinthetraditionalway.ButPboiskeentoseesamplesoffossilsfromeverymajorfindpreservedinlinewithGeigl'srecommendations—justincase.

Warmandwet

13.Geiglherselfbelievesthat,withcooperationbetweenbenchandfieldresearchers,preservingfossilsproperlycouldopenupavenuesofdiscoverythathavelongbeenassumedclosed.

14.Muchhumanculturaldevelopmenttookplaceintemperateregions.DNAdoesnotsurvivewellinwarmenvironmentsinthefirstplace,andcanvanishwhenfossilsarewashedandtreated.Forthisreason,Geiglsays,mostancientDNAstudieshavebeendoneonpermafrostsamples,suchasthewoollymammoth,oronremainsshelteredfromtheelementsincoldcaves—includingcavebearandNeanderthalfossils.

15.Betterconservationmethods,andafocusonfreshfossils,couldboostDNAextractionfrommoredelicatespecimens,saysGeigl.Andthatcouldshedmorelightonthestoryofhumanevolution.

(640wordsnature)

Glossary

Palaeontologists古生物学家

Aurochs欧洲野牛

Neanderthal(人类学)尼安德特人,旧石器时代的古人类。

Permafrost(地理)永冻层

Questions1-6

AnswerthefollowingquestionsbyusingNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.

1.Howdidpeopletraditionallytreatfossils?

2.WhatsuggestionsdoGeiglandhercolleaguesgiveonwhatshouldbedonewhenfossilsarefound?

3.Whatproblemsmaybeposediffossilbonesarewashedon-site?NameONE.

4.WhatcharacteristicdofossilboneshavetomakethemsusceptibletobecontaminatedwithcontemporaryDNAwhentheyarewashed?

5.Whatcouldbebetterunderstoodwhenconservationtreatmentsareimproved?

6.Thepassagementionedseveralanimalspeciesstudiedbyresearchers.Howmanyofthemarementioned?

Questions7-11

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthepassage?PleasewriteTRUEifthestatementagreeswiththewriterFALSEifthestatementdoesnotagreewiththewriterNOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationaboutthisinthepassage.

7.IntheirpaperpublishedintheProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences,GeiglandhercolleagueshaveshownwhatconservationpracticesshouldbefollowedtopreserveancientDNA.

8.ThefossilbonesthatGeiglandhercolleaguesstudiedareallfromthesameaurochs.

9.Geneticistsdon'thavetoworkonsite.

10.OnlynewlyexcavatedfossilbonesusingnewconservationmethodssuggestedbyGeiglandhercolleaguescontainancientDNA.

11.Paaboisstillworriedaboutthepotentialproblemscausedbytreatmentsoffossilsintraditionalway.

Questions12-13

CompletethefollowingthestatementsbychoosingletterA-Dforeachanswer.

12.“Thisinformation”inparagraph3indicates:

[A]ItiscriticaltofollowproperpracticesinpreservingancientDNA.

[B]ThebestwayofgettinggoodDNAistohandlefossilswithgloves.

[C]Fossilhuntersshouldwearhome-madehammerswhilediggingupbones.

[D]Manypalaeontologistsknowhowoneshoulddointreatingfossils.

13.ThestudyconductedbyGeiglandhercolleaguessuggests:

[A]thefactthatancientDNAcannotberecoveredfromfossilbonesexcavatedinthepast.

[B]thecorrelationbetweentheamountofburyingtimeandthatoftherecoveredDNA.

[C]thepaceatwhichDNAdegrades.

[D]thecorrelationbetweenconservationpracticesanddegradationofDNA.

热门试题 更多>
相关题库更多>
听力
阅读
写作
口语
试卷库
试题库