单选题 Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星) now, one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists. Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids (流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don"t threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth. Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, we"ll have a way to change its course. Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn"t be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences are if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500, 000 years. Sounds pretty rare—but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. "If we don"t take care of these big asteroids, they"ll take care of us," says one scientist. "It"s that simple. " The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? "The world has less to fear from doomsday (毁灭 性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them," said a New York Times article. (272 words)
单选题 What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题属于推理题。根据文章第二段的第一句的内容:小行星是指那些划过夜空的比较大的流星,我们可作出选择,即B“小行星和流星是本质相似的天体”。
单选题 What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题属于推理题。文章的第五段的后三句说道:专家们认为虽然小行星与地球相撞的可能性很小一一每50万年一次,但一旦发生了便是世界末日。有一位科学家说:“如果我们不注意它们(小行星),它们就会注意(袭击)我们,事情就是那么简单。”由此可知,A是正确的。
单选题 What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the courses of asteroids?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题属于推理题。依据是文中的最后一段的内容:“The cure,though,might be worse than the disease.”(治疗方法可能比疾病本身还糟糕。)“the cure”暗指用核武器来改变小行星轨道的办法,“the disease”则指的是小行星可能会与地球相撞的危机。后文进一步指出全世界更害怕的是大量的核武器舰队,而不是毁灭性的星体。所以B是对的。
单选题 We can conclude from the passage that______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题属于推理题。既然用核武器来改变小行星的轨道这一方法行不通,我们当然要去寻找更合理的解决办法,即D。
单选题 Which of the following best describes the author"s tone in this passage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题属于主旨题。从整体来看,作者很客观地说明了存在的问题和大家对其的态度,故作者的语气是客观的,即C。其他选项,A“乐观的”、B“批评的”、D“武断的”均不符合题意。