【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[听力原文]11-13 Until modern times, no one knew what comets were. They were feared as signs warning some sad events. The very word "comet" comes from the Greek "kometes", which means "the long-haired one". The Greeks and Romans believed that comets were evil spirits with flowing beards. In the Middle Ages, the church declared that comets were sent by God to punish man. An astronomer of the Middle Ages said the comet of 1531 "was the color of blood." An ugly spirit with long hair rode at its head. It looked so terrible and produced such fear in the common people that some were frightened to death and others feel sick. "These views prevailed until late into the 17th century, when the English astronomer Edmund Halley noticed a similarity in the paths of the comets of 1456, 1531, 1607, and 1683. Halley became certain that these comets were one and the same comet turning round and round the sun like a planet. He predicted that this comet would return about the end of 1758 or early in 1759, since it had been seen regularly every 75 or 76 years. Halley himself did not live long enough to see his comet return. But his prediction proved to be correct, for on March 12, 1759, a comet was seen blazing across the sky. This was the first time in history that a comet had been definitely expected. Since 1759, it has reappeared twice, once in 1835, and once again in 1910. It will return in 1985 or 1986. The comet is named Halley' s Comet, after the man who accurately predicted its appearance.