Question

16．Scientists in the UK have discovered a solar system with five earth-size planets born at the very beginning of galaxy．The star and its planets are billions of years older than our own sun．That is to say，life might be somewhere in our galaxy in the long past．
We can hear the music of the stars．It's the vibrations（振动）of a 2.6billion-year old star that changed into sound．While researchers now compare it with the sound of a star that's nearly three billion years older，Pro．Bill Caplin，who led the research，discovered that he could work out the age of stars from the sound they make．
So as the stars get older，as their outer parts grow larger，and we get these changes to the structure（构造）of the deep inner part，what we find is that the time which the star resonates（产生共振）was made longer．
Pro．Caplin and his team were able to work out that the star，with five planets going around it，which are about the same sizes as our own earth，was more than eleven billion years old．That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun and the oldest star with such planets discovered to date．It's thought that living organisms（有机物）are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．So the discovery raises the possibility that life might have been there in our own galaxy billions of years before our own earth had appeared．

55．What have the UK scientists discovered？A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．
56．Can we hear the music of the stars？Yes．/Yes，we can．
57．How could the researchers work out the age of the stars？By studying/From the sound they make．
58．How old is our own sun？More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．
59．Why might life be somewhere before our earth appeared？Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It'sthought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same sizeas the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．．

Answer 1

分析 本文是一篇科普类文章，介绍的是英国科学家的太空发现：在银河系刚诞生时就产生了一个太阳系，比我们的太阳早65亿年，它有自己的行星．科学家推测，这些行星上有可能有生命，即在地球之外，有可能在某些星球上早已存在生命．

解答 55．A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．细节理解题．考查英国科学家的发现．根据第一段中"Scientists in the UK have discovered a solar system with five earth-size planets born at the very beginning of galaxy"所说，英国科学家发现在银河系刚诞生时就产生了一个太阳系，它有5个和地球那么大的行星．a solar system （一个）太阳系．with five earth-size planets拥有5个和地球一样大的行星．故回答A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．
56．Yes．/Yes，we can．细节理解题．考查人类是否能听到那些星星上的音乐．根据第二段中"We can hear the music of the stars"所说，我们人类能听到那些星星上的音乐．故回答Yes．/Yes，we can．
57．By studying/From the sound they make．细节理解题．考查研究人员是怎样推算出这些星星的年龄的．根据第二段最后一句"Bill Caplin，who led the research，discovered that he could work out the age of stars from the sound they make"所说，比尔•卡普林通过研究这些星星所发出的声音来推测出它们的年龄．故回答By studying/From the sound they make．
58．More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．细节理解题．考查太阳的年龄．根据第三段中"Pro．Caplin and his team were able to work out that the star，with five planets going around it，which are about the same sizes as our own earth，was more than eleven billion years old"所述，卡普林和团队推算出这个星星的年龄是110多亿年．根据另一句"That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun"可知，这个年龄比我们的太阳多65亿年．根据上述事实可知，太阳的年龄是45亿多年．（注意：1 billion为10亿，而不是1亿．）故回答More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．
59．Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．推理判断题．考查为什么在地球产生之前有可能存在生命．根据最后一段中"That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun and the oldest star with such planets discovered to date．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water"所说，这个太阳系比我们的太阳出现的早得多，它也有自己的行星，这些行星的大小和地球相当；由于这些行星的温度适宜，且有流动的水，所以，有机物有可能生活在这些行星中，且生存得很好．故回答Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．

点评 首先要掌握短文的意思，然后结合具体的题目以及给出的英语提示，就可以确定正确答案．