When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
“What excited me most was whether there were planets in other solar systems where life might exist,” he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting other stars like our Sun.”
And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995,” Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it and our patience paid off.”
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family” of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like planet orbiting star 55Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important ? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features in our solar system. The first is Jupiter.
“Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids(小行星), or they all come and hit the Earth.” Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter , life on Earth would likely have been destroyed.”
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life , can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life!”
【小题1】What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?
| A．He is fond of watching Jupiter. |
| B．He is from a scientist family. |
| C．He dislikes working with Paul Butler. |
| D．He is interested in finding life in outer space. |
| A．The planet is not as protective as Jupiter. |
| B．The planet is close to star 55Cancri. |
| C．The planet proves to be a gas planet. |
| D．The planet is as large as Jupiter. |
| A．1995 | B．1985 | C．2002 | D．1981 |
| A．he has found the system similar to the solar system. |
| B．he has discovered an Earth-like planet there. |
| C．he has discovered a rocky planet there. |
| D．he has found signs of life in the system |
| A．they felt discouraged | B．they carried on with it |
| C．they failed in their attempt | D．they made some progress |
【小题1】D
【小题2】C
【小题3】B
【小题4】A
【小题5】B
解析试题分析：文章介绍Geoff Marcy从小就对探索太空中的生命感兴趣，他和同事Paul Butler一起努力探索，发现了66个新的行星而且还发现两个和太阳系很相似的星系，从而证明太空有可能有生命的存在。
【小题1】推理判断题。根据第二段的首句“What excited me most was whether there were planets in other solar systems where life might exist,”可知他对探索太空中的生命感兴趣。选D
【小题2】细节题：根据第五段的最后一句The planet orbiting 55Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.可知这个行星是一个气状体的行星。选C
【小题3】细节题：从第三段的句子：And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995,” Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything!可知他们是在1995年发现新的行星的，但是他们努力了10年了，所以是1985年开始寻找新行星的，选B
【小题4】推理判断题。根据最后一段的We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life!”可推出在太空中可能存在两个类似于太阳系的星系，可能会有生命存在。选A
【小题5】词义理解题：从第三段的句子：“We worked for ten years without finding anything! 可知“But we stuck with it”是“继续”的意思，选B
考点： 考查科普类短文
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
How to be Prepared
Electricity, water, gas and telephone may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire department are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to take care of yourself for at least three days, preferably for a week.
This list can also be applied to other disasters, such as floods or wildfires.
1. food and water (a gallon a day per person)
2. a first aid kit
3. a fire extinguisher suitable for all types of fires
4. flashlights, a portable radio extra batteries
5. blankets, clothes, shoes and money (ATMs may not work)
6. baby and pet food
It’s also a good idea to decide beforehand how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake and to conduct in-home practice drills.
During an Earthquake
If you are indoors, stay there. Get under and hold onto a desk or table, or stand against an interior wall. Stay away from exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, and stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator.
If you are outside, get into the open, stay into the open, stay away from buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you.
If you are driving, move the car out of traffic and stop, avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses, Try to get clear of trees, light posts, signs and power lines.
If you are in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do not rush for the exit. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.
After an Earthquake
If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency. Likewise, avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles.
Be aware that items may fall out of cupboards or closets when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with touch. Check for cracks and damage to the roof and foundation of your home.
Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes.
If you leave home, leave a message telling friends and family your location.
【小题1】Which of the following items is unnecessary to prepare before an earthquake？
| A．Batteries | B．Cash | C．Medicine | D．Creditcard |
| A．hideyourselfinthekitchen |
| B．rushfortheexitimmediately |
| C．stayawayfromheavyobjects |
| D．callthepolicerightaway |
| A．driveacartotakeyourfamilytothesafeplace |
| B．checkthesecurityofyourhome |
| C．callyourrelativestotellthemyouaresafe |
| D．clearupthemessassoonaspossible. |
| A．You’dbettermakeitclearhowandwhereyourfamilywillreuniteifseparatedduringaquakeafterthequakehappens. |
| B．Ifyouareindoors,getintotheopen. |
| C．Ifyouareinacrowdedpublicplace,avoidpanickinganddorushfortheexit. |
| D．Ifthephonestillworks,onlyuseitwhennecessary. |
| A．Alessseriousquakefollowingalargeearthquakeinthesamearea. |
| B．Afurtherreactionfollowingtheshockofadeeplydisturbingthing. |
| C．Amessonehastodealwithafteraterriblething. |
| D．Aninstructionthegovernmentgivestosolveproblems. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In the rush to get to school, you drop a piece of toast on the floor. Do you throw it away or dec ide it’ s still OK to eat? If you’re like most people, you eat it. Maybe you follow the “5-second rule”, which claims foods are safe to eat if you pick them up within 5 seconds after dropping them. But you might want to think again. Scientists now say that 5 seconds is all it takes for foods to become polluted with enough bacteria（细菌） to make you sick.
Bacteria can cause many kinds of illnesses. Some kinds of bacteria can grow on food. If you eat foods on which these bacteria are growing, you can become sick.
One of these food-borne bacteria is Salmonella. It makes 1.4 million people sick every year. Salmonella is often found in raw eggs and chicken. Cooking kills these bacteria, which is why it is so important to cook eggs, chicken, and other foods thoroughly.
But how long does it take these bacteria to pollute food? A team of scientists in South Carolina did an experiment. First, they placed an amount of Salmonella on three surfaces; wood, tile (瓦片), and carpet. They placed a piece of bread and a piece of bologna（大腊肠） on each surface for 5,30, or 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up enough bacteria to make you sick.
So forget the 5-second rule. If your toast drops on the floor, throw it away and get another piece of clean toast. This time, be careful not to drop it!
【小题1】 In which part of a newspaper can you most probably find this passage?
| A．Culture | B．Health | C．Advertisement | D．Technology |
| A．throw away dirty toast immediately and go away |
| B．pick up the toast as quickly as possible and eat it |
| C．eat the toast within 5 seconds and feel pleased |
| D．get another piece of clean toast quickly and eat it |
| A．see how quickly bacteria can pollute food |
| B．show that the 5-second rule a correct |
| C．see how harmful bacteria are to people’ health |
| D．show that bacteria grow at different speeds on different foods |
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Neutral (中立) | D．Cautious (谨慎) |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Television is a relatively stable advertising medium. In many ways, the television ads today are almost the same to those two decades ago. Most television ads still feature actors, still run 30 or 60 seconds, and still show a product. However, the different medium of the Internet causes unique challenges to advertisers, forcing them to adapt their practices and techniques.
In the early days of Internet marketing, online advertisers used banner (框式广告) and pop-up ads (弹出式广告) to attract customers. These techniques reached large audiences, led to many sales leads, and came at a low cost. However, a small number of Internet users began to consider these advertising techniques annoying. Yet because marketing strategies relying heavily on banners and pop-ups produced results, companies invested growing amounts of money into purchasing these ad types. As consumers became more complicated, frustration with these online advertising techniques grew. Independent programmers began to develop tools that blocked banner and pop-up ads.
A major development in online marketing came with the introduction of pay-per-click ads. Unlike banner or pop-up ads, which originally required companies to pay every time a website visitor saw an ad, pay-per-click ads allowed companies to pay only when an interested potential customer clicked on an ad. More importantly, however, these ads are not affected by the pop-up and banner blockers. As a result of these advantages and the incredible growth in the use of search engines, which provide excellent places for pay-per-click advertising, a great number of companies began turning to pay-per-click marketing. However, as with the banner and pop-up ads, pay-per-click ads came with their shortcomings. When companies began pouring billions of dollars into this emerging medium, online advertising specialists started to notice the presence of what would later be called click fraud (欺诈): representatives of a company with no interest in the product advertised by a competitor click on the competitor’s ads simply to increase the marketing cost of the competitor. Click fraud grew so rapidly that marketers sought to diversify (摆脱) their online positions away from pay-per-click marketing through new mediums.
Although pay-per-click advertising remains a common and effective advertising tool, marketers adapted yet again to the changing elements of the Internet by adopting new techniques such as pay-per-performance advertising. As the pace of the Internet’s evolution increases, it seems all the more likely that advertising successfully on the Internet will require a strategy that avoids constancy (持续性) and welcomes change.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The pace of the Internet’s evolution is increasing and will only increase in the future. |
| B．Internet advertising fails to reach Internet users, causing ads to be blocked. |
| C．The Internet has experienced dramatic changes in short periods of time. |
| D．Rapid development of the Internet calls for new advertising strategies and mediums. |
| A．the type of individual each medium reaches |
| B．whether the medium is interactive |
| C．the pace at which the medium develops |
| D．the cost of advertising with each medium |
| A．Using software to block competitors’ advertisements. |
| B．Clicking on the pay-per-click ads of competitors. |
| C．Clicking on the banner advertisements of opponent companies. |
| D．Using search engine to attack the pages of competitors. |
| A．It will eventually become less popular just like other forms of Internet advertising. |
| B．It will not face shortcomings due to its differing approach to online marketing. |
| C．Internet users will develop free software to block its effectiveness. |
| D．Although it improves on pay-per-click advertising, it still suffers from click fraud. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine（涡轮机）, which supplies 5% of the store’s electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant.
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. “One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees,” says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．“If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference.”
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart’s fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they’re cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it’s working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so.
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart’s controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it’s not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in going green. Scott says, “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy. We don’t go where we don’t think there’s a great interest in change.”
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart’s image at a time when his company’s reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保护）Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. “By doing what we’re doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything,” he says. “At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take.” Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit.
【小题1】We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart’s CEO |
| B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world |
| C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market |
| D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world |
| A．Wal-Mart predicts huge profits in its green activity. |
| B．Wal-Mart’s green activity is just window dressing. |
| C．Wal-Mart aims to solve its health-insurance practices. |
| D．Wal-Mart doesn’t have any social responsibility at all. |
| A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores. |
| B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers. |
| C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging. |
| D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before. |
| A．Provide the background of the green plan. |
| B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart’s green plan. |
| C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays. |
| D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebrafish（斑马鱼） to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
【小题1】The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．people can not change their skin color without any pain |
| B．the new discovery could lead to research into ways to change skin color safely |
| C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin color as he liked |
| D．scientists have found out that people’s skin color is determined by the gene |
| A．nowadays people who want to change their skin color have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment |
| B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene |
| C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer |
| D．there are two kinds of genes |
| A．find the different genes of humans’ |
| B．prove the humans’ skin color is determined by the pigment gene |
| C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin color is dark |
| D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin color |
| A．they are born light-skinned people |
| B．light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanin production |
| C．they have fewer activities outside |
| D．they pay much attention to protecting their skin |
| A．neutral | B．negative | C．positive | D．unconcerned |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the robot mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington, D.C. He is one of 250 robot mail carriers in the United States. Mr. Leachim, who weights two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher. One is that he does not forget details. He knows each child’s name, their parents’ names, and what each child knows and needs to know. In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr. Leachim does not make mistakes. Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification (识别) number. His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together. He identifies the child with no mistakes.
Another advantage is that Mr. Leachim is flexible. If the children need more time to do their lessons they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr. Leachim’s lesson over and over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something interesting about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr. Leachim off.
【小题1】The first paragraph of the passage tells us
| A．human beings are not as smart as robots |
| B．robots will take the place of man to rule the earth |
| C．we can only use robots to do some regular jobs |
| D．robots can help people in many different ways |
| A．To meet the needs of each student. |
| B．To talk to the students in different languages. |
| C．To keep everyone’s interest in his lessons. |
| D．To introduce more hobbies to the children. |
| A．not strict | B．not hard |
| C．suitable | D．changeable |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States in the last ten years. Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use. But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses.
Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak to their operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories and to send bills to their customers. Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People also use computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use of computers is for entertainment. Many new games have been designed to be played on computers. People of all ages play these games. People also buy home computers to watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed.
【小题1】Compared with those of today, computers used to ______.
| A．work rapidly | B．be used for fun |
| C．be large and expensive | D．be easy to use |
| A．more and more difficult to use | B．slower and slower |
| C．more and more expensive | D．smaller and smaller |
| A．doing business | B．writing letters |
| C．playing games | D．all of the above |
| A．talk with their friends |
| B．write letters |
| C．check the list of goods and send bills |
| D．play games for pleasure |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The past week was possibly the most eventful in the history of customer technology markets,or to be precise, the 7-inch (17.8-cm) tablet (平板电脑)market. Never before have three of thebiggest players in the industry scheduled what could be truly historic productlaunches (上市）so close together.
Despite its name, the 7.9-inch iPad Mini is one of the largest among the mini-tablets. It's gotall the aesthetics of its earlier 9.7-inch iPad and is unbelievably thin-just 7.2 mm, 23 percentthinner than the iPad.
Apple's iPad Mini
Release date: Nov 2,2012 (Wi-Fi version)
Operating system: iOS 6
Size: 19.9 x 13.5 x 0.7 cm
Prices: $329 (16GB Wi-Fi), $429 (32GB Wi-Fi), $519 (64GB Wi-Fi), or $459 (16GB Data)
$559 (32GB Data), $659 (64GB Data)
Google may have been forced to cancel its Android event in New York City on Oct 29 due to the threat of hurricane Sandy, but that isn't stopping it from making same big announcements. For starters, Google has confirmed (证实）that the Nexus 10 will be running Android 4.2 out of the box, so get excited. It will also come equipped with a 10-inch display running at an impressive 2560x1600 resolution. On the inside, it'll have a A15 dual-core (双核）processor running alongside 2GB of RAM(内存)，so expect the Nexus 10 to be a speedy little tablet. Google's Nexus 10 Release date: Nov 13，2012 Operating system: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Size: 26.4 x 17.8x0.9 cm Prices: $399 (16GB), $449 (32GB)
Microsoft's Surface is a bold product with some great touches. It doesn't feature a camera and focuses on Office software, which suggests Microsoft is focusing this product on an executive toy. There's no 3G connection (only Wi-Fi) so owners won't have to worry about an extra contract.
The real delight, however, is Metro, the impressive navigation interface (导航界面).It is beautifully designed with brightly colored squares for navigation. Pre-orders for Surface in the US sold out over the weekend, so it would seem customers are excited.
Microsoft's Surface
Release date: Oct 26,2012
Operating system: Windows 8 RT
Size: 27.5 x 17.2 x 0.9 cm
Prices: $499 (32GB M-Fi)
【小题1】What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
| A．The three biggest companies made a new product together. |
| B．A technology has been introduced to tablet industry. |
| C．The three companies launched their new products nearly at the same time. |
| D．The tablet market, in October was out of control. |
| A．Wi-Fi version | B．Operating system |
| C．Prices | D．Size |
| A．6 | B．5 | C．4 | D．3 |
| A．Microsoft's Surface. | B．Apple's iPad Mini. |
| C．Google's Nexus 10. | D．A15 dual-core processor. |
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