What is the color of the universe? Astronomers did not answer this question until two months ago. This was when two American astronomers reported on their study of all the light in the universe. They said that the universe would appear to the human eye to be a light greenish color, called turquoise(青绿色). Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported their findings in January. They presented research at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. They said that finding the color of the universe was not part of their more serious scientific research. They did it for fun.
However, earlier this month, the scientists admitted to making a mistake. They said their finding was much more colorful than it should have been. They now say the light from our universe is closer to white. It is more like a milky or creamy white color.
The scientists gave a number to each of the colors of the different star systems. Then they added the numbers together and found the average measurement. The scientists used this average to identify the color of the universe. They said it was a very pretty light green or turquoise color. They called it “cosmic (宇宙的) spectrum (光谱) green.” Many newspapers and television stations reported their finding.
Other scientists and color engineers attempted to reproduce the result. Mark Fairchild of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York was the first person to identify a mistake. He discovered a mistake in the computer software program used by the Johns Hopkins scientists.
When the mistake was corrected, the results changed. The new color of the universe is much less colorful. It is very close to white. The scientists apologized for the mistake. They are now working with the Rochester Institute of Technology to produce more images regarding the color of the universe.
48. Why did the scientists do the research?
A. They wanted to win a Nobel Prize.     B. It’s required by the government.
C. They did it just for fun.              D. It’s part of their research.
49. We can infer that the passage was probably written in _______.
A. January     B. February    C. May        D. March[来源:学*科*网]
50. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. None of the researches done by scientists is right.
B. Scientists sometimes may make mistakes in their work.
C. The color of the universe is light greenish.
D. Mark Fairchild apologized for his mistake about the color of universe.

阅读理解

　　把红色火星改造成蓝色的“生命天堂”？且看科学家们唇枪舌剑辩得失．

　　The plan: turn Mars into a blue world with streams and green fields, and then fill it with creatures (生物) from the earth.

　　This idea may sound like something from a science fiction (科幻小说), but it is actually being taken seriously by many researchers.

　　This suggested future for the “red planet” will be the main topic for discussion at an international conference hosted by NASA (美国宇航局) this week. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers will attend the event. It comes as NASA is preparing a multi-billion-dollar Mars research programme.

　　“Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction,” said Dr Michael Meyer, NASA's senior scientist for astrobiology (太空生物学), “Now, with scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars.”

　　Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money would be needed to achieve this goal. But many experts are shocked by the idea.

　　“We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet,” said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK.

　　Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident they will find Martian life forms. Europe and America's robot explorers have found proof that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet.

　　In addition, two different groups of scientists announced on March 28 that they had found signs of methane (甲烷) in the Martian atmosphere (大气). The gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be produced by microbes (微生物) living in the red planet's soil.

　　But scientists such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a biologist at Indiana University, say that these microbes will be put in danger by the little earth project.

　　“Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars, we are talking about carrying out projects that would destroy all these native life forms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the soil,”said Dr Pratt.

　　This view is shared by Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. “We cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious information we are looking for,” she said. “This is just wrong.”

1．Turning Mars into a little earth ________.

[　　]

A．is no longer a topic of science fiction stories

B．is now under way

C．is a project whose possibility is being explored

D．is against human interests

2．Which of the following is wrong?

[　　]

A．Recent proof found by robot explorers that water really exists on Mars has brought hope to scientists looking for life on the planet.

B．Methane is a kind of gas that is produced by living creatures.

C．The microbes that exist in Mars' soil could be wiped out by the little earth project.

D．Scientists still don't have a clear idea about Martian life forms.

Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality (合理性), but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any sensible student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, famous reputation and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did. I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科)university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility(弹性) and a value system to guide me in my career. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by interacting with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a sensible choice. They told me I was wise and mature(成熟的) beyond my 18 years, and I believed them. I headed off to college. Sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical genius and sensitive humanist (人文学者) all in one.

Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideals crashed into reality, as all noble ideals eventually do. After three years of struggling to balance maths, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile(协调) engineering with liberal-arts courses in college. The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal-arts simply don' t mix as easily as I assumed(设想) in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways; together they threaten to confuse. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.

68. Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university?

A. He wanted to he an example of practicality and rationality

B. He intended to be a combination of engineer and humanist

C. He wanted to coordinate(协调) engineering with liberal-arts courses in college

D. He intended to be a sensible student with noble ideals

69. According to the author, by interacting with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can _____.

A. become noble idealists                               B. receive guidance in their careers

      C. balance engineering and the liberal arts         D. broaden their knowledge

70. The author's experience shows that he was ________.

A. creative           B. ambitious              C. unrealistic              D. unwise

71. The author suggests in this passage that ________

A. liberal-arts students are supported to take engineering courses

      B. technical experts with a wide vision are expected in the society

C. successful engineering students are more welcomed in the society

D. engineering universities with-liberal-arts courses are needed