The earth is not the only body that travels around the sun. With it are eight other planets(行星), fellow members of the sun's family.

　　Two of them are nearer while the other six are farther from the sun than the earth is. The farther they are, the longer trips they make around the sun. People noticed long ago that these made travelling bodies move around in the sky in definite(一定的) paths.

　　We know that every little bit of matter in the universe pulls upon every other bit of matter. There exists(存在) a pull between the earth and the moon, which keeps the moon travelling in its orbit(轨道) around our planet, the earth. The gravity(重力) holds you to its surface, and pulls back to it the ball which you throw into the air. Of course the ball also pulls on the larger earth, but the earth is so much larger that the pull is not noticed.

　　Now remember that large bodies exert (施加) a greater pull on any body than smaller ones which contain(含有) less material (原料，材料). But each object in the universe, no matter how small, pulls on all other objects to some degree(某种程度).

1．According to the passage, there are ________ fellow members besides the earth in the sun's family.

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2．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

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A．The earth is farther from the sun than any of the other eight planets.

B．Two of the planets are farther from the sun than the earth.

C．Six of the planets are closer to the sun than the earth.

D．The earth is the third nearest planet to the sun.

3．What holds the nine planets in their paths?

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4．Why the moon travels around the earth is ________ .

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A．that the sun pulls upon the moon

B．that the earth pulls upon the moon

C．that the earth and the moon pull upon each other

D．that the other eight planets pull upon the moon

5．In the last paragraph the writer tell us ________ .

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A．each object in the universe pulls upon all the others more or less

B．a large body pulls on a small one less than a small body pulls on a large one

C．a small body does not pull on a large one

D．the pull between two bodies is always equal(相等)

Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.
So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.
This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.
So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.
Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.
【小题1】What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?

Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.

So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.

This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.

So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.

Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.

1.What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?

A．The Earth.         B．The Greek god.     C．Solar Impulse.      D．Birds.

2.Which of the following is TRUE of Solar Impulse?

A．It can only fly at night.                    B．It has already flown across the US.

C．It is powered by the sun.                  D．It needs gas to work.

3.In the passage, what is mentioned as the cause of pollution in China?

A．Overpopulation.                        B．Burning coal or gas.

C．Using solar energy.                      D．Heavy traffic.

4.What does the writer mean by “That’s a pretty long flight”?

A．It takes a lot of time to get Solar Impulse going.

B．Solar Impulse moves very slowly.

C．Solar Impulse will be in use for a long time.

D．Solar Impulse has a long way to go to take the place of the sun.

5.The passage is most probably taken from___________.

A．a Greek myth      B．a science fiction     C．a story-book       D．a science magazine