If your cellphone suddenly stops working, don’t blame the service provider．The malfunction（故障） might well have been caused by something bigger -- a solar storm．Experts expect that Earth will see more solar activity in the near future．The malfunction of electronic devices will just one of the effects．

Sunspots（太阳黑子） serve as an indicator of the sun’s activity．For the past two years, sunspots have mostly been missing．Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise．

When the number of sunspots drops at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all become much calmer. This “solar minimum” doesn’t last long. Within a year, sunspots and solar storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum.

What’s special about this latest cycle is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle. The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008. They should return in 2010. Scientists have predicted that the next solar cycle could be the most active on record: more sunspots and more solar storms. However, sunspots are mostly missing now.

Since the earth is in close contact with the sun, strong solar activities can bring trouble to our life. People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Air travel and radio communications can be affected by strong solar activities. A big solar storm could cause 20 times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.

What the sun will do next is beyond our ability to predict. Most astronomers think that the solar cycle will go on but at low level. However, there is also evidence that the sun is losing its ability to produce sunspots. By 2015, they could be gone altogether.

1.The sun watcher feel surprised at            .

    A．the longest sunspots’ absence   B．the largest sunspot number

    C．the malfunction of electronic devices              D．the serious damage by sunspots

2.What does the underlined word “crescendo” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?    A．small number         B．high level

    C．usual cycle                      D．fresh start

3.We can infer that in the past two years         .

    A．solar activities have brought much trouble to our life

    B．the number of sunspots has increased to a large extent

    C．the solar minimum took the place of the solar maximum

    D．our cellphones have seldom been interrupted by the solar storm

4.Which statement does the text lead you to believe?

    A．Solar activities do no harm to our daily life.

    B．Hurricane Katrina is also a type of solar storms.

    C．It’s difficult to predict sunspots.

    D．From  now on there’ re no sunspots.

5.What is the passage mainly about?

    A．The earth is in close contact with the sun.

    B．Sunspots can cause trouble to our life.

    C．Introduction of sunspots.

    D．Introduction of the solar storm．

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!”

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.

2.Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?

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.

3.Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler began to find new planets in ____.

A.1995       B.1985      C.2002       D.1981

4.Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55Cancri system because ____.

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

5.“But we stuck with it”( in Paragraph 3) means ____.

A. they felt discouraged               B. they carried on with it

C. they failed in their attempt          D. they made some progress

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

Earth Hour is an annual international event set up by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and held on the last Saturday of March. It asks families and factories to turn off their non-essential（不必要的） lights and electrical appliances(电器) for one hour to raise awareness(意识) of the need to take action on climate change. It was first held in Australia in 2007, and achieved worldwide participation（参加） in 2008.

   Earth Hour 2008 was the biggest voluntary power down in history. More than 370 cities in 35 countries took part and celebrated Earth Hour in their local ways. Businesses, school groups, communities and individuals celebrated all over the world with candle-lit dinners, torch parties, and street celebrations. Symbolic(标志性的) buildings and landmarks went dark, including the Sydney Opera House, the Sears Tower, and the Coliseum in Rome.

   The WWF is sending a message to the people around the world that Earth Hour is the perfect opportunity for individuals, governments, schools, businesses and communities from all over to unite in a common purpose, and in response to a global issue that affects us all.

【写作内容】

    假设你是广东某中学学生会主席，在今年的Earth Hour来临前，请你写一封英文倡议书，号召你所在中学的学生们参加此活动，并把此倡议书发表到Earth Hour的官网上。内容要点包括：

以约30个词介绍Earth Hour活动；

然后以约120个词写一封倡议书号召同学们参加此活动，内容包括：

（1）目前地球环境和能源的状况；

（2）发起倡议并提供可行的做法。

【写作要求】

1．作文可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2．文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

If your cellphone suddenly stops working, don’t blame the service provider．The malfunction（故障） might well have been caused by something bigger -- a solar storm．Experts expect that Earth will see more solar activity in the near future．The malfunction of electronic devices will just one of the effects．
Sunspots（太阳黑子） serve as an indicator of the sun’s activity．For the past two years, sunspots have mostly been missing．Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise．
When the number of sunspots drops at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all become much calmer. This “solar minimum” doesn’t last long. Within a year, sunspots and solar storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum.
What’s special about this latest cycle is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle. The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008. They should return in 2010. Scientists have predicted that the next solar cycle could be the most active on record: more sunspots and more solar storms. However, sunspots are mostly missing now.
Since the earth is in close contact with the sun, strong solar activities can bring trouble to our life. People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Air travel and radio communications can be affected by strong solar activities. A big solar storm could cause 20 times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
What the sun will do next is beyond our ability to predict. Most astronomers think that the solar cycle will go on but at low level. However, there is also evidence that the sun is losing its ability to produce sunspots. By 2015, they could be gone altogether.
【小题1】The sun watcher feel surprised at            .

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Earth Hour is an annual international event set up by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and held on the last Saturday of March. It asks families and factories to turn off their non-essential（不必要的） lights and electrical appliances(电器) for one hour to raise awareness(意识) of the need to take action on climate change. It was first held in Australia in 2007, and achieved worldwide participation（参加） in 2008.
Earth Hour 2008 was the biggest voluntary power down in history. More than 370 cities in 35 countries took part and celebrated Earth Hour in their local ways. Businesses, school groups, communities and individuals celebrated all over the world with candle-lit dinners, torch parties, and street celebrations. Symbolic(标志性的) buildings and landmarks went dark, including the Sydney Opera House, the Sears Tower, and the Coliseum in Rome.
The WWF is sending a message to the people around the world that Earth Hour is the perfect opportunity for individuals, governments, schools, businesses and communities from all over to unite in a common purpose, and in response to a global issue that affects us all.
【写作内容】
假设你是广东某中学学生会主席，在今年的Earth Hour来临前，请你写一封英文倡议书，号召你所在中学的学生们参加此活动，并把此倡议书发表到Earth Hour的官网上。内容要点包括：
以约30个词介绍Earth Hour活动；
然后以约120个词写一封倡议书号召同学们参加此活动，内容包括：
（1）目前地球环境和能源的状况；
（2）发起倡议并提供可行的做法。
【写作要求】
1．作文可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。