IT is always hard for a small fish to live in a big pond. Pluto’s recent departure(离开) from the classical planet family clearly proves that size really matters.

Astronomers voted on August 24 to create the first scientific definition of the word “planet”, and Pluto obviously didn’t make the cut. It turned out to be only a “dwarf planet”(矮行星).

After weeks of heated debate, over 2,500 astronomers from 75 countries voted on the definition of a “planet” at a conference of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). According to the definition, a planet must have a clear neighborhood around its orbit(轨道). Pluto has widely been considered a planet since its discovery in 1930. Unfortunately, it has a special orbit which overlaps with Neptune’s. It is all because, compared with Neptune, Pluto is very small. It is attracted by Neptune’s gravity when the two planets get closer.

According to IAU. a “dwarf planet” should have an orbit around the Sun. It will not have a clear neighborhood around its orbit, and must not be a satellite. The new classification means that the science textbooks will have to be updated. The solar system is now made up of the eight “classical planets,” together with a number of dwarf planet. The classical planets are: Mercury; Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The debate over Plates status started in 1992. After an advanced telescope was sent into space, astronomers started to find a belt of objects, which lies beyond Neptune. The belt contains nearly 1,000 objects, including Pluto. As they continued the exploration, scientists recently discovered at least 41 dwarf planets at the edges of the solar system. There are at least two objects of a similar size to Pluto.

It seems that even if the IAU had kept Pluto’s status as a planet, the classical theory of nine planets in the solar system would have had to be changed, but the other way around. More dwarf planets of a similar size to Pluto would join the family of planets. Scientists will probably find many more dwarf planets.

1．According to the passage, Pluto is ___________.

       A．a planet which has a clear neighborhood around its orbit

       B．a satellite of Neptune which was discovered in 1930

       C．is the smallest planet in the solar system

       D．a planet which has an orbit around the sun

2．The sentence “IT is always hard for a small fish to live in a big pond” quoted in the beginning of the passage is used to _______________.

       A．tell us small fish can hardly survive in the big pond

       B．tell us the size of an object really matters

       C．mean that small planet can hardly exist in the solar system

       D．explain the disappearance of Pluto in the solar system

3．From the last paragraph we can infer that if IAU kept Pluto’s status as a planet, the number of planets in the solar system would be ________________.

       A．eight                   B．nine                    C．less than nine       D．more than nine

4．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．According to definition of a “planet”, if Pluto were bigger it would not have left the classic planet family.

       B．More dwarf planets of a similar size to Pluto would join the family of planets. Many more dwarf planet will be found by the scientists in the future.

       C．Pluto has a special orbit which overlaps with Neptune’s because it is so small as to be attracted by Neptune’s gravity when the two planets get closer.

       D．A “dwarf planet”, which must not be a satellite without a clear neighborhood around its

orbit, should have an orbit around the Sun.

                                                               Planet Hunter

    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（行星）in other solar（太阳的）systems where life might exist, ”he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting（沿…轨道运行）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（像木星一样的）planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.

    At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the 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（特征）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 55 Cancri. 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! ”

59. 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.

60. 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 55 Cancri.

   C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.

   D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.

61. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?

   A. 100                 B. 69                    C. 66                        D. 65

62. Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri 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

63.“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

 

Planet Hunter

    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（行星）in other solar（太陽的）systems where life might exist, ”he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting（沿…軌道運行）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（像木星一樣的）planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.

    At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the 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（特徵）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 55 Cancri. 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 55 Cancri.

   C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.

   D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.

3.How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?

   A. 100                 B. 69                     C. 66                        D. 65

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

 

阅读理解

Planet Hunter

　　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(行星) in other solar(太阳的) systems where life might exist,” he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting(沿……轨道运行) 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(像木星一样的) planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.

　　At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough; it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the 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(特征) 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 55 Cancri. 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 55 Cancri.

C．The planet proves to be a gas planet.

D．The planet is as large as Jupiter.

3．How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?

[　　]

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