Question

（This selection was originally published in 1992. Pluto （冥王星） is no longer classified as a planet.）

Pluto is in many ways the strangest of the planets. It is small and has a large moon（called Charon）. Its orbit（軌道） is unusual, which may cause it to have seasons in the sense that when it is close to the sun, the liquid （液體）methane（甲烷）on its surface boils to form a kind of atmospheric haze（煙霧）. When the planet moves farther away from the sun, it starts to snow solid（固體） methane.

Pluto is not dark. Despite its great distance from the sun, the surface of Pluto is probably as bright as a moonlit night on Earth. The reason is all that methane, which is as white as newly fallen snow.

The discovery of Pluto was more accident than design. The American astronomer Percival Lowell had predicted the existence of a ninth planet（he called it Planet X）based on what he took to be irregularities in the orbit of Neptune. Today astronomers argue that these "irregularities" weren't real, but the result of instrumental error. Nevertheless, Lowell produced predictions about where Planet X ought to be（although, to be honest, the predictions changed occasionally when he redid the calculations）.In any case, in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh, doing a systemic sky survey that would have found the planet no matter where it was, discovered the planet we now call Pluto. By coincidence, its position was pretty close to where Lowell's last prediction said it should be. Was it just luck? We'll never know．

1.On Pluto's surface, liquid methane boils to form an atmospheric haze, which would be most similar to ____.

A. light B. darkness

C. liquid D. steam（水蒸氣）

2.What effect is produced by including the question "Was it just luck?" at the end of the text?

A. The question encourages the reader to think about why Pluto is a strange planet．

B. The question encourages the reader to think about how planets are discovered．

C .The question suggests that all discoveries are luck, not just design．

D. The question suggests that other planets were found in different ways．

3.What contributes to the brightness of Pluto?

A. Methane on its surface. B. Its great distance from the sun.

C. Light from its moon, Charon. D. Its closeness to the sun.

4.The text mainly wants to ____．

A. give a brief introduction of Pluto

B. talk about the discovery of Pluto

C. prove the exact position of Pluto

D. describe the strangeness of Pluto

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.A

【解析】

試題分析: 本文講述冥王星與其他行星的不同。

1. 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段提到when it is close to the sun, the liquid （液體）methane（甲烷）on its surface boils to form a kind of atmospheric haze（煙霧）. When the planet moves farther away from the sun, it starts to snow solid（固體） methane.

當它接近太陽，其表面的液體（液體）甲烷沸騰并形成一種大氣灰霾（煙霧）。當它離太遠稍遠些時，它開始冷卻成固體甲烷落下。 故選D項。

2.The discovery of Pluto was more accident than design冥王星的發(fā)現(xiàn)過程更多地是出于偶然，可推測選 B項。

3. 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段Despite its great distance from the sun, the surface of Pluto is probably as bright as a moonlit night on Earth. The reason is all that methane, which is as white as newly fallen snow.可知因為甲烷，冥王星才如同地球上的月夜那樣地明亮，故選A項。

4. 主旨大意題；由每段的第一句可知，全文講述了冥王星的相關(guān)情況故選A項。

考點：科普閱讀