Dangers from Outer Space

What is the greatest threat to life on our planet? Is it climate change? Shortages of food or water? Or might an altogether bigger danger come from somewhere further away: space?

We’re not talking about an attack by little green men here. Instead, how about being hit by a large falling star, beat by deadly universal rays or fried by the energy of an erupting star?

It wouldn’t be the first time that our Earth has had a rough ride over the last 3.7 billion years, with some disastrous events. The most famous mass extinction（滅絕）was 66 million years ago, when it’s widely believed that a meteorite（隕石）killed off the dinosaurs. A 110-mile-wide crater in Mexico with the same geological age supports this theory.

Believe it or not, this wasn’t the worst catastrophe in our planet’s history. That was when 96% of life was wiped out at the end of the Permian period, 252 million year ago. Scientists don’t know for sure why this happened, but any potential explanations carry with them the possibility that similar events could happen again.

Some experts believe that our Sun has a twin star which is too far away to observe directly. This huge sleeping star could twist the paths of orbiting icy rocks and cast them towards the rest of the Solar System.

Is this what happened 252 million years ago? Or is there instead, perhaps, a distant, ninth plant in our Solar System which pulls in passing comets（彗星）and sends them dashing our way?

The Sun that has given us the warmth is gradually turning into a deadly enemy. Like all stars, it is slowing dying, burning through its energy supplies. As it does so, it expands, and in about 2 billion years it will have grown so much that the heat will make life on planet Earth unbearable.

While all this sounds a little horrible, take comfort from the fact that the chance of being hit by a huge interstellar projectile（星際碰撞物）is unbelievably slim, and that 2 billion years is a very long time.

1.When did dinosaurs die out according to the passage?

A. 3.7 billion years ago. B. 252 million years ago.

C. 66 million years ago. D. 2 billion years ago.

2.Why was 96% of life destroyed at the end of the Permian period?

A. The cause is still unknown.

B. A huge falling star hit the earth.

C. A twin star cast icy rocks towards the Solar System.

D. A ninth planet pulled in passing comets.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. All stars will eventually run of energy.

B. Our planet will be attacked by little green men.

C. We will be fried by the energy of an erupting star.

D. A huge sleeping star will hit the earth in millions of years.

4.What is the author’s attitude toward the dangers from outer space?

A. Frightened. B. Relieved.

C. Worried. D. Doubtful.

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When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station. When other teens were studying or going out, she fought to find a place to sleep on the street. But she beat these terrible setbacks（挫折） to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry （錄入）into Harvard University. And her amazing story has inspired a movie, “Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story”.

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b. She got admitted into Harvad.

c. She worked at a petrol station.

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A. c, a, e, b, d B. a, b, c, e, d

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A. Why Liz loved her parents so much.

B. How Liz made efforts to change her life.

C. What a hard time Liz had in her childhood.

D. How Liz managed to enter Harvard University.

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Exams appeared long time ago and it is a way of picking out excellent ones .All taking exams want to win. So exam cheatings always go hand in hand. Taking exams in a large group setting can be stressful for students and for the staff members who are watching over them. When classrooms are crowded and desks are close together, cheating might be tempting.

Many organizations took measures to stop cheating. Not long ago one university in Thailand came up with an anti-cheating hat that makes it almost impossible for students to see other students’ papers. The hats were made by stapling two pieces of paper onto a headband, one to each side of the head.

This caused many students annoyed. A photo of the students wearing the anti-cheating hats made its way to the internet, and the university was also criticized for making students wear those ridiculous looking homemade hats.

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1.That the university was criticized on the Internet is because      ?

A. The homemade anti-cheating hat looked too simple.

B. Wearing the anti-cheating hat made students look ridiculous.

C. Wearing the anti-cheating hats couldn’t prevent students from cheating in the exam.

D. The university forced students to wear the anti-cheating hat.

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A. careless B. objective

C. negative D. supportive

3.From the passage we can infer that_______.

A. Wearing the anti-cheating hat is effective in some degree.

B. Some students are forced to wear the anti-cheating hat.

C. It’s useless wearing the anti-cheating hat in the exam.

D. Kasetsart students are often caught cheating in the exam.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. influence about anti-cheating hats of Kasetsart University, Thailand

B. pressure about anti-cheating hats of Kasetsart University, Thailand

C. measures about anti-cheating hats of Kasetsart University, Thailand

D. supports of anti-cheating hats of Kasetsart University, Thailand

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假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏子符號(hào)（∧）并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（＼）劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1. 每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2. 只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計(jì)分。

One day father and mother was waiting at the table for their sons to have lunch. She waited and waited but their son didn’t show up. Mother was sent father to look for their son in his bedroom. To his surprised, their son was lying on his stomach on the floor, totally losing in a book. Father orders their son to leave for food and he himself never returned to the table. Having waited impatient, mother sent their son back to look for his father, only to find that his father was doing exactly same as he had done on the floor.

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