Question

In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon (恶魔) that was determined to throw the world into darkness forever. A fitting name, astronomers reasoned, for a threat now rushing towards Earth from outer space. Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metere wide asteroid (小行星) discovered last year, which is potentially on a collision (碰撞)course with the planet.

NASA has estimated that Apophis has an outside chance of hitting the Earth in 2036. If it did hit us, thousands of square kilometers would be directly affected by the explosion but the whole of the Earth would see the effects of the dust sent into the atmosphere. At a recent meeting of experts in Near-Earth objects (NEOs) in London, scientists said it could take decades to design, test and build the required technology to deflect the asteroid.

The Apophis asteroid is placed at four out of ten on the Torino scale—a measure of the threat caused by an NEO where 10 is a certain collision which could cause a global disaster. This is the most possible danger of any asteroid in recorded history and it has a 1 in 37 chance of hitting the Earth.

Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer from Queen’s University Belfast, said, “When it does pass close to us on April 13, 2029, the Earth will deflect it and change its orbit. There is a small possibility that if it passes through a particular point in space, the so-called keyhole, the Earth’s gravity will change things so that when it comes back around again in 2036, it will collide with us.” The chance of Apophis passing through the keyhole, a 600-meter patch of space, is 1 in 5,500, based on current information.

There is no shortage of ideas on how to deflect asteroids. The Advanced Concepts Team at the European Space Agency has led the effort in designing a range of satellites and rockets to nudge asteroids that are on a collision course for Earth into a different orbit.

1.The best title for this passage would be ___________.

A. Apophis Asteroid, a Possible Destroyer of Earth            

B. Apophis, a Good Name for Dangerous Asteroid

C. Our Planet Will Be Ruined in 2036

D. Scientists Study Apophis Asteroid

2.The name Apophis mentioned in the passage indicates that the asteroid is _________.

A. powerfulB. mysteriousC. boringD. destructive

3.The underlined word “deflect” in Paragraph 2 probably means _________.

A. destroy the quality of 

B. change the direction of

C. measure the size of

D. look into the truth of

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. If Apophis hit the earth, its impact would be enormous.

B. No way to deal with Apophis is available at present.

C. Apophis is the first dangerous asteroid in recorded history.

D. It is uncertain whether Apophis will hit the earth in 2036.

5.What would the passage talk about if it continued?

A. An Egyptian myth about Apophis.

B. NASA’s study on NEOs.

C. How the keyhole influences Apophis.

D. What methods can be used to deflect the asteroid.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析: 科学家们正在对一颗直径为390米的小行星进行密切观测。这颗被命名为Apophis(埃及神话中的灾难和破坏之神)现在正以非常高的速度接近地球，科学家分析这颗于去年发现的小型天体有可能会与地球相撞。

1.主旨大意题。文章开头介绍埃及神话中的恶魔Apophis，引出可能会对地球产生强大破坏力的小行星，然后在下文具体进行介绍，由此可知文章中心内容是介绍小行星Apohis，故A选项内容能够体现文章中心。

2.推理判断题。从文章首段Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon (恶魔) that was determined to throw the world into darkness forever.可知Apophis是一个可以毁灭世界的恶魔，而天文学家认为这个名字适合这个小行星，由此判断这个小行星有着很大的破坏力，选D。

3.词义猜测题。文章第二段介绍了这个小行星可能会碰撞地球，从而对地球带来很大的灾难，由此判断科学家们应该去研究如何不让小行星撞上地球，也就是要去改变小行星的轨道，故答案选B。

4.细节理解题。根据文章第三段This is the most possible danger of any asteroid in recorded history可以判断Apophis不是有记录以来的第一个对地球存在威胁的行星，而是最危险的一个，选C。

5.推理判断题。文章末段提到如何去改变小行星的航道是没有捷径的，科学家已经在尝试着去努力，由此判断接下来作者要介绍的是具体的做法，选D。

考点：考查社会科学类短文阅读。