1、【 精品教育资源文库 】 Unit 4 Astronomy the science of the stars . 阅读理解 A NASAs New Horizons probe (宇宙探测器 ) flew by Pluto (冥王星 ) this morning, sending back historys first up close looks at the vast freezing cold world. Closest approach came at 7： 49 am EDT. To celebrate, NASA gave out the latest photo of Plu
2、to. It showed a reddish world with an amazing heart shaped feature on its surface. After todays close encounter, all the nine solar systems traditionally recognized planets have now been visited by a spaceship a huge project begun in 1962 when NASAs Mariner 2 probe flew past Venus, a planet in the s
3、olar system. More than 1,200 scientists, NASA guests and important persons, including 200 reporters, watched the flyby live at New Horizons mission control center. That close encounter has been a long time coming. The $723 million New Horizons mission launched in January 2006 but began taking shape
4、in 1989. “New Horizons is a capstone mission ， ” Glen Fountain, mission project manager told Space. com. “It is the first completi on of the observations of our solar system. It is giving us a new idea about how we human beings fit into the universe.” “New Horizons faced a crazy number of challenges
5、 ， ” Stern, a driving force behind New Horizons said, “So many people stuck with this for so long. They got knocked down; they stood up. They got knocked down again; they stood up again.” In a coincidence, todays close approach falls on the 50th anniversary of the first flyby of Mars, another planet
6、, which was completed by NASAs Mariner 4 spaceship. There are no longer nine officially recognized planets, of course. The International Astronomical Union regarded Pluto as “a dwarf planet” in 2006, in a decision that remains controversial (有争议的 ) today. 篇章导读：本文是一篇新闻报道类文章，主要讲述了科学家对太阳系行星冥王星的最新探测成 果。
7、 1 Which statement is TRUE according to the passage? A Ideas still vary in the identity of Pluto. B Only scientists could watch the flyby live. C Mars is the first planet visited by a spaceship. D New Horizons mission aimed to observe the solar system. 答 案： A 细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句可知，科学家对冥王星的分类还是有争议【 精品教
8、育资源文库 】 的。故答案是 A。 2 Glen Fountain may probably agree that _. A it is the most difficult to land on Pluto in the solar system B New Horizons mission is a long and troublesome project C their strong determination leads to the successful flyby D people are likely to find new ways to fit into space 答案：
9、D 细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句可知，格伦 方丹认为人们或许会发现新的方法去探究太空。故答案是 D。 3 Which is the best title for the passage? A A New Horizons Probe B NASAs Huge Project C Pluto, a Controversial Planet D A Close Approach to Pluto 答案： D 标题判断题。文章主要讲述了对太阳系行星冥王星的探测。故答案选 D。 B Got big plans for Friday night? Thats OK, we dont either. G
10、uess well all have to make do by watching the celestial (天空的 ) show that will take place that night. First, there will be a full moon. Thats always fun, but this one will be a little more special. Its known as a “snow moon”. The name comes from the fact that the heaviest snows usually fall during Fe
11、bruary, according to The Old Farmers Almanac. But if thats not special enough, theres also an eclipse (月食 ) that night. Itll be a penumbral lunar eclipse, meaning its a partial eclipse that leaves sections of the moon darkened by the earths shadow. No, it wont be as spectacular as those “blood moon”
12、 eclipses. Itll be subtler. The leve l of darkness it reaches during the eclipse may or may not be apparent; it just depends on where you are when you view it. In North America, the eclipse begins at 5： 34 pm ET and ends at 9： 53 pm ET, according to the astronomy website EarthSky. The eclipse will b
13、e at its height around 7： 44 pm ET. If thats still not enough, lets throw in a comet (彗星 ) to the nights festivities. Comet 45P (it has a much longer name, but we wont burden you with it here) is visible as it flies by the earth. The comet will get within 7.4 million miles of the planet as it makes
14、its closest approach this weekend, according to Universe Today. Comet 45P will be most visible a couple of hours after the eclipse, so look to the skies again around 3 am ET Saturday and find the greenishblue light with a tail. And dont forget, a total bigtime solar eclipse will streak across the Un
15、ited 【 精品教育资源文库 】 States on August 21st. 篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文，介绍了星期五晚上将会发生的天文现象。 4 According to the text, what can be viewed on Friday night? A A blood moon. B A total solar eclipse. C A partial lunar eclipse. D A comet without a tail. 答案： C 细节理解题。根据第四段第二句可知，星期五晚上将会出现月偏食，故选 C项。 5 If you want to see Comet
16、45P, you will need to _. A wait around 7： 44 pm ET B stay up until 9： 53 pm ET C wake up before 3： 00 am ET D start watching at 5： 34 pm ET 答案： C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的 “so look to the skies again around 3 am ET Saturday” 可知，要想看到 45P 彗星，你需要在凌晨三点之前起床。 6 The author writes the text with the purpose of _. A in
17、troducing basic astronomy to the media B sharing new discoveries with astronomy researchers C promoting astronomical events among science students D informing average readers of recent celestial phenomena 答案： D 推理判断题。通读全文可知，文章介绍了星期五晚上将会发生的几个天文现象，因此作者的写作目的是介绍这些现象给读者。 7 Which can be a suitable title f
18、or the text? A Comet 45P will be visible as it approaches the earth B The penumbral lunar eclipse will happen on Friday night C Suggestions of fun scientific exhibitions for the coming weekend D The eclipse, full moon and comet team up to put on a show on Friday night 答案： D 标题判断题。通读全文可知 ，文章介绍了几个天文现象
19、并给出了每个天文现象的观看时间，因此选 D 项。 .七选五 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。 Master Your Deadlines The struggle begins in high school, sometimes earlier. Deadlines, and lots of them, start to pile up. At college, the pressure sometimes leads to lastminute rush and unsatisfactory work. At work, failing to
20、 meet deadlines can easily get you fired. _1_ Here are a few best practices. Assign deadlines to what matters. If the task isnt of high importance, dont set a specific deadline. In this 【 精品教育资源文库 】 way, you are able to keep it on your radar for a while without feeling pressured. _2_ This will prov
21、ide just enough pressure to ensure you get it done. _ 3_ Set a personal deadline for yourself a day or two before the actual deadline. _4_ If youre working with a group of people, add in even more time to account for potential followups and the need for approvals. Keep communicating. _5_ This means
22、letting others know when something is taking longer than expected, when a delivery didnt come in, when a client is not providing the necessary information, etc. Although it may feel embarrassing to admit that something is not on schedule, being honest is much better for relieving your stress. A Plan
23、 for flexible hours. B Finish your project as early as possible. C But if an activity is urgent, set a deadline immediately. D In this way, youll never have to stay up late and feel stressed. E But handled properly, deadlines can actually improve productivity. F Whenever you feel challenged to finish work on time, communicate. G So if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up and submit it on time. 篇章导读：本文是一
