Last week, we explained that the planet Mars has passed "opposition. "It passed a point opposite the Sun. This week, we tell about the planet's surprising motion among the stars. For thousands of years, people have recognized that planets travel among the stars. The planets generally follow the path taken by the Sun through the sky. The Sun's path is called the ecliptic. The groups of stars along the ecliptic are called the Zodiac. The motion of the planets can be confusing at times. Everyone knows the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But this is caused by the turning motion of the Earth. Planets generally move from west to east. However, Mars will appear to move backward for about two months this year. This happens because the Earth is overtaking Mars on its way around the Sun. Mars began its backward, or westward, motion on May 11th, It will start moving eastward again on July 19th. Mars' apparent motion has been a mystery to astronomers for hundreds of years. Most early theories of the solar system argued that the Sun and planets turned around the Earth. But the sudden westward motion of Mars presented a problem. Why would Mars move west for two months when it nears "opposition"? In 1543, a Polish church worker named Nicolas Copernicus published a different theory. His theory said the Earth and planets moved around the Sun in perfectly circular orbits. Copernicus' theory was simpler. But his Sun - centered system still did not explain the observed motion of Mars very well. Finally, a German mathematician named Johannes Kepler published a complete theory of the motion of the planets in 1619. He had carefully studied the motion of Mars for many years. Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets do not move in circular orbits around the sun. Instead, they travel in flattened orbits called ellipses. Mars' elliptical orbit is the cause of its unusual brightening this year and its apparent large size. During the next several weeks, you can see for yourself why the mysterious motion of Mars has... From the passage we can learn that_. A) the sun and planets generally travel westward B) Kepler studied the orbit of the planets in 1619 C) Copernicus' theory well explained the motion of Mars D) the Earth's turning motion causes the sun to rise in the east
D
(Question)
For medical students, real experience begins not in a classroom but at a teaching hospital. These doctors in training are guided. But sometimes accidents happen and the students get injured. For example, they might stick themselves with a needle while treating patients. Such needle sticks are common. But a recent study found that medical students often fail to report them. Failing to report an injury like this can be dangerous if a patient, or a medical worker, has an infectious disease. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, did the study, which involved a survey answered by almost 700 surgeons in training in the United States. Almost 60% said they had suffered needle stick injuries when they were in medical school. Many said they were stuck more than once. Yet nearly half of those whose most recent incident happened in school did not report it to a health office. If they had, they would have been tested to see if they needed treatment to prevent an infection like HIV or hepatitis. Most known cases of HIV or hepatitis are reported, but other possible infections often are not. Martin Makary, the lead author of the study, says medical students who are stuck put themselves and others in danger from infectious diseases. Doctor Makary said, "A needle that goes through the skin needs to be as sharp as possible." Doctors in training may have to do hundreds of stitches in some cases to close the skin after an operation. Doctor Makary said, "I support using _ tip needles which are considered safer. This needle is still sharp enough to go through body tissue, but it does have a blunt tip, so that if it accidentally goes into my finger, it's much less likely to hurt me." How common are needle sticks among health care workers? An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 of these and similar injuries are reported each year in the United States. But Doctor Makary says the real number may be much higher. The study advises doctors to protect their hands by wearing two sets of gloves. It also urges hospitals... Where can this passage most probably be found? A) In an entertainment magazine B) In a science magazine C) In a storybook D) In science fiction
(Answer)
B
A scientist working at her lab bench and a six-old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common.After all,the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover the very nature of the physical world,and the baby is,well, just playing...right?Perhaps,but some developmental psychologists have argued that this"play"is more like a scientific investigation than one might think. Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table.Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge,it falls in the ground---and, in the process, it belongs out important evidence about how physical objects interact ; bowls of rice do not flood in mid-sit, but require support to remain stable. It is likely that babies are not born knowing the basic fact of the universe; nor are they ever clearly taught it. Instead, babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact. Though their ranges and tools differ, the baby's investigation and the scientist's experiment appear to share the same aim(to learn about the natural world ), overall approach (gathering direct evidence from the world), and logic (are my observations what I expected?). Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way---that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means. For example, it may only be through repeated experiments, evidence gathering, and finally overturning a theory, that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has, for example, unlike the child , Mommy actually doesn't like Dove chocolate. Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws on how children learn ,but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists. Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike? Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort ---the desire... Children may learn the rules of language by A) exploring the physical world B) investigating human psychology C) repeating their own experiments D) observing their parents' behaviors
C