Recent developments in astronomy have made it possible to detect planets in our own Milky Way and in other galaxies. This is a major achievement because,in terms,planets are very small and do not give out light. Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove _ more difficult. The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life. In our own solar system,for example,Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life. Only the Earth provides ideal conditions,and even here it has taken more than four billion years for plant and animal life to evolve . Whether a planet can support life depends on the size and brightness of its star, that is its "sun". Imagine a star up to twenty times larger, brighter and hotter than our own sun. A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life. On the contrary, if the star were small,the life--supporting planet would have to have a close orbit round it and also provide the perfect conditions for life forms to develop. But how would we fund such a planet? At present, there is no telescope in existence that is capable of detecting the presence of life. _ . It is impossible to look for life on another planet using earth--based telescopes. Our own warm atmosphere and the heat generated by the telescope would make it impossible to detect objects as small as planets. Even a telescope in orbit round the earth like the very successful Hubble telescope,would not be suitable because of the dust particles in our solar system. A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system. Once we detected a planet,we would have to find a way of blocking out the light from its star, so that we would be able to "see" the planet properly and analyze its atmosphere. In the first instance, we would be looking for plant life,rather than "little green men" .... What do we know about the kind of planet,other than our own,that might be able to support life? A) It will orbit closely round its star B) It will be at least four billion years old C) Its distance from its star will be such that it has a moderate temperature D) It will have an atmosphere capable of supporting bacteria
D
(Question)
Most respected scientists agree that we need to find another source of energy- and quickly. If we continue to burn oil and pump carbon into the atmosphere, then the effects on global climate will lead to global disasters even before the oil disappear. The British government has set a target of a 20 percent reduction in carbon emission by 2010. Central to this policy is the search for alternative, renewable forms of energy production---and this is where the serious disagreement among scientists begins. Here, two people active in the debate about wind farms give their points of view. Simon Shearman "First, a few facts about wind power. Wind is one of the cheapest of the new, renewable forms of energy. It is extremely safe---no member of the public has ever been injured at a wind farm. The shallow waters around Britain are the windiest in Europe---ideal locations for wind farms and, by 2010, up to ten percent of the electricity used in the UK could be produced by wind power. I find it annoying and frustrating that the biggest objection that opponents of wind farms can come up with is that the crisis of global warming is real and something must be done urgently." Alice Evans "The simple, obvious fact is that wind turbines cannot generate electricity if the wind is too light or too strong and it often is. Many scientists estimate that wind turbines generally produce only 30 percent of their capacity . This is not a reliable enough supply to enable us to close down conventional power stations. In fact, wind power can't keep up with the growth of the demand for electricity, let alone replace other sources of power." It's a topic that is causing heated debate around the country---but one we must address before it's too late---before the oil runs out. Many scientists have different opinions on the search for a renewable energy because _ . A) they think fossil fuels are everlasting. B) British government's target is not realistic. C) they are not sure in finding the clean and renewable energy. D) the technology is not advanced enough.
(Answer)
C
Ques: Men have always believed that they are smarter than women. Now, a study has found that while this is certainly true, men also have to deal with the fact that they are also more stupid than the fairer sex. In the study, scientists measured the IQ of 2500 brothers and sisters and they found an uneven number of men not only in the top two percent, but also in the bottom two percent. The study's participants were tested on science, maths, English and mechanical abilities. Though there were twice as many men as women in the smartest group, there were also twice as many men among the foolish. The total scores of men and women were similar. One of the study's authors, psychology professor Timothy Bates, said that the phenomenon may be because men have always been expected to be high achievers and women have been restricted to spend more time taking care of their home. "The female developmental program may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and the safety of the middle ground."the Daily Mail quoted Professor Bates, of Edinburgh University, as saying. The research agrees with past results that men were more likely than women to receive first class University degrees or thirds and women secured the seconds. It has been said that men are more ready to take a risk when it comes to academics. While women have always been found to be steadier in their learning. A past study has shown that women are securing more firsts and seconds, while men are continuing to receive more thirds. The argument for the change is that the increase of coursework at the cost of exams favors women's steady approach. According to Timothy Bates, fewer women are in the smartest group because _ . A) they are not expected to be high achievers B) .they have to spend more time taking care of their home than men C) .they are expected to ensure survival and the safety of the middle ground D) their studying approach is not good enough for them to achieve higher
Ans: B
Many Western people are not used to sitting on the floor any more. In Japan, however, sitting upright on the floor is common in different situations. For example, meals are traditionally had when people sit on the tatami floor around a low table. Also during the tea ceremony and other traditional events, one sits on the floor. The formal way of sitting for both men and women is kneeling upright. People who are not used to sitting in this style may feel uncomfortable after a few minutes, and their legs may go numb. However, foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in this style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves aren't able to do so, owing to a more westernized lifestyle. In other situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women sit on their knees laying both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered wholly male, while the latter is considered completely female. The most important guest sits on the honored seat which is set farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or the least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance. Of course, there are other things to be considered in each particular case. According to the passage we can learn that _ . A) more and more Japanese sit in the formal way B) foreigners should always sit in the formal style in a Japanese home C) men and women in Japan sit in the same informal way D) men shouldn't sit on their knees laying both legs to one side
D