With human footprints on the moon, radio telescopes listening for messages from alien creatures (who may or may not exist), technicians looking for celestial and planetary sources of energy to support our civilization, orbiting telescopes’ date hinting at planetary systems around other stars, and political groups trying to figure out how to save humanity from nude warfare that would damage life and climate on a planet-wide scale, an astronomy book published today enters a world different from the one that greeted books a generation ago. Astronomy has broadened to involve our basic circumstances and our mysterious future in the universe. With eclipses and space missions broadcast live, and with NASA, Europe, and the USSR planning and building permanent space stations, astronomy offers adventure for all people, an outward exploratory thrust that may one day be seen as an alternative to mindless consumerism, ideological bickering, and wars to control dwindling resources on a closed, finite Earth.
Today’s astronomy students not only seek an up to-date summary of astronomical facts: they ask, as people have asked for ages, about our basic relations to the rest of the universe. They may study astronomy partly to seek points of contact between science and other human endeavors: philosophy, history, politics, environmental action, even the arts and religion.
Science fiction writers and special effect artists on recent films help today’s students realize that unseen worlds of space are real places—not abstract concepts. Today’s students are citizens of a more real, more vast cosmos that conceptualized by students of a decade ago.
In designing this edition, the Wadsworth editors and I have tried to respond to these developments. Rather than jumping at the start into murky waters of cosmology, I have begun with the viewpoint of ancient people on Earth and worked outward across the universe. This method of organization automatically (if loosely) reflects the order of humanity’s discoveries about astronomy and provides a unifying theme of increasing distance and scale.
1. This passage is most probably taken from( ).
2. The author’s main purpose in writing the first paragraph is( ).
3. The author thinks that the growing interest in space exploration among people on Earth will probably lead to( ).
4. The author believes that today’s astronomies students( ).
5. In the last paragraph, the underlined expression “these developments” refers to all of the following EXCEPT( ).
问题1选项
A.the preface of a piece of science fiction
B.an article of popular science
C.a lecture given by the author to astronomy students
D.the introduction of a book of astronomy
问题2选项
A.to discuss in detail the most recent achievements in space research
B.to explain the background and new features of today’s astronomy
C.to illustrate that the world today is different in many aspects from that of a generation ago
D.to introduce some newly established space stations
问题3选项
A.the realization of permanent settlement on other planets
B.more disturbance not only on Earth but also in outer space
C.orders, harmony and peace on our planet Earth
D.all people having chances of travelling in space
问题4选项
A.are better-informed about the unseen worlds of space
B.may learn more about man and his research in various fields through the study of astronomy
C.no longer care about astronomical facts
D.are much brighter than students of a generation ago
问题5选项
A.the world-wide involvement in space exploration
B.humanity’s new achievements in the field of astronomy
C.the new concepts about the universe acquired by today’s astronomy students
D.the development of science fiction and special effects of films
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:D
第1题:
判断推理题。文章最后一段提及In designing this edition, the Wadsworth editors and I have tried…“在设计这个版本时,Wadsworth的编辑和我试图……”,由此可知文章摘自一本书的序言,而本文都是在讲述关于天文学方面的,所以推测是天文学类书籍,所以D选项“一本天文学书籍的序言”符合题意。A选项“科幻小说的序言”,科幻小说对象不正确;B选项“一篇科普文章”与原文第一段an astronomy book published…“一本天文学书籍……”不符;C选项“作者给天文学学生的演讲”,文章的形式并不是演讲,所以C错误。因此D选项正确。
第2题:
主旨大意题。原文第一段主要讲述的是人类在天文学方面的研究扩展和特点。B选项作者写第一段的目的是“来解释今天天文学的背景和新特征”符合题意;A选项“详细讨论太空研究的最新成果”,第一段只是简单介绍并未详细讨论,所以A错误;C选项“说明今天的世界与一代人以前在许多方面不同”,只是说明研究的新进展,并不是世界的不同;D选项“引进一些新建立的空间站”与题意不符。因此B选项符合题意。
第3题:
判断推理题。根据第一段astronomy offers adventure for all people…ideological bickering, and wars to control dwindling resources on a closed, finite Earth.“天文学为所有人提供了冒险的机会,这是一种向外探索的推进,也许有一天,它会被视为一种替代选择,取代盲目的消费主义、意识形态的争吵和战争,以控制一个封闭、有限的地球上日益减少的资源。”A选项“在其他行星上永久定居的实现”原文并未涉及;B选项“更多的干扰不仅在地球上,而且在外太空”不符合题意;C选项“地球上的秩序、和谐与和平”,原文提到“可以取代盲目的消费主义、意识形态的争吵和战争”进而可以维护地球秩序和谐和平,符合题意;D选项“所有人有机会在太空旅行”与题意不符。因此C选项正确。
第4题:
判断推理题。由题干关键词today’s astronomies students定位到文章第二段They may study astronomy partly to seek points of contact between science and other human endeavors: philosophy, history, politics, environmental action, even the arts and religion.“他们学习天文学的部分原因可能是为了寻找科学和其他人类活动之间的联系:哲学、历史、政治、环境行为,甚至是艺术和宗教。”由此可知,研究天文学还可以更多地了解其他领域。所以B选项“通过天文学的研究,可以更多地了解人类及其在各个领域的研究”符合题意。A选项“对看不见的宇宙有更好的了解”不太切合题意;C选项“不再关心天文事实”与原文叙述相反;D选项“比上一代的学生聪明得多”没有比较无法体现。因此B选项正确。
第5题:
判断推理题。由划线句定位到文中最后一段In designing this edition, the Wadsworth editors and I have tried to respond to these developments.“在设计这个版本时,Wadsworth的编辑和我试图对这些发展做出回应。”由此可知,“这些发展”所包括的内容是前文已经提及的。A选项“全世界参与太空探索”和B选项“人类在天文学领域的新成就”在第一段中有涉及;C选项“今天的天文学学生获得的关于宇宙的新概念”在文章第二段有讲述;D选项“科幻小说和电影特效的发展”,文章主要是讲述关于天文学方面的内容,并没有详细阐述科幻小说和电影的发展,所以D选项与题意不符。因此此题选择D选项。