Part Reading Comprehension(35 minu tes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choi ces marked A)B)C) and D) .You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids(С)nowone might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know itsay some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids()that race acros s the night sky.Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us.But th ere are also thousads whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now.Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks.By the time we spot a fatal onethe scientists saywe'll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons.But the cost wouldn't be cheap.
Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs.Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once eve ry 500000 years.Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fallit would be the end of the world."If we don't take care of these big asteroidsthey'll take care of us"says one scientist."It's that simple."
The curethoughmight be worse than the disease.Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth?"The world has less to fear from
doomsday(Ôµ) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them" said a New York Times article.
21. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?
A) They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B) They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C) There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D) Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
22. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?
A) It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B) Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C) Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.
D) It's still too early to say whether such a collision might occur
23. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the
course of asteroids?
A) It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B) It may create more problems than it might solve.
C) It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very
unlikely.
D) Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
24. We can conclude from the passage that .
A) while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world
B) asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future
C) the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely
to happen in our lifetime
D) workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids
with Earth.
25. Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this pass age?
A) Optimistic. B) Critical. C) Objective. D) Arbitrary.