Passage Two
Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland, on February 19,1473. Little is known about his early lifeexcept that his father died when he was 10. An uncle adopted him, his two sisters, and his brother.The uncle saw to it that the two boys received a good education. Copernicus went to the University ofCracow. There he studied such subjects as Latin, mathematics, and astronomy. It was probably at thattime that he changed his Polish name, Niklas Kopperuigk, to the Latin form of Nicolaus Copernicus.In 1496 Copernicus went to Italy,where he spent the next 10 years studying at various universities.In Copernicus' time people still believed that all things--the sun, the stars, and the planetsmoved around the earth. It was an old belief that few men had ever questioned. Aristotle had basedhis theory of astronomy on this belief. Because the Church had long been the center of learning, thetheory was also linked to religious beliefs.
In 1506 Copernicus returned to his homeland. A few years later he began to work for the Church.All those years Copernicus carried on his work in astronomy. He had just the most basic equipmentand, like other scientists of his day, made observations with only his eyes. Still, using mathematics andlogic ,Copernicus worked out a different theory,which held that the planets went around the sun.
Copernicus did not announce his ideas. He did not want to make trouble. But he could not hidethe scientific truth. So he talked about his theory with his friends, who strongly advised him to have his work published. His great book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies, appeared at the veryend of his life. Copernicus saw the first copy on the day he died, May 24,1543.
( ) 40. Copernicus had his great book published because __
A. he didn't agree with Aristotle
B. he could not hide the scientific truth
C. he worked for the Church
D. his friends advised him to do so
答案：D
( )41. From the passage we can see that astronomy is __
A. the life experience of great men
B. the movement of the stars and the planets ,
C. the scientific study of natural objects in space
D. the theories developed by scientists of old times
答案：C
( )42. Copernicus developed his theory __
A. using various telescopes
B. based on Aristotle's beliefs
C. through observations and reasoning
D. under the encouragement of his friends
答案：C
( )43. The writer of the passage wants us to know that __
A. Copernicus did not tell about his discovery until the day of his death
B. for many years Copernicus dared to do nothing openly against the Church
C. pushed by his friends Copernicus decided to write a book in May 1543
D. shortly before he got back to Poland Copernicus started to work for the Church
答案：B
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