Even though orbiters have eyed it from space and landers have rumbled across its surface, Mars still has more secrets to reveal. Two findings emerged this week: the possibility of an active glacier far from the planet’s poles and evidence that sulfur―rather than carbon―was the element driving the planet’s warmer climate long ago. Both discoveries could force some rethinking about Martian evolution and dynamics―and maybe even provide insights about Earth’s past.  

The glacier discovery was announced Wednesday by the European Space Agency （ESA）. A high-resolution stereo camera aboard ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft spotted the feature in a region called Deuteronilus Mensae, located in the mid-north latitudes of the planet. The Mars Express science team drew the preliminary conclusion that the material in the feature is water ice and that it accumulated as recently as 10,000 years ago, probably from an underground source. Other deposits of water ice have been mapped at the martian poles, but they’re much bigger and are millions of years old. The find is a surprise because the prevailing view is that any water reaching the martian surface from underground quickly evaporates（蒸發(fā)）and eventually drifts into space. Yet all of the physical characteristics of the feature are “consistent with that of a glacier,” says geologist and team member Ronald Greeley of Arizona State University in Tempe.  

Meanwhile, in the 21 December issue of Science, a team from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a possible solution for the curious absence of carbon-based minerals on Mars. A buildup of carbon dioxide in the ancient martian atmosphere supposedly produced enough of a greenhouse effect to allow liquid water to flow for a time on the surface. The problem is that such a process should have deposited ample carbon-containing minerals on the planet’s surface―something that hasn’t been found. So the researchers have come up with a new explanation: Large amounts of sulfur dioxide （SO₂） in the atmosphere, the result of early volcanic activity, captured enough heat to allow water to flow. This would explain the plentiful distribution of sulfates among martian minerals.

  51. The main cause of the warm climate on Mars is _________.  

A. water ice     B. carbon     C. sulfur     D. active glacier  

52. Which of the following shows that the find of the glacier discovery is a surprise?  

A. Any water reaching the martian surface will quickly evaporate and drift into space.  

B. It is known to all water, or of similar physical characteristic can’t exist on the Mars.  

C. There seems to be an active glacier located in the mid-north latitudes of the Mars.  

D. The water ice accumulated at the martian poles is bigger than what it used to be.  

53. What can be learned from last paragraph?  

A. The researchers can clearly explain the reason for the absence of carbon-based minerals on Mars.  

B. The large amount of carbon dioxide led to greenhouse effect, which allowed the liquid water to flow.  

C. The sulfur dioxide, which led the water to flow, was produced by the volcano eruption long time ago.  

D. More than half of the minerals on Mars studied by the researchers at present are related to carbon.  

54. What is probably the title of the passage?  

A. The red planet still packs surprises          B. The possibility of a glacier on Mars  

C. The main key to the warmth on Mars      D. Water may exist on the mysterious planet  

55. Where does the passage probably come from?  

A. Travel & Fashion          B. Economy & Finance  

C. Animal & Botany           D. Nature & Astronomy  

The night was dark, though sometimes the moving clouds allowed a star or two to be seen in the sky. The poor men held on to any bit of     1     they could find. They called to the Marie for     2   , but she was far    3    the reach of the human voice. At one o'clock in the    4 the water was getting    5   , and even worse a strong    6    had begun to blow. Suddenly 7    were seen in the distance: another ship! The shouts of the    8    were heard on board, and willing hearts pulled them out of the water. The    9    of the ship that had so    10 arrived on the scene in time to save their lives was Ellen. What had brought her to the exact spot through the darkness and the pathless sea? Her captain had known    11    of the wreck (沉船) and had, indeed, attempted to sail away from it. But let him speak for himself.

    “I was forced by the wind,” he said long after wards, to    12    my course (航道). Just as I did it, a small    13    flew across the ship once or twice and then    14    at my face. I took    15    of this until exactly the same thing happened a    16    time, which caused me to think it rather    17   , while I was thus    18    it, the same bird, for the third time, made its appearance and flew about in the same way as before. I was then    19    to change my course back to the original one. It had not gone far    20    I heard strange noises; and when I tried to make sure where they came from, I found I was in the middle of people who had been shipwrecked. I immediately did my best to save them.

    1．

A. cloth　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. flower

C. paper　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. wood

    2．

A. food　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. help

C. rest　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. stop

    3．

A. between　　　　　　　　　　  B. out

C. beyond　　　　　　　　　　   D. in

    4．

A. afternoon　　　　　　　　    B. noon

C. morning　　　　　　　　　　  D. midnight

    5．

A. colder　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. deeper

C. saltier　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. warmer

    6．

A. smoke　　　　　　　　　　    B. wave

C. sand　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. wind

    7．

A. people　　　　　　　　　　    B. lights

C. ships　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. houses

    8．

A. sailors　　　　　　　　　　    B. captains

C. birds　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. swimmers

    9．

A. name　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. owner

C. captain　　　　　　　　　　   D. designer

    10．

A. slowly　　　　　　　　　　    B. early

C. immediately　　　　　　　　 D. fortunately

    11．

A. everything　　　　　　　　   B. nothing

C. something　　　　　　　　   D. anything

    12．

A. continue　　　　　　　　　　 B. turn

C. change　　　　　　　　　　   D. sail

    13．

A. fish　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. fly

C. plane　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. bird

    14．

A. flew　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. stopped

C. stayed　　　　　　　　　　    D. looked

    15．

A. no care　　　　　　　　　　   B. good care

C. no notice　　　　　　　　    D. some notice

    16．

A. good　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. second

C. third　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. long

    17．

A. interesting　　　　　　　　   B. funny

C. common　　　　　　　　　　 D. unusual

    18．

A. searching　　　　　　　　    B. expecting

C. considering　　　　　　　　 D. studying

    19．

A. decided　　　　　　　　　　   B. advised

C. persuaded　　　　　　　　   D. invited

    20．

A. when　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. while

C. as　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. after

    “I was forced by the wind,” he said long after wards, to    12    my course (航道). Just as I did it, a small    13    flew across the ship once or twice and then    14    at my face. I took    15    of this until exactly the same thing happened a    16    time, which caused me to think it rather    17   , while I was thus    18    it, the same bird, for the third time, made its appearance and flew about in the same way as before. I was then    19    to change my course back to the original one. It had not gone far    20    I heard strange noises; and when I tried to make sure where they came from, I found I was in the middle of people who had been shipwrecked. I immediately did my best to save them.

    1．

A. cloth　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. flower

C. paper　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. wood

    2．

A. food　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. help

C. rest　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. stop

    3．

A. between　　　　　　　　　　  B. out

C. beyond　　　　　　　　　　   D. in

    4．

A. afternoon　　　　　　　　    B. noon

C. morning　　　　　　　　　　  D. midnight

    5．

A. colder　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. deeper

C. saltier　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. warmer

    6．

A. smoke　　　　　　　　　　    B. wave

C. sand　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. wind

    7．

A. people　　　　　　　　　　    B. lights

C. ships　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. houses

    8．

A. sailors　　　　　　　　　　    B. captains

C. birds　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. swimmers

    9．

A. name　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. owner

C. captain　　　　　　　　　　   D. designer

    10．

A. slowly　　　　　　　　　　    B. early

C. immediately　　　　　　　　 D. fortunately

    11．

A. everything　　　　　　　　   B. nothing

C. something　　　　　　　　   D. anything

    12．

A. continue　　　　　　　　　　 B. turn

C. change　　　　　　　　　　   D. sail

    13．

A. fish　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. fly

C. plane　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. bird

    14．

A. flew　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. stopped

C. stayed　　　　　　　　　　    D. looked

    15．

A. no care　　　　　　　　　　   B. good care

C. no notice　　　　　　　　    D. some notice

    16．

A. good　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. second

C. third　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. long

    17．

A. interesting　　　　　　　　   B. funny

C. common　　　　　　　　　　 D. unusual

    18．

A. searching　　　　　　　　    B. expecting

C. considering　　　　　　　　 D. studying

    19．

A. decided　　　　　　　　　　   B. advised

C. persuaded　　　　&nbs
p
;　　　　  D. invited

    20．

A. when　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. while

C. as　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. after

____ he works hard, I don’t mind when he finishes the experiment.

A．As soon as                             B．Even though

C．So long as                             D．So far as

____ he works hard, I don’t mind when he finishes the experiment.

A．As soon as         B．Even though       C．So long as         D．So far as