主題分類：天文和地理-高三英語閱讀理解專項訓練（含答案）

09天文和地理

（Q

Earth'sgeologicages-timeperiodsdefinedbyevidenceinrocklayers-typicallylastmorethan

threemillionyears.We'rebarely11,500yearsintothecurrentage,theHolocene.Butanewpaperargues

thatwe'vealreadyenteredanewone-theAnthropocene,or“newman"，age.

Thenameisn'tbrand-new.NobelPrizewinnerPaulCrutzcn,aco-authorofthepaper,coineditin

2002toreflectthechangessincetheindustrialrevolution.Thepaper,however,ispartofnewpushto

formalizetheAnthropocencage.

Recenthumanimpactshavebeensogreatthatthey'llresultinanobvious（界限）inEarth's

rocklayers,theauthorssay."Wearesoskilledatusingenergyandexploitingtheenvironmentthatwe

arenowadefiningforceinthegeologicalprocessonthesurfaceoftheEarthJsaidco-authorJanZala,

ageologistwiththeUniversityofLeicesterintheU.K.Evenso,itcouldtakeyearsorevendecadesfor

theInternationalUnionofGeologicalSciencestoformalizethenewage.

IftheconceptoftheAnthropoceneageistobeformalized,scientistswillfirsthavetoidentifyand

defineaboundaryline,ormarker,that'ssetinstone."Thekeythingisthinkingabouthovz-thousands

ofyearsinthefuture-geologistsmightcomebackandactuallyrecognizeinihedepositrecordthe

beginningoftheAnthropocene/'explainedAlanHaywoodoftheUniversityofLeedsintheU.K."It's

notasstraightforwardasyoumightthink.Themarkerhastobeveryprecise,andithastoberecognized

inmanydifferentpartsoftheworld,“saidHaywood,whowasn'tinvolvedinthenewstudy.

Onecandidateforthemarkeristhedistinctiveradioactivesignatureleftbyatombombtests,which

beganin1945.“Thefallout（沉降）isbasicallyacrosstheworld/,Haywoodsaid.Inasimilarway,

scientistsusedtracesoftheelementiridium（S）leftbyshootingstarstrikestohelpdefinetheboundary

bctv/ccntheCretaceousandTertiaryperiods—thetimeofthegreatdinosaurextinctions.

ThepushforaformaldeclarationoftheAnthropoceneageisaboutmorethanjustscientificcuriosity.

Themove,thescientistswriteinthelatestissueofthejournalEnvironmentalScience&Technology,

“mightbeusedasencouragementtoslowcarbonemissionsand（生物多樣性）loss"or“as

evidenceonprotectionmeasures."JustasHaywoodsaid,byunderlininghowmuchwe'rechangingthe

environment,theformalizationwouldbe“averypowerfulstatement”.

63.WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaboutthenewpaper?

A.IldeniestheexistenceoftheHoloceneage.

B.Itdocumentstherecenthumanimpactsonearth.

C.ItpushesfortheformalizationoftheAnthropoceneage.

D.Itservesasawarningagainstthecurrentmineralexploitation.

64.Haywood'swordsinparagraph4indicatethat.

A.thekeytoformalizingthenewageistofindadepositrecordsetinstone

B.themarkerhastoappearinvariousplacesgloballytobeconsideredvalid

C.findingamarkerisastraightforwardwaytodefinethebeginningofanage

D.futuregeologistsmayfindithardtorecognizethemarkerswechoosetoday

65.Whatcanyouinferfromthepassage?

A.TheelementiridiummayworkasamarkerfortheAnthropoceneage.

B.TheNobelPrizewinnerCrutzeninventedthenameHolocenein2002.

C.Theformalizationofthenewagemaysendamessageforeco-protection.

D.Humanactivitieshaveresultedfromthechangeofboundariesinrocklayers.

66.Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage?

A.HumansAreDestroyingtheEarth,GeologistsWarn

B.TooEarlytoSetThingsinStone,AuthoritiesSay

C.MoreEvidenceIsNeeded,UniversitiesRequire

D.ANewEarthAgeMayBegin,ScientistsArgue

63—66:CBCD

Australia'sfavouritesteamtrain

(B)

Australia'sFavouriteSteamTrain

RunseverydayexceptCAristMSDay!

JOUWMCYTIMES

▼a0

Mnorriva

M2QH

*?D

ThePuffingBillyRailway,locatedabout40kmeastofMelbourne,wasconstructedinthe

early1900stoopenupremoteareas.ThepresentlinebetweenBelgraveandGembrook

travelsthroughtheforestsandfarmlandsofthemagnificentDandenongRanges.Today,this

non-profitRailwayoperatesalmostdailythankstothetirelesseffortsofmorethan900

dedicatedvolunteers.

GeneralInformation:

■Peoplewithdisabilities-canbeaccommodatedonmostexcursiontrains,includinga

limitednumberofwheelchairs.Pleasephonetocheckavailability.

EasyaccesstoiletsareatBelgrave,LakesideandGembrook.

■Refreshmentsandsouvenirs-areavailableatmoststations.

■RailwayTracks-standingandwalkingonthetracksisnotpermitted.

■Prams(^JL$)-onlyfoldingornarrowtypepramscanbeaccommodatedthrough

thenarrowcarriagedoors.

■Smoking-isnotpermittedonthetrainorunderanyroofedareas.

■AssistanceDogscertifiedbyaregisteredauthority-aretheonlydogsallowedonthe

trainandmustbekeptonleadatalltimes.

■Alcohol-isnotpermittedontrains(exceptasprovidedindiningcars).

■Toilets-arelocatedateachstation.ParentingroomsarelocatedatBelgrave,Lakeside

&Gembrook.

■Photographsandvideos-fbrpersonalusearepermitted.Weddingphotographyand

anyuse,re-useorreproductionforcommercialpuiposesisprohibitedwithoutprior

writtenpemiission.

Conditions:

■Concessionfares(優惠票價)areavailabletoAustralianbearersofHealthCare,

Student,Seniors,CompanionorPensionercards.(Excludeeveningdiningandevents).

Yoursignaturemayberequiredondayoftravelforverificationpurposes.

■Childrenunder4years,notoccupyingaseat,arecarriedFREEonexcursiontrainsonly,

excludingspecialeventsanddiningtrains.

■Discountsareavailableforpre-bookedgrouptravel(20ormore)onareturnjourney,

exceptonSundays,publicholidaysandschoolholidays.

■Alltrainsaresteam-drivenunlessadiesellocomotive(柴*由機車)isrequiredin

exceptionalcircumstances.

?FirstClassTravelreturnjourneysareonappointedtrainsonly.

60.Theaboveinformationismainlyintendedfor.

A.internationaltouristsinAustraliaB.potentialtravellersofthesteamtrains

C.localresidentsinDandenongRangesD.volunteersonthePuffingBillyRailway

61.Peoplearenotpermittedtobringontotheexcursiontrains.

A.pramsB.guidedogsC.wheelchairsD.alcohol

62.Whatcanbelearnedfromtheaboveinformation?

A.Takingphotosisforbiddenonmostexcursiontrains.

B.Toiletsforthedisabledarenotavailableatallstations.

C.ForeignvisitorstoAustraliacanalsogetconcessionfares.

D.Onecangetticketsatalowerpriceaslongashebooksinadvance.

60.B61.D62.B

(A)

NATIONALGEOGRAPHICNEWS

HumanAnimalNewsAncientWorld|Space/Tech；Culture

WarningfromExperts

Agrowingamountofhuman-madeorbitaldebris(太空軌道殘骸)一fromrocketstagesandout-of-

datesatellites―iscirclingtheEarth.Scientistssaytheorbitaldebris,betterknownasspacejunk,poses

anincreasingthreattospaceactivities."Thisisagrowingenvironmentalproblem,“saidNicholas

Johnson,thechiefscientistandprogrammanagerfororbitaldebrisatNASA(美國航空航天局)in

Houston,Texas.

Johnsonandhisteamhavedevelopedacomputermodelcapableofsimulatingpastandfuture

amountsofspacejunk.Themodelpredictsthatevenwithoutfuturerocketorsatellitelaunches,the

amountofdebrisinloworbitaroundEarthwillremainsteadythrough2055,afterwhichitwillincrease.

Whilecurrenteffortshavefocusedonlimitingfuturespacejunk,thesescientistssayremovinglarge

piecesofoldspacejunkwillsoonbenecessary.

Sincethefirstlaunchofsatellitein1957,humanshavebeengeneratingspacejunk.TheU.S.Space

SurveillanceNetworkiscurrentlytrackingover13,000human-madeobjectslargerthantencentimeters

indiameterorbitingtheEarth.uOfthe13,000objects,over40percentcamefrombreakupsofboth

spacecraftandrocketbodies,vJohnsonsaid.Inaddition,therearehundredsofthousandsofsmaller

objectsinspace.Theseincludeeverythingfrompiecesofplastictobitsofpaint.Muchofthissmaller

junkhascomefromexplodingrocketstages.Stagesaresectionsofarocketthathavetheirownfuelor

engines.

Theseobjectstravelatspeedsover35,000kilometersanhour.Atsuchhighspeed,evensmalljunk

cantearholesinaspacecraftordisableasatellitebycausingelectricalshortsthatresultfromcloudsof

superheatedgas.

Johnsonbelievesitmaybe(imetothinkabouthowtoremovejunkfromspace.Previousproposals

rangefromsendingupspacecraftstograbjunkandbringitdowntousinglaserstoslowanobject'sorbit

tocauseittofallbacktoEarthmorequickly.GivencuiTenttechnology,thoseproposalsappearneither

technicallynoreconomicallypractical,t4Spacejunkislikeanyenvironmentalproblem/,Johnsonadmits.

"It'sgrowing.Ifyoudon'tdealwithitnow,itwillonlybecomeworse,andthesolutionsinthefuture

aregoingtobeevenmorecostly”

56.Whatisthispassagemainlytalkingabout?

A.Advancedtechnologyisusedtoremovespacejunk.

B.NASAisresponsiblefortheenvironmentalproblem.

C.Cleaningupthespacejunkisgreatlyneeded.

D.Humanactivitiesgeneratemuchorbitaldebris.

57.Whichofthefollowingisnotmentionedinthepassage?

A.Rocketlaunchesproducemoredebristhansatellitelaunches.

B.Spacejunkisendangeringhumanbeings,spaceactivities.

C.It'snecessaiytocleanupthelargepiecesofoldspacejunk.

D.Evenatinypieceofspacejunkcandestroyaspacecraft.

58.WhatdoesJohnthinkofthepreviousproposalstograbspacejunkandbringitdowntotheearth?

A.Reasonable.B.Unbelievable.

C.Reliable.D.Impractical.

56—58CAD

(C)

It'salmostspring,thetimeofyearwhenthechangeinseasonscouldleadtosomeprettyfascinating

cloudactivityinthesky.NASAandtheGLOBEProgramareinvitingyoutotakepartinacitizenscience

cloudobservationchallenge.TheGLOBEProgramisaninternationalscienceandeducationprogram

thatprovidesstudentsandthepublicwiththeopportunitytoparticipateindatacollectionandthe

scientificprocess.

FromMarch15throughApril15,citizenscientistsofallagescanmakeupto10cloudobservations

perdayusingtheGLOBEObserverapporoneoftheotherdataentryoptions(fortrainedGLOBE

members).ChallengeparticipantswiththemostobservationswillbecongratulatedbyaNASAscientist

inavideopostedontheGLOBEProgram'swebsiteandonsocialmedia.

“TheGLOBEProgramisofferingthischallengetoshowpeoplehowimportantitistoNASAto

havecitizenscientistobservations:observationsfromthegroundup,“saidMarilcColonRobles,lead

fbrtheGLOBECloudsteamatNASA'sLangleyResearchCenterinHampton,Virginia."We'regoing

fromwintertospring,sothetypesofstormswillchange,whichwillalsochangethetypesofclouds.”

Researchersuse,andvalue,thiscitizenscienceclouddatabecauseithelpstovalidatedatafrom

Earth-observinginstruments.ScientistsatLangleyworkwithasetofsixinstrumentsknownasthe

CloudsandtheEarth'sRadiantEnergySystem(CERES).

EventhoughCERES'instrumentsuseadvancedtechnology,itisnotalwayseasyfbrresearchersto

positivelyidentifyalltypesofcloudsintheirimages.Forexample,itcanbedifficulttodifferthin,wispy

cirrusclouds色田〃'的卷云）fromsnowsincebotharecoldandbright;evenmoresowhencirrusclouds

areaboveasurfacewithpatchysnow（片狀雪）orsnowcover.Onesolutiontothisproblemistolook

atsatelliteimagesfromaparticularareaandcomparethemtodatasubmittedbycitizenscientistsonthe

ground.

“Lookingatwhatanobserverrecordedascloudsandlookingattheirsurfaceobservationsreally

helpsusbetterunderstandtheimagesthatwerematchedfromthesatellite,MsaidColonRobles.

Youdon'thavetobeacloud-gazingprofessionaltoparticipate.Forthosewhowanttobepartofthe

challengebutdon'thavealotofexperienceidentifyingclouds.ColonRobiesoffersthefollowingadvice:

“Justgooutside."Themorecloudsyouobserve,shesaid,themorecomfortableyou'llbecollectingdata.

63.Whydoresearcherslaunchthecloudobservationchallenge?

A.TheGLOBEProgramisbadlyshortofhands.

B.ThetechnologyCERESusesisnotthatadvanced.

C.Scientistscancomparedatafromdifferentinstruments.

D.Cirruscloudsaredifficulttoidentifywhenwithsnowcover.

64.Theunderlinedword“validate“isclosestinmeaningto.

A.createB.cancelC.countD.confirm

65.WhichofthefollowingisTRUE?

A.Citizenobserverscanonlysubmittheirdatabymeansofanapp.

B.Observerssubmittingthemostobservationscangetaspecialprize.

C.Observationsfromthegroundarenotasvaluableassatelliteimages.

D.Thedatacollectedbycitizenscientistswillbepostedonsocialmedia.

66.Whichisthebesttitleforthepassage?

A.NASAEmploysNewmembers.

B.CloudActivitiesBringaNewChallenge.

C.CitizensGainExperiencethroughObservation.

D.ProfessionalsTeachYoutoObserveClouds.

63-66CDBB

（C）

“Twocenturiesago,LewisandClarkleftSt.LouistoexplorethenewlandsacquiredintheLouisiana

Purchase,“GeorgeW.Bushsaid,announcinghisdesireforaprogramtosendmenandwomentoMars.

“Theymadethatjourneyinthespiritofdiscovery.Americahasventuredforthintospaceforthesame

reasons.”

YettherearcvitaldifferencesbetweenLewisandClark'sexpeditionandaMarsmission.First,theywere

headedtoaplacewherehundredsofthousandsofpeoplewerealreadyliving.Second,theywerecertain

todiscoverplacesandthingsofimmediatevaluetothenewnation.Third,theirventurecostnextto

nothingbytoday'sstandards.AMarsmissionmaybe（hesinglemostexpensivenon-wartime

undertakinginU.S.history.

AppealingasthethoughtoftraveltoMarsis,itdoesnotmeanthejourneymakessense,even

consideringthehumancallingtoexplore.AndMarsasadestinationforpeoplemakesabsolutelyno

sensewithcurrenttechnology.

PresentsystemfbrgettingfromEarth'ssurfacetolow-Earthorbitaresofantasticallyexpensivethat

merelylaunchingthe1,000tonsorsoofspacecraftandequipmentaMarsmissionwouldrequirecould

beaccomplishedonlybycuttinghealth-carebenefits,educationspending,orotherimportantprograms

-orbyraisingtaxes.Absentsomeremarkablediscovery,astronauts,geologists,andbiologistsonceon

Marscoulddolittlemorethananalyzerocksandfeelawestruck（敬畏的）staringintotheskyofanother

world.Yetrockscanbeanalyzedbyautomatedprobeswithoutrisktohumanlife,andatatinyfraction

ofthecostofsendingpeople.

ItisinterestingtonotethatwhenPresidentBushunveiledhisproposal,helistedtheserecentmajor

achievementsofspaceexplorationpicturesofevidenceofwateronMars,discoveryofmorethan100

planetsoutsideoursolarsystem,andstudyofthesoilofMars.Alltheseaccomplishmentscamefrom

automatedprobesorautomatedspacetelescopes.Bush'sproposal,whichcallsfbr^reprogramming^some

ofNASA'spresentbudgetintotheMarseffort,mightactuallyleadtoareductioninsuchunmanned

science--theoneaspectofspaceexplorationthat'sworkingreallywell.

RatherthanspendhundredsofbillionsofdollarstohurltonstowardMarsusingcurrenttechnology,

whynottakeadecadeortwoorhowevermuchtimeisrequiredresearchingnewlaunchsystemsand

advancedpropulsion（推進力）?Ifnewlaunchsystemscouldputweightintoorbitaffordably,and

advancedpropulsioncouldspeedupthatlong,slowtransittoMars,thedreamofsteppingontothered

planetmightbecomereality.Marswillstillbetherewhenthetechnologyisready.

63.WhatdoLewisandClark'sexpeditionandaMarsmissionhaveincommon?

A.Instantvalue.B.Humaninhabitance.

C.Venturecost.D.Exploringspirit.

64.Bush'sproposalischallengedforthefollowingreasonsexceptthat.

A.itsexpenditureistoohugeforthegovernmenttoafford.

B.Americanpeople'swell-beingwillsufferalotifitisimplemented

C.greatachievementshavealreadybeenmadeinMarsexplorationinAmerica

D.unmannedMarsexplorationsoundsmorepracticalandeconomicalforthemoment

65.Whichcannotbeconcludedfromthepassage?

A.GoingtoMarsusingcurrenttechnologyisquiteunrealistic.

B.AMarsmissionwillinturnpromotethedevelopmentofunmannedprogram.

C.Bush'sproposalisbasedonthreerecentgreatachievementsofspaceexploration.

D.Theachievementsinplaceexplorationshowhowwellunmannedsciencehasdeveloped.

66.Whatisthemainideaofthepassage?

A.Riskyasitis,aMarsmissionhelpstoretainAmerica'spositionasatechnologicalleader.

B.AMarsmissionissocostlythatitmayleadtoaneconomicdisasterinAmerica.

C.SomedaypeoplemaygotoMarsbutnotuntilitmakestechnologicalsense.

D.AMarsmissionisunnecessarysincethescientistsoncetherewon'tmakegreatdiscoveries.

63-66DCBC

（B）

Shotinmorethan40locationsinL.A.,themusicalLaLaLandis“alovelettertothecity”.To

coincidewithUKrelease,wcaskedalocalwritertopicksomeofthefilm'samazingsettings.

JudgeHarryPregersonInterchange

LaLaLand'sopeningsceneisasix-minutedancethatplaysoutinL.A/sbadtraffic.Itisalso

wherethefilm'sleadingroles,strugglingactressMiaandjazzpianistSebastian,firstencountereach

other-inaroadangerincident.ThesceneissaidtohavebeenfilmedovertwohotdaysinsouthL.A.

SmokehouseRestaurant,Burbank

ThisisthesettingfbrthesceneinwhichMiadiscoversSebastian'stalentfbrthepiano.The

fictionalLipton'srestaurant-wherejazzpuristSebastianwasreluctanttoplayChristmasmusic---isin

realityaplacelongfrequentedbyactors,producersandothershowbusinesstypes.Ithasbeenonthis

spot,acrossthestreetfromtheWarnerBrosstudio,since1949.Inthefilm,theouterwallofLipton's

istheYouaretheStarmural（壁畫）.whichfeaturesMarilynMonroe,CharlieChaplinandothers,

whichisonthecornerofHollywoodBoulevardandWicoxAvenueinHollywoodinreality.

WarnerBrosStudios,Burbank

Miaworksatthestudio'scoffeeshop,whereSebastiancomestomeether.Astheywanderthe

studio'slot,Miapointsout“thewindowthatHumphrc、BogartandIngridBcromanlookedout

inCasablanca."It'soneofthefilm'snumerousnodstomoviehistory.WarnerBronsisstillaworking

studio,with35soundstages,14exteriorsetsandvisitortours.

Cathy'sCorner,MountHollywoodDrive

ThissectionoftheroadthatwindsthroughGriffthParkisthesettingoftheirdanceplay.It

overlookstheSanFernandoValleyandfeaturesonthefilmposter.Cathy'sCornerisnearfamed

MulhollandDrive,butpreparefordisappointmentifyou'reexpectingaparkbenchandstreetlamps,

whichonlyexistinthemovie.

60.Inordertoencountersomefilmstars,youmaygoto.

A.JudgeHarryPregersonInterchange

B.SmokehouseRestaurant

C.WarnerBrosStudio

D.Cath'sCorner

61.Miamentionedtheunderlinedsentencesoasto.

A.stressWarnerBrosisstillinfunction

B.showrespectformoviesofpreviousgenerations

C.illustrateLaLaLandwasfilmedatHollywoodCenterStudios

D.compareMiaandSebastian'slovestorywithHumphreyandIngrid

62.Inwhichsectionofawebsitecanyoumostprobablyfindthispassage?

A.NatureandEnvironment.B.CityandTransport.

C.TravelandRecreation.D.FoodandHealth.

6（）?62BBC

（C）

Thepurposeofamapistoexpressgraphicallytherelationsofpointsandfeaturesontheearth's

surfacetoeachother.Thesearedeterminedbydistanceanddirection.Inearlytimesdistancewasoften

expressedinunitsoftime,forexample“somanyhours'march"or"aday'sjourneybyriver"，butsuch

measurementsgavemoreinformationabouttherelativeeaseofcrossingthelocalterrainthantheydid

aboutactualdistance.Theotherelementisdirection,butfortheordinarytraveller,whosemainconcern

was“WheredoIgofromhere?"and"Howfarawayisit?”,theaccuraterepresentationofdirectionwas

notofprimaryimporlance.Partlyforthisreason,written加〃eraries（行不呈）foralongtimerivaledmaps.

Eventoday,certaintypesofmaps,forexample,thoseshowingrailwaysystems,maymakelittleattempt

toshowtruedirections.Similarly,obviouslandmarksalongaroutewereatfirstindicatedbysigns,

realisticorconventional（慣常的）,andvariedinsizetoindicatetheirimportance.Clearlythe

conventionsemployedvariedwiththepurposeofthemap,andalsofromplacetoplace,sothatin

studyingearlymapsthefirstessentialistounderstandtheparticularconventionemployed.

Thehistoryofcartography（ftllS）islargelythatoftheincreaseintheaccuracywithwhichthese

elementsofdistanceanddirectionaredeterminedandinthecomprehensivenessofthemapcontent.In

thisdevelopment,cartographyhascalledinothersciencestoitsaid.Forexample,insteadofdetermining

directionbyobservingthepositionofashadowatmidday,orofaconstellation（星座）in（henightsky,

orevenofasteadywind,usewasmadeofterrestrial"叫〃〃（地磁學）throughthemagneticcompass,

andinstrumentswereevolvedwhichenabledhorizontalanglestobecalculatedwithgreataccuracy.

Theapplicationofastronomicalconcepts,andtheextensionoftheknowledgeoftheworldthrough

exploration,encouragedattemptstomaptheknownworld.Thenastronomersdiscoveredthattheearth

isnotaperfectsphere,butisflattenedslightlyatthepoles,whichintroducedfurtherrefinementsintothe

mappingoflargeareas.Meanwhile,thedemandsbeingmadeofthemapmakerwereshifting

significantly.Thetravellerorthemerchantceasedtobethesoleuserofmaps.Thesoldier,especially

aftertheintroductionofartillery,andtheproblemsofrange,fieldoffire,anddeadgroundwhichitraised,

demandedanaccuraterepresentationofthesurfacefeatures,inplaceoftheearlierconventionalor

pictorialdelineationandasolutioninanydegreesatisfactorywasnotreacheduntilthecontour

（等高線）wasinvented.

60.Whymightearlymapshavebeenmisleading?

A.Distancescouldnotbecalculatedreliably.

B.Theywerebasedonwrittenitineraries.

C.Theyweredrawnbyordinarytravelers.

D.Distancestendedtobeoverestimated.

61.Whatproblemdidearlymapsexhibitwhenshowinglandmarks?

A.Thesignsusedborelittlerelationtothelandmarks.

B.Theselectionoflandmarkswasfaulty.

C.Theyusedsymbolsthatwerenotstandardized.

D.Theysometimesincludedunimportantfeatures.

62.Inthesecondparagraph,thewritersaysthatmadebetterqualitymap-makingeasier.

A.agreaterunderstandingofclimaticfactor

B.greateraccuracyindraughtsmanship（繪圖術）

C.moreaccuracyinmeasurement

D.moreintensivemapproduction

63.Whatencouragedthesearchforamoreprecisemeansofmappingthephysicalgeographyofthe

landscape?

A.Discoveryinastronomy.B.Thegrowthofmathematicalscience.

C.Theactivitiesofthegreatexplorers.D.Militaryconsiderations.

63-66:ACCD

OurNeighbour-Venus

ThesurfaceofVenushasneverseemedveryhospitable.Temperatureschangearound470℃

（900°F）,theresultofarunawaygreenhouseeffect,andthepressureofitsatmosphere,thickwithcarbon

dioxideandsulfuricacid（硫酸）,issome90timesthatofEarth's.Lead（鉛）wouldflowlikewater

onVenus,andwatercannothaveexistedinliquidformforperhapsabillionyears.

NowNASA'SMagellanspacecraftseemstohavefoundonemorehorrorinthenastylandscape:

activevolcanoes.LastweekthespaceagencyreleasedthefirstdetailedmapofVenusandthemost

dramaticimagesevermadeofitssurface.Thepicturesofferthebestevidencetodatethataplanetonce

assumeddeadisactuallyalivelypotofgeologicalchange.

ThemostamazingimageisofVenus'secondtallestmountain,MaatMons,whichrises8km（5

miles）.Mostoftheplanet'smanypeaks,including9.5-km-（6-mile-）highMaxwellMontes,lookbright

intheradarpicturesMagellantakesfromitsorbitabovethepermanentcloudcover.Thatmeansthey

arcstrongreflectorsofradarwaves.ButMaatMonsisdark;liketheStealthbomber,itabsorbsmuch

oftheradarfallingonit.

Thisinterestingfact,sayprojectscientists,isastronghintthatthemountainhasrecentlybeen

coveredwithlava（熔巖）.Rockthatsitsonthesurfaceofmountaintopsappearstoweatherquicklyin

thehot,chemicallyreactiveatmosphere,creatingasoilthatisrichinironsulfide（硫化鐵）.Itisthis

mineral,thescientistsbelieve,thatcaneasilybeseenonradar.IfMaatMonsdoesn'thaveany,ithas

probablybeenresurfaced,perhapswithinthepastfewyears.

SuchresurfacinghasundoubtedlytakenplaceinVenuslowlands:earlierimagesoftheplanet

showedvastareasthatarcremarkablyfreeofcraters（火ill坑）.Thatwouldbeeasytoexplainona

PlanetlikeEarth,wherecrateringfrommeteorstrikesiserasedbysteadyerosion.Butwhilethereis

someevidenceofwinderosiononVenus,thebestexplanationforthelackofcrateringisperiodiclava

flows.Magellanhasfounddirectevidenceofsuchflows,includingdomelikeupwellingsandhardened

streamsofrocktrailingdownthesidesofVenusianpeaks.Therearealsosignsofothergeologic

activities,includingdramaticfaultingandseveraldistinctincidentsofmountainbuilding.Butthe

evidencecan'tindicatewhethertheyreallyoccuiTedmillionsofyearsago.ThecasefbractiveVenusi