Question

It is midnight on September 22，2012．The sky above Manhattan，New York is filled with a curtain of colorful light． New Yorkers are fascinated by the beautiful aurora(極光)．However, their fascination is short-1ived．

 Within a few seconds，electric bulbs dim(變暗)and flicker(閃爍)，then become unusually bright for a few seconds．Then all the lights second  go out．Within 90 seconds，the entire eastern half of the US is without power．

 Besides the US，Europe，Japan and China are also  hit by the same terrible event．It is a violent solar flare(太陽耀斑)，150 million kilometers away on the surface of the sun．

 Science fiction? No．A report funded by NASA and issued by the US National Academy of Sciences in January this year says it could happen．

 A massive solar flare is most likely on a spring or autumn night in 2012，according to the report．

Solar flares are huge explosions on the surface of the sun．In a matter of just a few  minutes they heat material to many millions of degrees and release as much energy as a billion megatons(百萬噸)of TNT explosives．Solar flares release a stream of charged high-energy particles(粒子)．They are called“solar winds”

 If one solar‘‘wind’’should hit the Earth's  magnetic shield(磁揚)，the result could be terrible for humans.

But there’s no need to run  for cover from solar winds．  They do not harm 1ife on  Earth，they only affect the way we live，especially since  we depend so much on modern  technology．They can pump extra electricity into power line,  and pipelines，causing blackouts and fuel leaks(泄漏).  Solar winds are also known to affect mobile phone operations, and may disrupt wireless Internet services．

Moreover, solar winds can prevent normal satellite operations，and disrupt radio communications  and navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System．

 Auroras  are  powered  by  solar wind．This wind blows  past the Earth at about 400-700 km per second and creates storms in the Earth’s magnetic environment．In the polar regions these explode into southern or northern polar lights．

 The most serious solar storm that hit Earth in history happened in 1859． It caused the failure of telegraph(電報)systems in Europe and  North America．

 So, for humans，the sun is  a  double-edged sword． Without1 the sun, there would  be no 1ife  on  Earth． Without the sun，   Earth would be a frozen dark   ball floating in space．However,  on the other hand，the sun can  disorder our 1ives from time  to time．    

10．What is the main idea of the passage?

A．It introduces to readers the advantages and disadvantages of the sun．

B．It describes a science fiction set in Manhattan on 22 September 2012．    

C．It shows readers the way in which solar winds form inside the sun．

D．It explains what solar flares are and their effects on human life．

11．The first two paragraphs are written_________.

A．to show a beautiful scene in a true story

B．to describe the beautiful scenery of Manhattan

C．to describe the power problem around the world

D．to introduce the topic of this passage

12．What can we conclude from the passage?

A．Solar flares will do great harm to those who are using the Internet．

B．Solar flares cannot reach as far as the polar regions．

C．Solar flares are huge explosions that happen inside the sun．    

D．1f it weren’t’t for our reliance on technology, solar flares probably wouldn’t affect us．

13．Solar winds will likely affect us in the following ways EXCEPT that    ．

A．normal satellite operations will be stopped

B．the lights in the areas affected will go out at the same time

C．people on the streets will be struck to death

D．some navigation systems will be out of order

Answer 1

10、D。11、D。12、D。13、C。

解析:

10.主旨大意題，本文主要介紹了什么是Solar flares以及它們對人類生活所產生的影響，故此題答案應選D。

11.文章結構分析題，文章第一段的目的是通過對于Manhattan有可能發生的Solar flares來引入本文的主題。

12.細節理解題，根據文章第六小段“They do not harm life on Earth, they only affect the way we live, especially since we depend so much on modern technology”，即可得知答案為D，同時排除A。B根據倒數第三段可以排除。C錯在inside。

13.細節理解題，根據同上題。所以，盡管solar winds威力很大，但卻不會對人類的生命帶來傷害。