Unit 4 Astronomy the science of the stars

话 题 导 入

Astronomy is the oldest science known to man Astronomy is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens. But man was limited by what he could see with his eyes alone. The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of stars. They could see their places in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help them study the starry heavens.

Each new tool added to the files of astronomy; it helped man reach out into space. Until there were telescopes(望远镜), man knew little about the moon. They did not know that the planet called Saturn(土星)has rings around it. Their sight was so limited that they could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Before the spectroscope(分光镜), man did not know what kind of gases are in the sun or other stars. Without the radio telescope(电波望远镜) we did not know that radio noises come from far out in space.

Today, astronomy is a growing science Today, astronomy is a growing science. We have learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy. 1．The passage mainly tells us ________. A．the spectroscope helps man know what kind of gases are in the sun and other stars B．there are eight planets in space C．there was much noise in space D．science can't grow fast without modern technology 答案：D　主旨大意题。文章第一段为主题段，此段的最后一句话为主题句，其他段都是围绕这一主题展开，故答案选D。

2．Thousands of years ago，________. A．man watched the stars with their eyes　　　　　　　 B．telescopes helped man to study the stars C．man knew nothing about the sky D．man knew Saturn has rings around it 答案：A　细节理解题。由第一段第二、三句话可知，在几千年前人们主要通过肉眼来观察星球。

3．When the Greeks watched the stars, they knew all of the following except________. A．the color of the stars B．the size of the stars C．the movement of the stars D．what the stars were made of 答案：D　细节理解题。由第二段可知，只有D项的内容“星球是由什么组成的”没有提到。

4．Man now knows ________. A．the moon has rings around it B．there are six planets C．Saturn's rings can be seen by human eyes D．radio noises come from far out in space 答案：D　推理判断题。由第四段最后一句可推知，现在人们已经知道无线电噪声来自遥远的外太空。