备战2022年中考英语考前时事热点话题阅读+题型专练
热点27 彗星以及流星与流星雨
一、阅读理解
1
Since ancient times, human beings have looked up at the night sky. Comets (彗星) and meteors (流星) flying through the blackness were seen as signs from the gods. They were used to tell the future of human lives.
In 2013, a meteorite shower hit an area in Russia. It injured around 1,200 people. In ancient times, this would have been a strange and terrible experience. Today, thought, science offers simple explanations for the occurrence (事件).
Meteorites are small pieces of debris (碎片) that float around in space. Sometimes, they come near a planet, such as Earth. When they enter our atmosphere, they often heat up and become very bright. This is why they are sometimes called “fireballs”. They are usually made of metals, such as iron (铁), and other minerals (矿物). The Russian meteorites were stony, with iron making up 10 percent of them.
Meteorite showers, such as that in Russia, happen when a large meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere and, due to heat, breaks up into small parts. Most of these are very small — smaller than a grain of sand — and so don’t even make it to the ground. But others can cause a lot of damage.
The meteor in Russia weighed 10 tons when it entered our atmosphere, and broke up about 20-30 miles (30-50 km) above ground. The sky was filled with bright lights and loud noises. Many windows were broken. The damage cost Russia around 206 million yuan.
1. What did people in ancient times think when they saw a meteorite shower?
A. It was a wonderful sight.    B. It was common in nature.
C. They respected it as a god.    D. They felt puzzled and scared.
2. Which of the following is NOT true about meteorites?
A. They float around in space.    B. They often heat up when entering Earth.
C. There are fires around them.    D. They are usually made of metals.
3. When a large meteor comes into the Earth’s atmosphere, ___________.
float up
① meteorite showers happen② it breaks up into small pieces
③ it falls to the ground as whole④ it seldom causes serious damage
A. ①②    B. ①③    C. ①④    D. ②④
4. Which topic does the story NOT talk about?
A. How meteorite showers happen.    B. How to stop meteorite showers.
C. The meteorites in Russia.    D. The damage meteorites can cause.
【答案】1. D  2. C  3. A  4. B
【解析】文章讲诉了流星雨的一些情况。
1. 句意：在古代，当人们呢看见流星雨的时候，怎么想的。根据In ancient times, this would have been a strange and terrible experience.故选D
2. 句意：关于流星哪个不正确？根据Meteorites are small pieces of debris (碎片) that float around in space.可知A是对的；根据When they enter our atmosphere, they often heat up 可知B是对的；根据They are usually made of metals,可知D是对的；故选C
3. 句意：当一个大流星进入到地球大气层的时候---。根据Meteorite showers, such as that in Russia, happen when a large meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere and, due to heat, breaks up into small parts.故选A
4. 句意：这个故事没谈论哪个话题。根据Meteorite showers, such as that in Russia, happen when a large meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere and, due to heat, breaks up into small和others can cause a lot of damage.可知A/C/D都提到了；故选B
2
There are lots of objects that we see in the sky. During the day we see the sun. After the sunset in the evening, we see mostly the stars. Not all the lights in the sky that we see are really stars.
Of course, we see the moon. Some of the other lights in the sky are planets(行星). Planets go around the sun like earth does.
Sometimes we can see a shooting star. Shooting star looks like a star that is moving quickly across the sky. Some people believe that seeing a shooting star will bring them good luck. It's hard to find shooting star because they run fast.
The correct name for shooting star is meteor(流星). Space has lots of little objects. These can be rocks in space from old planets. These objects can be very small, they are called meteorites(陨石). When meteorite gets close to the earth, it gets pulled towards the earth by gravity(重力). Earth is surrounded by atmosphere(大气层). Atmosphere is made up of air and clouds. Meteorite burns in the earth's atmosphere. This makes the short bright moving light in the night sky. A meteorite then turns into meteor.
5. At night the sky is filled mostly with ________.
A. the moon    B. the planets    C. the stars    D. the sun
6. From the passage, we can know ________.
A. all the lights in the sky that we see are really stars
B. space has lots of little objects and they can be rocks from old planets.
C. when a meteorite is near the earth, it gets pushed from the earth by gravity.