Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought th

题型：不详难度：来源：

Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.
So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.
This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.
So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.
Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.
小题1:What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?

A．The Earth.

B．The Greek god.

C．Solar Impulse.

D．Birds.

小题2:Which of the following is TRUE of Solar Impulse?

A．It can only fly at night.	B．It has already flown across the US.
C．It is powered by the sun.	D．It needs gas to work.

小题3:In the passage, what is mentioned as the cause of pollution in China?

A．Overpopulation.	B．Burning coal or gas.
C．Using solar energy.	D．Heavy traffic.

小题4:What does the writer mean by “That’s a pretty long flight”?

A．It takes a lot of time to get Solar Impulse going.

B．Solar Impulse moves very slowly.

C．Solar Impulse will be in use for a long time.

D．Solar Impulse has a long way to go to take the place of the sun.

小题5:The passage is most probably taken from___________.

A．a Greek myth

B．a science fiction

C．a story-book

D．a science magazine

答案

小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:D

解析

试题分析：这篇短文主要谈到了利用太阳能作为能源的问题。
小题1:根据短文二三段Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. ……This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）.描述,可知选C.
小题2:根据there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun.描述，可知选C。
小题3:根据If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy.描述，可知选B。
小题4:根据but not for another 5 billion years.描述，可知太阳驱动可以利用很长的时间，故选C。
小题5:这篇短文主要谈论的是利用太阳能的问题，故最有可能出自一本科学杂志。选D。D
点评：本文中长句较多，一时很难读懂句子含义，注意多读几遍，不要强求非得理解一词一句的含义，能把握文章大意就行。然后带着问题阅读短文，一般就能顺利找出答题依据。对于不能直接找到根据的问题注意联系上下文，根据短文中心总结出正确答案。