Question

16．Scientists in the UK have discovered a solar system with five earth-size planets born at the very beginning of galaxy．The star and its planets are billions of years older than our own sun．That is to say，life might be somewhere in our galaxy in the long past．
We can hear the music of the stars．It's the vibrations（振動）of a 2.6billion-year old star that changed into sound．While researchers now compare it with the sound of a star that's nearly three billion years older，Pro．Bill Caplin，who led the research，discovered that he could work out the age of stars from the sound they make．
So as the stars get older，as their outer parts grow larger，and we get these changes to the structure（構造）of the deep inner part，what we find is that the time which the star resonates（產生共振）was made longer．
Pro．Caplin and his team were able to work out that the star，with five planets going around it，which are about the same sizes as our own earth，was more than eleven billion years old．That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun and the oldest star with such planets discovered to date．It's thought that living organisms（有機物）are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．So the discovery raises the possibility that life might have been there in our own galaxy billions of years before our own earth had appeared．

55．What have the UK scientists discovered？A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．
56．Can we hear the music of the stars？Yes．/Yes，we can．
57．How could the researchers work out the age of the stars？By studying/From the sound they make．
58．How old is our own sun？More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．
59．Why might life be somewhere before our earth appeared？Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It'sthought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same sizeas the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．．

Answer 1

分析 本文是一篇科普類文章，介紹的是英國科學家的太空發現：在銀河系剛誕生時就產生了一個太陽系，比我們的太陽早65億年，它有自己的行星．科學家推測，這些行星上有可能有生命，即在地球之外，有可能在某些星球上早已存在生命．

解答 55．A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．細節理解題．考查英國科學家的發現．根據第一段中"Scientists in the UK have discovered a solar system with five earth-size planets born at the very beginning of galaxy"所說，英國科學家發現在銀河系剛誕生時就產生了一個太陽系，它有5個和地球那么大的行星．a solar system （一個）太陽系．with five earth-size planets擁有5個和地球一樣大的行星．故回答A solar system．/A solar system with 5 earth-sized planets．
56．Yes．/Yes，we can．細節理解題．考查人類是否能聽到那些星星上的音樂．根據第二段中"We can hear the music of the stars"所說，我們人類能聽到那些星星上的音樂．故回答Yes．/Yes，we can．
57．By studying/From the sound they make．細節理解題．考查研究人員是怎樣推算出這些星星的年齡的．根據第二段最后一句"Bill Caplin，who led the research，discovered that he could work out the age of stars from the sound they make"所說，比爾•卡普林通過研究這些星星所發出的聲音來推測出它們的年齡．故回答By studying/From the sound they make．
58．More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．細節理解題．考查太陽的年齡．根據第三段中"Pro．Caplin and his team were able to work out that the star，with five planets going around it，which are about the same sizes as our own earth，was more than eleven billion years old"所述，卡普林和團隊推算出這個星星的年齡是110多億年．根據另一句"That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun"可知，這個年齡比我們的太陽多65億年．根據上述事實可知，太陽的年齡是45億多年．（注意：1 billion為10億，而不是1億．）故回答More than/Over 4.5 billion years old．
59．Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．推理判斷題．考查為什么在地球產生之前有可能存在生命．根據最后一段中"That's 6.5billion years older than our own sun and the oldest star with such planets discovered to date．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water"所說，這個太陽系比我們的太陽出現的早得多，它也有自己的行星，這些行星的大小和地球相當；由于這些行星的溫度適宜，且有流動的水，所以，有機物有可能生活在這些行星中，且生存得很好．故回答Because the star and its five earth-size planets are billions of years older than our own sun．It's thought that living organisms are more likely to live well in worlds that are about the same size as the earth，as well as having the right temperature and having running water．

點評 首先要掌握短文的意思，然后結合具體的題目以及給出的英語提示，就可以確定正確答案．