Trịnh Thị Thu Hương - Trường THPT Hải An

Câu hỏi: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on the answer sheet
to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 66 to 75.
Four stages of planetary development
The planet Earth has passed through four-stages of planetary development. All terrestrial
planets pass through these same stages to some degree, but some planets evolved further or
were affected in different ways.

The Four Stages

The first stage of planetary evolution is differentiation, the separation of material according to
density. Earth now has a dense core and a lower-density crust, and that structure must have
originated very early in its history. Differentiation would have occurred easily if Earth was
molten when it was young. Two sources of energy could have heated Earth. First, heat of
formation was released by in-falling material. A meteorite hitting Earth at high velocity
converts most of its energy of motion into heat, and the impacts of a large number of meteorites
would have released tremendous heat. If Earth formed rapidly, this heat would have
accumulated much more rapidly than it could leak away, and Earth was probably molten
when it formed. A second source of heat requires more time to develop. The decay of
radioactive elements trapped in the Earth releases heat gradually; but, as soon as Earth formed,
that heat began to accumulate and helped melt Earth. That would have helped the planet
differentiate.

While Earth was still in a molten state, meteorites could leave no trace, but in the second stage
in planetary evolution, cratering, the young Earth was battered by meteorites that pulverized
the newly forming crust. The largest meteorites blasted out crater basins hundreds of kilometers
in diameter. As the solar nebula cleared, the amount of debris decreased, and after the late
heavy bombardment, the level of cratering fell to its present low level. Although meteorites still
occasionally strike Earth and dig craters, cratering is no longer the dominant influence on
Earth's geology. As you compare other worlds with Earth, you will discover traces of this
intense period of cratering, on every old surface in the solar system.

The third stage, flooding, no doubt began while cratering was still intense. The fracturing of the
crust and the heating produced by radioactive decay allowed molten rock just below the crust to
well up through fissures and flood the deeper basins. You will find such flooded basins with
solidified lava flows on other worlds, such as the moon, but all traces of this early lava flooding
have been destroyed by later geological activity in Earth's crust. On Earth, flooding continued
as the atmosphere cooled and water fell as rain, filling the deepest basins to produce the first
oceans. [A] Notice that on Earth flooding involves both lava and water, a circumstance that we
will not find on most worlds. [B]

The fourth stage, slow surface evolution, has continued for the last 3.5 billion years or more.
[C] Earth’s surface is constantly changing as sections of crust slide over each other, push up
mountains, and shift continents. [D] Almost all traces of the first billion years of Earth’s
geology have been destroyed by the active crust and erosion.

Earth as a Planet
All terrestrial planets pass through these four stages, but some have emphasized one stage over
another, and some planets have failed to progress fully through the four stages. Earth is a good
standard for comparative planetology because every major process on any rocky world in our
solar system is represented in some form on Earth.

Nevertheless, Earth is peculiar in two ways. First, it has large amounts of liquid water on its
surface. Fully 75 percent of its surface is covered by this liquid; no other planet in our solar
system is known to have such extensive liquid water on its surface. Water not only fills the
oceans but also evaporates into the atmosphere, forms clouds, and then falls as rain. Water
falling on the continents flows downhill to form rivers that flow back to the sea, and in so
doing, the water produces intense erosion. You will not see such intense erosion on most
worlds. Liquid water is, in fact, a rare material on most planets. Your home planet is special in a
second way. Some of the matter on the surface of this world is alive, and a small part of that
living matter is aware. No one is sure how the presence of living matter has affected the
evolution of Earth, but this process seems to be totally missing from other worlds in our solar
system. Furthermore, the thinking part of life on Earth, humankind, is actively altering our
planet.
66. Why does the author mention the “Earth” in paragraph 1?
A. To explain the stages in planetary development for the Earth in detail
B. To contrast the evolution of the Earth with that of other planets
C. To demonstrate that the Earth passed through similar stages to those of most planets
D. To give an example of exploration of the terrestrial planets
67. Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the underlined
statement in the passage?
A. The Earth may have been liquid because the heat collected faster than it dissipated if
the formation took place quickly.
B. Because of the rapid formation of the Earth, the crust took a long time to cool before
it became a solid.
C. The liquid core of the Earth was created when the planet first formed because the heat
was so high and there was little cooling.
D. The cooling caused the Earth to form much more quickly as it met with the intense
heat of the new planet.
68. The word “pulverized” in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.
A. melted into liquid B. broken into small parts
C. frozen very hard D. washed very clean
69. What can be inferred about radioactive matter?
A. It floods the planet’s crust. B. It generates intense heat.
C. It is an important stage. D. It is revealed by later activity.
70. According to paragraph 4, how were the oceans formed?
A. Ice gouged out depressions in the Earth.
B. Rain filled the craters made by meteorites.
C. Earthquakes shifted the continents.
D. Molten rock and lava flooded the basins.
71. According to the passage, which stage occurs after cratering?
A. Flooding B. Slow surface evolution C. Differentiation D. Erosion
72. What is the author’s opinion of life on other planets?
 A. She does not know whether life is present on other planets.
B. She does not express an opinion about life on other planets.
C. She is certain that no life exists on any planet except Earth.
D. She thinks that there is probably life on other planets.
73. Look at the four squares that show where the following sentence could be inserted in the
passage.
“At the same time, moving air and water erode the surface and wear away
geological features.”
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
74. The word “process” in the final paragraph is closest in meaning to________.
A. regulation B. improvement C. procedure D. definition
75. All of the following are reasons why the Earth is a good model of planetary
development for purposes of comparison with other planets EXCEPT_________.
A. The Earth has gone through all four stages of planetary evolution.
B. Life on Earth has affected the evolution in a number of important ways.
C. All of the fundamental processes on terrestrial planets have occurred on Earth.
D. There is evidence of extensive cratering both on Earth and on all other planets.
Đáp án
66. C
67. A
68. B
69. B
70. B
71. A
72. C
73. D
74. C
75. B