2021年托福阅读真题第12篇Interplanetary …
Interplanetary Seeding
Some scientists believe that microbial life may be distributed across
terrestrial planets by interplanetary rocks. Rocks are capable of carrying
microbes from the surface of one planet, across hundreds of millions of
miles of space, to neighboring planets. Each year, Earth is impacted by
half a dozen half-kilogram or larger rocks from Mars. These rocks were
blasted off Mars by large impacts and found their way to orbits that cross
Earth's path, where they eventually collided with Earth as meteorites.
Nearly 10 percent of the rocks blasted into space from Mars end up on
Earth. All planets are impacted by interplanetary objects large and small
over their entire lifetimes, and the larger impacts actually eject rocks into
space and into orbit about the Sun.
A glance at the full Moon with binoculars shows long streaks, or rays,
radiating from the crater Tycho, located near the bottom of the Moon as
seen by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The rays are produced by
the fallback of impact debris （impact material）ejected from the crater,
which is 100 kilometers in diameter. The rays can be traced nearly across
the full observable side of the Moon. and such long "airborne" flight is
evidence that some ejecta （ejected materials） were accelerated to near-
orbital speed. Debris ejected to speeds higher than the escape speed（2.2
kilometers per second）did not fall back but flew into space It has long
been appreciated that material could be ejected from the Moon by
impacts, but only in the relatively recent past have we realized that whole
rocks greater than10 kilograms in mass could be ejected from terrestrial
planets and not be severely modified by the process It was formerly
believed that the launch process would shock-melt or at least severely
heat the ejected material. There was little expectation that rocks capable
of carrying living microbes from planet to planet would survive the great
violence of the launch. The discovery of lunar（Moon）rocks in Antarctica
showed that this is possible.
There is also rare class of meteorites called SNCs. or Martian
meteorites，" that are widely believed to be from Mars. The first
suggestion that these odd meteorites might be Martian was greeted with
considerable skepticism. The discovery of lunar meteorites changed this by
proving that there actually was an adequate natural launch mechanism. The
lunar meteorites could be positively identified. because rocks retrieved by
the Apollo program. which brought astronauts to the Moon, showed that
lunar samples have distinctive properties that distinguish them from
terrestrial rocks and normal meteorites derived from asteroids （rocky
objects that orbit the Sun and are smaller than planets）。 Positive linking
of the SNC meteorites with a Martian origin was a more complex process.
It included showing that gas trapped in glass in the meteorite matched the
composition of the Martian atmosphere, as measured by the Viking
spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1976. The general properties of the SNC
meteorites revealed that they were basalts （dark-colored volcanic
rocks） formed on a large, geologically active body that was definitely
neither Earth nor the Moon. Because the atmosphere of Venus is too thick
and its surface too young. Venus was also ruled out as a source.
The astounding discovery that meteorites from the Moon and Mars
reach Earth has profound implications for the transport of life from one
planet to another. Over Earth's lifetime, billions of football-size Martian
rocks have landed on its surface. Some were sterilized by the heat of
launch or by their long transit time in space. but some were not. Some
Martian ejecta are only gently heated and reach Earth in only few months.
This interplanetary transporter is capable of carrying microbial life from
planet to planet. Like plants releasing seeds into the wind, or palms
dropping coconuts into the ocean. planets with life could seed their
neighbors. Perhaps, then, nearby terrestrial planets might contain microbial
life with common origins. The seeding process would be most efficient for
planets that have small velocities of escape （the minimum speed needed
for an object to break free from a planet's gravitational attraction） and
thin atmospheres. In this regard, Mars would be a more likely source than
Earth or Venus.
1.Some scientists believe that microbial life may be distributed across
terrestrial planets by interplanetary rocks. Rocks are capable of carrying
microbes from the surface of one planet, across hundreds of millions of
miles of space, to neighboring planets. Each year, Earth is impacted by
half a dozen half-kilogram or larger rocks from Mars. These rocks were
blasted off Mars by large impacts and found their way to orbits that cross
Earth's path, where they eventually collided with Earth as meteorites.
Nearly 10 percent of the rocks blasted into space from Mars end up on
Earth. All planets are impacted by interplanetary objects large and small
over their entire lifetimes, and the larger impacts actually eject rocks into
space and into orbit about the Sun.
2.A glance at the full Moon with binoculars shows long streaks, or rays,
radiating from the crater Tycho, located near the bottom of the Moon as
seen by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The rays are produced by
the fallback of impact debris （impact material）ejected from the crater,
which is 100 kilometers in diameter. The rays can be traced nearly across
the full observable side of the Moon. and such long "airborne" flight is
evidence that some ejecta （ejected materials） were accelerated to near-
orbital speed. Debris ejected to speeds higher than the escape speed（2.2
kilometers per second）did not fall back but flew into space It has long
been appreciated that material could be ejected from the Moon by
impacts, but only in the relatively recent past have we realized that whole
rocks greater than10 kilograms in mass could be ejected from terrestrial
planets and not be severely modified by the process It was formerly
believed that the launch process would shock-melt or at least severely
heat the ejected material. There was little expectation that rocks capable
of carrying living microbes from planet to planet would survive the great
violence of the launch. The discovery of lunar（Moon）rocks in Antarctica
showed that this is possible.
3.A glance at the full Moon with binoculars shows long streaks, or rays,
radiating from the crater Tycho, located near the bottom of the Moon as
seen by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The rays are produced by
the fallback of impact debris （impact material）ejected from the crater,
which is 100 kilometers in diameter. The rays can be traced nearly across
the full observable side of the Moon. and such long "airborne" flight is
evidence that some ejecta （ejected materials） were accelerated to near-
orbital speed. Debris ejected to speeds higher than the escape speed（2.2
kilometers per second）did not fall back but flew into space It has long
been appreciated that material could be ejected from the Moon by
impacts, but only in the relatively recent past have we realized that whole
rocks greater than10 kilograms in mass could be ejected from terrestrial
planets and not be severely modified by the process It was formerly
believed that the launch process would shock-melt or at least severely
heat the ejected material. There was little expectation that rocks capable
of carrying living microbes from planet to planet would survive the great
violence of the launch. The discovery of lunar（Moon）rocks in Antarctica
showed that this is possible.
4.A glance at the full Moon with binoculars shows long streaks, or rays,
radiating from the crater Tycho, located near the bottom of the Moon as
seen by observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The rays are produced by
the fallback of impact debris （impact material）ejected from the crater,
which is 100 kilometers in diameter. The rays can be traced nearly across
the full observable side of the Moon. and such long "airborne" flight is
evidence that some ejecta （ejected materials） were accelerated to near-
orbital speed. Debris ejected to speeds higher than the escape speed（2.2
kilometers per second）did not fall back but flew into space It has long
been appreciated that material could be ejected from the Moon by
impacts, but only in the relatively recent past have we realized that whole
rocks greater than10 kilograms in mass could be ejected from terrestrial
planets and not be severely modified by the process It was formerly
believed that the launch process would shock-melt or at least severely
heat the ejected material. There was little expectation that rocks capable
of carrying living microbes from planet to planet would survive the great
violence of the launch. The discovery of lunar（Moon）rocks in Antarctica
showed that this is possible.
5.There is also rare class of meteorites called SNCs. or Martian
meteorites，" that are widely believed to be from Mars. The first
suggestion that these odd meteorites might be Martian was greeted with
considerable skepticism. The discovery of lunar meteorites changed this by
proving that there actually was an adequate natural launch mechanism. The
lunar meteorites could be positively identified. because rocks retrieved by
the Apollo program. which brought astronauts to the Moon, showed that
lunar samples have distinctive properties that distinguish them from
terrestrial rocks and normal meteorites derived from asteroids （rocky
objects that orbit the Sun and are smaller than planets）。 Positive linking
of the SNC meteorites with a Martian origin was a more complex process.
It included showing that gas trapped in glass in the meteorite matched the
composition of the Martian atmosphere, as measured by the Viking
spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1976. The general properties of the SNC
meteorites revealed that they were basalts （dark-colored volcanic
rocks） formed on a large, geologically active body that was definitely
neither Earth nor the Moon. Because the atmosphere of Venus is too thick
and its surface too young. Venus was also ruled out as a source.
6.There is also rare class of meteorites called SNCs. or Martian
meteorites，" that are widely believed to be from Mars. The first
suggestion that these odd meteorites might be Martian was greeted with
considerable skepticism. The discovery of lunar meteorites changed this by
proving that there actually was an adequate natural launch mechanism. The
lunar meteorites could be positively identified. because rocks retrieved by
the Apollo program. which brought astronauts to the Moon, showed that
lunar samples have distinctive properties that distinguish them from
terrestrial rocks and normal meteorites derived from asteroids （rocky
objects that orbit the Sun and are smaller than planets）。 Positive linking
of the SNC meteorites with a Martian origin was a more complex process.
It included showing that gas trapped in glass in the meteorite matched the
composition of the Martian atmosphere, as measured by the Viking
spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1976. The general properties of the SNC
meteorites revealed that they were basalts （dark-colored volcanic
rocks） formed on a large, geologically active body that was definitely
neither Earth nor the Moon. Because the atmosphere of Venus is too thick
and its surface too young. Venus was also ruled out as a source.
7.The astounding discovery that meteorites from the Moon and Mars reach
Earth has profound implications for the transport of life from one planet to
another. Over Earth's lifetime, billions of football-size Martian rocks have
landed on its surface. Some were sterilized by the heat of launch or by
their long transit time in space. but some were not. Some Martian ejecta
are only gently heated and reach Earth in only few months. This
interplanetary transporter is capable of carrying microbial life from planet
to planet. Like plants releasing seeds into the wind, or palms dropping
coconuts into the ocean. planets with life could seed their neighbors.
Perhaps, then, nearby terrestrial planets might contain microbial life with
common origins. The seeding process would be most efficient for planets
that have small velocities of escape （the minimum speed needed for an
object to break free from a planet's gravitational attraction） and thin
atmospheres. In this regard, Mars would be a more likely source than Earth
or Venus.
8.The astounding discovery that meteorites from the Moon and Mars reach
Earth has profound implications for the transport of life from one planet to
another. Over Earth's lifetime, billions of football-size Martian rocks have
landed on its surface. Some were sterilized by the heat of launch or by
their long transit time in space. but some were not. Some Martian ejecta
are only gently heated and reach Earth in only few months. This
interplanetary transporter is capable of carrying microbial life from planet
to planet. Like plants releasing seeds into the wind, or palms dropping
coconuts into the ocean. planets with life could seed their neighbors.
Perhaps, then, nearby terrestrial planets might contain microbial life with
common origins. The seeding process would be most efficient for planets
that have small velocities of escape （the minimum speed needed for an
object to break free from a planet's gravitational attraction） and thin
atmospheres. In this regard, Mars would be a more likely source than Earth
or Venus.
9.The astounding discovery that meteorites from the Moon and Mars reach
Earth has profound implications for the transport of life from one planet to
another. ⬛ Over Earth's lifetime, billions of football-size Martian rocks
have landed on its surface. ⬛ Some were sterilized by the heat of launch
or by their long transit time in space. but some were not. ⬛ Some Martian
ejecta are only gently heated and reach Earth in only few months. ⬛ This
interplanetary transporter is capable of carrying microbial life from planet
to planet. Like plants releasing seeds into the wind, or palms dropping
coconuts into the ocean. planets with life could seed their neighbors.
Perhaps, then, nearby terrestrial planets might contain microbial life with
common origins. The seeding process would be most efficient for planets
that have small velocities of escape （the minimum speed needed for an
object to break free from a planet's gravitational attraction） and thin
atmospheres. In this regard, Mars would be a more likely source than Earth
or Venus.
10.
1.D
2.B
3.D
4.A
5.A
6.B
7.C
8.D
9.B
10.DEF
