Unit 4 Astronomy: the science of the stars
Part 1 Topic vocabulary
Vocabulary revision
There are approximately four hundred million _________银河系 in the ______宇宙. We can see only a small part of our galaxy.
There are over three billion stars in____________银河. The sun is one of the stars. There are nine ________行星(Mercury水星,Venus金星 the Earth地球Mars火星Jupiter木星 Saturn土星Uranus 天王星Neptune海王星 Pluto冥王星) around the sun.
The Earth is the third planet from the sun. The Earth has one natural_________卫星--moon. The moon is only a quarter of the size of the Earth.
Shenzhou V
Chinese people have been dreaming of going into____________外太空 ever since before. China had ____________发射three ___________________无人飞船successfully from 1999 to 2005. On Dec. 31, 2002 ,the launch of the fourth spacecraft "Shenzhou IV" was another big success and the spacecraft returned to the earth safely on January 5, 2003. During its flight, seven scientific experiments were carried out. The purpose of the flight was to make preparations for the launch of a manned spacecraft next time. The successful launch and return show that China is able to send a person into space soon. In 2003,the first manned spacecraft Shenzhou V was sent into space successfully. And the Chinese dream has come true.
Special report: China launches first lunar orbiter
BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Testing operators have started leaving the __________（发射塔） in the Xichang ____________________（卫星发射中心）, where China's first lunar probe Chang'e-1 will _____________（点火起飞）at around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. In a building about 3 km away from the tower, technicians in the remote control center are uploading the flight programs into the carrier rocket Long March 3A. Meanwhile, the 5th platform of the launching tower has been unfolded.
Part 2-3 Language points
Practice/Warming-up
按要求写单词
v n v n
direct ________ ____________ permit ___________
impress ______________ digest _____________
protect ______________ cooperate ______________
n adj. n adj
_________ sad sugar __________
_________ curious humour ______________
patience ___________ independence _____________
origin _____________ nation _________________
agriculture ____________ society _________________
Europe __________ energy _____________
___________ possible
II. Important phrases:
从方框中选择合适的词组并用其正确形式填入句子中，使句子意思完整。
prevent ... from cheer (sb./sth.) up n time depend on/upon get the hang of fall over in time think of ….as…
1. Laws have been passed to____________ people_______ killing wild animals.
2. If you catch the early bus , you will get there___________.
3. The students_________ their English teacher ______ a good guide.
4. He knew he could ____________ her to deal with the situation.
5. The good news of our football team winning the game ___________ everybody who heard it.
6. Not many people seem to______________ this new kind of music.
7. I rushed for the door and_______________ the cat in the hallway.
III. Important sentences:
Water had already disappeared from planets like Mars or satellites like the moon, but it stayed on the earth. This is how the earth began to show its special qualities.
This is how ...表示“这就是……如何……”，其中how引导的是一个表语从句，用于说明方式。类似的结构还有：this is because ..., this is why ..., this is what ..., this is when ..., this is where ...等,分别用于说明原因、结果、事物、时间、地点等。请比较：
Mary failed in this exam. __________________________________________.
(说明原因)
玛丽之所以没通过这次考试，是因为她此前病了两个星期。
The fog is too heavy this morning._______________________ (说明结果)
今天早晨雾太大，我们只好慢慢开车。
The young man left school in 1998.______________________
(说明时间)
1998年那个年轻人离开了学校，也就在那一年他参了军。
2. Whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whether this problem can be solved.
句子中两个以whether引导的从句均为名词性从句, 前者是主语从句，后者是宾语从句。在引导宾语从句时通常既可以用if也可以用whether（介词的宾语除外）, 但是引导主语从句、表语从句或同位语从句时通常多用whether而不用if。如：
Henry asked___________________________________ (宾语从句)
亨利问他那时是否可以上网。
I worry about___________________________（作介词宾语）
我担心是否伤害了她。
Her question is whether humans will be able to live on Mars.(表语从句)
她的问题是人类将来能否在火星上生活。
______________________________ doesn’t matter at all. (主语从句)
布莱克先生与会与否无关紧要。
3. “If you are right, my mass will be less than ...!” (Using Language)
mass在此意为“质量”，是不可数名词，但有时可与不定冠词连用。如：
This particle has a very small mass. 这种粒子的质量很小。
mass还可用于a mass of 或masses of，通常有以下两种意思：
(1)表示“一团，一堆，一块”。如：
There were masses of white clouds in the sky. 天上有朵朵白云。
There is a mass of snow in the yard. 院子里有一堆雪。
(2)表示“大量，大批”，可修饰可数名词或不可数名词。如：
_________________ are coming to see the exhibition. 大批人要来看展览。
I’ve_____________ to do. 我有大量工作要做。
IV Homework
句子翻译
1. 令我们中国人骄傲的是我们可以成功发射载人宇宙飞船。(主语从句和表语从句)
2. 阻止大气污染是我们应尽的责任。(prevent...from)
3. 我一直想掌握天文学方面的知识。(get the hang of)
4. 我不想太多地依靠父母。(depend on)
5. 有机会看到神州五号的发射，我感到很幸运。 (have a chance to)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
书面表达
最近，你班同学就“太空探索是否值得”这一话题展开了一场讨论。请你根据下表提供的信息，用英语写一篇短文介绍讨论的情况。
30%的同学认为： 70%的同学认为：
1. 不值得探索
2. 离我们及我们的日常生活太遥远
3. 浪费金钱。这些金钱本可用来解决地球上的饥饿、污染等问题 1. 值得探索
2. 已使用卫星进行通讯传播、天气预报
3. 有望解决地球人口问题、地球能源短缺问题
注意： 1. 词数：120左右； 2. 参考词汇：短缺 shortage。
One possible version:
Recently, students in our class have had a discussion on whether space is worth exploring.
________________________________________________________________
Part 4 Grammar------主语从句
主语从句可以按其引导词的不同分为三类：
第一类，用从属连词that引导的主语从句，例如：
That we shall be late is certain.
That the driver could not control his car was obvious.
这种结构主要是对that从句的内容进行强调，属正式文体，连词that不可以省略；但是在一般情况下，往往使用先行it结构，即用it作形式主语，而把that从句放到后面，这时，在口语中，连词that有时则可以省略。所以上述两句可以改为：
___________________________________
__________________________________________
如果整个句子是疑问形式，就只能用先行it结构，例如：
Is it true that he would take the risk？
Is it possible that they will come tomorrow？
常使用先行it结构，用that从句作主语的句子有下列几个句型：
1、It + be + 形容词 + that从句：
It is clear that he was telling the truth.
________________________________ 我们可能会稍微迟一些。
2、It + be + 名词词组 + that从句：
It’s a pity that you can’t go with us.
3、It + 及物动词 + 宾语 + that从句：
It shocked me that Peter didn’t tell anybody where he was.
___________________________________________________
她的头发正在变成灰色让她有些担心。
4、It + be + 过去分词 + that从句：
It is said that he has been there many times.
5、It + seem/happen/appear等不及物动词 + that从句：
It seems that he has lost something.
注意：
在上述第1和第2两种句型中，that从句前置与使用先行it，that从句后置在意义上没有什么差异；但使用先行it结构较为常见。
在第3种句型中，that从句前置在语法上是可能的，但实际上并不常见，通常总是使用先行it结构 .
第4种句型实质上是被动结构，由于that从句不可以位于句首作被动句的主语，所以只能使用先行it结构。
第5种句型已经形成了固定的搭配关系，that从句不能前置，只能使用先行it结构，不过，这种结构可以转换为带有不定式的简单句，例如：
It happened that I had no money with me that day.
→_____________________________________________
第二类，用连接代词who、whose、which、what，连接副词when、where、how、why，以及连词whether（或if）引导的主语从句，例如：
Who was responsible for the accident is not yet clear.
→____________________________________________
What he did is not yet known.
→ _____________________________________
Whether it is true remains a problem.
→ ____________________________________
从以上例句可以看出，这类主语从句可以直接放在句首作主语，也可以使用先行it结构，把主语从句放在后面，两种结构可以互换，意义上无差异，但用if 引导主语从句时，只能采取先行it结构，也就是说if不可以引导置于句首的主语从句。
第三类，用what、whatever、where、wherever、whoever、whichever等代词引导的主语从句，例如：
What he said at the meeting encouraged everyone.
Whoever fails to see this will make a big blunder.
MET-linking高考阅读理解练习
2004年 宁夏D
Houston, Texas (June 8, 2002) -In 2004, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will send two robots (机器人) to separate places of Mars to seek out past or present signs of water. It is all exciting idea to send two robots driving over very different places of Mars at the same time, to be able to see what is on the other side of the hill.
Last month, NASA announced it was sending one robot to Mars, but after two weeks, it decided there was enough money for two. The robots will be sent up within two weeks of each other in May and June of 2003 from Kennedy Space Center. If all goes well, the two spacecraft (宇宙飞船) will touch down on Mars，after a seven-and-a-half-month space flight，on January 2 and 2O, 2OO4
The robots, each weighing 150 kilograms, can cover 100 meters per day. They are designed to be able to examine the mineral content of the soil, and their special camera will take pictures of the lands and hills Although they will be under control from Earth, the robot, are able to move more freely compared to those sent up before them.
The actual landing points have not been determined yet, but the scientists say it will be in areas where they hope to find water.
67.According to the news report, scientists plan to send robots up to Mars to ______.
A. find out whether there is water on Mars
B. see if robots can find minerals there
C. test how fast robots can drive there
D.prove that robots can work on Mars
68.How long in between will the two robots be sent to Mars?
A.1 year B.7.5 months. C.2 months. D.2 weeks.
69. One of the important jobs for the robots on Mars is to ________.
A. study the soil
B. walk everywhere
C. test the new camera
D. find a suitable landing point
70. We can infer from the last sentence that scientists _______.
A. have changed the landing points many times
B. hope to land the robots on the surface of water
C. are still working on the plan
D. know where they can find water
2007 福建 C
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星), and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven anestrous black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said:‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.
64. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How the caves were formed on Mars.
B. How scientists found these caves on Mars.
C. Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.
D. Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.
65. We can learn from the passage that .
A. water has already been found on Mars
B. the scientists found all the caves at night
C. it is certain that there is life in these caves
D. the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry
66. According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
A. such caves could provide energy for life
B. they had finally found the caves on Mars
C. such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life
D. scientists had long been looking for these caves
67. Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
A. lava and energy
B. water and radiation from space
C. gases and lava
D. water and protection from radiation