Unit 4 Astronomy：the science of the stars
【导语】 2016年5月9日，天空上演“水星凌日”。对于这一天象，你了解多少呢？
Mercury transits(水星凌日)
For people who are interested in astronomy，May 9，2016 was sure a great day.For the first time in ten years，the planet Mercury passed directly across the Sun.This rare event is called Mercury transits，which could be viewed in the Americas，Europe，Africa and a large part of Asia.
Why is this rare?
Mercury is a small planet，about twice as big as our moon，and is three times closer to the Sun as Earth.Being the closest planet to the Sun，it takes Mercury only 88 days to travel around the Sun.
In the picture here you can see the paths that the two planets take around its Star.Mercury's orbit is tilted(倾斜)about 7 degrees relative to Earth.The two orbits overlap(交汇)only at two points—and our Earth crosses those points in May and November.
So the only way this event can happen is if the planet Mercury，as it is cruising around the Sun，lines up with Earth at these two points.Quite rare，as you can see.
Mercury transits across the Sun only 13 times in a century.It was first viewed in 1631 by Pierre Gassendi，a French astronomer.
Learning from Mercury transits
Mercury transits provide scientists a chance to learn more about the planet and our Solar System.
“When Mercury is in front of the Sun，we can study the exosphere close to the planet，”NASA scientist Rosemary Killen said.“Sodium in the exosphere absorbs a yellow-orange colour from sunlight，and by measuring that absorption，we can learn about the density(密度)of gas there.”
【词海拾贝】
1．rare adj.稀有的，稀少的，罕见的
2．orbit n．轨道
3．exosphere n．外大气圈
4．absorb v．吸收
【问题思考】
True(T)or False(F)．
1．Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.( )
2．Mercury transits across the Sun 13 times in one hundred years.( )
答案：1.T 2.T
Ⅰ.重点单词分类记
A．拼写高频单词
1．________ adv.因此，于是
2．________ n．气候
3．________ vi.&vt.碰撞；坠落
4．________ n．&vt.拉(力)；拖；牵引力
5．________ vi.&vt.(使)浮动；(使)漂浮n.漂浮物
答案：1.thus 2.climate 3.crash 4.pull 5.float
B．联想拓展单词
1．________n．生物学→________n．生物学家
2．________vi.存在；生存→________n．存在；生存
3．________n．宗教；宗教信仰→________adj.宗教的
4．________adj.有害的→________n．&v.伤害→________adj.无害的
5．________adj.猛烈的；激烈的；强暴的→________n．暴力→________adv.暴力地；猛烈地
6．________vi.&vt.(使)迷惑；(使)为难n.谜；难题→________adj.迷惑不解的→________adj.令人迷惑的
7．________prep.与……不同；不像→________(反义词)prep.像→________vt.&n.不喜欢
8．________adj.温和的；文雅的→________adv.温柔地，温和地
9．________n．球体；地球仪；地球→________adj.全球性的；全世界的
答案：1.biology biologist 2.exist existence 3.religion religious 4.harmful harm harmless 5.violent violence violently 6.puzzle puzzled puzzling 7.unlike like dislike 8.gentle gently 9.globe global
C．识记阅读单词
1．oxygen n． ______________
2．multiply vt.&vi. ______________
3．astronomy n. ______________
4．theory n. ______________
5．physicist n. ______________
6．spaceship n. ______________
7．system n. ______________
8．chain n. ______________
9．gravity n. ______________
10．atmosphere n. ______________
11．satellite n. ______________
12．fundamental adj. ______________
答案：1.氧 2.乘；增加 3.天文学 4.学说；理论 5.物理学家 6.宇宙飞船 7.系统；体系；制度 8.链子；连锁；锁链 9.万有引力；重力 10.大气层；气氛 11.卫星；人造卫星 12.基本的；基础的
Ⅱ.重点短语快速记
1．________________ 既然
2．________________ 下蛋
3．________________ 及时；终于
4．________________ 突发；爆发
5．________________ 挡住(光线)
6．________________ 阻止；制止
7．________________ 感到高兴；感到振奋
8．________________ 轮到某人
9．________________ 产生；分娩
10．________________ 对……有害
11．________________ 密切注意；当心；提防
答案：1.now that 2.lay eggs 3.in time 4.break out 5.block out 6.prevent...from 7.cheer up 8.in one's turn 9.give birth to 10.be harmful to/do harm to 11.watch out for
Ⅲ.经典句式应用记
1．The earth became________________(如此猛烈以至于)it was not clear whether the shape would last or not.(so...that句型)
2．This produced a chain reaction，which_________________ (使生命的发展成为可能)．(make it＋adj.＋for sb/sth to do sth)
3．But when I tried to step forward，I found I was carried __________________(两倍远)on the earth and fell over.(倍数表达法)
4．Walking does need a bit of practice____________ (既然)gravity has changed.(now that引导原因状语从句)
答案：1.so violent that 2.made it possible for life to develop 3.twice as far as 4.now that
Ⅰ.Fast-reading
Skim the text and answer the following questions.
1．Match the main idea of each paragraph.
Para.1 A．The formation of the earth.
Para.2 B．A widely accepted theory about the formation of the universe.
Para.3 C．The development of plants and animals on the earth.
Para.4 D．The arrival of humans and their impact on the earth.
Para.5 E．The importance of water for life.
2．What does the passage tell us?
A．The importance of water.
B．How the life began on the earth.
C．How human beings appeared.
D．How plants appeared.
答案：1.Para.1—B Para.2—A Para.3—E Para.4—C Para.5—D 2.B
Ⅱ.Careful-reading
Read the text carefully and then choose the best answer.
1．Why was life able to develop on the earth but not on other planets?
A．The earth had a solid shape.
B．The earth did not have harmful gases in its atmosphere.
C．The water stayed on the earth but not on other planets.
D．The earth was neither too hot nor too cold.
2．Why was it necessary for plants to grow before animals?
A．Animals needed plants to protect them from the sun.
B．Plants provided oxygen for animals to breathe.
C．Animals could hide from hunters in the forest.
D．It was easier for plants to grow.
3．Why did dinosaurs disappear 65 million years ago?
A．Because the earth was too hot for them to live on.
B．Because there was no food for them to eat.
C．Because the earth exploded at that time.
D．It still remains a mystery for us.
4．What problem is caused by human beings?
A．They exist everywhere on the earth.
B．They cause global warming.
C．They find new methods of growing crops.
D．They enjoy hunting and fishing.
答案：1.C 2.B 3.D 4.B
Ⅲ.Study-reading
Analyze the following difficult sentences in the text.
1．No one knows exactly how the earth began，as it happened so long ago.
[句式分析]
[尝试翻译] __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2．What it was to become was uncertain until between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago when the dust settled into a solid globe.
[句式分析]
[尝试翻译] __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3．What is even more important is that as the earth cooled down，water began to appear on its surface.
[句式分析]
[尝试翻译] __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4．So whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whether this problem can be solved.
[句式分析]
[尝试翻译] __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
答案：1.没有人确切知道地球是怎样开始的，因为在很久以前它就形成了。
2．它将变成什么还不确定。直到38亿～45亿年前，这团尘埃稳定下来变成了固态的球体。
3．更重要的是，随着地球的不断冷却，地球表面出现了水。
4．所以，在未来的数百万年中，生命能否在地球上延续取决于这个问题能否得到解决。
如何写探索性作文：解决问题
解决问题型作文，就是针对某一问题提出具体的解决方法并进行适当论述。
一、基本结构
此类作文的篇章结构如下：
第一部分：提出问题或阐述某件事情的重要性。
第二部分：列举说明处理某事的方式或解决某个问题的途径。
第三部分：针对提出的解决方法进行简要评价，也可提出个人建议或选择，并阐述理由。
二、增分佳句
提建议的句型：
1．In my opinion，the best way to solve the problem is...
2．My tips are as follows...
3．Only in this way can we...
4．To solve the above-mentioned problem，we must...
说明现象或问题的常用句型：
1．It has become the biggest concern of...
2．Unless we take effective measures，it is likely that...
3．The situation many people are facing is that...
4．To start with，...The second reason is...The last but not least reason is...
5．Faced with the problem，quite a few people argue that...but others...
6．There is a general discussion today about the problem
of...
得出结论时常用句型：
1．With concerted efforts we will pull through the difficulties.
2．With the help of...we can manage to overcome these difficulties.
随着科学技术的发展，人类去太空旅游将不再是遥远的梦想。假设你是李华，对太空探索极感兴趣，现在请你写一篇100词左右的英语短文，设想在今年暑假去太空旅游，如何克服失重条件下的吃饭和喝水的问题。【范文点评】
范文
点评
①If I went to travel in space，there would be a problem I might be faced with：how to eat and drink in outer space.
I would have to take all my foods with me if I went to space travel，but in outer space，the gravity is so weak that the food will②float around if it is solid.I must make sure that it is specially made as liquid space food.It could be put in a tube and then I would be able to suck it more easily.Perhaps I would use a straw to eat it.It can③prevent the food from floating away.④Only in this way would the problem be solved.I might have a happy visit to space in that way.I will have a try in time.
文章首先提出问题，然后分析出现问题的原因并提出解决方法，最后总结，简要评论。层次分明，符合解决问题型作文的基本结构。
①主从复合句使用恰当，充分体现了作者的语言功底。该句中短语be faced with简约出彩。
②float around，③prevent...from...等用词准确。
④only＋状语置于句首引起的倒装句，是本文的一大亮点
你所在的研究性学习小组对“中学生的健康状况”进行了一次调查，主要内容如下：
1．现状：肥胖人数增多，身体素质逐年下降。
2．原因：学习紧张，缺乏体育锻炼；较少参加体力劳动，如做家务；饮食不均衡。
3．专家建议：少上网，保证睡眠；每天运动一小时。
请根据以上信息写一篇英语短文，给英文校报投稿。
注意：词数100左右。
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
答案：
The research study group did a survey on students' health.It shows that the number of students who put on weight is increasing and the health of them has been going from bad to worse.
As far as I am concerned，there are many factors accounting for the problem above, but the following might be the critical ones.First，the fact that they are busy with their homework and lack of exercise exists indeed.Second，they have little chance to do physical work like housework.Besides，they pay no attention to a balanced diet.
Experts give us some advice on improving our health.They advise us not to be addicted to playing computer games.We should have enough sleep to ensure our study and take an active part in sports for about an hour every day.
A级 基础过关
Ⅰ.单句语法填空
在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
1．It is said that the planet is the oldest in________(exist)．
2．The girls called out their names________turn.
3．Her sudden arrival prevented him from__________(go)out.
4．It is undecided________we will accept his offer about the plan.
5．WeChat makes_______possible for us to live more conveniently.
6．________remains to be seen whether it will do us harm or good.
7．We did our best to cheer him________when he was about to give up.
8．If you go on working like that，you will break ________ sooner or later.
9．He is________clever that he worked out the problem in such a short time.
10．________he said is of great importance to all of us.
答案：1.existence 2.in 3.going 4.whether 5.it 6.It 7.on 8.down 9.so 10.What
Ⅱ.选用短语的适当形式完成句子
give birth to；be harmful to；in time；lay eggs；come into existence；prevent...from；in one's turn；be fundamental to；now that；get the hang of
1．Dinosaurs__________________like birds do.
2．Health____________________a happy life.
3．I hope you'll lend me the money______________.
4．Nobody knows how the world__________________.
5．He said his parents would________him________playing computer games.
6．Now that I have finished buying，Tom，______________，should cook.
7．My mother____________________eleven children，but only seven survived.
8．Violence in TV is known to___________________children in large quantities.
9．______________you wouldn't like to go there，you can stay where you are.
10．It seems difficult at first，but you'll soon_____________it.
答案：1.laid eggs 2.is fundamental to 3.in time 4.came into existence 5.prevent from 6.in his turn 7.gave birth to 8.be harmful to 9.Now that 10.get the hang of
Ⅲ.根据汉语提示完成句子
1．__________in the class was very important to every student.
老师在课堂上讲的话对每个学生都很重要。
2．The two girls are so alike that strangers_______________one from the other.
这两个女孩长得如此相像以至于陌生人很难把她们区分开。
3．It remains to be seen_______________can be put into practice.
这一想法能否付诸实践还有待于观察。
4．There are________________________we expected.
学生数量是我们预期的六倍。
5．________________you have a good command of English，you can apply for the job.
既然你精通英语，你就可以申请这份工作。
答案：1.What the teacher said 2.find it difficult to tell 3.whether or not this idea 4.six times as many students as 5.Now that
B级 能力提升
Ⅰ.阅读理解
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Bryan Laubscher，one of the world's leading astrophysicists，who study the physics and chemistry of the stars，planets，etc.，is developing an invention called the Mars Elevator.To form a picture of this，you may want to imagine the story of Jack and the Beanstalk《杰克与魔豆》．This is the story of a boy who grew a beanstalk that reached the heavens.Jack climbed the stalk and entered another world.The space elevator is similar but of course much more high-teach and better yet，it is real!
Astrophysicists are designing a steel-like cable(缆绳)that will be connected to a platform(平台)in the ocean.This cable is designed to be pulled up into space，where it will then be connected to a space station.People will be able to travel up and down this elevator by the year 2020.There will be a number of space elevators so that both tourists and businesses can travel into space.To get there，space tourists will simply travel to the nearest ocean elevator entrance.The trip up into space will take about a week.When they arrive，space tourists will be inside a space station and will be able to stay there.There are other alternatives，too.Astronomers think it will be easy to travel from the space station to the moon，where space tourists can stay in a moon hotel—which is now being designed.
The future looks bright for space tourists.It also looks bright for industry and scientists.Mining companies will travel to space to mine elements(元素)that are rare on Earth.Energy scientists will travel to space to set up space solar panels，which will collect a huge amount of energy from the sun and shoot it back to Earth where we can use it to heat our homes and meet our energy needs.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了太空梯的相关知识。
1．What does Jack and the Beanstalk help readers understand?
A．The difficulty of building space elevators.
B．What material space elevators would use.
C．What space elevators would look like.
D．The reason for inventing space elevators.
解析：推理判断题。根据首段中的“To form a picture of this，you may want to imagine the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.”可知，作者提到《杰克和魔豆》的故事是为了帮助读者在脑中想象太空梯的样子。
答案：C
2．What can we infer about space elevators?
A．They're accepting pre-paid bookings.
B．They'll be available in the near future.
C．They're mainly used for scientific study.
D．They'll offer people a seven-day round trip.
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段中的“People will be able to travel up and down this elevator by the year 2020.”可知，在不久的将来，太空梯就可以投入使用了。
答案：B
3．What does the underlined word“alternatives”(in Para.2) mean?
A．Advantages. B．Purposes.
C．Entries. D．Choices.
解析：词义猜测题。根据画线词前的“space tourists will be inside a space station”和画线词后的“space tourists can stay in a moon hotel”可知，游客到了太空后可以待在空间站或者入住月球宾馆。因此，这些都是可供选择的。
答案：D
4．What is the author's attitude towards space elevators?
A．Worried. B．Doubtful.
C．Critical. D．Positive.
解析：观点态度题。作者在末段提到太空梯将给人类生活带来种种益处，由此可知，他对太空梯持肯定和乐观态度。
答案：D
Ⅱ.七选五
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Whenever you feel like giving up，that is the very moment you should not.__1__But how we deal with every circumstance determines the course of our life.There are several ways to love your life，regardless of how terrible it seems.
Appreciate the positive side.Wallowing in(沉迷于)sadness will not change anything at all.When you finally learn to see the goodness in everything，life becomes so much better.You will only live once.__2__Be stronger than you believe you are.
Take chances in every opportunity.When opportunities come and you just keep on calculating whether you will fail or succeed，you might run out of time and lose your chance.__3__Every time you take chances，you boost(增强) your confidence and dare to challenge your limits.There are no failures for those who tried their best.
__4__People say laughter is the best medicine and it is always true because laughing fights away stress，and makes you love life even more.You truly start enjoying life only when you share happiness with other people.
Enjoy your uniqueness.Stop comparing your life with others'.You have a good life that is definitely different from others' so just focus there.Be happy about your own achievements and keep improving yourself.__5__
A．Laugh your heart out.
B．Be brave enough to take risks.
C．We all have our ups and downs in our lives.
D．Stop pleasing people by always saying“yes”．
E．So wasting it on unnecessary issues is not a good idea.
F．Sharing has always been good，especially if it comes from the heart.
G．It helps you avoid negative self-talks and maintain a positive attitude all the time.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。文章说明了生活中不管遇到什么样的困难，都要热爱自己的生活。
1．解析：文章第一句提到了“放弃”，空格处作者开始阐述自己的观点：我们在生活中都会遇到得意或倒霉的时候。但是，我们处理各种情况的方式决定着我们的生活。
答案：C
2．解析：根据空格前的“You will only live once”可知，人只活一次，因此，把生命浪费在不必要的事情上并不是明智的想法。
答案：E
3．解析：根据本段的第二句可知，作者建议我们把握机会，故填B项“勇敢地去把握机会”符合文章逻辑。
答案：B
4．解析：根据本段中的“laughter”“laughing”不难判断答案选A。
答案：A
5．解析：空格前提到“重视自己的成就并不断提高自己”，空格处“这能帮助你避免消极的自我对话，并一直保持积极的态度”符合上下文逻辑。
答案：G
Ⅲ.完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Space is a dangerous place，not only because of meteors(流星)but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The__1__again acts as our protective blanket on__2__．Light gets through，and this is__3__for plants to make the food which we__4__．Heat，__5__，makes our environments tolerable and some ultraviolet(紫外线的)rays penetrate the__6__．Cosmic (宇宙的) rays of various kinds come through the__7__from outer space，but__8__quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off.__9__men leave the atmosphere they are__10__to this radiation，but their__11__or the walls of their spacecraft，if they are inside，__12__prevent a lot of radiation damage.Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in__13__．Doses of radiation are measured in__14__called“rems(雷姆)”．We all__15__radiation here on Earth from the sun，from cosmic rays and from radioactive minerals.The“__16__”dose of radiation that we receive each year is about two millirems.It__17__according to where you live，and this is a very__18__estimate.Scientists have the reason to think that a man can__19__far more radiation than without being__20__．The figure of 60 rems has been agreed.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。太阳和其他星体的辐射对人类既有利又有弊，那么大气层对此又是如何起作用的呢？人们能承受的安全辐射量是多少雷姆呢？
1．A.oxygen B．sun
C．Earth D．atmosphere
解析：由常识可知应是大气层保护着我们，故选D。
答案：D
2．A.stars B．sun
C．Earth D．space
解析：由上题可知大气层起到保护层的作用，保护的应该是地球。故选C项。
答案：C
3．A.helpful B．healthy
C．good D．essential
解析：由常识可知太阳光是植物最基本的需求，故选D。
答案：D
4．A.use B．live
C．eat D．get
解析：由题意可知植物依靠阳光来制造我们吃的食物，故选C项。
答案：C
5．A.again B．also
C．besides D．too
解析：句意：温度，也使我们的生活环境适宜，并且一些紫外线可以穿透大气层(atmosphere)。also一般紧跟动词；besides一般用在句首；too可用在句中，前后用逗号隔开。
答案：D
6．A.environment B．space
C．atmosphere D．earth
解析：参见上题解析。
答案：C
7．A.tree B．earth
C．oxygen D．air
解析：句意：各类来自外部空间的宇宙射线穿透大气层。故选D。
答案：D
8．A.valid B．enormous
C．various D．proper
解析：valid“有效的”；various“各种各样的”；proper“合适的”。在这四个选项中只有enormous“大量的”符合语境。
答案：B
9．A.As soon as B．As well as
C．As much as D．As possible as
解析：句意：人们一离开大气层就会受到辐射。as soon as“一……就……”，故选A项。
答案：A
10．A.shown B．exposed
C．faced D．covered
解析：be exposed to“暴露于”，符合语境，选B项。
答案：B
11．A.spacesuits B．clothes
C．hats D．eyeglasses
解析：本句前半句的意思：人们一离开大气层就会受到辐射；后半句的意思：他们的太空服和太空船的外壁会防止辐射对人身体造成损害。故选A。
答案：A
12．A.get B．make
C．have D．do
解析：“do＋动词原形”结构强调谓语动词。
答案：D
13．A.earth B．atmosphere
C．space D．environment
解析：根据“radiation”和“explorers”可推测，应选space(太空)。句意：辐射是探险者在太空遇见的已知的最大危险。
答案：C
14．A.pieces B．units
C．parts D．systems
解析：句意：辐射的多少用“雷姆”这个测量单位(unit)来测量。
答案：B
15．A.receive B．accept
C．bring D．catch
解析：receive表示客观收到；accept表示主观接受。我们是受到辐射而非主观接受。
答案：A
16．A.conventional B．common
C．general D．normal
解析：句意：我们每年接受的正常辐射量大约为2毫雷姆。故选normal。
答案：D
17．A.puzzles B．floats
C．combines D．changes
解析：puzzle“使迷惑”；float“漂浮”；combine“结合”；change“变化”。由常识“所处地点不同，所受辐射量也不一样”可确定答案为D项。
答案：D
18．A.exactly B．good
C．rough D．bad
解析：由上文“is about”和“according to”可知应是粗略的估计，故选C。
答案：C
19．A.put up with B．keep up with
C．come up with D．catch up with
解析：put up with“忍受”，符合语境；keep up with和catch up with意为“跟上”；come up with意为“提出”。
答案：A
20．A.absorbed B．damaged
C．attacked D．protected
解析：由“far more radiation”及“the figure of 60 rems has been agreed”可知应是人类不被伤害(damaged)的数值。
答案：B
课件96张PPT。Unit 4 Astronomy:the science of the stars
