The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has ju

The 2012 LondonOlympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added--- a communications blackout caused by solar storms.

   After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of afresh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrivalof the Olympic torch in London.

   Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosionsthat could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causingstrong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications (通信) satellites and interact linkssending five Olympic broadcast from London.

   “The Sun’s activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could bein the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions ofcommunications satellites,” said Professor Richard Harrison, head of spacephysics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. 

   At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun’s atmosphere,throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged (带电) matter. “A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solarmaterial into space at over a million kilometers per hour. Such events canexpose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause powerfailures on Earth and disturb communications,” Professor Harrison added. Therisk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number ofsunspots.

   Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoringsolar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will takeimages of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisionsavailable.

   The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras thatwill capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.

   Professor Richard Holdaway, the lab’s director, said that the SDO should beable to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough toaffect satellite communications on Earth “If we have advance warning, we’ll beable to reduce the damage. What you don’t want is things switching off for aweek with no idea of what’s caused the problem,” he said.

1.

The phraseunderlined part in paragraph one most probably refers to _______ during the2012 Olympics.

   A. thestate of the Olympic torch being put out                   

B. the failure of broadcasting systems

   C. thetransportation breakdown in London   

D. the destruction of weather satellites

2.

 What can beinferred about the solar activity described in the passage?

   A. Themost deadly matter from the corona falls onto Earth.

   B. Thesolar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.

   C. Ittakes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.

   D. Thenumber of sunspots decreases after coronal mass ejections.

3.

Which of thefollowing might be the best title of the passage?

   A.Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer        

B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger

   C.Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race

D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.D

3.D

【解析】 略