閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

Eta Carinae

　　As possibly the galaxy's （銀河） most massive star, Eta Carinae is now engaging in some very unusual behaviour. Australian astronomers, being in the Southern Hemisphere （半球）, are able to observe it clearly.

　　In the 19th century, Eta Carinae was for a time the third brightest star in the sky. It has now become less bright so that binoculars （雙筒望遠鏡） are needed to see it. "It seems to be brightening and becoming less bright over a period of many years", said Dr Bob Duncan from the Australia Telescope National Facility.

　　While it is not unusual for stars to vary in brightness, the period is usually much shorter. "Since 1992 it has become four times brighter, and then last year it began to drop dramatically," he said.

　　The problem in observing Eta Carinae is that it has been surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust, making it hard to see the star directly. However, radio waves and infrared light （紅外線） can pass through this cloud, so telescopes that receive these wavelengths can observe what is occurring.

　　Eta Carinae is of particular interest to astronomers because it seems to be in its death throes （劇痛）. Being so large it will end up as a supernova （超新星）. There has not been a supernova in our galaxy since the invention of the telescope. While a 1987 explosion in a nearby galaxy gave astronomers plenty of valuable data, they are hungry for an even closer look.

　　Eta Carinae has other unique features, and is the only star known to produce an ultraviolet （紫外線） laser that is brighter than that produced by the Sun. Lasers have been observed in other frequencies from a few stars.

　　1 Eta Carinae is now engaging in

　　A some very common behaviour.

　　B some very dull behaviour.

　　C some very frightening behaviour

　　D some very strange behaviour.

　　2 The word "period" in Paragraph 3 means the length of time

　　A over which stars vary in brightness.

　　B for which Eta Charinae's brightening lasts.

　　C Eta Carinae takes to become a supernova.

　　D it takes the laser from Eta Carinae to travel to the earth.

　　3 Eta Carinae is hard to observe because

　　A it is too far away.

　　B there is too much dust and gas around it

　　C the binoculars are not powerful enough.

　　D it does not send out infrared light.

　　4 Astronomers are particularly interested in Eta Carinae because

　　A it is in its final stage.

　　B it is a supernova.

　　C it exploded in 1987.

　　D it is brighter than the Sun.

　　5 Which of the following statements about Eta Carinae is NOT true?

　　A It will end up as a supernova.

　　B It can be seen only through binoculars.

　　C It is the only star that sends out an ultraviolet laser.

　　D Its ultraviolet laser is brighter than that of the Sun.

　　第二篇

New Foods and the New World

　　In the last 500 years, nothing about people － not their clothes, ideas, or languages － has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree （可可樹） by South American Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500's. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London, shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today.

　　The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the "Potato Famine （饑荒）" of 1845-1846, and thousands more were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.

　　There are many other foods that have traveled from South America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world's largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia, a country in Africa. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400's.

　　According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a person named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the "wide-awake" feeling that one-third of the world's population now starts the day with.

　　6 According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years?

　　A Food.

　　B Clothing.

　　C Ideology.

　　D Language.

　　7 "Some" in the last sentence of the first paragraph refers to

　　A some cocoa trees.

　　B some chocolate drinks.

　　C some shops.

　　D some South American Indians.

　　8 Thousands of Irish people starved during the "Potato Famine" because

　　A they were so dependent on potatoes that they refused to eat anything else,

　　B they were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.

　　C the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing potatoes.

　　D the potato harvest was bad,

　　9 Which country is the largest coffee produce~

　　A Brazil.

　　B Colombia.

　　C Ethiopia.

　　D Egypt.

　　10 Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?

　　A One third of the world's population drinks coffee.

　　B Coffee is native to Colombia.

　　C Coffee can keep one awake.

　　D Coffee drinks were first made by Arabs.

　　第三篇

London's First Light Rail System

　　The Docklands Light Railway （DLR） took just three years to build at a cost of ￡77 million. It is London's first Light Rail System, but its route follows that of a number of older lines, which carried the nineteenth century railways through the crowded districts of the East End.

　　The section of the line from the Tower Gateway Station to Poplar follows the line of one of London's earliest railways, the London & Blackwell （1840）, a cable-drawn railway （later converted to steam） which carried passengers to steam ships at Blackwell Pier, and provided transport for the messengers and clerks who went backwards and forwards between the docks （碼頭） and the city every day.

　　From Poplar to Island Gardens, a new line crosses high above the dock waters, and then joins the old track of the Millwall Extension Railway, built to service the Millwall Docks （1868） and to provide transport for workers in the local factories. This line was horse-drawn for part of its route, until the 1880s.

　　The Poplar to Stratford section of the DLR route was first developed by the North London Railway, built in the 1850s to link the West and East India Docks with the manufacturing districts of the Midlands and North of England. There were major railway works and sidings （岔線） at Bow until recently.

　　The trains are automatically controlled from a central computer, which deals with all signaling and other safety factors, as well as adjusting speeds to keep within the timetable; on board each vehicle, Train Captains, who are also fully qualified drivers, are equipped with two-way radios to maintain contact with central control. There are passenger lifts, and self-service ticket machines, at every station.

　　11 The passage tells us that London's first Light Rail System

　　A was constructed in the nineteenth century.

　　B will be finished in three years' time.

　　C follows some of the original lines.

　　D took three years longer than expected to complete.

　　12 We learn from the passage that the London & Blackwell railway

　　A now carries passengers to and from the docks.

　　B was a busy line a few years ago.

　　C used to employ many messengers and clerks.

　　D was not originally a steam railway.

　　13 "This line" in Paragraph 3 refers to

　　A the line from the Tower Gateway Station to Poplar

　　B the line from Poplar to Island Gardens.

　　C the Millwall Extension Railway.

　　D the line from Poplar to Stratford.

　　14 It appears that the Poplar to Stratford section of the DLR route was originally developed to

　　A promote travel in the Midlands.

　　B encourage trade with the North of England.

　　C create employment.

　　D make the transport of goods easier.

　　15 The trains on the DLR are controlled by

　　A an on-board central computer.

　　B a computer engineer on board.

　　C two-way radios operate by the drivers.

　　D a computer center based somewhere along the line.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. D 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. C

　　6. A 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. B

　　11. C 12. D 13. C 14. D 15. A