Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
Until now，scientists haven’t been able to study the new rock on the moon.The new samples from Chang’e 5 will change this.They’re from near Mons Rümker，a volcanic mountain where the rock is thought to be much younger—about 1 billion years old.
There are a lot of reasons scientists are eager to study this younger rock，one of which is that it could help us more precisely date not only the moon，but many rocky planets and other objects.
Here’s how that works: Scientists date lunar rock by using something called a chronology curve(年代学曲线)，says Jolliff，a scientist at Washington University in St.Louis.Basically，they estimate the age of the rock by counting the number of craters in the area the rock comes from; those increase as objects strike the rock over time.To make this estimation，scientists need to match the number of craters to a precise age.Right now，they only have data points for lunar rock that is 3 to 4 billion years old.Modern techniques can date the new sample extremely accurately，and once scientists know its precise age，they can add a valuable data point to their chronology curve.The dating system will also help us more accurately estimate the age of all sorts of objects in space，like rocky planets and other moons.
Another reason scientists are keen to study this young volcanic rock is to find out more about how volcanism works on the moon.Jolliff says that it’s unclear why there was volcanic activity on the moon for such a long period of time.Most of the moon’s volcanic activity，he says，is thought to have occurred 3 or 4 billion years ago，when the moon was still pretty young.But since the moon does not have plate structure，which drives volcanism on Earth，it’s unclear what could have caused much later volcanic activity.“That’s something that you can find out of the samples by studying them in the lab，” Jolliff says.
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语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。嫦娥五号带回的样本使得研究月球上的新岩石成为可能，而研究这种岩石的好处是什么呢？文章对此进行了说明。
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1．What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A．The fact of being unable to study the new rock.
B．The new rock from near Mons Rümker.
C．One of the reasons to study the moon’s new rock.
D．The study of the moon’s younger rock.
答案 A
解析 代词指代题。根据第一段中“Until now，scientists haven’t been able to study the new rock on the moon.”并结合画线词所在句可推断，this指的是上文中提到的“科学家无法研究月球上的新岩石”这一事实。故选A。
2．Scientists research this younger rock because they can .
A．ensure there was volcanic activity on the moon
B．more precisely date only the moon
C．date lunar rock by using a chronology curve
D．explore how volcanism works on the moon
答案 D
解析 细节理解题。根据第四段首句可知，科学家们研究这些新岩石是因为他们能够探索月球上的火山活动是如何发生的。故选D。
3．What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A．Scientists are keen to study this young volcanic rock.
B．Scientists can’t know why volcanic activity exists on the moon.
C．The moon’s volcanic activity occurred 3 or 4 billion years ago.
D．It’s clear what could have caused much later volcanic activity.
答案 B
解析 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“But since the moon does not have plate structure，which drives volcanism on Earth，it’s unclear what could have caused much later volcanic activity.”可推断，科学家们不知道月球上为什么会有火山活动。故选B。
4．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．How Scientists Study the Younger Rock
B．Why the Research Is Important
C．Why the Younger Rock Is Worth Studying
D．What Scientists Do to Study the Younger Rock
答案 C
解析 标题归纳题。通读全文可知，文章首段前两句引出了科学家能对月球上的新岩石进行研究的话题，接下来对研究这种岩石的好处进行了说明。因此C项(为什么新岩石值得研究)能够准确概括文章大意，适合作为标题。故选C。
