Many people have been talking about the way in which the world will come to an end in 2012. Everybody wants to find out if December 21, 2012 is the last day of the earth. The rumor has already been spreading for a very long time. The Mayan’s prediction can account for the rumor. According to the rumor, the earth will experience dramatic changes in 2012 and the changes will be disastrous to all of the living creatures on earth. It is widely assumed that a Planet X will return to orbit the solar system. The return of Planet X will have a destructive effect on the solar system as well as on some planets including the Neptune, the Jupiter and the earth. Planet X will cross into their orbits. There’s a possibility that Jupiter will change into a little sun at this time, so folks will be well placed to see two suns in the sky in 2012.

The solar flares (耀斑) that occur in a 11-year cycle will reach their highest point in 2012. The powerful solar flares will affect the magnetic field of the earth and cause disasters. On December 21, 2012, the sun and the earth will line up in the same line at the equator(赤道). The winter solstice(冬至) only occurs once every 25,800 years. The events in the universe are signals that the world will come to an end. As a result of the solar flares, lots of disasters will happen that will destroy the face of the whole earth. Scientists are making the guess primarily based on the Mayan Long Count Calendar.

Many films have been made about the end of the world including End Game by Alex Jones and End Clock: Nostradamus 2012. The former provides insights about the way the world will become one state. After the world government is in place, it’s going to be easy to exterminate 80% of the people in the world. The rest will continue to live with assistance from advanced technology.

No one knows whether the world will end on December 21, 2012: There is no clear answer until the day arrives. Just as the Mayans claim, it will not be the time for the world to end. Instead, it will be the dawn of a fresh start.

小题1:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Information about end-of-the-world predictions.

B．Different opinions about end-of-the-world predictions.

C．Some doubts about end-of-the-world predictions.

D．Destructive effects of the end of the world.小题2:Which of the following things will NOT happen if the end of the world really happens?

A．Humans will see two suns at the same time.

B．The earth will look completely different.

C．The earth and the moon will line up in the same line.

D．The solar flares will become stronger than before.小题3:The underlined word “exterminate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “__________”.

A．save

B．kill

C．help

D．rule小题4:What is the author’s attitude to the rumor that the world will end?

A．Optimistic .

B．Sad.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Scared.