阅读理解。
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of
comets(彗星) which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult
mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problem.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought
he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told
Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse (椭圆形).
Then Halley set to work. He figured out (解决, 计算出) the orbjts of some of the comets that had been
observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607,
and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley
thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He
decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back
again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction (预言) of what would happen
in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before
Halley's prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since
then that comet had been called Halley's comet, in his honour.
1. Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of _____. [ ]
A. some different comets appearing several times
B. the same comet appearing at different times
C. three different comets appearing three times
D. several comets appearing at the same time
2. Halley made his discovery _____. [ ]
A. by doing experiments
B. by means of his own careful observation
C. by using the work of other scientists
D. by chance
3. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year _____. [ ]
A. 1704
B. 1705
C. 1706
D. 1707
4. This passage in general is about _____. [ ]
A. Halley and other scientists
B. the orbit of a comet
C. Newton and Halley
D. Halley and his discovery
5. Which of the following is TRUE? [ ]
A. Edmund Halley was an American scientist.
B. Halley made his discovery by doing experiments.
C. Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician.
D. The orbit of a comet had the shape of a triangle.
