GMAT考试阅读资料(二)b

Passage 8
　　Virtually everything astronomers¹ known about objects　outside the solar system is based on the detection of　photons-quanta of electromagnetic radiation. Yet there　is another form of radiation that permeates² the universe：（5） neutrinos. With （as its name implies） no electric charge，　and negligible mass， the neutrino interacts with other　particles so rarely that a neutrino can cross the entire　universe， even traversing substantial aggregations³ of　matter， without being absorbed or even deflected⁴. Neu-（10） trinos can thus escape from regions of space where light　 and other kinds of electromagnetic radiation are blockedby matter. Furthermore， neutrinos carry with theminformation about the site and circumstances of their　 production： therefore， the detection of cosmic neutrinos（15） could provide new information about a wide variety of　 cosmic phenomena⁵ and about the history of the uni-verse.
　　But how can scientists detect a particle that interactsso infrequently with other matter？ Twenty-five years（20） passed between Pauli‘s hypothesis that the neutrinoexisted and its actual detection： since then virtually all　 research with neutrinos has been with neutrinos createdartificially in large particle accelerators and studiedunder neutrino microscopes. But a neutrino telescope，（25） capable of detecting cosmic neutrinos， is difficult to co-nstruct. No apparatus⁶ can detect neutrinos unless it isextremely massive， because great mass is synonymous　 with huge numbers of nucleons （neutrons⁷ and protons），and the more massive the detector⁸， the greater the pro-（30） bability of one of its nucleon’s reacting with a neutrino.　　 In addition， the apparatus must be sufficiently⁹ shielded　 from the interfering¹⁰ effects of other particles.
　　Fortunately， a group of astrophysicists has proposed　 a means of detecting cosmic neutrinos by harnessing the（35） mass of the ocean. Named DUMAND， for Deep Under-　 water Muon and Neutrino Detector， the project calls for　 placing an array of light sensors¹¹ at a depth of five kilo-　 meters under the ocean surface. The detecting medium is　 the seawater itself： when a neutrino interacts with a（40）particle in an atom of seawater. the result is a cascade¹² of　 electrically charged particles and a flash of light that can　 be detected by the sensors. The five kilometers of sea-　 water above the sensors will shield them from the interf-　 ering effects of other high-energy particles raining down（45） through the atmosphere.
　　The strongest motivation for the DUMAND projectis that it will exploit an important source of informationabout the universe. The extension of astronomy fromvisible light to radio waves to x-rays and gamma rays（50） never failed to lead to the discovery of unusual objects　 such as radio galaxies¹³， quasars， and pulsars. Each of　 these discoveries came as a surprise. Neutrino astronomy　 will doubtless bring its own share of surprises.

　　1. Which of the following titles best summarizes the passage as a whole？
　　　 （A） At the Threshold of Neutrino Astronomy
　　　 （B） Neutrinos and the History of the Universe
　　　 （C） The Creation and Study of Neutrinos
　　　 （D） The DUMAND System and How It Works
　　　 （E） The Properties of the Neutrino

　　2. With which of the following statements regardingneutrino astronomy would the author be most likelyto agree？
　　　（A） Neutrino astronomy will supersede¹⁴ all present forms of astronomy.
　　　（B） Neutrino astronomy will be abandoned if the DUMAND project fails.
　　　（C） Neutrino astronomy can be expected to lead to major breakthroughs in astronomy.
　　　（D） Neutrino astronomy will disclose phenomena that will be more surprising than past discoveries.
　　　（E） Neutrino astronomy will always be characterized by a large time lag between hypothesis and experimental confirmation¹⁵.

　　3. In the last paragraph， the author describes thedevelopment of astronomy in order to
　　　　（A） suggest that the potential findings of neutrino astronomy can be seen as part of a series of astronomical¹⁶ successes
　　　 （B） illustrate¹⁷ the role of surprise in scientific discovery
　　　 （C） demonstrate the effectiveness of the DUMAND apparatus in detecting neutrinos
　　　 （D） name some cosmic phenomena that neutrino astronomy will illuminate¹⁸
　　　 （E） contrast the motivation of earlier astronomers with that of the astrophysicists working on the DUMAND project

　　4.According to the passage， one advantage that neutrinos　 have for studies in astronomy is that they
　　　（A） have been detected for the last twenty-five years
　　　（B） possess a variable electric charge　
　　　（C） are usually extremely massive　
　　　（D） carry information about their history with them
　　　（E） are very similar to other electromagnetic particles

　　5. According to the passage， the primary use of the　apparatus mentioned in lines 24-32 would be to
　　　（A） increase the mass of a neutrino　
　　　（B） interpret the information neutrinos carry with them　
　　　（C） study the internal structure of a neutrino
　　　（D） see neutrinos in distant regions of space
　　　（E） detect the presence of cosmic neutrinos

　　6. The passage states that interactions between neutrinos　and other matter are
　　　（A） rare
　　　（B） artificial
　　　（C） undetectable
　　　（D） unpredictable
　　　（E） hazardous¹⁹

　　7. The passage mentions which of the following as a　reason that neutrinos are hard to detect？
　　　（A） Their pervasiveness²⁰ in the universe　（B） Their ability to escape from different regions of space
　　　（C） Their inability to penetrate²¹ dense²² matter
　　　（D） The similarity of their structure to that of nucleons
　　　（E） The infrequency of their interaction with other matter

　　8. According to the passage， the interaction of a neutrino　with other matter can produce
　　　（A） particles that are neutral and massive
　　　（B） a form of radiation that permeates the universe
　　　（C） inaccurate²³ information about the site and circumstances of the neutrino‘s production
　　　（D） charged particles and light
　　　（E） a situation in which light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation are blocked

　　9. According to the passage， one of the methods used to　 establish the properties of neutrinos was
　　　（A） detection of photons
　　　（B） observation of the interaction of neutrinos with 　　 gamma rays
　　　（C） observation of neutrinos that were artificially created
　　　（D） measurement of neutrinos that interacted with particles of seawater
　　　（E） experiments with electromagnetic radiation