Passage 1

Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun across the sky with his chariot (战车). But now, the way people think has changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives a “chariot” around the sky.

What do I mean by this? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane (or “chariot”) that is powered by the sun. It has special parts on its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that the plane can still fly even at night. In Greek mythology (神话), Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more powerful than the gods themselves.

This plane is called Solar Impulse. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.

Why is solar energy (太阳能) important? Well, other kinds of energy are known to cause problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal and gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals created by burning these things give us power. But if we use power from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything and there will not be any pollution.

Solar energy is not entirely ready yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas. it doesn’t run out. The Solar Impulse plane could pretty much keep flying forever. Of course, the sun’s light will eventually run out too one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.

1. The plane Solar Impulse ______.

A. cannot fly at night    B. is powered by chemicals  

C. is driven by solar energy   D. was made in the US

2. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that ______.

A. using solar energy causes less pollution              B. solar energy is the best kind of energy

C. creating energy by burning things causes pollution     D. burning things will not be allowed in China

3. Which is the story probably taken from?

A. A science magazine.    B. A history textbook.   

C. A Greek myth.      D. A storybook.

4. What’s the story mainly about?

A. The story of the Greek god Helios.           B. How China makes use of energy.

C. The uses and advantages of solar energy.      D. The disadvantages of burning coal and gas.