资源简介

2023年高中英语外刊选文·原创阅读理解命题训练（4）
The Mystery of Dark Matter
Astronomers have long known that the visible matter in the universe cannot account for all of the gravitational forces that are holding galaxies together. There simply isn't enough mass in stars, gas, and dust to explain why galaxies aren't flying apart. The solution to this problem is to postulate the existence of dark matter, a hypothetical substance that can't be seen but whose presence can be inferred from its gravitational effects.
There are several candidate particles that might make up dark matter. One of the most popular is the WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle). WIMPs are predicted by some extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics, and they would interact with normal matter only via the weak force and gravity.
A number of experiments have been carried out in an attempt to detect WIMPs, but so far none have succeeded. However, new experiments are being developed that will be much more sensitive to the presence of WIMPs.
Although the evidence for dark matter is very strong, there is still much that we don't know about it. For example, we don't know what dark matter is made of, how much of it there is, or whether it interacts with itself in any way other than through gravity.
Despite these uncertainties, the concept of dark matter is very useful for explaining the properties of the universe on a large scale. In fact, it has become an essential part of our understanding of how the universe evolved.
·阅读选择·
1. What is the problem that dark matter solves
A) It explains why galaxies are flying apart.
B) It accounts for all the matter in the universe.
C) It describes the properties of visible matter.
D) It provides a hypothetical substance for astronomers to study.
Answer: A. It explains why galaxies are flying apart.
解析：文章开头明确指出，可见物质的质量无法解释引力作用，不能说明为什么星系没有飞散，故正确选项为A。
2. What is a WIMP
A) A massive star.
B) A substance made of gas and dust.
C) A hypothetical particle that interacts weakly with normal matter.
D) A theory that explains the properties of dark matter.
Answer: C. A hypothetical particle that interacts weakly with normal matter.
解析：文章第二段提到“WIMPs是一种弱相互作用大质量粒子，”故正确选项为C。
3. What is the current status of experiments to detect WIMPs
A) They have all been successful.
B) They have all failed.
C) They have been inconclusive.
D) They are being developed to be more sensitive.
Answer: D. They are being developed to be more sensitive.
解析：文章第三段提到“尝试探测WIMPs的实验数量不少，但迄今为止没有一项成功。然而，正在开发新的实验，将对WIMPs的存在更加敏感。”故正确选项为D。
4. What do we know about dark matter
A) We know exactly what it is made of.
B) We know how much of it there is.
C) We know how it interacts with normal matter.
D) We don't know much about it.
Answer: D. We don't know much about it.
解析：文章第四段明确指出，我们对dark matter的了解还有很多不确定性，我们不知道它是由什么组成的，有多少量存在，或者它是否会通过除了引力之外的其他方式相互作用。因此，正确选项为D。
5. Why is the concept of dark matter important
A) It provides a new field of study for astronomers.
B) It is the only way to explain the properties of the universe on a large scale.
C) It is a useful tool for detecting WIMPs.
D) It allows us to understand the behavior of galaxies.
Answer: B. It is the only way to explain the properties of the universe on a large scale.
解析：文章最后一段提到，虽然我们对暗物质的了解仍然不太确定，但是它对于解释宇宙在大尺度上的特性非常有用。事实上，它已经成为我们理解宇宙演化的重要组成部分。因此，正确选项为B。
6. What is the main idea of the passage
A) Dark matter is a mysterious substance.
B) WIMPs are the key to understanding dark matter.
C) Experiments to detect dark matter have been unsuccessful.
D) Dark matter is important for explaining the properties of the universe.
Answer: D. Dark matter is important for explaining the properties of the universe.
解析：文章主要讲述了暗物质的概念、可能构成暗物质的WIMPs，以及对暗物质的探测，最后重点强调了暗物质在解释宇宙大尺度特性方面的重要性。因此，正确选项为D。
1. What is the evidence for the existence of dark matter, and why is it necessary to explain this phenomenon
Answer: The evidence for the existence of dark matter comes from observations of the motions of galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. Dark matter is necessary to explain these phenomena because visible matter cannot account for the gravitational forces that hold galaxies and clusters of galaxies together.
解析：这道题考查考生对暗物质存在证据的理解和暗物质必要性的认识。文章提到，恒星、气体和尘埃中的质量无法解释为什么星系没有飞散，而通过观测星系和宇宙大尺度结构的运动，可以得到暗物质存在的证据。文章也明确提到，暗物质的存在是必要的，以解释可见物质不能解释的引力作用力。
2. What are WIMPs, and why are they a popular candidate for dark matter
Answer: WIMPs are weakly interacting massive particles, which are a hypothetical type of dark matter particle that interact only through weak nuclear forces and gravity. They are a popular candidate for dark matter because their properties and predicted abundance match the observed characteristics of dark matter.
解析：这道题考查考生对WIMPs的了解和为什么它们成为暗物质的热门候选者的理解。文章提到WIMPs是弱相互作用大质量粒子，它们只通过弱核力和引力与普通物质相互作用，而WIMPs的性质和预测存在的数量与暗物质的观测特征相匹配，因此成为暗物质的热门候选者。
3. What is the status of current efforts to detect WIMPs, and what are the challenges associated with these efforts
Answer: Current efforts to detect WIMPs have not yet been successful, but new experiments are being developed that will be more sensitive to their presence. The main challenges associated with these efforts include the difficulty of detecting very weakly interacting particles, the presence of background noise, and the need to rule out other possible explanations for observed phenomena.
解析：这道题考查考生对当前WIMPs探测进展的了解和相关挑战的理解。文章提到目前探测WIMPs的实验还没有成功，但正在开发新的实验，将对WIMP的存在更加敏感。同时，文章也列举了探测WIMPs的挑战，包括探测非常微弱相互作用粒子的困难、背景噪音的存在以及排除观测现象的其他可能解释的需要。
4. What are some uncertainties about dark matter, and why do they make it challenging to understand this phenomenon
Answer: Some uncertainties about dark matter include what it is composed of, how much of it exists, and whether it interacts with other forces besides gravity. These uncertainties make it challenging to understand dark matter because they limit our ability to study its properties and behavior.
解析：这道题考查考生对暗物质的不确定性以及这些不确定性为什么使得理解暗物质现象具有挑战性。文章提到，暗物质的不确定性包括它由什么组成、存在的数量有多少以及是否与引力以外的其他力相互作用等。这些不确定性限制了我们研究暗物质性质和行为的能力，从而使得理解暗物质现象具有挑战性。
5. What are some alternative theories or explanations for the phenomena attributed to dark matter, and what evidence supports or refutes these theories
Answer: Alternative theories or explanations for the phenomena attributed to dark matter include modifications to the laws of gravity, the existence of massive compact halo objects, and the possibility that we are observing the effects of matter in other dimensions. However, the evidence does not strongly support these alternative theories, and they are generally considered to be less likely explanations than the existence of dark matter.
解析：这道题考查考生对暗物质现象替代理论或解释的了解和这些理论的证据支持或反驳情况的认识。文章提到，替代理论或解释包括改变引力定律、大质量致密星系暗物质天体以及观察到其他维度中物质的可能性。然而，证据并不强烈支持这些替代理论，它们通常被认为是不太可能的解释，相对于暗物质的存在来说。
文章翻译：
暗物质之谜
天文学家长期以来就已经知道，宇宙中可见的物质不能解释所有维持星系相互引力的作用力。恒星、气体和尘埃中的质量无法解释为什么星系没有飞散。这个问题的解决方法是假设暗物质的存在，这是一种假想物质，无法被看见，但其存在可以通过引力效应推断。有几种可能构成暗物质的粒子。其中最受欢迎的是WIMP（弱相互作用大质量粒子）。WIMP是由粒子物理标准模型的某些扩展预测出来的，它们只通过弱相互作用和引力与普通物质相互作用。已经进行了一些实验，试图探测WIMP，但迄今为止没有成功。但是，正在开发新的实验，将对WIMP的存在更加敏感。虽然关于暗物质的证据非常强，但我们仍然对它知之甚少。例如，我们不知道暗物质由什么组成，有多少量存在，或者它是否会通过除了引力之外的其他方式相互作用。尽管如此，暗物质对于解释宇宙在大尺度上的特性非常有用，已经成为我们理解宇宙演化的重要组成部分。

展开更多......

收起↑