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Planet Hunter
When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night,he would
go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
" What excited me most was whether there were planets in other solar systems where life
might exist," he says. "I decided to try to find planets orbiting other stars like our Sun. "
And he did. " My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995 , " Dr Marcy
says. " We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it, and our patience
paid off. "
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other
stars. Dr Marcy and Dr Butler also spotted the first "family" of three planets. In June 2002 they
announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like(像木星一样的) planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists
found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting
of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features
(特征) in our solar system.
The first is Jupiter.
"Because it's so big, Jupiter pulls comets (彗星) and asteroids (小行星) , or they all come and hit
the Earth. " Dr Marcy explains. "Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed. "
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can
exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and
seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets
that lie close
to 55 Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr Marcy," We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life ! "
1. What can we learn about Dr Marcy from the passage?
A. He is fond of watching Jupiter.
B. He is from a scientist family.
C. He dislikes working with Paul Butler.
D. He is interested in finding life in outer space.
2. Which of the following is TRUE of the recent discovery?
A. The planet is not as protective as Jupiter.
B. The planet is close to star 55 Cancri.
C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.
D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.
3. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?
A. 100.
B. 69.
C. 66.
D. 65.
4. Dr Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri system because _____ .
A. he has found the system similar to the solar system
B. he has discovered an Earth-like planet there
C. he has discovered a rocky planet there
D. he has found signs of life in the system