太阳风暴
A new satellite is travelling 1.5 million kilometers over a 110-day period to enter an orbit of the sun. It is called DSCOVR —the Deep Space Climate Observatory. It will replace a satellite that has been observing space weather.
DSCOVR will begin its work during the worst of the 11-year-long solar cycle. This is a time when extreme weather on the sun can have the greatest effect on planet Earth.
DSCOVR will gather information about a continuing flow of particles （粒子流）from the sun. We are protected from these particles by the Earth's magnetic field （磁场）and atmosphere. But we are not fully protected from what scientists call Coronal Mass Ejections（“日冕物质抛射”）. These are strong storms that can happen on the sun's surface.
Thomas Berger is the director of the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. He says these ejections are much more dangerous than solar particles. He says the Coronal Mass Ejections are extremely large magnetic clouds that are expelled from the sun at extremely high speeds. He says when they affect Earth, it is like a hurricane affecting Earth in terms of space weather.
Violent space weather can make electric systems stop working. It can block satellite signals to Earth. It can disturb radio signals and air travel.
Mr. Berger says we cannot stop the ejections from affecting us, but we can prepare for them if we know when they will happen. When the DSCOVR satellite records an ejection, it will release a warning. Mr. Berger says the warning will provide NOAA about 15 to 60 minutes to let people know that a very strong storm is coming in to the Earth. He says that is enough time for power grid operators to take protective action. He says it is also enough time for workers to place satellites on a safe operating method if necessary.
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1.The new satellite is going to___.
A go around the sun
B go into the sun
C go near the sun
D strike the sun
解析：选A。A。推理判断题。根据第1段可知，这颗卫星是要进入环太阳的轨道即文中的orbit of the sun。
2.What’s the main task of the Deep Space Climate Observatory?
A Replace a satellite that has been observing space weather.
B Protect the earth from the particles from the sun.
C Work during the worst of the 11-year-long solar cycle.
D Gather information about the flowing of particles from the sun.
解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据第3段第1句gather information about a continuing flow of particles （粒子流）from the sun，可知与答案相同。而A答案，‘替换原来的一颗卫星’，这不是任务。
3.It can be inferred from the passage that the worst of the solar cycle is___.
A continuing flow of particles
B Coronal Mass Ejections
C the Earth's magnetic field
D violent earth weather
解析：选B。B。推理判断题。根据文章第4段可知，地球磁场和大气层可以保护地球免遭一般的太阳粒子的侵害，太阳耀斑达到一定值时，对地球影响大，这种情况科学家称之为Coronal Mass Ejections,这就是太阳活动峰年。
4.The underlined word expelled in paragraph 4 probably means___.
A brought in
B sent away
C forced out
D given out
解析：选C。C。词义猜测题。因为该词所在句中有at extremely high speeds,可知其力量大，而force有强力推动之意。
5.What we can do with the help of the DSCOVR satellite?
A We can make electric systems stop working.
B We can stop the ejections from affecting us.
C We can have enough time to take protective action.
D We can know that a very strong storm is coming.
解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段record an ejection, release a warning这样我们可以有足够的时间take protective action。