1.AEuropeanspacecrafttookofftodaytospearheadthesearchforanother"Earth"amongthestars.

2.TheCorotspacetelescopeblastedoffaboardaRussianSoyuzrocketfromtheBaikonurcosmodromeinKazakhstanshortlyafter2.20pm.

3.Corot,shortforconvectionrotationandplanetarytransits,isthefirstinstrumentcapableoffindingsmallrockyplanetsbeyondthesolarsystem.Anysuchplanetsituatedintherightorbitstandsagoodchanceofhavingliquidwateronitssurface,andquitepossiblylife,althoughaleadingscientistinvolvedintheprojectsaiditwasunlikelytofind"anylittlegreenmen".

4.DevelopedbytheFrenchspaceagency,CNES,andpartneredbytheEuropeanSpaceAgency(ESA),Austria,Belgium,Germany,BrazilandSpain,Corotwillmonitoraround120,000starswithits27cmtelescopefromapolarorbit514milesabovetheEarth.Overtwoandahalfyears,itwillfocusonfivetosixdifferentareasofthesky,measuringthebrightnessofabout10,000starsevery512seconds.

5."Atthepresentmomentwearehopingtofindoutmoreaboutthenatureofplanetsaroundstarswhicharepotentialhabitats.Wearelookingathabitableplanets,notinhabitedplanets.Wearenotgoingtofindanylittlegreenmen,"ProfessorIanRoxburgh,anESAscientistwhohasbeeninvolvedwithCorotsinceitsinception,toldtheBBCRadio4Todayprogramme.

6.ProfRoxburghsaiditwashopedCorotwouldfind"rockyplanetsthatcoulddevelopanatmosphereand,iftheyaretherightdistancefromtheirparentstar,theycouldhavewater".

7.Tosearchforplanets,thetelescopewilllookforthedimmingofstarlightcausedwhenanobjectpassesinfrontofastar,knownasa"transit".Althoughitwilltakemoresophisticatedspacetelescopesplannedinthenext10yearstoconfirmthepresenceofanEarth-likeplanetwithoxygenandliquidwater,Corotwillletscientistsknowwheretopointtheirlenses.

8.MeasurementsofminutechangesinbrightnesswillenablescientiststodetectgiantJupiter-likegasplanetsaswellassmallrockyones.Itistherockyplanets-thatcouldbenobiggerthanabouttwicethesizeoftheEarth-whichwillcausethemostexcitement.Scientistsexpecttofindbetween10and40ofthesesmallerplanets.

9.Corotwillalsoprobeintostellarinteriorsbystudyingtheacousticwavesthatrippleacrossthesurfaceofstars,atechniquecalled"asteroseismology".

10.Thenatureoftheripplesallowsastronomerstocalculateastar’sprecisemass,ageandchemicalcomposition.

11."Aplanetpassinginfrontofastarcanbedetectedbythefallinlightfromthatstar.Smalloscillationsofthestaralsoproducechangesinthelightemitted,whichrevealwhatthestarismadeofandhowtheyarestructuredinternally.Thisdatawillprovideamajorboosttoourunderstandingofhowstarsformandevolve,"ProfRoxburghsaid.

12.Sincethediscoveryin1995ofthefirst"exoplanet"-aplanetorbitingastarotherthantheSun-morethan200othershavebeenfoundbyground-basedobservatories.

13.Untilnowtheusualmethodoffindingexoplanetshasbeentodetectthe"wobble"theirgravityimpartsonparentstars.ButonlygiantgaseousplanetsbiggerthanJupitercanbefoundthisway,andtheyareunlikelytoharbourlife.

14.Inthe2010s,ESAplanstolaunchDarwin,afleetoffourorfiveinterlinkedspacetelescopesthatwillnotonlyspotsmallrockyplanets,butanalysetheiratmospheresforsignsofbiologicalactivity.

15.Ataroundthesametime,theUSspaceagency,Nasa,willlaunchTerrestrialPlanetFinder,anotherspacetelescopedesignedtolocateEarth-likeplanets.

ChoosetheappropriateletterfromA-Dforquestion1.

1.Corotisaninstrumentwhich

(A)canhelptosearchforcertainplanets

(B)isusedtofindplanetsintheorbit

(C)canlocateplanetswithhumanbeings

(D)canspotanyplanetswithwater.

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?Forquestions2-5write

TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

FALSEifthestatementcontraictstheinformation

NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthisinthepassage

2.Scientistsaretryingtofindoutabouttheplanetsthatcanbeinhabited.

3.BBCRadio4recentlyfocusesonthebroadcastingofCorot.

4.Passingobjectsmightcauseafallinlight.

5.CorotcantellwhetherthereisanotherEarth-likeplanet.

Basedonyourreadingofthepassage,completethesentencesbelowwithwordstakenfromthepassage.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.

Withmeasurements,scientistswillbeabletosearchforsomegaseousandrockyplanets.Theywillbeextremelyexcitediftheycandiscoversomesmall6.__________,theexpectednumberofwhichcouldbeupto7.__________.

Corotwillenablescientiststostudythe8.__________ofstars.Inthisway,astar’smass,ageandchemicalcompositioncanbecalculated.

AccordingtoProfRoxburgh,changesinlightcanbecausedbypassingplanetsorstar9.__________.Therelatedstatisticscangainusabetter10.__________ofthestarformationandevolvement.

Observatorieshavefoundmanyexoplanets,whichare11.__________otherstarsthantheSun.Thecommonwayusedinfindingexoplanetscanonlydetecthugegasplanets,whichdonot12.___________.

WiththelaunchingofDarwin,astronomerswillbeabletoanalysewhetherthoserockyplanetshave13.__________forlife.

1.Thefailureofahigh-profilecholesteroldrughasthrownaspotlightonthecomplicatedmachinerythatregulatescholesterollevels.Butmanyresearchersremainconfidentthatdrugstoboostlevelsof'good'cholesterolarestilloneofthemostpromisingmeanstocombatspirallingheartdisease.

2.DrugcompanyPfizerannouncedon2Decemberthatitwascancellingallclinicaltrialsoftorcetrapib，adrugdesignedtoraiseheart-protectivehigh-densitylipoproteins(HDLs).Inatrialof15000patients，asafetyboardfoundthatmorepeoplediedorsufferedcardiovascularproblemsaftertakingthedrugplusacholesterol-loweringstatinthanthoseinacontrolgroupwhotookthestatinalone.

3.Thenewscameasakickintheteethtomanycardiologistsbecauseearliertestsinanimalsandpeoplesuggesteditwouldlowerratesofcardiovasculardisease."Therehavebeennoredflagstomyknowledge,"saysJohnChapman，aspecialistinlipoproteinsandatherosclerosisattheNationalInstituteforHealthandMedicalResearch(INSERM)inPariswhohasalsostudiedtorcetrapib."Thiscancellationcameasacompleteshock."

4.TorcetrapibisoneofthemostadvancedofanewbreedofdrugsdesignedtoraiselevelsofHDLs，whichferrycholesteroloutofartery-cloggingplaquestotheliverforremovalfromthebody.Specifically，torcetrapibblocksaproteincalledcholesterolestertransferprotein(CETP)，whichnormallytransfersthecholesterolfromhigh-densitylipoproteinstolowdensity，plaque-promotingones.Statins，incontrast，mainlyworkbyloweringthe'bad'low-densitylipoproteins.

Underpressure

5.Researchersarenowtryingtoworkoutwhyandhowthedrugbackfired，somethingthatwillnotbecomeclearuntiltheclinicaldetailsarereleasedbyPfizer.Onehintliesinevidencefromearliertrialsthatitslightlyraisesbloodpressureinsomepatients.Itwasthoughtthatthismildproblemwouldbeoffsetbytheheartbenefitsofthedrug.Butitispossiblethatitactuallyprovedfatalinsomepatientswhoalreadysufferedhighbloodpressure.Ifbloodpressureistheexplanation，itwouldactuallybegoodnewsfordrugdevelopersbecauseitsuggeststhattheproblemsarespecifictothiscompound.OtherprototypedrugsthatarebeingdevelopedtoblockCETPworkinaslightlydifferentwayandmightnotsufferthesamedownfall.

6.ButitisalsopossiblethatthewholeideaofblockingCETPisflawed，saysMotiKashyap，whodirectsatherosclerosisresearchattheVAMedicalCenterinLongBeach，California.WhenHDLsexcretecholesterolintheliver，theyactuallyrelyonLDLsforpartofthisprocess.SoinhibitingCETP，whichpreventsthetransferofcholesterolfromHDLtoLDL，mightactuallycauseanabnormalandirreversibleaccumulationofcholesterolinthebody."You'reblockingaphysiologicmechanismtoeliminatecholesterolandeffectivelyconstipatingthepathway,"saysKashyap.Goingup

7.Mostresearchersremainconfidentthatelevatinghighdensitylipoproteinslevelsbyonemeansoranotherisoneofthebestroutesforhelpingheartdiseasepatients.ButHDLsarecomplexandnotentirelyunderstood.Oneapproveddrug，calledniacin，isknowntobothraiseHDLandreducecardiovascularriskbutalsocausesanunpleasantsensationofheatandtingling.Researchersareexploringwhethertheycanbypassthissideeffectandwhetherniacincanlowerdiseaseriskmorethanstatinsalone.Scientistsarealsoworkingonseveralothermeanstobumpuphigh-densitylipoproteinsby，forexample，introducingsyntheticHDLs."Theonlythingweknowisdeadinthewateristorcetrapib，notthewholeideaofraisingHDL,"saysMichaelMiller，directorofpreventivecardiologyattheUniversityofMarylandMedicalCenter，Baltimore.

Questions7-13

Matchtorcetrapib，HDLs，statinandCETPwiththeirfunctions(Questions8-13)..WritethecorrectletterA，B，CorDinboxes8-13onyouranswersheet.NBYoumayuseanylettermorethanonce.

7.Ithasbeenadministeredtoover10,000subjectsinaclinicaltrial.

8.Itcouldhelpridhumanbodyofcholesterol.

9.Researchersareyettofindmoreaboutit.

10.Itwasusedtoreducethelevelofcholesterol.

11.AccordingtoKashyap，itmightleadtounwantedresultifit'sblocked.

12.Itproducedcontradictoryresultsindifferenttrials.

13.ItcouldinhibitLDLs.Listofchoices

A.TorcetrapicB.HDLSC.StatinD.CETP

-----Whataboutthepenyouboughtyesterday?

-----It____________well.Ilikeitverymuch.

Roguetheoryofsmellgetsaboost

1.Acontroversialtheoryofhowwesmell,whichclaimsthatourfinesenseofodourdependsonquantummechanics,hasbeengiventhethumbsupbyateamofphysicists.

2.CalculationsbyresearchersatUniversityCollegeLondon(UCL)showthattheideathatwesmellodourmoleculesbysensingtheirmolecularvibrationsmakessenseintermsofthephysicsinvolved.

3.That'sstillsomewayfromprovingthatthetheory,proposedinthemid-1990sbybiophysicistLucaTurin,iscorrect.Butitshouldmakeotherscientiststaketheideamoreseriously.

4."Thisisabigstepforward,"saysTurin,whohasnowsetuphisownperfumecompanyFlexitralinVirginia.Hesaysthatsincehepublishedhistheory,"ithasbeenignoredratherthancriticized."

5.Mostscientistshaveassumedthatoursenseofsmelldependsonreceptorsinthenosedetectingtheshapeofincomingmolecules,whichtriggersasignaltothebrain.Thismolecular'lockandkey'processisthoughttoliebehindawiderangeofthebody'sdetectionsystems:itishowsomepartsoftheimmunesystemrecogniseinvaders,forexample,andhowthetonguerecognizessometastes.

6.ButTurinarguedthatsmelldoesn'tseemtofitthispictureverywell.Moleculesthatlookalmostidenticalcansmellverydifferent—suchasalcohols,whichsmelllikespirits,andthiols,whichsmelllikerotteneggs.Andmoleculeswithverydifferentstructurescansmellsimilar.Moststrikingly,somemoleculescansmelldifferent—toanimals,ifnotnecessarilytohumans—simplybecausetheycontaindifferentisotopes(atomsthatarechemicallyidenticalbuthaveadifferentmass).

7.Turin'sexplanationforthesesmellyfactsinvokestheideathatthesmellsignalinolfactoryreceptorproteinsistriggerednotbyanodourmolecule'sshape,butbyitsvibrations,whichcanenourageanelectrontojumpbetweentwopartsofthereceptorinaquantum-mechanicalprocesscalledtunnelling.Thiselectronmovementcouldinitiatethesmellsignalbeingsenttothebrain.

8.Thiswouldexplainwhyisotopescansmelldifferent:theirvibrationfrequenciesarechangediftheatomsareheavier.Turin'smechanism,saysMarshallStonehamoftheUCLteam,ismorelikeswipe-cardidentificationthanakeyfittingalock.

9.Vibration-assistedelectrontunnellingcanundoubtedlyoccur—itisusedinanexperimentaltechniqueformeasuringmolecularvibrations."Thequestioniswhetherthisispossibleinthenose,"saysStoneham'scolleague,AndrewHorsfield.

10.StonehamsaysthatwhenhefirstheardaboutTurin'sidea,whileTurinwashimselfbasedatUCL,"Ididn'tbelieveit".But,headds,"becauseitwasaninterestingidea,IthoughtIshouldproveitcouldn'twork.Ididsomesimplecalculations,andonlythenbegantofeelLucacouldberight."NowStonehamandhisco-workershavedonethejobmorethoroughly,inapapersoontobepublishedinPhysicalReviewLetters.

11.TheUCLteamcalculatedtheratesofelectronhoppinginanosereceptorthathasanodorantmoleculeboundtoit.Thisratedependsonvariouspropertiesofthebiomolecularsystemthatarenotknown,buttheresearcherscouldestimatetheseparametersbasedontypicalvaluesformoleculesofthissort.

12.Thekeyissueiswhetherthehoppingratewiththeodorantinplaceissignificantlygreaterthanthatwithoutit.Thecalculationsshowthatitis—whichmeansthatodouridentificationinthiswayseemstheoreticallypossible.

13.ButHorsfieldstressesthatthat'sdifferentfromaproofofTurin'sidea."Sofarthingslookplausible,butweneedproperexperimentalverification.We'rebeginningtothinkaboutwhatexperimentscouldbeperformed."

14.Meanwhile,Turinispressingaheadwithhishypothesis."AtFlexitralwehavebeendesigningodorantsexclusivelyonthebasisoftheircomputedvibrations,"hesays."Oursuccessrateatodorantdiscoveryistwoordersofmagnitudebetterthanthecompetition."Attheveryleast,heisputtinghismoneywherehisnoseis.

Questions5-9

Completethesentencesbelowwithwordsfromthepassage.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.

5.Thehypothesisthatwesmellbysensingthemolecularvibrationwasmadeby______.

6.Turin'scompanyisbasedin______.

7.Mostscientistsbelievedthatournoseworksinthesamewayasour______.

8.Differentisotopescansmelldifferentwhen______weighdifferently.

9.AccordingtoAudrewHorsfield,itisstilltobeprovedthat______couldreallyoccurinhumannose.

Thelocalgovernmentwill_____morecollegesformorestudentstoreceivehighereducation.