D
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the most interesting. It was named after Jupiter, the most important of the Roman gods, and nicknamed the “King of Planets.” It is the fifth planet from the sun and the fourth brightest object in the sky. Before the invention of the telescope, Jupiter was thought to be a bright star.
In 1610, the famous astronomer Galileo realised that Jupiter was actually a planet. He also noticed that it had four large moons. These are known as the Galilean moons. The biggest is Ganymede, and it is larger than the planets Pluto and Mercury. Next in size is Callisto, which is the farthest away from Jupiter. It is the closest to the planet, and has a lot of active volcanoes. The smallest of the Galilean moons is Europa. Europa is covered in ice, and scientists believe there may be an ocean underneath.
Galileo's discovery that Jupiter was not a star but a planet was very important. Before this time, people believed the Earth to be the centre of the universe. They thought that the sun, stars, and other planets all revolved around the Earth. However, Galileo proved that the sun was at the centre of the universe!
(A) Jupiter is farther out in the solar system than Earth, so it takes longer to revolve around the sun. (B) However, a day on Jupiter is much shorter, only 9.8 Earth hours. (C) This is because it spins(旋转) a lot faster than the Earth does. (D)
Another of Jupiter's interesting features(特性) is its “Great Red Spot.” On the surface of the planet is a large red spot. The spot is actually a huge storm like a hurricane, but bigger. It covers an area twice as big as the Earth and has been going on for at least 400 years!
62. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Features of the planet Jupiter.
B. Differences between Jupiter and other planets.
C. Galileo's accomplishments in astronomy(天文).
D. How Jupiter moves in the solar system.
63. According to Paragraph 3, why is Galileo's discovery important?
A. Because Jupiter was thought to be smaller than Earth.
B. Because people knew that Earth is not the only planet.
C. Because it meant that the planet goes around the Earth.
D. Because it proved that Earth is not the centre of the universe.
64. The underlined word “revolved” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A. approached B. stopped C. sped up D. circled
65. Where would the following sentence best fit into Paragraph 4, (A), (B), (C) or (D)?
This means that one year on Jupiter is as long as 11.6 Earth years.