2．On December 14，NASA（National Aeronautics and Space） blasted a small but mighty telescope into space．The telescope is called WISE and is about as wide around as a trashcan．Don't let its small size fool you：WISE has a powerful digital camera，and it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects in the known universe，including asteroids，faint stars，blazing galaxies and giant clouds of dust where planets and stars are born．
"I'm very excited because we're going to be seeing parts of the universe that we haven't seen before，"said Ned Wright，a scientist who directs the WISE project．
Since arriving in space，the WISE telescope has been circling the Earth，held by gravity in a polar orbit（this means it crosses close to the north and south poles with each lap （一圈）．Its camera is pointed outward，away from the Earth，and WISE will snap a picture of a different part of the sky every 11minutes．After six months it will have taken pictures across the entire sky．
The pictures taken by WISE won't be like everyday digital photographs，however．WISE stands for"Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer．"As its name suggests，the WISE camera takes pictures of features that give off infrared radiation （红外线辐射）．
Radiation is energy that travels as a wave．Visible light，including the familiar spectrum of Light（光谱） that becomes visible in a rainbow，is an example of radiation．When an ordinary digital camera takes a picture of a tree，for example，it receives the waves of visible light that are reflected off the tree．When these waves enter the camera through the lens，they're processed by the camera，which then puts the image together．
Waves of infrared radiation are longer than waves of visible light，so ordinary digital cameras don't see them，and neither do the eyes of human beings．Although invisible to the eye，longer infrared radiation can be detected as warmth by the skin．
That's a key idea to why WISE will be able to see things other telescopes can't．Not everything in the universe shows up in visible light．Asteroids，for example，are giant rocks that float through space-but they absorb most of the light that reaches them．They don't reflect light，so they are difficult to see．But they do give off infrared radiation，so an infrared telescope like WISE will be able to produce images of them．During its mission WISE will take pictures of hundreds of thousands of asteroids．
Brown dwarfs（褐矮星）are another kind of deep-space object that will show up in WISE's pictures．These objects are"failed"stars-which means they are not massive enough to jump start the same kind of reactions that power stars such as the sun．Instead，brown dwarfs simply shrink and cool down．They're so dim that they're almost impossible to see with visible light，but in the infrared spectrum they glow．
74．What is so special about WISEA？
A．Its digital camera can help astronomers to see the unknown space．
B．It is as small as a trashcan．
C．It is small in size but carries a large camera．
D．Never before has a telescope carried a digital camera in space．
75．The camera on WISED．
A．is not different from an ordinary camera
B．does not see infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does
C．reflects light that human eyes can see
D．catches the infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does not
76．Which of the following is NOT correct about"asteroids"according to paragraph 7B？
A．Asteroids do not reflect light that reaches them．
B．Asteroids float through space giving off visible light．
C．It is difficult to take asteroids'pictures by ordinary cameras．
D．The WISE telescope can take pictures of asteroids．
77．What is implied in the last paragraphC？
A．Brown dwarfs give off visible light．
B．Brown dwarfs are power stars like the sun．
C．Brown dwarfs give off infrared radiation．
D．Brown dwarfs are impossible to see with the WISE telescope．
分析 本篇文章主要介绍了WISE望远镜的特殊之处，它虽然体积小，但它的数码相机能拍到任何天体，所以能够帮助天文学家观测到宇宙空间中的未知天文现象．并对为什么它比其他普通镜头优越做了科学解释．
解答 74 A．细节理解题．短文的第一段的it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects in the known universe和第二段内容可知，WISE 的特殊之处就在于它虽然体积小，但它的数码相机能拍到任何天体，所以能够帮助天文学家观测到宇宙空间中（ in the known universe ）的未知天文现象．且其他选项都不是短文表达的意思． 故选A．
75．D．细节理解题．短文第四段中ordinary digital cameras don't see them，and neither do the eyes of human beings以及最后一段That's a key idea to why WISE will be able to see things other telescopes can't可知，人类的肉眼和普通相机看到的光是可见光，看不见红外线辐射，而WISE 的相机能够看到． 故选D．
76．B．理解判断题．由最后一段中的they absorb most of the light that reaches them．They don't reflect light．小行星会吸收大多数光，不反射光，因此他们不会发光，B错误，故选B．
77．C．理解推断题． 最后一段的第一句Brown dwarfs（褐矮星）are another kind of deep-space object that will show up in WISE's pictures，褐矮星能出现在WISE 照片中．而据上文对WISE 望远镜的描述只有WISE 望远镜才能拍到红外线射线，所以推出褐矮星发出红外射线．故选C．
点评 科教类阅读难度比一般阅读较大，它存在的生词比较多，因此考生应当综合略读、跳读和查读，猜词等阅读技巧来做题，平时也应加强练习．
