Five years ago, astronomers viewed Mars as an essentially dead world. Recent discoveries made by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and gleaned from Martian meteorites have changed that opinion.
The new picture of a `youthful Mars' not only confirms that geological activity occurred abundantly in the first two thirds of Mars's history, but also that it has continued until comparatively recently, and probably persists up to the present day. This finding will have a dramatic effect on the human exploration of Mars, and the quest to learn whether life ever existed there.
In the next few decades the subsurface layers of Mars will be examined in a search for Martian microbes, either past or present. The test of whether life evolved on Mars is a major scientific problem because an answer either way would have profound consequences. If life did evolve on Mars, what was it like and what was its basis at the molecular level? If life never appeared on Mars, why didn't it, and does this mean that humanity is alone in the universe?
1. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a) What was the recent finding about Mars?
b) What would scientists have to answer if it was proved that life had never appeared on Mars?
2.Are the following statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
a) Mars was considered a dead world five years ago.
b) The new picture of Mars confirms that the geological activity occurred only in its old history.
3. Complete the following sentence with “a” or ” b”
The new evidence has been obtained ..................
a) while looking for Martian meteorites.
b) by a space vehicle and after studying Martian meteorites.
4.What or who do the underlined words in the text refer to?
a) that opinion§1…… b) there§2………
B.TEXT EXPLORATION:
1. Find words or phrases in the text which are closet in meaning to:
a)young §2…… b) took place§2 ……
2.Form the opposites of the following by adding to them the correct prefixes .
a) appear≠…… b) probable ≠…… c) responsible ≠……….
3.Join the pairs of sentences below using the connectors in brackets.Make any necessary changes.
1. There are some evidences that life may be possible on Mars. Nothing yet is totally confirmed. (Although)
2. Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy.It uses the physical laws to explain the behaviour of the stars and other objects in space. (which)
4.Complete sentence “b” so that it means the same as sentence “a”
1.a) The space sector in Algeria is being developed.
b)Algeria …………………………………………
2.a)“Is Japan among the pioneering countries in space technology?”he wondered.
b) He wondered ……………
3.a) I feel really sad that my country doesn’t have a communication satellite for its own.
b) I wish…………………
6.Classify the following words in the table below according to the pronunciation of their final “s”.
discoveries – Martians- consequences- astronauts
PART TWO : WRITTEN EXPRESSION(choose one topic only) (5pts)
Topic one : Suppose a comet collided with our planet, what would happen then? Write a short essay predicting the consequences of such a collision.The following clues may help you:
Impact on earth surface/ cause crater /volcanic eruption/climate change /flooding/earthquake/alteration of earth orbit/extinction of human kind..etc.
Topic two: Some people think that the budget devoted to space programmes is wasted money. What do you think? Give arguments.
The new picture of a `youthful Mars' not only confirms that geological activity occurred abundantly in the first two thirds of Mars's history, but also that it has continued until comparatively recently, and probably persists up to the present day. This finding will have a dramatic effect on the human exploration of Mars, and the quest to learn whether life ever existed there.
In the next few decades the subsurface layers of Mars will be examined in a search for Martian microbes, either past or present. The test of whether life evolved on Mars is a major scientific problem because an answer either way would have profound consequences. If life did evolve on Mars, what was it like and what was its basis at the molecular level? If life never appeared on Mars, why didn't it, and does this mean that humanity is alone in the universe?
1. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a) What was the recent finding about Mars?
b) What would scientists have to answer if it was proved that life had never appeared on Mars?
2.Are the following statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
a) Mars was considered a dead world five years ago.
b) The new picture of Mars confirms that the geological activity occurred only in its old history.
3. Complete the following sentence with “a” or ” b”
The new evidence has been obtained ..................
a) while looking for Martian meteorites.
b) by a space vehicle and after studying Martian meteorites.
4.What or who do the underlined words in the text refer to?
a) that opinion§1…… b) there§2………
B.TEXT EXPLORATION:
1. Find words or phrases in the text which are closet in meaning to:
a)young §2…… b) took place§2 ……
2.Form the opposites of the following by adding to them the correct prefixes .
a) appear≠…… b) probable ≠…… c) responsible ≠……….
3.Join the pairs of sentences below using the connectors in brackets.Make any necessary changes.
1. There are some evidences that life may be possible on Mars. Nothing yet is totally confirmed. (Although)
2. Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy.It uses the physical laws to explain the behaviour of the stars and other objects in space. (which)
4.Complete sentence “b” so that it means the same as sentence “a”
1.a) The space sector in Algeria is being developed.
b)Algeria …………………………………………
2.a)“Is Japan among the pioneering countries in space technology?”he wondered.
b) He wondered ……………
3.a) I feel really sad that my country doesn’t have a communication satellite for its own.
b) I wish…………………
6.Classify the following words in the table below according to the pronunciation of their final “s”.
discoveries – Martians- consequences- astronauts
PART TWO : WRITTEN EXPRESSION(choose one topic only) (5pts)
Topic one : Suppose a comet collided with our planet, what would happen then? Write a short essay predicting the consequences of such a collision.The following clues may help you:
Impact on earth surface/ cause crater /volcanic eruption/climate change /flooding/earthquake/alteration of earth orbit/extinction of human kind..etc.
Topic two: Some people think that the budget devoted to space programmes is wasted money. What do you think? Give arguments.