How many planets are there in our galaxy? That’s a tricky question to answer. Are there other planets that support life? That’s exactly what the Kepler mission hopes to discover.
NASA launched the Kepler space telescope, designed to find habitable planets, in 2009. So far it has discovered five new Earth-sized planets beyond our solar System. These planets are hotter than the Earth -much too hot for life as we know it. The Kepler team predict that they will need at least three years to find an Earth-like planet.The simplest requirement for a planet to have life is for there to be liquid water so the distance from the planet’s sun and therefore temperature are important. There also needs to be the correct amount of air. If a planet is as small as Mars (half the size of Earth) its weak gravity means that it can’t hold on to air molecules. If a planet is Neptune sized (four times bigger than Earth) it has very strong gravity and too much air. So size
matters too. The cost of the mission is approximately six hundred million dollars. It is scheduled to observe until 2013 but this could be extended. Will we be sad if we discover we are alone in our galaxy or happy if we find that we share it with other life forms?

B. Choose the correct answers.
1. What is the passage about?

A. Planets in our solar System

B. The difference between Earth and other planets
C. Space exploration to find habitable planets

D. NASA’s missions to explore the outer planets
2. The Kepler space telescope is looking for__________

A. new planets in our galaxy

B. life on other planets
C. liquid water on other planets

D. Earth-sized planets in the solar System
3. Kepler has found five planets that__________.

A. has water and air

B. are similar to Earth
C. are not too far away from the Earth

D. are not in our solar System
4. The Kepler team predict that they will need__________ to find an Earth-like planet.
A. three years and possibly longer

B. as much as three years
C. no more than three years

D. approximately three years
5. What are the primary factors that make a planet habitable?
A. Liquid water and living things

 B. Size and distance from the Sun
C. Hot temperature and weak gravity

D. Strong gravity and too much air
6. How much does the Kepler mission cost?

A. Exactly $600 million

B. About $600 million
C. More than $600 million

D. Less than $600 million
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The planet can support life if it has water and air.

B. A very small planet will not have enough air.
C. Earth is four times as big as Neptune.

D. Kepler mission is scheduled to end in 2013.

. Read the paragraph and answer the following questions (2pts)

We don't live a normal life like many other people. We live a nomadic life. This means we move two or three times a year to look for new pastures - grasslands - for our cattle. The cattle provide most of our needs: dairy products, meat, and clothing.

We live in a ger, our traditional circular tent. It keeps us cool in summer and warm in winter, even when the temperature drops to -50°C. It can be put up then taken down and transported.

For most of the year, we are surrounded by vast pastures, rivers and mountains. We see few people from the outside world. When we are small, we play on our land and with the animals. The horse is our best friend. Any nomadic child can ride a horse. We learn from an early age to help in the family, from household chores to heavier work like herding the cattle. We also learn to be brave.

1. Where do nomadic people live?

2. Do they have to make a new ger when they move to a new place ?

3. What can their cattle provide them with ?

4. What do Mongolian children in the Gobi play with?

1.   ……… the people of ancient Egypt. Life on earth was short. (For, To, Owing to, On)

2.   It’s ……… that everybody will live in town. (Like, likely, likable, liked)

9.   The dust men ……… the rubbish every day. (Pick, deliver, bring, collect)

10. Was it broken accidentally? – No, he did it on………. (Intention, purpose, choice, deliver)

VII. Rewrite the sentence so that it means as the first ones, beginning with the given words. (1 pt) 

1. It’s important to remove your shoes when entering a temple.

You must...............................................

2. The nomads started to live on Gobi highlands many years ago.

 The nomads have ......................................

3. A buffalo ploughs better than a horse.

 A horse doesn’t...................................

4. She doesn’t know much about traditional festivals although she learns well at school. 

Despite................................................

II. Complete the sentences with the words in part I.
1. If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the _______________.
2. Horses are grazing in the _______________.
3. He helped his uncle load hay onto a _______________.
4. Mongolia’s nomads live in a traditional tent called _______________.
5. We saw lots of lush rice _______________ on the way to the village.
6. In Mongolia, he spent time with the nomads of the Gobi _______________.
7. A boy was driving the herd of _______________ to the pasture.
8. It is _______________, and all the farmers are very busy.
9. The Maasai are _______________ and cattle raisers.
10. The doctor told me to eat less red meat and _______________.

buffalo drawn cart 
harvest time 
paddy field
cattle 
pasture 
ger 
beehive 
highlands 
dairy products
nomad

Read the text carefully, then choose the correct answers.
For 3,000 years, Mongolians have lived in the rural areas, adopting a pastoral way of life, moving in the
search of new pastures. They depend largely on their livestock for a living and sustain themselves with what
they can get from the land. Today, approximately half of Mongolia’s population is still roaming the vast plains
living in the ger and moving their campings several timesa year. Nomadic life thrives in summer and survives
in winter. When temperatures are warm, they work hard on their farms to get milk and make airag, consuming
meat from their sheeps and goats. Once winter comes, temperatures dip extremely low and they stay indoors
and survive on horse meat.
With the rise of technology, changes in the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle are almost inevitable. While they
still lead their lifestyle as pastoral herders, many use motorbikes to herd cattle and horses. To move their
homes, trucks have taken the place of ox carts. Solar panels are also becoming an addition to the ger, giving
them access to electricity without being confined to one place. The nomads use solar energy to power television
sets and mobile phones.
1. Mongolians regularly move from place to place in order to _________.
a.look for food for their family b. find pastures for their livestock
c. herd their cattle and horses d. sell their animals and farm products
2. How many Mongolians still live a traditional nomadic life?
a.Close to 40 percent b. More than 50 percent
c. About 50 percent d. Approximately 60 percent
3. What is a ger?
a.A portable, round tent b. A thatched house
c. A circular house made of snow d. A wooden hut
4. What is the Mongolian’s main food in winter?
a.airag b. goat meat c. sheep meat d. horse meat
5. Today, Mongolian nomads _________.
a.don’t lead their lifestyle as herders any more
b.use ox carts to move their homes
c.use solar energy to power electronic devices
d.have the advantage of urban life
6. Which of the followings is NOT true about Mongolian nomads?
a.They live in the countryside.
b.They live by and for their livestock.
c.They work hard in winter when the temperature dip very low.