6.5 Say whether the following statements are true or false

1. 1. Galaxy is a great star system.

2. 2. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is classified as an elliptical galaxy.

3. 3. Seventeen galaxies of a supergalaxy are concentrated within a radius of about one million kilometeres.

4. 4. The Solar System consists of the sun, its nine planets and a variety of smaller bodies.

5. 5. The sun’s temperature is equal at its surface and at its core.

6. 6. The sun is almost entirely solid.

7. 7. Of all nine planets Pluto is closest to the sun.

8. 8. Asteroids are small masses of solid particles, held loosely together.

9. 9. There exist several hypotheses of the origin of the Solar System.

6.6 Fill in the blanks with the suitable words from the text

1. 1. Of all nine planets Mercury is ………. to the sun .……... by Venus, Earth, Mars, ..…….., Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in that order.

2. 2. The ………. planets are closer together and the ………. ones are farther apart.

3. 3. The planets ………. around their axes and ………. around the sun in elliptical ………. determined by the force of ………. .

4. 4. The ………. diameter of ………. is about 7 billion miles.

5. 5. As to the ………. of the Solar System there exist several hypotheses.

6. 6. The ………. theory suggested that the planets are formed of material torn away from ………. by the action of another star.

6.7 Ask questions to which these sentences are the answers

1. 1. The Universe as we view it today is made up of at least a billion aggregations of stars called galaxies

2. Yes, there may be millions of star systems like our own in the universe.

1. 3. The approximate age of our Solar System as determined by the radioactive method is about 4,5-5 thousand million years.

2. 4. The planets rotate around their axis and revolve around the sun.

3. 5. No, Neptune isnt the farthest planet to the sun. It’s Pluto.

4. 6. According to the “catastrophic” theory the planets were formed of material torn away from the sun by the action of another star.

5. 7. Our Solar System is believed to have originated from an immense cloud of gas and dust.

6. 8. Stars differ in surface temperature that’s why they are of different colour: white, blue, yellow and even red.

6.8 Translate into English

1. 1. Галактики различаются по форме и структуре. Млечный Путь – это спиральная галактика.

2. 2. Солнечная система – это крошечная частица вселенной. Она состоит из солнца, планет, спутников, космической пыли.

3. 3. Структура солнца газообразная. Преобладающий газ – водород.

4. 4. Солнечная система включает 31 спутник планет (не считая искусственных спутников Земли).

5. 5. Астероиды – это малые планеты, размером от 1 мили до 300 миль.

6. 6. Небулярная теория предполагает образование небесных тел путем концентрации космического вещества.