Test20

From the reading passage,Venus is called the morning star or the evening star because it shines brightly. The brightness of Venus results from the fact that it is  close to Earth and it is covered with white clouds which reflect off the sunlight. A spacecraft has reported that thick white clouds surrounding Venus consist of sulfuric acid and the temperature on its surface is up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

The listening passage adds that the extremely high temperature on Venus has caused surprise to scientists. They used to think that the thick clouds surrounding Venus should make the star become cooler. Because the small amount sunlight which can penetrate should not cause such a high temperature. The extremely hot temperature also does not result from the fact that Venus is close to the sun because Mercury, which is close to the sun has a lower temperature than the temperature on Venus. One possible explanation is that the atmosphere on Venus is almost filled with carbon dioxide which plays a role in trapping the heat and preventing from it escaping.

Venus

Mercury

Sun