Supernova hunters – B1+ English reading test

B1+ Reading Test

Read the text about supernova hunters and choose the correct missing sentence for each gap. There is ONE extra sentence that you don’t need to use.

Supernova Hunters

Koichi Itagaki is a cheerful and friendly 75-year-old  with a great sense of humour who loves looking at the stars. He is really good at finding something called supernovas, which are exploding stars. 1 __. His interest in astronomy – which is definitely more than just a pastime – started when he was a kid, playing with lenses and making his own telescope.

His passion for astronomy grew even bigger when he saw another amateur astronomer in Japan discover a comet with a homemade telescope back in 1963. 2 __. Even though he had a regular job running a snack food company, he always made time for his hobby. He saved up money to buy better telescopes and even turned over the company to his sons when he turned 60 so he could focus on astronomy full-time.

People like Itagaki have been helping out with astronomy for a long time. 3 __. They even found galaxies and nebulas, which are like giant space clouds. Nowadays, they’re even finding planets outside of our solar system. But Itagaki is special because he is not just good at what he does; he is also really dedicated to it.

He has found more than 170 supernovas, more than most people with the same interest. What makes Itagaki even more impressive is that a lot of the supernovas he discovers turn out to be really interesting to scientists. Even though he didn’t go to college, he taught himself about the universe and the stars and he has written a bunch of scientific papers about his discoveries. 4 __. This way, he could keep an eye on the sky every night, increasing his chances of discovering something new before anyone else.

Itagaki hunts for supernovas every night. After having dinner with his wife, he sets off to his private observatory in Yamagata, about 290 kilometres north of Tokyo, Japan. From his base – a hut with a bed, mini-fridge, microwave, and several screens – he can control his seven telescopes spread across three places in Japan. 5 __. They take two quick 15-second pictures before moving on to the next target.

But on this particular night, clouds cover most of Japan. 6 __. The next morning, he checks the pictures from the previous night for just 5 minutes when he sees something new and bright in one of the spiral arms of the Pinwheel galaxy, which is about 21 million light-years away. It was such a bright object that someone must have already seen it. 7 __. The news of Itagaki’s find spreads quickly, catching the attention of both professionals and amateur astronomers. They all start pointing their telescopes toward the new supernova, named SN 2023ixf, which happens to be the closest exploding star to Earth in ten years.

Reading comprehension test

Page 1 of 7

1 Gap 1

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 2 of 7

2 Gap 2

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 3 of 7

3 Gap 3

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 4 of 7

4 Gap 4

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 5 of 7

5 Gap 5

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 6 of 7

6 Gap 6

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

Page 7 of 7

7 Gap 7

a.To get away from the city lights, he built observatories in different parts of Japan, each with its own telescope.

b.Surprisingly, Itagaki was the first to report the discovery of this supernova to the database run by the International Astronomical Union.

c.That moment inspired him to start looking at the stars more seriously.

d.On clear nights, each telescope goes through a routine, as they focus on about 1000 galaxies that Itagaki watches over.

e.Thanks to Itagaki’s previous discoveries, it might be possible to observe instability on a massive star before its explosion.

f.But he jokes that he is not really an astronomer, just someone who enjoys finding new things in space as a hobby.

g.In the early hours of the morning, Itagaki decides to head back home, leaving the telescopes to do their job automatically in case the weather changes.

h.Back before there were big fancy telescopes, regular people discovered things like asteroids and comets that get close to Earth.

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