Mars has captured the imaginations of people since ancient times. People have long wondered if the planet is home to alien life. Over the years, a number of theories con-cerning this matter have arisen. In the nineteenth century, there were finally telescopes made that could closely examine at the surface of the Red Planet. While looking at Mars, an Italian astron-omer saw many straight channels on its surface. These were most likely caused by the action of either the wind or water in the distant past. When he published his observations, he used the Italian word canali, which means "channels". However, English-speaking astronomers interpreted the word as "canals" and assumed that he was referring to something akin to manmade canals on Earth. An American astronomer. Percival Lowell, believed that these "canals" had been built by a race of intelligent beings that had lived - and might still be living - on Mars. The result of that highly publicized claim was that a great number of myths about Mars suddenly arose. For instance, H. G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds, a book about a Martian invasion of Earth, in 1898. Over the next few decades, Mars and Martians featured in countless science fiction stories, movies, and TV shows. Years later, in the 1960s and 1970s, the United States sent several satellites to investigate Mars more closely. The satellites found no canals. but one picture sud-denly ignited a great deal of interest in Mars. In 1976, Viking 1 took a snapshot of the Martian surface. In the picture was what appeared to be an enormous human face. It was so large that it measured more than three kilometers long. This con-vinced people that there was - or had been - intelligent life on Mars. In 2001. however, the mystery of the Martian face was solved by Mars Global Surveyor. The pictures that it transmitted proved that the face was just a mesa, a type of geological formation. As for the "eyes, nose, and mouth" of the face, they were merely shadows. Despite this proof, many people are still convinced that signs of life could be found on Mars someday. 19. What is the best title for the passage? The Martian face and other mysteries What are Martians thought to look like? Martian Civilization: What happened to it? Mars and the belief that life exists on it 20. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about Mars? It is farther from the sun than Earth One of its nicknames is the Red Planet Humans hope to visit it someday It almost surely had life on it at some point 21. In line 15, the phrase akin to is closest in meaning to useful to resembling imitated by precisely lkie 22. The autor uses The war of the Worlds as example of evidence supporting the possibility of life on Mars a work inspired by thoughts of Mars a story based on Percival Lowell's work a bestselling novel and movie 23. What does the author point out by writing that a picture ignited a great deal of interest in Mars in line 25? Schools focused on educating students on Mars More pictures of Mars became avaible people wanted more satellites to be sent to Mars Many people began to think about Mars 24. What does the author say about the martian face? It was discovered by a satellite It proved there was life on Mars It was found near some channels It is located near some mesas 25. What did Mars Global Surveyor do? It searched for hidden canals on Mars It mapped part of the surface of Mars It showed what the Martian face really was It looked for signs of life on Mars