(C) The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just be

(C)

The2012LondonOlympicshadenoughproblemstoworryabout.Butonemorehasjustbeenadded-acommunicationsblackoutcausedbysolarstorms.

AfteraperiodofcalmwithintheSun,scientistshavedetectedthesignsofafleshcycleofsunspotsthatcouldpeakin2012,justintimeforthearrivaloftheOlympictorchinLondon.

NowscientistsbelievethatthispeakcouldresultinvastsolarexplosionsthatcouldthrowbillionsoftonsofchargedmattertowardstheEarth,causingstr ongsolarstormsthatcouldjamthetelecommunicationssatellitesandinteractlinkssendingfiveOlympicbroadcastfromLondon.

"TheSun'sactivityhasastr onginfluenceontheEarth.TheOlympicscouldbeinthemiddleofthenextsolarmaximumwhichcouldaffectthefunctionsofcommunicationssatellites,"saidProfessorRichardHarrison,headofspacephysicsattheRutherfordAppletonLaboratoryinOxfordshire.

Atthepeakofthecycle,violentoutburstscalledcoronalmassejections(日冕物质抛射)occurintheSun'satmosphere,throwingoutgreatquantitiesofelectr ically-chargedmatter."Acoronalmassejectioncancarryabilliontonsofsolarmaterialintospaceatoveramillionkilometr esperhour.Sucheventscanexposeastr onautstoadeadlyamount,candisablesatellites,causepowerfailuresonEarthanddisturbcommunications,"ProfessorHarrisonadded.Theriskisgreatestd uringasolarmaximumwhenthereisthegreatestnumberofsunspots.

NextweekinAmerica,NASAisscheduledtolaunchasatelliteformonitoringsolaractivitycalledtheSolarDynamicsObservatory(SDO),whichwilltakeimagesoftheSunthatare10timesclearerthanthemostadvancedtelevisionsavailable.

TheRutherfordAppletonLaboratoryhelpedtomakethehigh-techcamerasthatwillcaptureimagesofthesolarflares(太阳耀斑)andexplosionsastheyoccur.

ProfessorRichardHoldaway,thelab'sdirector,saidthattheSDOshouldbeabletoprovideearlywarningofasolarflareorexplosionbigenoughtoaffectsatellitecommunicationsonEarth"Ifwehaveadvancewarning,we'llbeabletoreducethedamage.Whatyoudon'twantisthingsswitchingoffforaweekwithnoideaofwhat'scausedtheproblem,"hesaid.

72.Thephrase"communicationsblackout"inparagraph1mostprobablyreferstoduringthe2012Olympics.

A.theextinguishingoftheOlympictorch

B.thecollapseofbroadcastingsystems

C.thetr ansportationbreakdowninLondon

D.thedestr uctionofweathersatellites

此题线索为第二三段的内容。