Read the text and questions below. For each question mark the correct letter: A, B, C, or D. Is a huge asteroid going to hit the Earth in February 2019? Probably not, according to scientists but it’s going to be close. The asteroid was discovered in July 2002. Since then, astronomers have been working hard to calculate its exact path. If it collides with Earth, it will almost certainly destroy an area the size of Europe and cause global climate changes.
But before you start panicking, we’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the collision and prevent it from happening. Unlike in the movies, though, this probably won’t be done by destroying it with nuclear weapons. There will be two simpler options. The first will involve landing a small rocket on the asteroid and “driving” it slightly off course so it misses the Earth. The second option will be to use “a solar sail”, which is a bit like the sail on a ship, to change the asteroid’s course.
This is how scientific progress will help the mankind to survive.
What is the main purpose in writing the text?
to tell readers about the nature and origin of asteroids
to describe ways of studying asteroids
to explain how modern technologies can protect us from “outer space invaders”
to claim that nuclear weapons can completely destroy an asteroid of any size