IT WAS straight out of the script of a Hollywood blockbuster. In the dying days of 2004, astronomers spotted a 400-metre-wide asteroid on a collision course with Earth. There was a 1 in 38 chance that it would hit us in 2029, and as an object that size could devastate an entire country, those odds seemed far too short for comfort.
But by the start of 2005, the script had run out of steam 鈥� and was anyway overshadowed by an all-too-real disaster. A bit more information, a quick recalculation and it turned out that the asteroid would miss us by 30,000 kilometres. Or 30,000 miles if you watched CNN. It was a case of 鈥渒iss your asteroid goodbye鈥�, as the New York Post鈥榮 headline memorably put it after an almost identical scare in 1998.
The year also saw George Bush and Tony Blair holding out the prospect of a revival of nuclear power, a legacy that could stay with us long after they have retired. And it was a year of ferocious hurricanes. Were they a result of global warming? The jury is still out on that one. But at least Bush, having sat on the fence for so long that you can almost see the perforations, finally conceded that climate change is a 鈥渕ajor long-term problem鈥� 鈥� even if he鈥檚 leaving it for others to solve.
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But that鈥檚 enough of the flavour of the year. Here鈥檚 New 杏吧原创鈥榮 traditional antidote to the seasonal hangover, our quiz. The correct answers all appeared in the magazine this year.
Worldly warmers
1. As climate sceptics are delighted to point out, when satellites take the Earth鈥檚 temperature, they find that the planet isn鈥檛 warming up. Why is this?
a) Errors caused by the handover of one satellite to another have obscured the trend
b) The sensors aren鈥檛 accurate enough
c) They started out by taking the temperature at 2 pm local time, but have drifted and are now taking it at 5 pm, when it鈥檚 cooler
2. Cutting pollution is not necessarily synonymous with tackling global warming. How has cleaner air contributed to global warming?
a) Smog used to cut the amount of sunlight reaching the surface
b) More efficient engines are producing less soot and more carbon dioxide
c) Water used to condense around particles, producing cooling rain and snow
Timeless troubles
3. Growing old is always better than the alternative. So what鈥檚 a sure sign that you are ageing?
a) You鈥檝e finally worked out how to set the video recorder only to find it has been replaced by DVDs
b) Even judges are beginning to look young
c) You鈥檝e started going to bed earlier
4. Why did the pharaohs never smile?
a) There were no dentists in ancient Egypt
b) Puns are impossible in hieroglyphics
c) Well, would you if your dentist鈥檚 day job was 鈥済uardian of the anus鈥�?
Toxic tipples
5. In 1867 Sweden鈥檚 harvests failed. Forget famine, this was a serious matter for the nation鈥檚 drinkers because there was no barley or potatoes to turn in to alcohol. What happened next?
a) An outbreak of blindness, caused by attempts to distil alcohol from wood
b) Reindeer went hungry, as distillers raided their grazing grounds to make alcohol from lichens
c) The winter was unbearably dreary and the suicide rate soared
6. After a hard night鈥檚 partying most of us attempt to cope with the next morning with a nice strong cup of coffee. Why is it good for you?
a) It cuts the risk of colon cancer
b) It may help to stave off alcohol-induced liver damage
c) It鈥檚 an illusion: it just raises your blood pressure
Healthy alternatives
7. Gyms expect a sharp increase in custom in the new year as people put their resolutions into practice and try to work off the season鈥檚 excesses. But what should be as much a part of a healthy lifestyle as a good workout?
a) An apple a day
b) A Bloody Mary made with organic tomato ketchup
c) A good joke
8. Seafood can give you an extremely nasty bout of food poisoning. One of the nastier bugs is Vibrio parahaemolyticus. How can you avoid it?
a) Make sure your shrimps are properly cooked
b) Garnish your dish with cranberries and oregano
c) Follow it with a large slug of spirit
Miscellany
9. Instead of sergeant majors barking orders, the US army is working on a new way of telling their troops what to do. What is it?
a) Small electrical signals transmitted through bulletproof tunics
b) Head-up displays on their helmets: it鈥檚 the ultimate video game
c) Soldiers will be trained to respond to smells, allowing them to claim they were only obeying odours
10. A woolly lemur was discovered this year in Madagascar. What is the main reason it was named Avahi cleesei, after the actor John Cleese?
a) Because it has long legs
b) Because of Cleese鈥檚 film Fierce Creatures, which promotes conservation
c) Because the lemur enjoys making silly jumps
Soccer pundits were amazed when Liverpool, the underdogs, won Europe鈥檚 Champions League this year. What was the players鈥� secret advantage?
a) Liverpool is the most musical city in Europe, and the supporters鈥� singing spurs on the players
b) They wear a red strip
c) None. They鈥檙e just great footballers
How you scored
You get 10 points for every right answer, and lose 10 points for every wrong answer. So if you鈥檝e scored more than zero there鈥檚 a good excuse for another modest celebration.
Answers
1.c 2.a 3.c 4.a 5.b 6.a 7.c 8.b 9.c 10.b
Picture question: b