NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed Lander on Mat's' icy north pole to search for clues for water and possible signs of life. The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

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NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed Lander on Mat's' icy north pole to search for clues for water and possible signs of life.

The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe (探测器) will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.

Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes (微生物) existed in the ice.

Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. "The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars similar to the permafrost (永冻土) regions on Earth," Peter Smith said.

True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous missions. The Lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Potar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet's south pole after its rocket engine shut off too early, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.

The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic (全景的) camera and a digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.

1. The passage mainly tells readers that _______.

A. clues of water will be found in Phoenix

B. the Mars Scout program will be carried out

C. August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off

D. Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars

2. According to the passage, we know Phoenix will 1and on Mars _______.

A. in August 2008 B. in August 2007

C. in May 2008 D. in September 2008

3. According to the passage, the name "Phoenix" is after the meaning of ________.

A. rebirth B. death C. energy D. hope

4. After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly ________.

A. find soil samples and send them to the earth

B. look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples

C. take photos and send them to the earth

D. find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

5. What's the best title for the passage?

A. An adventure to Mars B. The destruction of the Polar Lander

C. A plan for exploring Mars D. Information of Mars

1.D 2.C 3.A 4.B 5.C

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MOSCOW(Reuters) – Russia hopes the United States will extend the deadline to retire its space shuttles beyond 2011 and has heard unofficially it is possible, the head of Russia"s space agency was quoted as saying on Friday.

The U.S. space agency NASA(美国宇航局) plans six more missions by its fleet of aging space shuttles by late next year or early 2011 after the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) is completed. The shuttles will then be retired. But the head of Roscosmos, Russia"s space agency, said he would prefer to see further shuttle missions to the Space Station, now in orbit 360 km (225 miles) above Earth. "From some sources we have learned that it is possible to extend the life of the shuttle beyond 2011," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted by RIA news agency as saying. Reuters was not invited to the briefing(简报会). "Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side," Perminov was quoted as saying by Interfax. Perminov said he had not been told this through official channels, Interfax news agency reported. He added that NASA"s new chief and former astronaut Charles Bolden would visit Russia"s Baikonur cosmodrome on September 30 in his first foreign trip.

NASA"s future strategy is currently under review with the main focus on possible flights to Mars. It is also encouraging a private space taxi project to the ISS. NASA"s current plan, conceived under former President George Bush after the Columbia accident, is to complete the space station, retire the shuttles and build new spaceships. A new rocket and capsule to transport astronauts to the ISS is also being developed but will not be operational until about 2015. Until then, NASA will rely on Roscosmos and must pay $50 million per seat for flights to the ISS by Soyuz capsules.

The U.S., Russian and Chinese governments are the only entities currently capable of human orbital space flight, although several U.S. companies are developing vehicles and support services to do so.

What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．NASA agrees to extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011.

B．Reuters was not invited to the briefing.

C．The US would work jointly with Russia.

D．NASA’s new chief would visit Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome.

NASA’s current plan includes all the following EXCEPT .

A．completing International Space Station

B．flights to Mars

C．retiring the current space shuttles

D．building new spaceships

If the US doesn’t extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011, .

A．International Space Station will be quit

B．Roscosmos will have to build more spaceships

C．NASA will have to quicken the development of the new rocket and capsule

D．Roscosmos will be burdened with the transportation to ISS

We can infer from the passage that .

A．China has already been involved in the project of flights to Mars

B．it is certain the NASA will retire the current space shuttles as planned

C．NASA is considering Russia’s suggestion

D．NASA will be able to provide a private space taxi project to the ISS by 2015.

The space shuttle Discovery has had a long and busy career. For 27 years, it has worked for NASA, carrying astronauts to space and back on 39 missions. On March 9, 2011, after returning from its final voyage, the world’s most traveled spaceship was retired.
A crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Three minutes before noon, they watched as the shuttle appeared in the sky and made one last touchdown. “For the final time: wheels stop,” Discovery’s commander Steven Lindsey said when the shuttle rolled to a stop.
Discovery’s final trip was to the International Space Station (ISS), a giant space lab in the sky. Discovery’s crew took care of the last U.S. construction project at ISS. They delivered 10 tons of supplies for the ISS. The six-person crew also dropped off an unusual companion for ISS’s researchers: a human-like robot named Robonaut 2. Astronauts will assemble（组装）R2 at the ISS over several months.
Now, NASA is winding down its shuttle programme. NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances. Discovery’s retirement is the first of three. Endeavor, another shuttle, is scheduled to make its final voyage soon. And Atlantis’s last trip is planned for the end of June.
Museums across the country have requested the retired shuttles. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., was the lucky recipient（接收者）of Discovery. The museum’s collection contains hundreds of NASA artifacts.
Where will the other shuttles go? You’ll have to wait to find out. NASA will announce its decision on April 12, the 30^th anniversary of the first space shuttle launching. Stay tuned!
【小题1】As part of the final mission, Discovery’s crew___________.

A．carried researches to space

B．assembled the Robonaut 2 at the ISS

C．brought supplies to the ISS

D．went on a spacewalk

【小题2】The underlined phrase “winding down” in Paragraph 4 probably means _________.

【小题3】What can we infer from the text?

A．Discovery completed 39 missions during its two decades of space travel.

B．The ISS is a big project and six researchers live on the station.

C．American space exploration will focus on longer missions.

D．The shuttles Endeavor and Atlantis will make their last missions next month.

【小题4】According to the text, we can learn about ___________.

A．people’s opinions of Discovery’s retirement

B．the government’s concern about the shuttles’ future

C．the shuttles’ final homes after retirement

D．museums’ great interest in the retired shuttles

The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars, and stay there. This attractive career is for people who want a huge change of scenery and planet. The project is called the Hundred Years Starship, which aims to colonize (开拓殖民地) other lands such as the red planet Mars.
Settlers would travel to the red planet and live there forever. NASA says it would be too expensive to bring humans back to Earth. The space agency can afford, however, to send supplies to the astronaut pioneers from Earth. Astronauts would be landed on the planet's surface and would never be able to return home due to the cost.
NASA has started the project with $1.6 million, and hopes to attract investment from space-living billionaires. Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.
The journey to Mars could take 4 months. Setting on the red planet would be extremely dangerous, especially given the freezing temperatures there. The thin atmosphere would be another problem as it is mostly carbon dioxide, so oxygen supplies are a must. A director in NASA said that he believed the trip might start with visiting Mars's moons first. He claimed that humans could be on Mars's moons by 2030.
Many scientists think colonizing space is absolutely necessary. Steven Hawking believes we must move to other planets to survive as a species. He said: “Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe.” Scientists Dirk' Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies also call it a “desirable goal”, though there surely are huge risks to explore new lands.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about the Hundred Years Starship?

A．It has cost NASA around $10 billion.

B．It is expected to be conducted on Mars in 2030.

C．It aims to explore new lands in the universe.

D．It is a project first raise by Steven Hawking.

【小题2】We can infer from the passage that Google co-founder Larry Page _______.

A．used to be an astronaut	B．is no longer rich now
C．is a fan of space travel	D．is a generous man

【小题3】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．One-way trip to Mars

B．Mars's another moon is found.

C．Human landing on Mars.

D．NASA's first cooperation with Google.

Settlers would travel to the red planet and live there forever. NASA says it would be too expensive to bring humans back to Earth. The space agency can afford, however, to send supplies to the astronaut pioneers from Earth. Astronauts would be landed on the planet's surface and would never be able to return home due to the cost.

NASA has started the project with $1.6 million, and hopes to attract investment from space-living billionaires. Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.

The journey to Mars could take 4 months. Setting on the red planet would be extremely dangerous, especially given the freezing temperatures there. The thin atmosphere would be another problem as it is mostly carbon dioxide, so oxygen supplies are a must. A director in NASA said that he believed the trip might start with visiting Mars's moons first. He claimed that humans could be on Mars's moons by 2030.

Many scientists think colonizing space is absolutely necessary. Steven Hawking believes we must move to other planets to survive as a species. He said: “Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe.” Scientists Dirk' Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies also call it a “desirable goal”, though there surely are huge risks to explore new lands.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Hundred Years Starship?

A．It has cost NASA around $10 billion.

B．It is expected to be conducted on Mars in 2030.

C．It aims to explore new lands in the universe.

D．It is a project first raise by Steven Hawking.

2.We can infer from the passage that Google co-founder Larry Page _______.

A．used to be an astronaut B．is no longer rich now

C．is a fan of space travel D．is a generous man

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．One-way trip to Mars

B．Mars's another moon is found.

C．Human landing on Mars.

D．NASA's first cooperation with Google.

The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added --- a communications blackout caused by solar storms.

After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a fresh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.

Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications (通信) satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.

“The Sun’s activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites,” said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun’s atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged (带电) matter. “A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometers per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications,” Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.

Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.

The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.

Professor Richard Holdaway, the lab’s director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth “If we have advance warning, we’ll be able to reduce the damage. What you don’t want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what’s caused the problem,” he said.

The phrase underlined part in paragraph one most probably refers to _______ during the 2012 Olympics.

A. the state of the Olympic torch being put out

B. the failure of broadcasting systems

C. the transportation breakdown in London

D. the destruction of weather satellites

What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?

A. The most deadly matter from the corona falls onto Earth.

B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.

C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.

D. The number of sunspots decreases after coronal mass ejections.

Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer

B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger

C. Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race

D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled

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