Question

 Astronauts' meals have come a long way from the freezedried powders and semiliquid pastes of decades ago：now US scientists want to grow vegetables in minigreenhouses on the moon.

  Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Mar?tian outposts will be able to dine on fresh vegetables. Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers―and eventually food―on the moon. 

  Paragon,which has partnered with NASA in previous experiments on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station,calls it a "Lunar Oasis".

  This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46 cm triangular aluminum frame. It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface,and protect it while it grows.

  The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd.，a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $ 20 million to any entrant who can launch,land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.

  Paragon officials say future testing of the " Lunar Oasis" will be driven by Odyssey's flight schedule,which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest.

  When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica,a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days,it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.

  "Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away,but it is important that we do this re?search now," Paragon president Jane Poynter said.

  "It takes a long time to get a lot of research,and to get integrated,reliable efficient sys?tems before colonists move in ," she said.

(   ) 5. What can we know from the text?

   A. American astronauts have eaten fresh vegetables on the moon:

   B. Astronauts' meals have been the freezedried powers and semiliquid pastes so far.

   C. The sealed greenhouse looks like a semicircle jar.

   D. It won't take long before colonists move in to get a lot of research.

(   ) 6. The article implies that         .

   A. astronauts can grow flowers in space at present

   B. Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately

   C. Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space

   D. the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012

(   ) 7. The underlined word "colonists" in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of

   A. plants   B. wild beasts   C. human beings   D. scientists

(   ) 8. The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because         .

   A. their life cycle is much shorter

   B. they are more nutritious than other food

   C. they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage

   D. they are very delicious

Answer 1

5-8 BDCA

B篇：宇航员的太空食品是什么呢？目前科学家们正在从事一项名叫"Lunar Oasis"的实验，因此，未来人们有望实现在其他星球上种植缘色植物的梦想。

5. B细节理解题。根据第一段第一句内容可知答案为 B. A项还没有实现；C项与第四段第一句内容不符；而D项与最后一段所叙述内容不符。

6. D推理判断题。由文中第六段可知，最早实现实验可能是2012年。

7. C词义猜测题。由文中最后两段可以推测这里指的是人类。

8. A细节理解题。由文中倒数第三段尾句可知，它的生长周期短容易培植。