Question

Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.

European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.

What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.

A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.

"It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia.

Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.

Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.

There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.

According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.

9. European researchers are conducting hibernation experiments to ________.

A. ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep  B. find the secret of some creatures

C. make preparations for the journey to Jupiter’s moon Callisto

D. know if man can sleep for years

 10. The sentence “What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely” means ______.

A. Science fiction is people’s imagination.

B. Science fiction is imaginative, but it can be realized.

C. Things seem impossible may come true.

D. Things described in science fiction are sure to become true.

11. The passage is implied but doesn’t states that ________.

A. putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure

B. Biggiogera is confident with the experiment

C. human’s hibernation needs no energy

D. medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system

12. By designing a suitable protective shelter, astronauts can ________.

A. have a good hibernation        B. lessen the pressure of traveling in space

C. feed themselves in spaceship    D. moinitor their body changes

13. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Six humans to fly to Callisto  B. Human hibernation improves health

C. Space travel attracts people   D. Deep sleep for deep space travel

Answer 1

9-13  DCBAD

解析:

9.  由句子The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets. 可知。

10.  本句话意思是“看起来像科幻小说的事情并非完全不可能”。

11. 其话语的意思是“这就像把简单的苹果电脑变成超级电脑一样”，可以推测“只是一个时间问题，其过程可能复杂一些，但是可能性是存在的。”

12.  由句子Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation可知。

13.  文章主要围绕“为打发星际探索中的漫漫旅途，人类开始进行‘冬眠’技术的研究”。所以认为D项比较全面地概括了文章意思。