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高考英语时事热点话题阅读:热点16 外太空探测与载人航天梦(学生版+解

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2023年11月5日发(作者：年终总结报告)

高考英语时事热点话题阅读

热点16 外太空探测与载人航天梦

一、阅读理解

Humans may not have landed on Mars () yet, but that isn’t stopping a European company from devising a

火星

plan to nd four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to nd a

small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.

＂＂＂

Everything we need to go to Mars exists, said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. We

have the rockets to nd people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the ttlement for

humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists. Yet the four astronauts () chon for the trip

＂宇航员

will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars On’s thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that

may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission’s huge cost ($6

billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project by lling the broadcast

rights for the mission and subquent experiences living on the planet.

Tho broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to lect the people who will be nt to Mars. Lansdorp

said the company will hold a lection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million

applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, veral other potential problems could inhibit(

阻

止

) the mission to Mars.

＂

It’s even more challenging to nd people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other

things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay

on Mars, said Adam Baker, nior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. The sheer

＂＂

size of the rockets you’d need to do this would be absolutely colossal.

＂

1. According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. For a one-way trip to Mars, all the technology exists.

B. He could not come up with the fund for Mars One.

C. We humans have the rockets to nd people to Mars.

D. We humans have the equipment to land on Mars.

2. According to the passage, all the following statements are TRUE EXCEPT that ______________.

A. a competition process will be held to lect the four astronauts

B. the cost of Mars One could go as much as $6 billion

C. if it goes as planned, we could expect to watch Mars One on TV

D. the four astronauts could return to Earth after a few years’ stay on Mars

3. The word colossal in the last paragraph is clost in meaning to ______________.

＂＂

A. very large B. very small

C. medium D. average

4. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?

A. Ready for a Round Trip to Mars

B. Ready for a Short Visit to Mars

C. Ready for a One-Way Trip to Mars

D. Ready for a Walk on Mars

Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet,but they say a robotic vehicle called “Curiosity” is

helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.

Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more than eight was nt

to Mars by scientists from NASA in the United States.

Curiosity is about the size of a car and has six also has a robotic arm,cameras,and instruments that

allow it to examine things it finds on the it nds the information back to the earth.

Curiosity’s main task is to find out if anything could live on Mars,either now or in the Nov.2,NASA

scientists held a press conference () to discuss what Curiosity had found in its first two months on

新闻发布会

Mars.

Curiosity has found soil that is similar to the sand formed by volcanoes () on the ists say that

火山

studying the minerals in Martian soil will help them understand what conditions were like on the planet in the

ity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and ashores on the earth,where their

rough edges have been worn down by is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell

them that a river ud to run through the place where they were found.

Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called methane (),but so far it has

甲烷

not found the earth,most methane is produced by plants or e on Mars might indicate that

some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.

Curiosity is the fourth robotic vehicle to be nt to will continue to explore the planet for about two

years.

5. Which of the following descriptions about Curiosity is TRUE?

A. It landed on Mars in January 2012.

B. It is small in size and has four arms.

C. It took over eight months to arrive in Mars.

D. It was nt to Mars by scientists from Russia.

6. According to the information nt back by Curiosity,scientists believe that .

A. there’s no air on Mars B. Mars is warm and wet now

C. the soil on Mars is rich D. there ud to be water on Mars

7. The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 5 refers to “”.

A. smooth stones B. rivers

C. robotic vehicles D. volcanoes

8. We know from the sixth paragraph that .

A. some tiny animals once lived on Mars

B. there are no plants or animals on Mars now

C. the atmosphere around Mars is full of methane

D. Curiosity is designed to test the atmosphere around the earth

9. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Humans benefit a lot by going to Mars.

B. Scientists will stop the rearch on Mars soon.

C. It is possible to build an earth-like environment on Mars.

D. A robotic vehicle helps scientists get uful information from Mars.

Is it possible to live on other planets? The United States government is taking a rious look at the moon and

Mars as potential places for future human ttlement. The moon could rve as a training ground for later journeys

to Mars. Currently, with Mars becoming the eventual long-term goal, rious questions exist as to whether the

dangers of the ttlement on the moon are too extreme and unnecessary.

One major reason the ttlement on the moon is too dangerous is the difference between the atmosphere

environment of the moon and Mars. Atmosphere is important becau it protects humans and all other life from a

continuous attack of radiation () caud by sources such as the sun. This radiation is especially dangerous to

辐射

humans becau it increas the risk of cancer and can negatively change DNA. The fact that the moon has no

atmosphere can cau great harm to human beings. Although Mars’ atmosphere is significantly thinner than Earth’s,

at least it has one and would create some sort of protective barrier for humans.

Another important characteristic necessary for human ttlement is natural resources like water, of which the

moon is believed to have none. Mars, however, contains vast quantities of water ice, dry ice, and also snow. There

is also sufficient evidence that water once existed at the surface of Mars and might return in the future if the planet

warms. With incread technologies, the potential for ttlers to remain on Mars by being increasingly

lf-sufficient makes Mars a much more attractive goal as the space ttlement than the moon.

Future ttlers will not only benefit from potential water on Mars; the planet is also rich in other natural

resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, and minerals, which can be well ud in productive ways. For example,

hydrogen can be ud as fuel, and it can be combined with nitrogen () to form new materials necessary for

氮气

human ttlement. Due to the advantages,

Mars would be a more successful planet for exploration and ttlement becau it contains the basic resources

necessary for humans to survive.

Since the environment of Mars is more similar to that of Earth and it contains resources necessary to help

life exist, it should be the only option for any kind of long-term human ttlement. The ttlement

on Mars would not only be a milestone in space but also an excellent chance for mankind to improve itlf from

past adventures on Earth and prerve and make the best u of the natural resources Mars has to offer.

10. According to Paragraph 2, the atmosphere on Mars would .

A. change the DNA structure of humans

B. measure the harmful radiation from space

C. provide protection against dangerous effects

D. cau humans to be expod to rious illness

11. What can be inferred about water on Mars?

A. It is not prent in a liquid state.

B. It doesn’t exist in large quantities.

C. It will bring potential dangers to ttlers.

D. It can be easily changed into liquid forms.

12. The author believes that .

A. exploration of Mars takes great risk

B. natural resources on Mars last forever

C. ttlement on Mars is perfectly acceptable

D. Mars is more suitable for ttlement than Earth

13. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?

CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point () C: Conclusion

次要点

A. B.

C. D.

Junk can be an annoying thing. But dealing with the junk in your room is quite easy — just remove it. How

about the junk in space? NASA is considering using lars() to move space junk around the Earth.

激光

Scientists suggest that the energy contained in the lar could change the junk’s cour by 650 feet (about

198m) a day. While that won’t be enough to knock it out of orbit, it could avoid a collision with a space station or

satellite. Where does space junk come from and why should scientists want to move it?

There two main sources of space junk. One is exploded rockets. The largest amount of junk was caud by a

rocket nt up into space in 1994. Its explosion in 1996 created a cloud of some 300,000 fragments(), each at

碎片

least 4 mm in size. Another source is astronaut error. Suppo an astronaut is doing a repair in space, he or she

drops the wrench() and it’s gone forever. It spins into orbit, probably at a speed of around 6 miles(1.6km) a

扳手

cond.

Space junk is a huge threat to the lives of astronauts in space shuttles and on the International Space Station. A

tiny speck() of paint from a satellite once dug a hole in a space shuttle window nearly half a centimeter wide.

微粒

Scientists are fully aware of this problem. They monitor the paths of space fragments and immediately report

any threat of an orbital impact. Some 20,000 pieces of rubbish are currently being monitored in low-Earth orbit.

So far no effective ways have been found to avoid space junk.

Is there any danger of us on Earth getting hit by space junk? Probably not. Scientists say most space objects

that re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn up or re-enter over water. So relax! The chance of getting hit by a falling

astronaut’s glove is small.

14. According to the passage, which of the following probably is the greatest source of space junk?

A. Space shuttles. B. Rocket fragments.

C. Ud satellites. D. Astronauts’ tools

15. To deal with space junk around the Earth, NASA will u lars to ________.

A. knock space junk out of orbit B. destroy the space junk directly

C. move the space junk off cour D. prevent the space junk from spinning

16. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Scientists don’t think the space junk problem is rious.

B. There are currently 20,000 pieces of rubbish around the Earth.

C. Scientists have been following the paths of space junk cloly.

D. Several ways have been worked out for astronauts to avoid space junk.

At 8: Beijing time on November 3, accompanied by the thunderous roar of engines, a 57-meter-tall

rocket pushed itlf into the sky over Hainan Province.

An increasing number of Chine rockets have been launched in the past few years, but this one was

particularly significant. It was the first launch of the new Long March 5 rocket, which is much larger than previous

versions of China’s carrier rockets. Its successful launch has pushed China to the forefront of the world in terms of

rocket carrying capacity (). The heavy-lift carrier rocket will enable China to build a permanent manned

容量、能力

space station by 2022.

“China is developing very rapidly into one of the major space players,” says Brian Harvey, a space analyst and

author of China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. “You will e the Chine quite visibly begin to match the

capacity of the other space powers.” “We are not satisfied with the achievements we have made in the fields of

space technology. With the development of China’s space program, we are trying to make contributions to human

knowledge about the univer.” says Wang Chi of the National Space Science Center.

For the next decade, the Tiangong Space Station will be China’s principal destination. Although not as large as

the International Space Station, it will have a broadly similar capacity to perform scientific experiments. China also

plans to land a small rover () on the far side of the moon in 2018, which will be a world first. Also in the

探测车

advanced planning stages is a over to go to Mars. Additionally, designs for a Long March 9 rocket are being studied.

With the first launch of the rocket due in 2025, China could very well be in a position to land astronauts on the

moon by 2030.

China’s space program is making progress year upon year. It is quite clear that a dramatic shift in space power

is taking place.

17. Why was the launch on Nov. 3 particularly significant?

A. It was first done from the a in Hainan province.

B. It was the first time to launch Chine carrier rocket.

C. It launched the biggest carrier rocket in the world.

D. It marked a new era of space exploration in China.

18. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A. Development of China’s space program.

B. China’s contributions to space stations.

C. Comments on China’s space exploration.

Mankind’s most famous “eye in the sky” turned 30 this year, taking a beautiful image of “space clouds” to

celebrate.

The Hubble Space Telescope, known to most simply as “Hubble”, was nt into space on April 24, 1990. The

telescope, one of our best space exploration tools, us a large mirror to collect light and direct it into a powerful

digital camera. This allows it to e parts of outer space that are located 10 to 15 billion light-years away.

Each year on its birthday, the telescope takes a new image to celebrate. On its 30 birthday, Hubble took an

image titled “Cosmic Reef”. The picture shows two big clouds of cosmic dust and gas: the giant red nebula NGC

2014 and a smaller blue nebula called NGC 2020, according to Space. The title of the image comes from NGC

2014’s appearance, as it looks like a large reef of red coral.

Hubble has made many important discoveries over the last 30 years. For example, the telescope helped us

discover four of Pluto’s five moons. This discovery made it possible to plan a mission for the New Horizons probe,

which took never-before-en images of Pluto in 2015. The telescope has also taken photos of pulsating stars. The

regular puls of light that come from the stars allow us to calculate the age of the univer, which is currently

believed to be 13.7 billion years old.

But Hubble’s work is not done yet. It is expected to continue working through the 2020s, when it will be

joined by its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, according to CNET.

21. What is the text mainly about?

A. How the Hubble Space Telescope works.

B. The Hubble telescope’s 30th anniversary.

C. How the Hubble Space Telescope has helped us explore space.

D. How scientists cho the follower of the Hubble telescope.

22. What can we learn from the passage about the Hubble Space Telescope?

A. It was the best space exploration tool.

B. It was designed to be in rvice for about 40 years.

C. It can e the whole outer space.

D. The James Webb Space Telescope will take place of it soon.

23. How is the telescope’s birthday celebrated each year?

A. By titling a new space picture. B. By naming a new nebula.

C. By taking a new image of space. D. By taking a new image of itlf.

24. Where is the passage most likely to be found?

A. A magazine. B. A novel.

C. A report. D. An advertiment.

二、完形填空

What is the most fun you can have in 21 hours and 23 minutes? On 15 October 2003, Yang Liwei answered

this question. His 25 in space took him 600,000 kilometers in orbit, around the earth 14 times, in

（轨道）

just over 21 hours. It made him China's first 26 in space. He had worked towards this 27 for many

years.

Born in 1965, Yang had wanted to 28 since he was a young boy. His friends and teachers have all said

that he 29 science and technology from a young age. He always had a(an) 30 of flying.

In 1983, he joined the army and went to flight school. He 31 in 1987 and became a pilot. In 1998, he

32 to be a member of Project 921, which is now called Shenzhou. He was one of the only 14 33 from

1,500 candidates. The team spent the next five years being 34 . They not only studied all the

（候选人）

subjects 35 to be an astronaut, but also learned 36 skills and all about how spaceship and rockets

are built. Yang scored among the very 37 in everything the group studied.

In September 2003, only three out of the 14 candidates were 38 for the Chine space adventure, and

Yang was one of them. He took all kinds of tests to 39 he was fit for this important task. 40 he did

not get the best scores on every single test, it was his high scores on the psychological tests that 41

（心理的）

won him the chance.

In the end, Yang was indeed a 42 . His name will go down in history. The people of China can be

43 of him and young people all over the world can 44 him as an example of a man who managed to

live his dream.

25. A. sailing B. voyage C. walk D. leap

26. A. tourist B. survivor C. astronaut D. volunteer

27. A. goal B. idea C. risk D. reward

28. A. explore B. operate C. compete D. fly

29. A. ignored B. loved C. doubted D. refud

30. A. dream B. chance C. opinion D. schedule

31. A. dropped B. survived C. graduated D. succeeded

32. A. wanted B. hoped C. derved D. applied

33. A. got B. taken C. lected D. kept

34. A. recognized B. trained C. persuaded D. replaced

35. A. required B. added C. simplified D. relead

36. A. walking B. communication C. management D. survival

37. A. altitude B. middle C. top D. bottom

38. A. designed B. picked C. coached D. praid

39. A. prove B. admit C. expect D. mention

40. A. Although B. Becau C. Unless D. When

41. A. frequently B. swiftly C. gradually D. finally

42. A. concern B. failure C. success D. competitor

43. A. confident B. proud C. afraid D. ashamed

44. A. get along with B. care about C. deal with D. look up to

三、七选五

It sounds like something from science fiction — a space journey into the vast expan of space, heading

towards Mars. While we’re not quite ready to put a person on the land, the question we ask today is: 45. The space

race saw the USA and USSR compete to achieve firsts in spaceflight. The Soviet Union relead Sputnik 1, an

artificial satellite, before anyone el.46. Now it appears that Mars is the heaven body of desire. While the

reputation and bragging () rights to be the first nation to touchdown is an obvious draw, there are other reasons

吹嘘

we want to get there.

47. You only have to look at the fossilized remains of the dinosaurs to e the benefit of finding another

habitable planet. While Mars doesn’t have the right conditions to call it home just yet, there’s always the concept of

terraforming () — changing the environment of a planet to suit our needs.

地球化

However, not everyone agrees.48. He has said the concept of changing habitability of another planet becau

of the damage we have done to Earth makes no n when we can simply terraform Earth.

It ems the main reason is the arch for extraterrestrial () life.49. Now emingly dead, the

地球外的

potential fossils could answer questions about our own evolution and that of our planet. One theory is that bacterial

life on our planet didn’t start here, but was transferred via asteroid () from Mars.

小行星

A. And the US landed on the Moon first.

B. Leading astrophysicist Neil Tyson is one of them.

C. One of the could be the survival of our species.

D. why are so many countries interested in going to Mars?

has been believed that, at one time, Mars was abundant with life.

inspiring a new generation to visit the stars is reason enough.

G.may landing on Mars inspire more people to become interested in science?

四、语法填空

阅读下面短文在空白处填入个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China plans to complete the construction of a space station and have50. put into operation around 2022, said

Zhou Jianping, the chief designer of China's manned space program, at a forum ()51. (hold) in south China's

论坛

Guangdong Province. The space station,52. could be enlarged if needed,53. (design) to weigh 100 tonnes and

accommodate three astronauts, according to Zhou.

“The main goal of the construction or the space station is to enable China to become a country54.

(independent) mastering the technology for long term manned flight in near Earth space, and having the capacity to

carry out long-term manned scientific55. (experiment) in near Earth space and comprehensive development and

utilization () of space resources,"56. (say) Zhou at the 4 China Summit Forum on Human Factors

利用

Engineering, which was held at SunYat-n University from Saturday to Sunday.

The space station will be built as China’s main platform for space science rearch57. the intention of

mastering the technologies in constructing and58. (operate) large space facilities, the technologies that guarantee

life and health of astronauts who often fly in orbit, and the construction of a59. (nation) space lab, according to

Zhou.

高考英语时事热点话题阅读

热点16 外太空探测与载人航天梦

一、阅读理解

Humans may not have landed on Mars () yet, but that isn’t stopping a European company from devising a

火星

plan to nd four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to nd a

small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.

＂＂＂

Everything we need to go to Mars exists, said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. We

have the rockets to nd people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the ttlement for

humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists. Yet the four astronauts () chon for the trip

＂宇航员

will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars On’s thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that

may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission’s huge cost ($6

billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project by lling the broadcast

rights for the mission and subquent experiences living on the planet.

Tho broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to lect the people who will be nt to Mars. Lansdorp

said the company will hold a lection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million

applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, veral other potential problems could inhibit(

阻

止

) the mission to Mars.

＂

It’s even more challenging to nd people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other

things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay

on Mars, said Adam Baker, nior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. The sheer

＂＂

size of the rockets you’d need to do this would be absolutely colossal.

＂

1. According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. For a one-way trip to Mars, all the technology exists.

B. He could not come up with the fund for Mars One.

C. We humans have the rockets to nd people to Mars.

D. We humans have the equipment to land on Mars.

2. According to the passage, all the following statements are TRUE EXCEPT that ______________.

A. a competition process will be held to lect the four astronauts

B. the cost of Mars One could go as much as $6 billion

C. if it goes as planned, we could expect to watch Mars One on TV

D. the four astronauts could return to Earth after a few years’ stay on Mars

3. The word colossal in the last paragraph is clost in meaning to ______________.

＂＂

A. very large B. very small

C. medium D. average

4. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?

A. Ready for a Round Trip to Mars

B. Ready for a Short Visit to Mars

C. Ready for a One-Way Trip to Mars

D. Ready for a Walk on Mars

【答案】

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

【解析】这是一则新闻报道。欧洲一家公司将在未来几年内让人类登上火星。

1. 60B

细节理解题。第二段倒数第二句明确说明计划大约需要亿美元，所以选项描述有误。其他选项在第

二段前半部分都有提到，即所有的条件均已具备。故选。

2. one-way trip4

细节理解题。文中第二段提到这是一个＂＂，也就是单程旅行，所以名宇航员不能回到地

球。故选。

词义猜测题。最后一段开始提到，还需要送很多东西，例如生活用品、书籍、娱乐设施等等到火星，所

以火箭的体积应该是很大的。故选。

4. C

标题选择题。文章通篇都是讲的到火星的单程旅行计划，故选。

Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet,but they say a robotic vehicle called “Curiosity” is

helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.

Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more than eight was nt

to Mars by scientists from NASA in the United States.

Curiosity is about the size of a car and has six also has a robotic arm,cameras,and instruments that

allow it to examine things it finds on the it nds the information back to the earth.

Curiosity’s main task is to find out if anything could live on Mars,either now or in the Nov.2,NASA

scientists held a press conference () to discuss what Curiosity had found in its first two months on

新闻发布会

Mars.

Curiosity has found soil that is similar to the sand formed by volcanoes () on the ists say that

火山

studying the minerals in Martian soil will help them understand what conditions were like on the planet in the

ity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and ashores on the earth,where their

rough edges have been worn down by is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell

them that a river ud to run through the place where they were found.

Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called methane (),but so far it has

甲烷

not found the earth,most methane is produced by plants or e on Mars might indicate that

some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.

Curiosity is the fourth robotic vehicle to be nt to will continue to explore the planet for about two

years.

5. Which of the following descriptions about Curiosity is TRUE?

A. It landed on Mars in January 2012.

B. It is small in size and has four arms.

C. It took over eight months to arrive in Mars.

D. It was nt to Mars by scientists from Russia.

6. According to the information nt back by Curiosity,scientists believe that .

A. there’s no air on Mars B. Mars is warm and wet now

C. the soil on Mars is rich D. there ud to be water on Mars

7. The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 5 refers to “”.

A. smooth stones B. rivers

C. robotic vehicles D. volcanoes

8. We know from the sixth paragraph that .

A. some tiny animals once lived on Mars

B. there are no plants or animals on Mars now

C. the atmosphere around Mars is full of methane

D. Curiosity is designed to test the atmosphere around the earth

9. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Humans benefit a lot by going to Mars.

B. Scientists will stop the rearch on Mars soon.

C. It is possible to build an earth-like environment on Mars.

【解析】这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了好奇号机器人探索火星的最新情况。

“”

5. “Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more

细节理解题。根据第二段中

than eight months.“”20128”“”

（好奇号于年月在太空中飞行了八个多月后登陆火星。）可知，好奇号机器人

花了八个多月的时间到达火星。故选项。

6. “Curiosity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and

推理判断题。根据第五段中

ashores on the earth, where their rough edges have been worn down by water.“”

（好奇号还发现了光滑的石头，

就像在河床和海岸上发现的那些石头一样，它们粗糙的边缘已经被水磨掉了。）可知，根据好奇号发回的

”“”

信息，科学家们相信火星上曾经有水。故选项。

7. “Mars is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell

词句猜测题。根据第五段最后一句

them that a river ud to run through the place where they were found.

（火星现在非常寒冷和干燥，但科学家们

说，这些光滑的石头告诉他们，曾经有一条河流流经这些石头被发现的地方。）可知，这些光滑的石头告

”

诉科学家们曾经有一条河流流经这些石头被发现的地方，可知，代词指代的是上文的。

theysmooth stones

故选项。

8. “Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called

推理判断题。根据第六段

methane (), but so far it has not found any. On the earth, most methane is produced by plants or animals.

甲烷

Methane on Mars might indicate that some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.“”

（好奇号一直在测试火星周

围的大气中是否有一种叫做甲烷的气体，但到目前为止还没有发现。在地球上，大部分甲烷是由植物或动

物产生的。火星上的甲烷可能表明曾有某种小型植物或动物生活在那里。）可知，如果有甲烷，就表示火

”

星上有植物或动物存在的可能。但是好奇号到现在为止都没有在火星上找到甲烷，可见火星上至少现在是

“”

没有植物或动物的。故选项。

9. “Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet, but they say a robotic vehicle

主旨大意题。根据第一段

called “Curiosity” is helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.

（科学家们还没有在火星上发

现任何生命迹象，但他们表示，一个名为好奇号的机器人飞行器正在帮助他们了解火星的历史和气候。）

“”

可知，本文主要讲了一个名为好奇号的机器人帮助科学家获取有关火星的有用信息，因此选项一个机

“”D“

器人飞行器帮助科学家从火星上获得有用的信息。符合题意。故选项。

”D

Why Mars () is New Settlement