08 人与自然之宇宙探索
Passage 1
（23-24高三上·广东·阶段练习）Chinese scientists have discovered a new water reservoir
on the moon in the form of glass beads (珠子), which could have major significance for finding
out the water content of the earth’s only natural satellite and potentially extracting them to support
future lunar missions.
A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience last week revealed soil samples
collected by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe contained impact glass beads that held water in the
form of hydroxyl——a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom.
Hydroxyl ion (离子) is one of the most common ions found in water.
These glass beads are created when meteoroids (流星体) hit the moon’s surface, throwing up
hot molten droplets which then cool and turn solid. They function like a sponge, soaking up
hydrogen atoms carried by the solar wind to form hydroxyl, thus playing an important role in the
water cycle of the lunar surface.
While each bead only holds a tiny amount of water, these glass balls can be seen everywhere
on the moon and researchers estimated lunar soils could store as much as 270 billion metric tons
of water. For decades, scientists thought the moon was bone dry until discoveries in recent years
revealed its soil could hold water. “The moon potentially holding 270 billion metric tons of water
is quite substantial, though it pales in comparison to the amount of water in the earth’s oceans,”
said Hu Sen, a researcher from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy
of Sciences and one of the key scientists behind the study.
These findings not only provide insight on the origins, storage, and transportation of water on
celestial bodies without atmospheres, but they also may prove helpful for planning and building a
sustainable human habitat on these planets, he added.
However, the specific origins of the water on the lunar surface remain a mystery. The study
presented several potential sources, including solar wind implantation, the release of trapped gas
when the moon was hot and volcanically active, and delivery by comets and asteroids.
1．What is the use of the glass beads?
A．Absorbing water. B．Drying water.C．Creating water. D．Recycling water.
2．What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
A．The moon was a dry place for decades.
B．The moon holds as much water as the earth does.
C．Scientists discovered the moon could store water.
D．The amount of water on the moon is comparatively large.
3．What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A．Trapped gas should be released.
B．Further research needs to be done.
C．Water sources have been identified.
D．Solar wind was implanted on the moon.
4．What can be the best title of the text?
A．Future Habitat for Humans: the Moon.
B．New Discovery: Glass Beads on the Moon.
C．New Findings: Water on the Lunar Surface.
D．Future Missions: China’s Chang’e Lunar Probes.
Passage 2
（20-21高三下·安徽·阶段练习）Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on July 31 that
China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has been completed and has started providing
full-scale global services that day.
In the 1990s, Chinese government approved and began research and development of a space-
based navigation and positioning system aimed at easing the country's heavy dependence on
foreign networks. The system is called "BeiDou". It has planned a three-step strategy for
developing the BDS.
The construction of BDS-1, the first step of the strategy, started in 1994 and was completed
in 2000. The BDS-2 system started construction in 2004. By 2012,a total of 14 satellites had been
launched to complete the deployment(部署)．In November 2017, China launched the first two
satellites for the BDS-3 system, which started construction in 2009, and officially expanded its
regional navigation system into a global network.
In late June, the final satellite to complete BeiDou's third-generation network was lifted by aLong March 3B carrier rocket. After in-orbit tests over the past month, the satellite recently started
its formal operations.
Since 2000, 59 BeiDou satellites, including the first four experimental ones, have been
launched from Xichang on 44 Long March 3-series rockets, with some of them having retired.
BeiDou began providing services for civilian users in China and other parts of the Asia-
Pacific region in December 2012. At the end of 2018, it started providing basic global services.
BeiDou offers accurate positioning, navigation and timing, as well as short messaging
communication. The services are used in various fields.
It offers an alternative to Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo system, as
well as the United States' GPS.
The operating of BeiDou's full-scale global services is a significant milestone in China's
efforts to boost science and technology and strengthen its space industry. The move is a major
contribution to the global public-service infrastructure (基础设施) as well as a remarkable
strategic achievement of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
5．How many navigation systems are mentioned in this passage?
A．2. B．3 C．4 D．5
6．Which is NOT the function of the BDS?
A．Offering accurate timing.
B．Offering vehicle navigation.
C．Offering accurate positions.
D．Offering cell phone communication.
7．What do we know about the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS)?
A．In the BDS, there are 59 satellites in service.
B．The BDS will replace GPS in the near future.
C．The BDS is a great contribution to the whole world.
D．It took China more than 30 years to construct the BDS.
8．What's the best title for the passage?
A．The best Navigation Satellite System-BeiDou.
B．One small step for China, a giant leap for mankind.
C．China's BeiDou System begins its full-scale global services.
D．The development of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.Passage 3
（23-24高三上·上海普陀·期末）In recent years, the International Space Field set off a new
round of exploration craze, hoping to further master the space secrets and resources. Countries are
busy developing rockets and satellites, developing manned space technology, formulating plans to
explore the moon and Mars, and conquering space “One step ahead?”.
When engineers develop a spacecraft, they ask a few key questions that guide their process,
says David Klaus, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder,
who studies risk assessment and human spaceflight. They are, he explains, “What do we want to
do? What does it take to do it? What can go wrong? And what can we do to reduce the chance of
the bad things going wrong?” These questions seem simple enough, but the answers are essential.
When NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin or anyone else considers sending humans into space, the
vehicle they build must do three things. First, it has to accommodate the crew members by
meeting their basic needs such as oxygen, food and water. Second, it should allow them to
accomplish mission objectives. Lastly, it must protect the people onboard and on the ground from
the risks of spaceflight and reentry. Sometimes meeting one need introduces new risks. The crew
needs to breathe, of course, but it was high-pressure tanks of liquid oxygen that caused an
explosion on Apollo 13, and it was the fuel powering an oxygen generator that sparked a fire
onboard the Mir space station in 1997.
Not only do astronauts float through a near vacuum (真空) filled with radiation, but in low-
Earth orbit, where the International Space Station (ISS) operates, crews have to deal with a
growing cloud of debris (碎片) circling Earth, which are usually from old satellites. The ISS’s
debris protective covering can absorb impacts from particles smaller than half an inch, but
between 1999 and 2022, the station had to fire pushers 32 times to avoid contact with larger
objects. A single hit would be dangerous; at speeds of 17,500 miles per hour, even something the
size of a softball can cause severe damage.
What is the point of looking decades into space and struggling to explore the vastness of the
universe? The development of the space industry has brought humans many benefits, the most
important of which is the spread of information. The cell phone signal and TV signal people use
now are all benefiting from the development of the space industry. The ultimate goal of mankindis to go deeper into space, and to explore more unknown worlds, that is, the Moon, Mars and
beyond, and what humanity is eager to achieve is a common home of freedom and equality.
9．Why did the writer mention the explosion on Apollo 13 in Paragraph 3 and the fire onboard
the Mir space station?
A．To explain the high risks of the space industry.
B．To show the disadvantages of the space travel.
C．To prove the unexpected risks of the spaceflight process.
D．To describe the new risks involved in meeting the requirements.
10．What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?
A．The space environment itself piles on danger.
B．Any misstep on a space mission is fatal.
C．It is very difficult to complete the space mission.
D．Space engineers work hard to clean up space debris.
11．What is the ultimate goal of human exploration of space?
A．More unknown planets and stars. B．Freedom and equality of human beings.
C．More protection against human diseases.D．Space secrets and endless resources.
12．What does the underlined phrase in the last paragraph mean?
A．Studying space for countless years. B．Living in space for many years.
C．Exploring space for some ten years. D．Observing space for several ten years.
Passage 4
（23-24高三上·湖南邵阳·阶段练习）Super images from NASA show the Moon’s south
pole in incredible detail. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) used a
‘ShadowCam’ (影子相机) to try and take high-resolution pictures. Pictures showed “features and
terrain (地形) details that are not visible to LROC”.
Experts at the space organization were interested in the area around the Shackleton Crater
because of suspected ice deposits (沉积). Scientists believe layers of the ice deposits have existed
on the Moon for millions or billions of years. The ice deposits could serve as an important
resource for exploration because they are composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Those gases can be
used for rocket fuel or life support systems. Areas like the Shackleton Crater are at an angle so
parts of it are never exposed to sunlight. If a person were at the moon’s south pole, the Sun wouldnever rise or set and stay low on the horizon. The South Pole also provides near constant
communication with Earth.
It comes as a NASA spacecraft will fly by Earth on Sunday. It’s expected to drop off at least a
cupful of rubble (碎石) it grabbed from the asteroid (小行星) Bennu. The sample capsule will
land into Utah desert. Its mother ship, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, quickly leaves to encounter
another asteroid. Sunday’s landing marks the end of a 4 billion-mile journey that included
reaching the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu. It successfully collected samples, and encountered
challenges such as a jammed lid that led to some spillage in space.
It is hoped that findings from the study will help scientists figure out how to deflect (使偏转)
Bennu. Bennu is set to dangerously strike Earth with the force of 24 atom bombs on September
24, 2182. The space rock, which is as big as Empire State Building, swings close to our planet
every six years. However, the agency says there is a 1 in 2,700 chance it could strike Earth, with
disastrous results.
13．What is the function of the first paragraph?
A．To explain the meaning of LROC． B．To lead to the main topic.
C．To describe the Moon’s south pole. D．To present the importance of ‘ShadowCam’.
14．What do we know from paragraph 2?
A．Ice deposits can be used for exploration.
B．Ice deposits are found in the area around the Shackleton Crater.
C．Sunlight cannot reach the Shackleton Crater.
D．The Shackleton Crater is a popular tourist destination.
15．What is the expected result of the NASA spacecraft that will fly by Earth on Sunday?
A．It will conduct new experiments in space.
B．It will collect more ice deposits from the asteroid Bennu.
C．It will bring back a cup of rubble from the asteroid Bennu.
D．It will test new technology for deep space exploration.
16．What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A．The asteroid Bennu is rich in carbon.
B．Scientists can make the asteroid Bennu change its direction.
C．There’s a strong possibility of Bennu striking Earth in the future.
D．The asteroid samples brought back by NASA are likely to have scientific research value.Passage 5
（23-24高三上·宁夏银川·阶段练习）If asked if space exploration should continue, most
Americans would give an immediate response either in favor of continuing or in favor of ending
space exploration. A common response would be that space exploration is a waste of money. An
average American, uneducated on the subject,might believe that the government is wasting
billions of dollars on the research that has no value.Someone strange to the subject might say that
a space shuttle goes up once in a while and that is about all that happens. Research is ongoing and
continues when there are no shuttles being launched. This also costs the government money. Does
the extreme cost of space exploration make sense?
One argument is that the government is wasting money on the research not being used on
Earth. Actually, the money goes to workers and scientists that support National Acronauics and
Space Administration (NASA) missions, and goes to major companies that play important roles in
major sectors of the US economy. Boeing is a partner of NASA for aircraft, the same company
that makes commercial aircraft for the airline industry.
Another benefit to continuing space exploration is the many technologies it provides ides.
The artificial heart resulted from experiments on the space shuttle. The handheld Jaws of Life used
to save victims from car accidents resulted from the system used to separate the space shuttle from
its booster rockets. Insulation (隔热板) in homes that keeps them warm and energy efficient is
based on the technology used to insulate the space shuttle.
There are direct benefits to the economy provided by NASA missions as well as those
technologies. These advances are found in food, building materials, medical procedures and the
vehicles we drive. While it can be proven that billions of dollars that could be used elsewhere is
being spent on space exploration, the benefits it provides outweigh the terrible aspects. As a matter
of fact,the money spent helps to improve the quality of our lives. .
17．How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?
A．By offering analyses. B．By making comparisons.
C．By listing figures. D．By presenting research findings.
18．The function of Jaws of Life is to________.
A．save people from traffic accidents
B．do experiments on the space shuttleC．keep houses warm and energy efficient
D．separate the space shuttle from its booster rockets
19．In the author’s opinion, space exploration .
A．has changed our life completely B．benefits us in many ways
C．costs too much of our time D．has nothing to do with us
20．What would be the best title for the text?
A．Benefits of space exploration. B．How to make space exploration affordable?
C．Is space exploration worth the cost? D．Missions of the NASA space shuttle
program.
