文章大意:这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲述了马斯克带着阿迪奥·雷西和吉姆·坎特雷尔来到莫斯科,为他们的火星任务寻找一枚二手俄罗斯火箭。结果会面都很糟糕,却促使马斯克理想远大,想要尝试私人建造火箭项目。
The lunch in the back room of a dull Moscow restaurant consisted of small bites of food and large shots of vodka. Musk had arrived that morning with Adeo Ressi and Jim Cantrell on their search to buy a used Russian rocket for their mission to Mars. After many toasts to friendship, the Russians gave the Americans gifts of vodka bottles with labels that had each person’s image. Musk, who was holding his head up with his hand, passed out, and his head slammed into the table.
That evening, slightly recovered, Musk and his companions met with another group in Moscow selling used missiles. That encounter turned out to be equally odd. The Russian in charge was missing a front tooth, so whenever he spoke loudly, which was often, spit would fly out in Musk’s direction. At one point, when Musk started his talk about the need to make humans multiplanetary (多行星), Cantrell recalls, the Russian spit at them. “Did he just spit on us?” Musk asked, eyes wide open. “Yeah, he did,” Cantrell answered. “I think it’s a sign of disrespect.”
Despite the clown show, Musk and Cantrell decided to return to Russia in early 2002. Ressi didn’t come, but Justine did. This time Musk focused on buying two Dnepr rockets, which were old missiles. The more he negotiated, the higher the price went. He finally thought he had a deal to pay $18 million for two Dneprs. But then they said no, it was $18 million for each. “That’s insane!” he says. The Russians then suggested maybe it would be $21 million each. “They taunted him,” Cantrell recalls. “They said, ‘Oh, little boy, you don’t have the money?’”
It was fortunate that the meetings went badly. It drove Musk to think bigger. Rather than merely using a secondhand rocket to put a demonstration greenhouse on Mars, he would attempt one of the most audacious (大胆的) projects of our times: privately building rockets that could launch satellites and then humans into orbit and eventually send them to Mars and beyond.
4. What happened during the lunch in the Moscow restaurant?
A.Musk got seriously drunk. | B.Musk bought a used rocket. |
C.Musk was hit on the head. | D.Musk made lots of friends. |
5. How did Musk react when the Russian spat at him?
A.Embarrassed. | B.Shocked. | C.Anxious. | D.Ashamed. |
6. What does the underlined word “taunt” mean?
A.Try to annoy. | B.Try to inspire. | C.Try to amuse. | D.Try to disappoint. |
7. What lesson can you learn from this passage?
A.Money can’t buy everything. | B.Constant dripping wears away a stone. |
C.Repetition plays a critical role in success. | D.Frustration can sometimes be a stepping stone. |