China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft, in orbit around Mars’ has dropped its lander and rover (巡视器), named Zhurong after a Chinese god of fire, completing the most dangerous stage of its ten-month mission.
This is China’s first mission to Mars, and makes the country only the third nation to have landed a spacecraft there. It included an orbiter, a lander and a rover—making it the first to send all three elements to the planet.
“The mission is a big leap for China because they are doing in a single go what NASA took decades to do,” says Roberto Orosei, a planetary scientist at the Institute of Radio Astronomy of Bologna in Italy.
At a speed of 4.8 kilometers per second, the spacecraft departed Earth in July 2020 and arrived at Mars in February 2021, but the landing was the biggest test yet of China’s rising outer space exploration capabilities.
Landing on Mars is extremely difficult, because engineers back on Earth have no control over it in real time, and must leave pre-programmed instructions to carry on. Many missions have been lost, or have crashed on arrival.
Utopia Planitia, where Zhurong now sits, is a wide, flat area in a vast basin that formed when a smaller object crashed into Mars billions of years ago, “If the researchers are really fortunate, they might find some very ancient rocks, which could offer a window into our own planet’s history,” says Joseph Michalski, a planetary scientist at the University of Hong Kong, “Most of the similar evidence here on Earth has been destroyed by plate tectonics (板块运动).”
Zhurong will also be the first rover equipped with an instrument to measure the magnetic field (磁场) nearby. The instrument could provide insights into how Mars lost its strong magnetic field, an event that transformed the planet into a cold, dry place, uninviting to life.
A successful Mars landing could motivate more-advanced Chinese missions—including a sample-return one, which is planned to take place by 2030.
1. What makes Tianwen-1 mission unique?| A．Its multi-task in one try. | B．Its long completion time. |
| C．The danger of the landing. | D．The speed of its spacecraft. |
| A．The landing ground is not flat. |
| B．Instructions are too complicated. |
| C．It may crash into smaller objects. |
| D．Engineers have no live control over it. |
| A．More of the Earth’s history. |
| B．The formation of vast basins. |
| C．The discovery of ancient rocks. |
| D．The destruction of evidence on Earth. |
| A．Zhurong landed on Mars successfully. |
| B．Zhurong measured Mars’ magnetic field. |
| C．Tianwen-1 spacecraft orbited around Mars. |
| D．Tianwen-1 spacecraft returned to the Earth. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If there’s one fun thing you can do at night by the campfire, it’s gazing at the stars with astronomy apps.
Star Walk 2
Star Walk 2 shows you the positions of various astronomical objects from your chosen location. It features solar system objects, deep sky objects and even satellites. It tells you each object’s rising and setting times to help you plan your stargazing activity. If. you pay to upgrade to the superior version, you’ll have access to more information and photos of these objects.
Stellarium Mobile
Stellarium Mobile has information on more than 1.4 billion stars, 3 million galaxies (星系) and even the majority, of visible man-made satellites. Buttons don’t crowd the screen, making it a lot more enjoyable to view the night sky in all its glory. There’s also a Night Mode feature that enables to turn your phone screen red for easier use in the dark. You can use Stellarium Mobile for free. But if you want to control a telescope, view objects in 3D, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account.
Nightshift Stargazing
The app provides all the information you’ll need to make the most out of your night. It tells you the weather conditions in your area, including cloud cover and rainfall. It will give you valuable insights, such as when the sun and moon will rise and set, what phase (月相) the moon will be in, how long it will be dark outside, which planets will be visible, what time you can observe each visible planet, and whether there will be any active meteor (流星) showers.
Heavens-Above
Heavens-Above contains the Sky Chart, which is a chart of the sky above you. It shows you the names of the planets and stars you can potentially see when you look up. To figure out the exact position of the planets and satellites, adjust your mobile device toward the sky, and a pointer on the Sky Chart will move accordingly. Keep moving the pointer to where your object of interest is to help you determine its location in real life. You can use the app for free, but you will have, to pay if you want to use the professional version.
1. Who are the apps mainly intended for?| A．Nature photographers. | B．Amateur astronomers. |
| C．Space scientists. | D．Camping lovers. |
| A．Star Walk 2. | B．Stellarium Mobile. | C．Nightshift Stargazing. | D．Heavens-Above. |
| A．It tells each object’s rising and setting times. | B．It predicts the weather conditions of the areas. |
| C．It helps locate the exact position of the objects. | D．It makes viewing the night sky more enjoyable. |
【推荐2】If Mars were the popular kid in school, Venus (金星) would be the unwelcome one sitting in the corner, largely ignored. Venus has nearly the same mass and size as Earth, but being closer to the sun, it gets nearly twice as much heat from the sun.
However, instead of having a climate that is just a warmer version of Earth’s, Venus’s surface and atmosphere are unbearable: clouds of sulphuric acid (硫酸) blanket the planet, while at ground level, it is hot enough to melt lead. Despite this, there is now a sign that Venus may harbour life. Jane Greaves at Cardiff University, UK, and her colleagues recently detected (发现) phosphine (磷化氢) in Venus’s atmosphere, with one potential explanation that it is the by-product of biology. That is because the only way this gas is made on Earth is in laboratories or by microbes (微生物). Though this doesn’t mean it was produced by life on Venus, attempts to find non-biological explanations for its presence have so far failed. Our best way of confirming or rejecting the possibility of life on Venus is to go and have a proper look. While Mars has been the focus of interplanetary (行星间的) exploration efforts lately, the phosphine discovery lets people look at Venus in a new light. As NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “It’s time to prioritize Venus.”
In the months and years to come, computer simulations(模拟) will be used to further study the possible chemistries of the atmosphere on Venus. More laboratory experiments will be conducted to try to identify other ways the phosphine there could be produced. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will reveal the true nature of this substance on Venus. A newly-proposed strategy is to directly sample the atmosphere and surface of Venus. By doing so, we would be able to take direct measurements of phosphine.
The discovery of phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere is a great accomplishment. The scientific efforts may be just what we need to finally refocus on this neglected world. Possibly, the quiet kid in the corner may get the last laugh
1. Which description about Venus is NOT true?| A．It has the unbearable surface and atmosphere. |
| B．It has nearly the same mass as Earth. |
| C．It is almost as large as Earth. |
| D．It has a warmer Earth-like climate. |
| A．This kind of gas is very common. | B．There might exist signs of life. |
| C．Many products can be made with it. | D．Experiments were once conducted there. |
| A．The necessity to analyse phosphine. |
| B．The power of computer simulations |
| C．The importance of observations. |
| D．The approaches to exploring phosphine |
| A．Casual | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐3】In July, 2015, NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the "habitable zone" around a sun-like star. This discovery and the introduction of 11other new small habitable zone candidate planets mark another milestone in the journey to finding another "Earth"
The newly discovered Kepler-452b is the smallest planet to date discovered orbiting in the habitable zone—the area around à star where liquid water could pool on the surface of an orbiting planet—of a G2-type star, like our sun. The confirmation of Kepler-452b brings the total number of confirmed planets to 1,030.
"On the 20th anniversary year of the discovery that proved other suns' host planets the Kepler has discovered a planet and star which most closely resemble the Earth and our Sun," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This exciting result brings us one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0.”
Kepler-452b is 60 percent larger in diameter than Earth arid is considered a super-Earth-size planet. While its mass and composition are not yet determined, previous research suggests that planets the size of Kepler-452b have-a good chance of being rocky.
While Kepler-452b is larger than Earth, ' its 385-day orbit is only 5 percent longer. The planet is 5 percent farther from its parent star Kepler-452 than the earth is from the sun. Kepler-452 is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun, has the same temperature, and is 20 percent brighter and has a diameter 10 percent larger.
"We can think of Kepler-452b as an older, bigger cousin to Earth, providing an opportunity to understand and reflect upon Earth's evolving environment," said Jon Jenkins, who led the team that discovered Kepler-452b. "If all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life should exist on this planet, there would be a good opportunity for life to arise."
To help confirm the finding and better determine the properties of the Kepler-452 system, the 'team conducted a series of ground-based observations: These measurements were the key for the researchers to confirm the planetary nature of Kepler-452b and to better pin down(确定)the size of the planet and its orbit.
1. When was the first host planet found in another solar system?| A．In 2015. | B．In 1985. |
| C．In 2005. | D．In 1995. |
| A．Whether there is life on Kepler-452b remains unknown. |
| B．Kepler-452b is 10 percent larger in diameter than the sun. |
| C．Judging from its size, it is very likely that Kepler-452b is rocky. |
| D．Kepler-452b is a planet orbiting in the habitable zone. |
| A．which Kepler-452b resembles more, the earth or the sun |
| B．more mysteries in our solar system |
| C．the planetary nature of Kepler-452b |
| D．the significance of NASA's Kepler mission |
| A．the discovery of a new Earth-like planet |
| B．the discovery of a new solar system |
| C．the origin of the universe |
| D．the comparison, between the earth and Kepler-452b |
【推荐1】When an emergency happens in the wilderness, quick thinking can often mean the difference between life and death.
After accidentally sliding down the face of a steep rock wall, two tourists who recently found themselves stranded (困住) by the edge of a deep pool at the base of a thundering waterfall in British Columbia’s Golden Ears Provincial Park knew they were in a serious situation. Fortunately for them, five Sikh hikers who happened to be on the scene and witnessed their trouble used not only their heads but also their hats—or more specifically, their turbans (包头巾)—to organize a pretty amazing rescue.
After taking stock of the situation, and with no cell phone service to call for outside assistance, the group of international students struck on the idea of unwinding the long coils (线圈) of their turbans, and along with some added footage afforded by bits of their clothing, they managed to fashion a 33-foot lifeline with which they were eventually able to fish the stranded pair from their dangerous situation.
“We were trying to think how we could get them out, but we didn’t know how to,” Kuljinder Kinda told NBC News. “So we walked for about 10 minutes to find help and then came up with the idea to tie our turbans together.”
Once the two hikers (and no doubt embarrassed, since the waterfall danger was clearly marked) were pulled to safety, park officials stepped in to assess their condition. As neither required medical treatment, they were released on their own recognizance—likely with a severe warning to better mind where they’re going next time.
Kinda and his four comrades, while more than pleased with their day’s work, were humble about their heroic deeds. It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having the means to help, they said.
1. What’s the underlined words “taking stock of” in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Taking advantage of. | B．Assessing. | C．Losing control of. | D．Changing. |
| A．Turning to park officials for help. |
| B．Calling for help using their cell phones. |
| C．Considering the danger of helping the two hikers. |
| D．Walking for about 10 minutes to seek assistance. |
| A．They were sent to hospital. |
| B．They would never take risks. |
| C．They ignored the waterfall danger. |
| D．They were punished by the park officials. |
| A．Smart and modest. | B．Brave and embarrassed. |
| C．Determined and honest. | D．Adventurous and fashionable. |
【推荐2】Earlier this month, blogger Lisa Henderson announced that she and her husband John had decided not to have Christmas. The family, who lives in Utah, will still put up decorations, but presents from Santa are a no-go this year.
“John and I feel like we are fighting a very hard uphill battle with our kids when it comes to their rights,” Henderson wrote on her blog. “It is one of the biggest struggles as a parent these days in middle class America. Our kids have been acting so ungrateful lately ...” John said, “We shouldn’t just celebrate Christmas. And, so that’s what we did.”
Instead, the Hendersons are putting the money they would have spent on gifts toward service projects in order to teach their three sons the “pleasure of giving.” The children will still receive gifts from grandparents and other family members, but this year, she said, their letters to Santa will be asking him to find someone who needs presents more than they do.
In an interview with ABC News, 11-year-old Caleb Henderson admitted that he and his brothers had been behaving badly. “We would hit each other. We were fighting and crying,” he admitted, and Lisa said that when she broke the news to her sons, they cried pretty hard.
But so far, Henderson told Fox News last week, the family is having a sudden turning this into a different kind of gift. They have already held a clothing drive and sent boxes of clothes and candy to a village in the Philippines that was hit hard last year by Typhoon Haiyan.
“The children were excited and kept wanting to give more and more,” she reported on her blog.
Many readers responded positively to Henderson’s post. Some sharing their own stories of limiting Christmas in order to teach their children to be charitable(仁慈的) or grateful. “As parents you’re giving your kids something so much more special than a bunch of gifts on Christmas,” one wrote.
But Henderson received negative follow-ups as well on her blog. Responding to critics, she updated her blog with a statement that reads, in part:
I just wanted to explain a couple of things. First, my kids are in no way hurt for things.... They have reacted by making gifts for each other and packing them into each other’s stockings stealthily(偷偷地). They are learning exactly what we wanted them to learn, because they are not moving around feeling sorry for themselves. They are thinking of others.
The second thing I wanted to explain is why I wrote this post. Some people seem to think I wrote this for attention. Ummm, the attention you get from posts like this is not good and actually extremely difficult to deal with.... The reason I wrote this post is I want to empower parents to feel like it’s okay to take a stand. ... I wanted to share what we are doing, so any parents that feel they are struggling with the same issues in their home can see what others are doing and get ideas for their family. My intention is to help support other parents and to raise amazing kids.
1. The Hendersons decided not to spend Christmas because_______.| A．they wanted to make their kids understand the pleasure of giving |
| B．their kids could receive presents from their other family members |
| C．the struggling couple tried to save some money to buy kids gifts |
| D．the whole family would go to the disaster areas in the Philippines |
| A．when Lisa told the kids they didn’t spend Christmas, they felt extremely sad |
| B．all the kids let out an excited cry when Santa sent them Christmas presents |
| C．the moment Lisa said the Philippines was hit by typhoon, they burst into tears |
| D．when their grandparents didn’t send them gifts, the kids couldn’t help crying . |
| A．the writer wants to share his experiences of raising amazing kids |
| B．educating kids needs regular communication and great patience |
| C．the writer strongly called on people to care for the unfortunate |
| D．parents should praise children for their kindness to other people |
| A．Why These Parents Decided Not To Celebrate Christmas. |
| B．How Americans usually Spend A Traditional Christmas. |
| C．A Hard Battle between Kids And Parents At Christmas. |
| D．What American People Do To Have A Nice Christmas. |
【推荐3】Joy Chapman, a singer from British Columbia, recently set a new Guinness record for the lowest musical note (音符) sung by a female, a C1.
For as long as she can remember, Joy Chapman has always been able to sing in a very wide vocal range (音域), but it was not until her niece started encouraging her to go for a world record that she actually considered it. The girl had learned that the former record for the world’s lowest vocal note (female) was held by a singer who hit a D2 (the second lowest D note on a piano), and she was sure that Joy could go obviously lower than that, She turned out to be right!
“I initiated my singing notes at C2 at the beginning, so she said, ‘you sing much lower, then you should try for the record,’” Chapman recalled about how the idea of a Guinness record attempt came about.
That was a year ago, and Chapman had to overcome a series of challenges in order to get her name into the world’s most famous record book. Her mother passed away, which left her in deep sorrow. She even stopped working for a while, During one of her attempts the video cameraman turned on the limiter (限幅器) on the microphone, but it couldn’t pick up Joy’s lowest notes…However, in the end, she got it done.
On February 2lst, in a music workshop in Surrey, Joy Chapman recorded a C1 (33.57hz), the lowest C note on a piano and the lowest note ever sung by a woman.
“I wanted to leave something behind since I could do it,” the singer said.
1. What made Chapman want to challenge the Guinness record?| A．Her niece’s encouragement | B．Her interest in singing. |
| C．Her eagerness to be famous. | D．Her belief in herself |
| A．Wrote. | B．Improved. | C．Ended. | D．Started. |
| A．Her video cameraman was ill. | B．Her workshop was shut down. |
| C．Her mother left the world | D．Her piano went wrong. |
| A．Brave and humorous. | B．Talented and positive. |
| C．Dependent and careful | D．Honest and helpful. |
| A．Love story of a musician. | B．Brave attempt of a musician |
| C．Hard struggle of a female. | D．Recent birth of a world record |
【推荐1】From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress.
The international space station is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.
As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seems to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone, and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone’s effort and will benefit everyone.
But even so, the funds needed are still a big problem. As for the USA, it seems that it has too many things to spend its money on. Although it is the richest country in the world, it has much debt every year. It has to make arrangements about its finance, and try to find a balance in all these issues.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards building and developing the international space station? ________.| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Negative |
| A．the necessity of building the international space station is not realized now |
| B．many experiments have been done in the international space station |
| C．the international space station is necessary for people to explore space more |
| D．people have traveled to Mars from the international space station |
| A．That it requires a lot of money. |
| B．That it needs everyone’ s effort. |
| C．That it will benefit every participating country. |
| D．That it is too far away from the earth. |
| A．united | B．scolded | C．allowed | D．forbade |
| A．Difficulties. | B．Cooperation. |
| C．Significance. | D．Specific arrangements. |
【推荐2】IT was a 12-minute walk into the unknown, and it changed the history of space exploration forever. The first-ever spacewalk by former Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, 50 years ago on March 18, was also the first big test of space suit technology.
The old Soviet-style space suit was not quite ready yet, however. It was affected by the lack of atmospheric pressure in space. When Leonov had completed his space walk, he realized that his space suit “had inflated like a balloon, preventing him from getting back inside the spacecraft”, according to the BBC. The cosmonaut let half of the air out of his spacesuit and survived despite losing oxygen.
Nowadays, of course, this type of incident does not happen. But the problem of what to wear in space is still important, as space travel may soon be available to more people than ever.
In 2017, Space X and Boeing may become the first private companies to put people in space. What should the new, rich space travelers wear?
Well, their outfits won’t be like the white, boxy suits in the film Gravity. Those types of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suits will be for professionals working outside a spacecraft. The average space traveler will instead need something to wear inside in case of an emergency when getting up and down again in a rocket or during docking.
These are called IVA (intra-vehicular activity) pressure suits, which should be effective, comfortable, and perhaps even fashionable. The best-known example is the orange “pumpkin suit” made famous by NASA, but more fashionable options may later be available.
In fact, fashion and space have been together for years. The first space suits for the Apollo moon program were built by Playtex, an underwear maker, and the company still works with NASA.
Nowadays in Brooklyn, New York there is a company called Final Frontier Design that makes the latest in space suit technology. All of their staff have backgrounds in show business, making Broadway musical and circus costumes. They are currently looking to introduce their space tech, like vibrating belts that can give directions by feel, to people on Earth.
The walk into unknown space fashion is just beginning. How would you show off in space?
1. According to the article, today’s space travelers have different experiences to that of Alexei Leonov because ______.| A．they have to perform space walks for long periods |
| B．today’s space suits are much safer and more convenient |
| C．they are provided with extra oxygen to survive in space |
| D．they can wear their own outfits on space missions |
| A．fail their space walk missions |
| B．put on the wrong space suit |
| C．have trouble with their space suits |
| D．forget the correct operating procedures |
| A．They will be intended for tough working conditions outside a spacecraft. |
| B．They will have to be orange. |
| C．They will be very heavy and expensive despite their fashionable look. |
| D．They will be created with the help of artists and designers. |
| A．Fashion comes to space. |
| B．Space travel exploration becomes more popular. |
| C．What happened to Alexei Leonov 50 years ago? |
| D．How space suits work? |
【推荐3】Chang’e-5 returned to Earth on December 16, 2020, carrying around 2 kilograms of rocks and soils from the moon. The successful mission (任务) marks a big step forward for China’s space industry.
“These samples will be a treasure chest!” Brad Jolliff, director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University, wrote in an email, “My hat is off to our Chinese colleagues for accomplishing a very difficult task, which will be beneficial to learning more about the moon.” The newly collected rocks come from a place close to the Mons Rumker that was believed to have been volcanic in ancient times. By comparison, the age of these samples are thought to be billions of years younger than those brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts in the 1970s. They will help scientists fill in a gap in knowledge about the history of the moon between roughly one billion and three billion years ago. They may also help scientists study the useful materials on the moon.
Chang’e-5 is the third phase of the Chinese lunar (月球) exploration project started in the early 2000s. Orbiters Chang’e-1 and 2 and the landing and roving missions Chang’e-3 and 4 marked the first two stages.
Chang’e-5 mission is much more challenging than previous missions. New challenges include the sampling and following stages. “We usually completed the rocket launching (发射) on the earth at a fixed point. We have a proven technique in this field. But we still have difficulties in the liftoff (发射) of a lunar lander on the moon. We have never tried this before,” said Yu Dengyun, deputy chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program.
The success of Chang’e-5 sample return mission has shown that China is able to carry out its plan to build a long-term crewed International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the lunar south pole region during 2036~2045. Success of Chang’e-5 will also see Chang’e-6 repurposed for a landing at the lunar south pole around 2023. Chang’e-6 is a sample return spacecraft engineered at the same time as Chang’e-5 to provide a backup in the event of failure.
1. Why is Brad Jolliff so excited about the lunar samples returned by Chang’e-5?| A．They are collected for the first time. |
| B．They are from a live volcano. |
| C．They will provide more valuable data. |
| D．They are billions of years older. |
| A．China has overcome the difficulties in launching on the earth. |
| B．Yu was worried about Chang’e-5 sample return mission. |
| C．The International Lunar Research Station has been built by China. |
| D．The 2036~2045 mission will be much more challenging. |
| A．Chang’e-2. | B．Chang’e-3. | C．Chang’e-4. | D．Chang’e-6. |
| A．Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return Mission Accomplished |
| B．China’s Lunar Explorations in Twenty Years |
| C．Future Exploration Programs for Chang’e Spacecrafts |
| D．China’s Great Win Over the United States |
