China is investigating how to build an ultra-large spacecraft that is up to 0. 6 mile （1 kilometer) long. But how practical is the idea?
The project is part of a wider call for research proposals from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a funding agency managed by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology. A research outline posted on the foundation's website described such enormous spaceships as “major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe, and long- term living in orbit”。
The foundation wants scientists to conduct research into new, lightweight design methods that could limit the amount of construction material that has to be thrown into orbit, and new techniques for safely assembling such massive structures in space. If funded, the practicability study would run for five years and have a budget of 15 million yuan ($2.3 million).
The project might sound like science fiction, but former NASA chief technologist Mason Peck said the idea isn't entirely off the wall, and the challenge is more a question of engineering than fundamental science. “I think it's entirely practical,” Peck, now a professor of aerospace engineering at Cornell University, told Live Science. “I would describe the problems here not as unconquerable obstacles, but rather problems of scale. ” By far the biggest challenge would be the price tag, noted Peck, due to the huge cost of launching objects and materials into space. The International Space Station （ISS), which is only 361 feet (110 meters) wide at its widest point according to NASA, cost roughly $ 100 billion to build, Peck said, so constructing something 10 times larger would strain even the most generous national space budget.
Much depends on what kind of structure the Chinese plan to build, though. The ISS is packed with equipment and is designed to accommodate humans, which significantly increases its mass. “If we're talking about something that is simply long and not also heavy then it's a different story,” Peck said.
1. Which of the following statements about the massive spacecraft is TRUE?| A．The design of the spacecraft has already been in place. |
| B．It is directly led by the Ministry of Science and Technology. |
| C．It is aimed at further exploring the space and human's future. |
| D．A lot of research has been conducted regarding the spacecraft. |
| A．The requirements of the practicability study. |
| B．The new approach to construction material. |
| C．How to get funded by the Foundation. |
| D．The revolutionary methods of constructing the spacecraft. |
| A．There are still major doubts about the practicality of the spacecraft. |
| B．The structure of the spacecraft may determine the cost of the project. |
| C．The ISS has already successfully completed its historical mission. |
| D．The project and the current ISS are likely to have a lot in common. |
| A．The problems facing the construction of the spacecraft. |
| B．Future researches into the other giant space projects. |
| C．Other approaches to reducing the cost of the spacecraft. |
| D．The future promising application of the spacecraft. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】A robotic game of cat and mouse playing out in a lab provides a peek at future possibilities of robots carrying out search-and-rescue missions or wildlife surveys without much human guidance.
The Tianjicat robot developed by researchers at Tsihgftua University in China uses a brain-inspired computing chip called TianjicX. The so-called neuromorphic(神经形态的) chip can run multiple artificial intelligence techniques at once in an energy-efficient manner. It is one example of experiments with neuromorphic systems that could allow small robots to make decisions using limited computing resources and power.
The researchers challenged the Tianjicat robot to chase another robot that was set to move randomly in a room filled with obstacles. This required Tianjicat to track the mouse robot by using both visual recognition and sound detection, and to figure out the best path to chase down its pretend prey without crashing anything. The team says that the TianjicX chip reduced the amount of power required for the robot cat to make decisions during the chase by about half compared with an NVIDIA chip designed for AI computing.
Performing a cat-and-mouse chase would be a step up in difficulty for most commercialised robots, which usually follow very predictable routines in warehouses or factories. Many robots that interact with more complex and unpredictable environments rely on remote control by human operators, or else must maintain wireless connections with distant data centres that have the computing power necessary for more intensive decision-making.
Neuromorphic systems haven’t yet been commercialised in a big way, but their relatively low size, weight and power requirements could provide practical advantages.
“For robotics, this is very important because it allows the system to operate for longer durations in hard-to-reach environments with greater autonomy.” says Jeffrey Krichmar at the University of California, Irvine.
1. Why did researchers do the experiment in a room with obstacles?| A．To apply visual recognition to Tianjicat. |
| B．To explore the best path for Tianjicat. |
| C．To test the integrated performance of Tianjicat chip. |
| D．To reduce the amount of power for Tianjicat. |
| A．It follows predictable routines. |
| B．It can operate without humans involved. |
| C．It has access to distant data centers. |
| D．It is used in warehouses and factories more often. |
| A．User-friendly. | B．Heavy to carry. | C．Energy-consuming. | D．Complex to operate. |
| A．Search-and-Rescue missions. | B．Commercialized robots. |
| C．NVIDIA chips for AI computing. | D．A robot cat chasing a robot mouse. |
【推荐2】On April 2，we said goodbye to Tiangong I，China’s first space lab．According to the China Manned Space Agency（中国载人航天），Tiangong I re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere (大气层) and fell into the South Pacific Ocean.
There are many spacecraft that are still in orbit above the Earth．They are flying at heights ranging from 300 to 1，000 kilometers．After finishing their trips，they will all re-enter the Earth's atmosphere like Tiangong I．
There are two types of re-entries：controlled（受控的）re-entry and uncontrolled re-entry．
Some satellites（卫星）and manned spacecraft come back to the Earth in a controlled re-entry．Scientists calculate（计算）the path of the falling spacecraft and its speed．They can guide the spacecraft to fall in a chosen area．In 2017，Tianzhou I，China's first cargo（货运）spacecraft，was directed to fall in the South Pacific Ocean．
Some spacecraft may have problems while in space，or are simply no longer usable after a certain amount of time．These craft come back in an uncontrolled re-entry．It is hard to tell when and where these spacecraft will fall until the last few hours．The US space station Skylab came back partially uncontrolled in l979．Parts of the station fell in western Australia，but no one was injured．
During re-entry，most of the spacecraft will burn up while passing through the Earth's atmosphere．Only a small amount of the debris（碎片）will reach the ground．
The debris typically ends up falling into the ocean，China Daily reported．Tiangong I weighs about 8.5tons．The amount of debris that falls to the Earth might be about l to 1.5 tons， the Beijing News reported． That is about the same weight as a car．
1. The debris from Tiangong I ________.| A．fell into the South Pacific ocean |
| B．fell in western Australia |
| C．fell in the central part of the US |
| D．fell into the North Pacific Ocean |
| A．burn up and disappear |
| B．re-enter the Earth's atmosphere |
| C．speed up and fly back to Earth |
| D．enter another orbit and stay in space |
| A．It came back in a controlled re-entry． |
| B．Some people were injured by its debris． |
| C．It was hard to tell where it would fall in advance． |
| D．It was directed to fall into the ocean． |
| A．a storybook | B．a government report |
| C．a science magazine | D．a movie review |
【推荐3】Over the next decade, technology will decimate more jobs in many professions.
Some robots already cost less to operate than the salaries of the humans they replace, and they are getting cheaper. Boston Consulting Group predicts that, by 2025, the operating cost of a robot that does welding (焊接) will be less than $2 per hour, for example. That’s more affordable than the $25 per hour that a human welder earns today in America.
Uber and many other companies are working on developing cars and trucks that don’t need a driver in the driver’s seat. According to the American Trucking Associations, approximately 3 million truck drivers were employed in the United States in 2010, and 6. 8 million others were employed in other jobs relating to trucking activity. So roughly one of every 15 workers in the country is employed in the trucking business. We could be talking about millions of jobs disappearing in the early 2020s.
And then there is the “Gig Economy (零工经济)” that has some businesses moving toward part-time, on-demand employment. Uber has already done this to taxi drivers, and other technology companies are doing it to a wide range of jobs. A study by Intuit predicted that, by 2020, 40% of American workers will be self-employed, and that full-time jobs will be harder to find. We are talking about 60 million people in this category. The problem is that not only do such part-time workers lack reliable full-time jobs and sick pay, but they can’t enjoy health insurance and longer-term benefits.
The measures to be taken are to raise trade barriers. But closing the doors to foreign trade won’t bring jobs back. It will only slow the global economy and hurt American exports, shrinking the U. S. economy and accelerating job loss.
1. The underlined word “decimate” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “______”.| A．make someone interested in | B．equip someone for |
| C．wipe out | D．bring back |
| A．Robots will become smarter and smarter. |
| B．Uber’s labor cost will be lower and lower. |
| C．More and more truck drivers will be needed. |
| D．Taxi drivers can enjoy more health insurance. |
| A．It may be flexible. |
| B．It may offer sick pay. |
| C．It is full of adventure. |
| D．It is always well-paid. |
| A．Welcoming foreign trade. |
| B．Offering more part-time jobs. |
| C．Using fewer robots to stop job loss. |
| D．Developing more new technologies. |
| A．To show technology advances in our daily life. |
| B．To prove technologies cause low incomes. |
| C．To introduce what the Gig Economy is. |
| D．To warn the Gig Economy is coming. |
【推荐1】By the time you read these words, winter should have gone within the Northern Hemisphere (半球). But at its worst, this winter was unusually cold. Here in New York City on January 31, the low temperature dropped to -17℃. In Chicago, it was also -17℃—but that was the high. The low jumped to -29℃. And the wind chill within the Windy City was -44℃ or -46℃, relying on which climate station was crying out in pain. As comic Lewis Black said, “That is not weather. That’s an emergency condition.”
When the forecast warned us a few days earlier that Arctic air was looming (阴森地逼近), President Trump issued a sincere and helpful tweet, which ended with: “What the hell is going on with Global Waming [sic]? Please come back fast, we need you!” And being the most powerful man on Earth, he was successful in his polite request. On February 4 the Chicago temperature reached 11℃. And the following day the Big Apple was in a sunny 19℃.
The Arctic is warming at twice the speed as the global average. This heat might help disrupt (打破) the polar vortex, a gradual wind pattern that usually stays focused on circling the North Pole. A shaky jet stream (高速气流) then runs right into a brick wall of that Arctic air, which continues to be fairly cold by human standards, and both wind up lots of miles farther south than they usually belong. And for a few days we in the Deep South—by which I mean Chicago or New York compared with the Arctic—freeze our butts off. But less than a week later, thanks to some warm air coming up from the real South, I was walking outside without a coat on a date when the temperature in Chicago reached 11℃ on February 4.
Like so much else we are currently living through, this experience is not normal. Or it didn’t used to be, anyway.
After all, scientists have been waming—sorry, warning—that warming can have these very results. Climate change deniers may sneer (冷笑), “So when it’s warmer than usual, that’s because of global warming. And when it’s colder, that’s also because of global warming?” Well, yes. And anybody who just can’t accept these kinds of seemingly paradoxical conditions needs to reflect on the expression “freezer burn.”
1. By mentioning Lewis Black’s words in Paragraph 1, the author intends to .| A．indicate how unusual the winter’s weather was |
| B．suggest the north isn’t a suitable place to live |
| C．remind people never to forget the past winter |
| D．urge people to take action against the emergency |
| A．The cold Arctic air. | B．Trump’s sincere tweet. |
| C．Warm air from the real South. | D．Disruption of polar vortex. |
| A．To show readers his concerns about the extreme weather. |
| B．To prove global warming to be the cause of the extreme weather. |
| C．To cast doubt about scientists’ study on the paradoxical conditions. |
| D．To express his disapproval of the result of the paradoxical conditions. |
Ten-year old Owaish Batliwala, from Mumbai, India, admits he spends three to four hours each day playing games on his tablet computer. His mother Mehzabin became concerned when her son started saying that his neck hurt. She said, "My son started having neck problems around June or July. The pain slowly spread to his hand and his back. He plays for hours on the iPad and mobile phone. This is what has caused the problem."
Sadia Vanjara is a physical therapist. She says the number of young children with chronic pain in their necks, arms and shoulders is on the rise. Dr. Vanjara says the pain is not from aging, accidents or disease. It is from poor posture, or body position, while playing video games.
This is a problem in many parts of the world. But there are more smartphone users in India than anywhere else in the world, except China. Networking equipment company Cisco estimates that the number of smartphone users in India will increase from 140 million today to 651 million by 2020.
19-year old student Nida Jameel says she feels pain in the finger which holds the weight of her smartphone most of the day. She says she uses her smartphone 24/7. This means 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or all the time.
Dr. Vanjara says the best treatments for the pain are daily exercises. Experts advise taking breaks from using a computer or other device often. Stand up. Stretch your legs, back, shoulders and arms. And when your work or school work is done, unplug and exercise.
1. What can be the best title of the passage?| A．Too Much Gaming is a Pain in the Neck |
| B．The Influence of Too Much Gaming on People’s Health |
| C．How To Avoid the Pain in the Neck |
| D．How To Be More Fit |
| A．stopping working |
| B．bending one’s head or shoulders forward |
| C．being much too calm about something |
| D．being enthusiastic about the things that are not related with study |
| A．School and Education | B．Entertainment |
| C．Health and Lifestyle | D．Food and Recipes |
【推荐3】Amazon is reportedly working on a free, ad-supported music offering as another option to its paid Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music services to better compete with Apple Music, Google Music and Spotify. According to Billboard, the free plan could go live as soon as possible. At this time, the service is only available in the US for users who request music by a trial version (HIA), but a full-fledged version of the free ad- based music service is expected to be launched sometime in the future.
Billboard reports that Amazon is now in talks to make an ad-based free level available for its music service. The company is expected to advertise the plan with its Echo speakers. By now, Amazon Music Unlimited runs $ 10 per month standalone (单机), the same as Apple Music and Sportify. Meanwhile Prime Music offers Amazon Prime members a more limited selection of content for no extra charge. A new ad supported free level would make Amazon the third music offering.
Billboard notes that it's not clear how many paying users Amazon currently has, though it may have been around 20 million last year for all of its services. In contrast, Apple Music reportedly hit 28 million paying users in the US alone, beaten by Spotify.
Amazon hasn't disclosed how many paying music users it has, but some reports last year estimated it counts over 20 million users across its offerings and expect it to gain steadily thanks to integration with its market-leading smart speakers.
But Spotify is still the market leader for global users when it comes to music services with close to 100 million users. Amazon’s move could attract more and more users.
1. What does the underlined word "full-fledged" in paragraph 1mean?| A．Modern. | B．Junior. | C．Powerful. | D．Perfect. |
| A．It wants support from users. |
| B．It has too many advertisements. |
| C．It would be the third biggest Music offering. |
| D．It will lose more free users. |
| A．Spotify. | B．Amazon. | C．Google Music. | D．Apple Music. |
| A．Amazon has the most piece of music. |
| B．Amazon will release a free music service. |
| C．Amazon will defeat Apple Music and Spotify. |
| D．Amazon has defeated Apple Music and Spotify. |
