Set to launch on October 16, the Lucy spacecraft is designed to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. These asteroids are small bodies left over from the formation of our solar system’s large planets. They share an orbit with Jupiter as the planet goes around the sun The mission’s aim is to gather new information about the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago.
Lucy will observe eight asteroids over 12 years. One of the eight asteroids orbits in what is known as the Asteroid Belt, an area between Mars and Jupiter. Most known asteroids orbit within this area. The spacecraft will also observe seven Trojan asteroids. Scientists consider the Trojan asteroids to be the ancient remains of the formation of the solar system. They have stayed captured in Jupiter’s orbit for billions of years. The Trojans orbit the sun in two groups—one that’s ahead of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and a second one that lags behind it. Lucy will be the first spacecraft designed to visit and observe these asteroids.
The spacecraft was named Lucy after the ancient fossil discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy was one of the most famous scientific finds of the 20th century. The collection of skeletal bones gave scientists a better understanding of the evolution of humans. Cathy Olkin, the deputy lead investigator for the Lucy mission, compared the NASA spacecraft to the Lucy fossil. “Just like the Lucy fossil transformed our understanding of human evolution, the Lucy mission will transform our understanding of solar system evolution,” she said.
The spacecraft is equipped with several imaging instruments designed to capture information about the composition of materials on the surface of asteroids. Other equipment will be used to record asteroid surface temperatures and measure the size of the objects the spacecraft observes. Lucy will depend on solar power to operate. NASA says the mission expects to set a record because Lucy will travel farther from the sun than any past solar powered spacecraft.
Lori Glaze, the director of NASA’s planetary science division, said, “Whatever Lucy finds will give us vital clues about the formation of our solar system.”
1. What is the mission of the Lucy spacecraft?| A．To collect soil samples from Jupiter. | B．To explore the surface of Trojan asteroids. |
| C．To search for life on Mars. | D．To find out the origin of solar system. |
| A．Moves. | B．Catches. | C．Leads. | D．Hides. |
| A．The evolution of humans. | B．The significance of the Lucy mission. |
| C．The inspiration for the name Lucy. | D．The introduction to the Lucy fossil. |
| A．It moves a little slow with its big size. | B．It has an imaging instrument. |
| C．It gets closer to the sun than other spacecraft. | D．It is powered by solar energy. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Women in post-pregnancy tend to respond slower to the outside world than they did before. In the West, this phenomenon is called “pregnancy brain”. In China, people describe it as “women are slower and less sharp for three years after giving birth.” However, studies showed that they are not less sharp. Rather, their brains are becoming better wired for parenting at the cost of memory.
In their 2016 research, Elseline Hoekzema and her team from the Netherlands scanned 25 women’s brains before and during pregnancy. The MRI results showed that there was a decrease in the amount of expectant mothers’ grey matter in their brains, which is responsible for multiple functions, including muscle control, emotions, speech and memory.
The decrease in grey matter isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hoekzema compared it with the drop in the grey matter of teenagers during puberty (青春期). According to a previous study, during puberty, teenagers’ hormones cause a reduction in unnecessary synapses (突触), the connections between nerve cells. This process makes the brain work more efficiently. Likewise, the reduction of grey matter in new mothers’ brains might lead to greater parenting abilities.
The changes in the region of grey matter affected by pregnancy are known to play a role in social cognition (认知). This change might help a new mother better understand and decode her baby’s facial expressions and needs. Based on the results, scientists believed that the female brain experiences changes to help them better prepare for motherhood.
In a recent study led by Jonny Kohl from London’s Francis Crick Institute, experiments on the brains of pregnant mice provide concrete evidence that specific hormones improved connections between neurons (神经元) associated with parenting behaviors. While conducted on mice, this brain remodeling agrees with previous human studies, suggesting shared mechanisms, Newsweek reported.
However, this improvement in parenting-related skills might come at a cost. A 2010 study showed pregnant women have poorer memory skills than non-pregnant women, particularly concerning spatial recognition memory. This explains why many pregnant women sometimes lose their way on familiar routes.
And according to Hoekzema, the changes in women’s brains are long-lasting. So, next time your mom gets lost in a familiar place, be patient and kind to her. After all, her brain changed to bring you into the world!
1. During pregnancy, what happens to women’s brains?| A．They increase in amount. | B．They become more complex. |
| C．They generate new neuro cells. | D．They lose some grey matter. |
| A．By improving their work efficiency. | B．By boosting their muscle control. |
| C．By strengthening their social cognition. | D．By adjusting their emotional state. |
| A．It conflicted with Hoekzema’s team’s findings. |
| B．It compared pregnant mice with non-pregnant ones. |
| C．It explored the link between hormone changes and parenting behaviors. |
| D．It confirmed the long-lasting effects of pregnancy on women’s brains. |
| A．Poorer communication skills. | B．A weaker sense of direction. |
| C．A shorter length of attention. | D．Decreased problem-solving abilities. |
【推荐2】Very, very long ago, dogs didn’t exist. There were just wolves of different kinds. “Dogor”, an 18,000-year-old puppy, was found frozen in the permafrost in Siberia near Yakutsk. Permafrost is a layer of ground in Arctic and Antarctic areas that remains frozen. Recently, areas of permafrost are thawing (解冻) as the world has warmed, and uncovering secrets long buried and frozen.
Dogor came out of the ground covered with mud and ice, but scientists carefully cleaned him. His head, including his nose, hair, eyelashes, and a mouth full of young teeth, is still very much like it was when he died. Scientists from Sweden have tested him carefully. Their tests showed that the puppy lived 18,000 years ago, that it was a male, and that it was about two months old when it died.
But even though the scientists ran two DNA tests to discover whether Dogor was a dog or a wolf, they didn’t get what they wanted. The scientists say that normally it’s fairly “easy to tell the difference”. They now plan on doing a third DNA test. In any case, the results will teach scientists a lot about the history of dogs and when they began to separate from wolves. “We can’t wait to get results from further tests,” said Sergey Fedorov, of the Mammoth Museum of North-Eastern Federal University.
Some people believe we may soon get even more information about very old animals. Due to the climate change, the world’s temperature has gone up by 1℃, which has led to heat waves, record dry periods, wildfires, record rains, and more strong hurricanes. Since the permafrost in Siberia and other areas is thawing, it’s possible that even more animals will be found, which could help scientists learn more about early history.
1. What’s special about Dogor?| A．It’s the world’s earliest dog. | B．It survived extreme cold. |
| C．It has shown many secrets. | D．It is preserved perfectly. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Satisfying. | C．Unreliable. | D．Challenging. |
| A．The rise of temperature benefits animal studies. | B．Animals are suffering from natural disasters. |
| C．The climate is worsening. | D．Scientists call on people to protect ancient animals. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A biology textbook. | C．A novel about animals. | D．A report about weather. |
【推荐3】A few years ago, we celebrated Frankenstein’s 200th birthday. This famous book, written by British novelist Mary Shelley (1797—1851), is rightly known as the first work of science fiction. Frankenstein is the name of a doctor who creates a creature from human body parts. The doctor’s ambitions for his work are noble, but his experiment has disastrous results.
Shelley was writing in an age when science was beginning to have a great impact on the world. People had different attitudes toward science back then. Some found it inspiring- they thought of the progress medicine was making in curing common illnesses. But others found it a little frightening—it was changing the, making it a lot less familiar.
Science plays a bigger part in our lives than it did two centuries ago. Today, science has brought us great things like the internet, but also nuclear weapons, which, if used in large numbers, could kill off our species. Science still therefore creates the mixed feelings it did in Shelley’s day. It’s because Shelley saw both the promise and the danger of science that she’s still an influence today.
In fact, the subtitle of the book, The Modern Prometheus (普罗米修斯), shows how important myth (神话) was to the writer. Prometheus, a figure from classical Greek mythology, written by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, steals fire from the gods and gives it to people, an act for which he is terribly punished. Shelley’s husband, the famous poet Percy Shelley, wrote about him in Prometheus Unbound. In the poem, he is a revolutionary hero, who triumphs over the gods. In Mary Shelley’s book, however, her modern Prometheus. Dr Frankenstein, is a highly controversial figure, who sacrifices his home and life for his crazy addiction to his creation.
In short, Mary Shelley’s book is not just a scary and moving story, but a philosophical tale that, even after 200 years, still speaks to modern readers.
1. What can we know about Dr Frankenstein and the creature he made?| A．He created it with animal parts. |
| B．He managed to kill it in the end. |
| C．He created it with good intentions. |
| D．He was aware of its dangers before its creation. |
| A．Her work discusses what it means to be human. |
| B．Her work warns people of the two sides of science. |
| C．Her work explains that any life deserves our respect. |
| D．Her work proves the important role of science in life. |
| A．is a revolutionary hero | B．has inspired many poets |
| C．causes some disagreement | D．suffers little for what he does |
| A．A book review. | B．A news report. |
| C．A short story. | D．A biography. |
【推荐1】NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has completed its first test flight, marking a major milestone for the agency’s efforts to explore the red planet. The 4-pound helicopter took off from the Martian surface on Monday, hovering (盘旋) for about 30 seconds before landing back down.
The flight was powered by four lithium—ion (锂离子) batteries, which were recharged using solar panels on the helicopter. Because of the distance between Earth and Mars, engineers had to program the flight ahead of time and wait for the results to come back, making the entire process autonomous.
“This is a Wright brothers moment,” said MiMi Aung, project manager for Ingenuity at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “I can’t imagine what it took for Orville and Wilbur Wright to do their first flight, but I sure can tell you that the helicopter team poured their heart and soul into this and did everything they could imagine to make this successful.”
The helicopter was transported to Mars attached to NASA’s Perseverance rover (探月车), which arrived on the planet in February. Over the next few weeks, the team will test different sides of the helicopter’s capabilities, including up-and-down flights and flying longer distances.
The final goal of the mission is not only to show new technologies and gather more data on Mars, but also to pave the way for “searching missions” that can explore terrain that is inaccessible to rovers.
“This really sets the stage for us to introduce an aerial dimension (空中维度) to our exploration of planets in the solar system in the future,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．The helicopter flew from the Earth to Mars. |
| B．The helicopter can deal with data on Mars. |
| C．NASA may draw a more exact Mars map in the future. |
| D．Wright brothers did their first flight effortlessly. |
| A．By remote control from Earth. | B．By four lithium-ion batteries. |
| C．By programming it in advance. | D．By the perseverance rover. |
| A．A highlight in aviation (航空) history. |
| B．An ordinary moment in aviation history. |
| C．A magic in aviation history. |
| D．A tough moment in aviation history. |
| A．A Demanding Mission |
| B．A Major Milestone In History |
| C．NASA’s Mars Helicopter Shows New Technologies |
| D．NASA’s Mars Helicopter Completes First Test Flight |
【推荐2】The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), China’s leading aircraft maker, created the country’s first fully solar-powered drone (无人机). The large drone, Qimingxing 50, took off at 5:50 pm on September 3rd, 2022, from an airport in Yulin of Shaanxi Province and stayed in the air for 26 minutes before landing on the same runway. AVIC said that all systems of the unmanned plane functioned well on its first flight.
Powered by six electric motors with solar batteries, the drone is designed to conduct long-time operations in near space. Near space is that part of Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 20 to 100 kilometers. It is above the top altitudes of commercial airliners but below orbiting satellites.
Qimingxing 50, also called “quasi-satellite”, features high operational efficiency and eco-friendliness and will be tasked with high-altitude reconnaissance (侦察), forestry fire monitoring, atmospheric environmental inspection, aerial mapping, communication signal relay and other operations.
“Thanks to its capability to conduct very long endurance flights in near space, the drone can essentially become a substitute for satellites,” a Chinese aerospace expert said. Satellite services are not always available due to the limited number of satellites and relatively fixed schedules of overhead passes. In time-sensitive missions, near-space drones can offset these disadvantages, the expert said, noting that satellite services could also be damaged in wartime, so near-space drones could replace them in this occasion.
The successful first flight of the Qimingxing-50 lays a solid foundation for the development of key technologies in the country’s new energy field, the composite (复合的) material field, which will enhance China’s ability to perform tasks in near space and over far oceans. AVIC will seize the opportunity to increase investment and speed up the development of large solar-powered unmanned aircraft.
1. What do we know about AVIC?| A．It produced the world’s largest unmanned plane. |
| B．It started the trend of using solar batteries in aircraft. |
| C．It developed China’s first fully solar-powered drone. |
| D．It greatly improved the speed of commercial airliners. |
| A．Its design features. | B．Its diverse functions. |
| C．Its operating procedures. | D．Its environmental benefits |
| A．Detect. | B．Expose. | C．Analyze. | D．Remove. |
| A．Increase investment in the new energy industry. |
| B．Accelerate the development of large solar drones. |
| C．Create a new composite material to manufacture aircraft. |
| D．Make Qimingxing-50 conduct long-time tasks over far seas. |
【推荐3】There are strong arguments on space travel, and below you will find a list of many frequently used arguments.
Pros of space travel
— Space travel has inspired many people to continue improving technologies such as inventing Velcro and non-stick frying pans.
— If you look at the total GDP worldwide, space only accounts for a very small percentage of the total budget.
— Better to spend money on our future than on other projects that would have a much lower potential reward.
— If we were to colonize (在……建立殖民地) another planet, it would reduce the population on Earth, which is already overpopulated. This will result in the survival of our species when our planet can no longer support human life.
— Multinational space stations have helped diplomacy (外交) among multiple nations.
Cons of space travel
— There is a very large percentage of the Earth’s oceans we have yet to explore. We should continue exploring the remaining unknown regions of our oceans before continuing to another planet.
— The funding for space exploration comes from the taxpayers’ pockets. Many do not think that they should be forced into paying for something they oppose.
— The total contribution from space travel is minimal when considering the total cost.
— We should not be thinking about colonizing another planet. It’s better to save our existing planet first. If we are to destroy one planet, what is to stop us from repeating the mistakes on another planet.
—Not only is the cost of manned space miss- ions high, but space travel can have a serious effect on the human body over an extended period of time. The only way to solve it is by using robots, which reduces the human risk factor, and reduces the overall cost.
Overall, most people approve of (赞成) our current exploration methods. In my opinion, these methods should be reviewed to help reduce the cost. I believe the potential of finding resources on other planets will make the cost of several decades of space exploration worthwhile.
1. Which of the following benefits of space travel is NOT mentioned?| A．Creating more job opportunities. |
| B．Reducing the overpopulation on Earth. |
| C．Bringing about advanced technologies. |
| D．Developing relationships among countries. |
| A．Colonizing the moon. |
| B．Doing damage to Earth. |
| C．Spending money with little reward. |
| D．Having a wrong understanding about other planets. |
| A．Negative. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．The Future of Space Travel |
| B．The Benefits of Space Travel |
| C．Why Space Travel Is Expensive |
| D．Whether Space Travel Is Worthwhile or Not |
