The earth is now covered by space junk after nearly 70 years of space exploration. An accident in 2023 made the clean-up more difficult to start.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), scientists plan on testing their “junk truck”, ClearSpace-1, in 2025. It’s a spacecraft with four arms that can catch debris (碎片) and bring it back to the earth. One of its tasks is to bring back VESPA, a 113-kilogram, two-metre-wide rocket part.
But it was hit by another piece of space junk in August 2023, creating new pieces. The ESA is now changing its clean-up plan. “We must reduce the creation of new space debris and begin to actively reduce the influence on other objects,” said the agency.
Most satellites today are sent into the earth’s low orbit (轨道), which reach up to around 2,000 kilometres above the earth. There, spacecraft are most likely to hit each other. There may be as many as 170,000,000 pieces of space junk in orbit, according to the ESA. Big or small, any of the pieces can cause harm to a spacecraft. For example, if an object as large as 10 centimeters hit s a satellite, the satellite will break apart.
As for the clean-up, scientists have some other ideas. One popular plan is to send a spacecraft carrying harpoons and magnets (磁铁). The craft would shoot the harpoon to stick into the debris before “throwing” it back to the earth. Magnets could move the debris, changing its direction. The debris would burn after entering the earth’s atmosphere so there wouldn’t be much left when it reaches the earth. Scientists are also considering shooting lasers from the spacecraft to heat up the debris surface, creating a small push that would change the debris’ orbit. This change would allow the debris to be caught by the earth’s gravity.
Space junk can be very dangerous, and space agencies around the world are testing and planning the clean-up. But why haven’t they done anything yet? One reason is the high cost. But they will still keep on testing the cheap and fine clean-up.
1. What is the main purpose of ClearSpace-1?| A．To test the junk truck in orbit. | B．To bring VESPA back to the earth. |
| C．To avoid the accidents in space. | D．To clean up the debris from the earth’s orbit. |
| A．Because it was hit by a satellite. | B．Because it discovered more debris in orbit. |
| C．Because it will create new space junk. | D．Because more satellites are sent into the earth. |
| A．The lasers from the spacecraft are to burn the debris. |
| B．Space debris is dangerous and harmful to astronauts. |
| C．Scientists have been doing research to clean up the space debris. |
| D．The high cost of space cleaning will stop scientists from testing. |
| A．Looking for Ways to Clean up Space | B．Escaping from Crowded Space |
| C．Dangerous Space Debris | D．Excellent Space Exploration |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Nowadays, it seems that we cannot live without technology. We learn, work and relax by using phones, computers, iPads, AI robots and so on. Now, let’s see what’s going on in Julie’s life.
Julie usually wakes up at the ring of a mobile phone. Then, she eats her breakfast to a video on the phone. When she gets to her company, she deals with the business on the computer. And she often downloads（下载）and stores things that she needs on her iPad. When she needs something, she can just turn on the iPad and search for it. She carries the iPad wherever she is on business because it’s light. When she is at home in the evening, she sometimes uses ChatGPT, a smart AI chat robot, to write her projects. She only needs to type in some key words and then she can get some ideas in a second. It can make her use less time to do more things. In the late evening, she always falls asleep at the soft music from Xiaodu.
Julie lives with technology, and so do we. However, technology brings us some problems at the same time. Staring at screens too much is bad for our eyes. Many of us are near-sighted（近视的）or have other eye problems. AI is making some of us unwilling to think and explore on our own. We may copy ideas from AI robots. We may even like chatting in the virtual（虚拟的）world better because of so many chat robots.
So, I think that technology is a double-sided sword（双刃剑）. We should use technology correctly and wisely to make our life easy, colorful and convenient.
1. What does Julie probably do?| A．She is a student. | B．She is a writer. | C．She is a manager. |
| A．A computer. | B．An iPad. | C．An AI robot. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By providing reasons. | C．By expressing opinions. |
| A．ChatGPT is a smart AI chat robot. |
| B．AI robots will take the place of us one day. |
| C．People may communicate less with each other in real life. |
| A．How Does Julie Spend Her Day? |
| B．How Does Technology Help Us? |
| C．How Does Technology Influence Our Life? |
【推荐2】Japan has always been in a leading position of robotic technology. Over the years, the robots have worked in banks and hotels, or even served as personal helpers for the old people. Recently, a Tokyo university has used avatar (虚拟替身) robots to make students “attend” their graduation ceremony (毕业典礼) without leaving home.
Professor Shugo Yanaka came up with the great idea during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “We knew that there were lots of students who would like to attend the graduation ceremony but couldn’t because of COVID-19, and then I suddenly got an idea that students could not only attend the graduation ceremony safely, but also experience something different.”
The activity, which was held at Tokyo’s Hotel Grand Palace on March 28, 2020, started with university president Kenichi Omae giving a speech to the students through a video platform (平台) Zoom. Then the online graduation ceremony officially (正式地) began.
When a student’s name was called out by a host, an avatar robot called Newme wearing a graduation cap and clothing, moved to the stage to accept the diploma (学位证书) from the president. The student could experience the activity, and hear the clap and “congratulations” from teachers through the screen on Newme’s head. Once Mr Omae gave the diploma to Newme, the student posed with him for an official graduation photo at home.
If COVID-19 comes to an end, Newme creator ANA Holdings will make the machine travel to different places around the world. The company believes it will help doctors treat patients in hard-to-reach places and also make experts get into war areas without putting themselves in danger.
根据语篇内容，选择最佳选项。
1. Why did a robot called Newme appear in the ceremony?
| A．Because students were very busy with their work. |
| B．Because the school wanted to test the new robot. |
| C．Because many students couldn’t get to school due to COVID-19. |
| A．Newme would present (颁发) the diploma to the student and hug him. |
| B．Newme would go to the stage to accept the diploma for the student. |
| C．The student would dress in graduation clothing to accept the diploma. |
| A．By sending their photos to school. |
| B．Through the screen on Newme’s head. |
| C．Through an official graduation website. |
| A．Japan has led the world for a long time in robotic technology. |
| B．Newme can play different roles in many different fields. |
| C．Avatar robots have been used in graduation ceremonies for many years. |
| A．Send Newme to other countries. |
| B．Give away Newme to charities. |
| C．Improve the performance of Newme. |
【推荐3】What things do you think robots can do? You might find many newest inventions at the World Robot Conference (WRC) 2022 in Beijing. From Aug 18th to 21st, more than 500 robots were shown at the WRC. For example, one kind of robot can make jianbing (Chinese pancakes) 24 hours a day. This year’s WRC showed not only the coolest inventions, but also Chinese culture and talents of the young people.
Technology In farming
This robot can pick fruit! With an AI system, the robot can tell if the fruit is ripe (成熟的). It can also divide the fruits into different groups by size. Wu Jiafeng, who introduces the fruit-picking robot to the public, told CCTV that more robotic technology would be used in farming in the future, including robots for daily plant checks.
Young inventors
During the show, you could also see the amazing talents of the young people. Students from a Beijing school even had their own show at the WRC. They brought fascinating inventions and ideas. For example, Wang Jiarun, a student from the school, invented a 3D parking facility (设备). His purpose is to fit more cars into parking spaces. The facility works like a sky wheel. When parked cars need to leave, the facility rotates(转) slowly, landing the car on the ground.
1. We could see over ________ robots on show at the 2022 WRC.| A．18 | B．20 | C．500 | D．2000 |
| A．the fruit-picking robot can help farmers to grow fruits |
| B．the fruit-picking robot can divide the fruits by color |
| C．Wang Jiarun’s invention can produce more cars |
| D．Wang Jiarun’s invention can make parking easier |
| A．Science | B．Travel | C．Art | D．Sports |
【推荐1】My hobby is reading. I like reading books, magazines, newspapers, collections of short stories, novels, poems or any kind of reading material that I find interesting.
This hobby got started when I was a little boy. At that time, I always wanted my parents to read fairy tales and other stories to me. Soon they got fed up of having to read to me all the time. So, as soon as 1 could, I learned to read. I started with ABC books. Soon I could read simple fairy tales and other stories. Now I read just about anything that is available （可得到的）.
Reading enables me to learn about many things. I learned about how people lived in the old days of magic and mystery. I learned about the wonders of the world, space travel, human achievements, huge whales, tiny viruses（病毒）and other fascinating things.
The wonderful thing about reading is that I don’t have to learn things the hard way. Books have certainly helped me in my daily life. I learn that how to solve the problems in my life. Otherwise I would go about ignorantly（无知地）learning things the hard way. For example, I don’t have to catch a disease to know that it can kill me. I read about the danger so I can avoid it. Also, I don't have to go deep into the jungle to learn about tigers. I can read all about them in a book.
So, I continue to read. It is my favourite hobby. It is indeed a good hobby.
1. The writer likes reading books, collections of short stories, ________ or any kind of interesting reading material.| A．novels | B．poems | C．magazines | D．A and B and C |
| A．tales | B．newspaper | C．magazines | D．novels |
| A．捉到细菌 | B．得病 | C．染上坏习惯 | D．治愈疾病 |
| A．keeps | B．forgets | C．stops | D．tries |
My mother was telling me about how she and her family got their first television when she was a teenager. Of course it was black and white. She said she only watch it at night. She doesn’t remember over watching it in the morning or afternoon. When I was young we had only about 3 or 4 different channels(频道). My bothers, my sisters and I would sometimes fight(打架) about which channel to watch. But we usually enjoyed the same shows. Now we can get hundreds of channels on TV. I can’t believe it! There are channels with old films, cooking, fishing and so on. It’s surprising! There is a channel for everything. I wonder how much my bothers, my sisters and I would fight if we had hundreds of channels when I was a child. Of course we had only one television set. These days I find families with 2 or 3 or more television sets in their homes. I guess it stops people from arguing(吵架) about which channel to choose from .
1. In those days, how many television sets did people have?
| A．more than one | B．one | C．3 or 4 | D．more than 4 |
| A．Channels with cooking | B．Channels with old films |
| C．Channels with fish | D．A, B&C |
| A．3 or 4 different channels. | B．Only one channel. |
| C．Hundreds of channels. | D．Less than 10 channels. |
| A．different channels | B．the same shows |
| C．different shows | D．all the shows |
| A．My mum’s brothers and sisters would fight about which channel to watch when she was a child. |
| B．These days, there is only one channel with old movies, cooking and fishing. |
| C．People have many channels to choose from now. |
| D．Family members will not fight for the television set. |
【推荐3】Whether you will be a doctor or a police officer in the future, there are teachers in your life right now. They teach you and help you to know who you are. Of course, you want to thank them.
Teachers’ Day is the perfect chance for students around the world to thank their teachers. The festival falls on different days in different countries.
In China, Teachers’ Day is on Sept 10, but in the US, teachers have a whole week to celebrate. Teacher Appreciation（感谢）Week is in the first full week of May every year. Kids used to bring apples for their teachers because apples are healthy. Now they bring gifts with pictures of apples, such as mugs（马克杯）, picture frames（画框）and teddy bears. Some students also make DIY gifts for their teachers. During the week, teachers are often offered free breakfast or a cup of coffee by school clubs.
South Korea’s Teachers’ Day is on May 15. Many students offer carnations（康乃馨）to their teachers. Cards are also a traditional gift. Thousands of students prepare personalized cards and give them to their favorite teachers.
Although different countries have different Teachers’ Days, there is one day for the whole world to honor teachers. On Oct 5 of every year, over 100 countries, such as Canada and Philippines, express their thanks by celebrating World Teachers’ Day. UNESCO（联合国教科文组织）started the day in 1994. It wants to remind people of the importance of the teacher.
1. Which of the following is true about Teacher Appreciation Week in the US?| A．It is always in the first week of May every year. |
| B．Kids used to send gifts with pictures of apples to teachers. |
| C．Some students make gifts for their teachers. |
| A．Sept 10 | B．Oct 5 | C．May 1 |
| A．to help people understand the importance of teaching. |
| B．to introduce Teachers’ Day around the world. |
| C．to remind us to send gifts to teachers On Teachers’ Day. |
Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu have come back! After flying around Earth for six months, the three astronauts(宇航员) of the Shenzhou XIII mission(任务) returned home on April 16. They successfully finished the manned spaceflight(载人航天飞行). The crew(机组人员) stayed in space for six months. It is the longest stay for Chinese astronauts in space in history. Shenzhou XIII is the fourth spacecraft to visit the Tiangong station and the second manned ship to transport astronauts to the orbiting outpost (轨道位置). Nine hours after leaving Tiangong, the capsule(返回舱) touched down on Earth at the Dongfeng Landing Site in Inner Mongolia(内蒙古). The astronauts were carried out of the capsule by ground workers and placed into chairs. They were in good condition.
1. The three astronauts flow around Earth for six months and returned home on April 16.2. Shenzhou XIII is the second spacecraft to visit the Tiangong station.
3. The capsule touched down on Earth at the Dongfeng Landing Site in Mongolia.
4. The astronauts were carried out of the capsule by ground police and placed into chair.
5. The three astronauts were in good condition.
【推荐2】The second live class from China’s space station was held in the afternoon of Mar. 23, delivered by Shenzhou-13 crew(机组) members Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu to students on Earth. Wang performed several scientific experiments. In one experiment, Wang used a toy of Bing Dwen Dwen, the popular mascot(吉祥物) of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, to show how objects fly in a weightless(失重的) environment. They also showed students two pieces of cutting-edge scientific equipment inside the space station. Hundreds of students in Beijing, Lhasa and Urumqi watched the event.
Before ending the class, the astronauts answered questions taken from members of the public and raised by students. The questions covered various facets of life and work in space, such as how to take care of their skin, whether hot water is available, if the moon looks different from the Tiangong station, and how tears move in a microgravitational(微重力) environment.
Pang Zhihao, a retired spaceflight researcher from the China Academy of Space Technology and author of several space-themed books, said the class will be an “eye-opener” for youngsters, especially students, by implanting the love of science and creativity in them. “Many well-known scientists were created by their interest and curiosity about ‘strange things’. The experiments done by the astronauts will put ‘question marks’ in our students’ minds, and the youngsters will then move to find answers and explore more places unknown to humankind,” he said.
1. What questions did the students not ask in the event?| A．Whether cold water is available. |
| B．How to take care of crew members’ skin. |
| C．If the moon looks different from the Tiangong station. |
| D．How tears move in a microgravitational environment. |
| A．parts | B．faces | C．problems | D．questions |
| A．Pang Zhihao is one of Shenzhou-13 crew members. |
| B．Students raised questions for crew members about how to take care of their eyes. |
| C．Thousands of students in Beijing, Lhasa and Urumqi watched the event. |
| D．Shenzhou-13 members showed students two pieces of cutting-edge scientific equipment. |
| A．It can implant the love of science and creativity in students. |
| B．It will encourage students to be astronauts. |
| C．It was held for students in Beijing, Lhasa and Wuhan. |
| D．It will be an “eye-opener” for youngsters, especially teenagers. |
| A．Nature. | B．Culture. | C．Sports. | D．Space. |
【推荐3】
Astronauts would face dangers both getting to and surviving (生存) on Mars. Let’s learn about surviving a trip to Mars.
What would it take to keep people safe and healthy on a trip to Mars? Scientists are already working on it though the trip may be many years later.
Over the last 60 years, many spacecraft (航天器) have flown by, orbited (沿轨道运行) and even landed on the Red Planet. However, humans could work faster and smarter than machines. That’s why the United States, China and other countries want to send people to Mars. But surviving this trip would not be easy.
A trip to Mars would be the farthest journey in human history. Mars is about 225 million kilometers away, so it would take astronauts at least six months to reach there. However, it only takes a few days to get to the moon.
While space travel is never free of danger, it takes a lot more health risks to travel in space for a long time. For one thing, staying in space for long periods makes the human body weak. Also, it puts pressure behind the eyes and causes eye problems. But gravity (重力) machines could help.
Then there’s space radiation (辐射) to worry about. It might raise the risk of health problems. especially for astronauts who will have long journeys. Scientists are working out the problems. They have found taking certain vitamins (维生素) can help.
Astronauts will have to pack light to lift off from Earth. But they won’t be able to get things they need like astronauts on the space station do. Astronauts on the space station practice for this by growing lettuce and other food in space. Engineers are developing 3-D printing techniques which could allow future Mars astronauts to build tools as needed.
1. Why do the countries want to send astronauts to Mars?| A．Because spacecraft couldn’t work on Mars. |
| B．Because humans could work faster and smarter than machines. |
| C．Because scientists have worked out how to survive on Mars. |
| A．A few days. | B．At least six weeks. | C．At least six months. |
| A．A trip to the moon would be the farthest journey in human history. |
| B．Space radiation might raise the risk of health problems for astronauts. |
| C．Taking certain vitamins can help reduce pressure behind the eyes in space. |
| A．Mars astronauts will be able to get things they need |
| B．Mars astronauts can grow lettuce and other food now |
| C．3-D printing techniques could allow astronauts to build tools as needed |
| A．surviving a trip to Mars |
| B．spacecraft landing on Mars |
| C．health problems of future Mars astronauts |
