1 . A recent landing on the moon has awakened or renewed people’s enthusiasm for the stars and space exploration. Here are four trip ideas to inspire those would-be astronauts and astronomers.
Kennedy Space Center, America
The NASA-operated Kennedy Space Center is a must for ambitious astronauts and space-lovers. Hands-on experiences range from live presentations delivered by astronauts to the new Astronaut Training Experience Center. Children aged 10 to 17 can experience spacewalking and exploring Mars.
North York Moors, England
As an International Dark Sky Reserve in the world, this lovely part of Yorkshire, England is host to the UK’s family-friendly National Parks Dark Skies festival. Well timed to the latter part of autumn half term in England, the festival includes bat-box making, evenings with winter birds and moonlit coastal walks.
Pic du Midi, France
There are few observatories where you can observe stars before retiring to a comfortable cabin and watch the sunrise. Getting to the Pic du Midi Observatory is also an adventure by itself, involving a ride on two cable-cars up to a 2,877-meter-high mountain. The guided astronomy sessions help kids discover Saturn (土星) and its rings via powerful telescopes.
Mount Teide, Spain
Home to the largest solar observatory in the world, it sits on Spain’s highest mountain. Ride the cable-car up for a scientist-led tour, which includes the chance to observe the Sun through hand-held solar telescopes. The special family tour includes an attractive 90-minute workshop exploring how observatory physicists carry out their research.
1. Which trip suits the teenagers expecting a face-to-face contact with astronauts?| A．Kennedy Space Center. | B．North York Moors. |
| C．Mount Teide. | D．Pic du Midi. |
| A．Attend live presentations. | B．Observe the rings of Saturn. |
| C．Enjoy the sea view at night. | D．Learn about physicists’ work. |
| A．They accommodate family tourists. |
| B．They include a tour led by scientists. |
| C．They offer free hand-held telescopes. |
| D．They are located on high mountains. |
2 . How is dining in space different from eating on Earth?
Spacesuits? Check! Oxygen? Check! Water? Check! Are we forgetting something? Food! If you send astronauts into space, you have to send along food as well. But what do astronauts eat, and how do they eat it?
First, and possibly most important, is nutrition (营养).
The lack of gravity in a spacecraft also determines what foods can or cannot be eaten in space. Meals must be packaged carefully so they won’t spill into the cabin. Liquids or tiny bits of food could get inside a machine or electronic device and damage it.
Finally, weight is an important concern. The weight of every object included in a spacecraft must be calculated in order to ensure that there is enough fuel and power to carry the craft safely into space and home again.
Despite all these requirements, much of the food eaten in space is actually similar to what you might eat on the earth.
| A．Variety and taste are also important. |
| B．Food packaging is made to be as light as possible. |
| C．For the same reason sharp tools are never used onboard. |
| D．Nutrition and practicality are important things to consider. |
| E．Believe it or not, they also have fresh fruits and vegetables. |
| F．Scientists take several factors into consideration as they plan meals for space. |
| G．Maintaining the astronauts’ physical health is a top task for any space mission. |
3 . Top Scientific Breakthroughs in 2023
The pace of innovation never slows, and the impact of the breakthroughs will redefine the way we live, work and connect with the world.
A New Era for Space Exploration
Space exploration is one of the core missions in many countries. Recently, the newest mission to the moon was launched as NASA’s Artemis Program, which would pave the way for a future mission to Mars. This new era of space exploration will drive technological advancements in fields beyond astronautics and stimulate progress in real-world applications like materials, food science, and modern industry.
A Milestone in AI Predictions
For decades, the scientific community has chased a greater understanding of relationships between protein functions and 3D structures. In July 2023, Deep Mind revealed that the folded 3D structure of a protein molecule (分子), which reduced the number of human proteins with unknown structural data from 4,800 to just 29. While there will always be challenges with AI, the ability to predict protein structures in biology has implications across all life sciences.
Greener Fertilizer Production
Every year, billions of people depend on fertilizers for the ongoing production of food, and reducing the carbon footprint and expenses in fertilizer production would reshape the impact agriculture has on emissions. To reduce energy requirements, researchers from Tokyo Tech have developed a noble-metal-free catalyst (催化剂), which is much more environmentally friendly and safer to the agricultural produces.
Supercomputer—Exascale
Exascale computers, which can perform a mind-boggling quintillion (1018) mathematical operations per second, finally arrived in 2023. They’ve already helped refine weather forecasts and design new materials, and new ones will be coming online soon. The world’s most powerful supercomputers, operating at the far frontier of speed known as the exascale, have now begun to boom. These results from exascale machines coming online in the next few years promise to open a new window into materials, climate science, and medicine.
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1. What do the Space Exploration and Fertilizer Production have in common?| A．They take a lot of time. | B．They make influence on the food. |
| C．They need government cooperation. | D．They cost a big sum of money to maintain. |
| A．A New Era for Space Exploration. | B．A Milestone in AI Predictions. |
| C．Greener Fertilizer Production. | D．Supercomputers—Exascale. |
| A．A textbook. | B．An exam paper. | C．A magazine. | D．A science fiction. |
4 . Endeavour (奋进号航天飞机) successfully completed 25 missions into space, including the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the first mission to add a U. S. component to the International Space Station.
When first launched in 1981, it became the world’s first reusable spacecraft to carry humans into orbit. Over the thirty-year course of the space shuttle program, the shuttles and their crews assembled parts of the International Space Station, deployed and serviced the Hubble Space Telescope, repaired and relaunched satellites, sent probes to Venus and Jupiter and more.
The space shuttle was actually made up of several separate components. What people call the “shuttle” is the orbiter—the part of the shuttle that held the crew. The main engines are part of the orbiter. In addition to the orbiter, each shuttle included two solid rocket boosters and an external tank. All were reusable except for the external tank, which by design burned up in the atmosphere.
Many newer features were added to Endeavour during construction, such as updated steering mechanisms, upgraded electrical connections to allow for longer missions and a drag chute that reduced wear and tear on the shuttle’s brakes and tires. Many of the innovations were added later to the other shuttles.
Endeavour made several historic missions to the International Space Station, including STS-88, in which the crew added the first U. S. component to the ISS. On STS-100, Endeavour delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand. On STS-123, Endeavour added a robotic arm—Dextre. Endeavour’s final mission, in May 2011, delivered spare parts to the International Space Station. Endeavour leaves an amazing legacy in space.
1. What does the underlined word “assembled” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Consumed. | B．Wasted. | C．Produced. | D．Fixed. |
| A．The orbiter. | B．The external tank. |
| C．The main engines. | D．Solid rocket boosters. |
| A．It added a robotic arm—Dextre. |
| B．It added the first U. S. component to the ISS. |
| C．It delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand. |
| D．It delivered spare parts to the International Space Station. |
| A．The history of Endeavour. | B．The functions of Endeavour. |
| C．The achievements of Endeavour. | D．The development of Endeavour. |
Three Chinese astronauts landed on the country’s still-under-construction space station on Thursday. With that, the Chinese station,
6 . SPACE JAM
For kids inspired by India’s moon landing, here are four destinations where families can explore the stars, space and beyond.
Kennedy Space Center, Florida (USA)
The NASA-operated Kennedy Space Center is a must for aspiring astronauts and space lovers. It’s organised into chronologically grouped attractions and tours based around mission launches from the US Space Program. Hands-on experiences range from live presentations delivered by astronauts to the new Astronaut Training Experience Center. It is also the closest place from which the public can view rocket lift-offs at Cape Canaveral.
Jodrell Bank, Cheshire (UK)
This world-leading science research institute is centred around the Grade I-listed Lovell Telescope. Its 35-acre grounds include lots of interactive fun and educational exhibits across several indoor spaces, plus guided pathways to wander and outdoor facilities such as a pair of ‘whispering dishes’ for kids to call between. There’s also a programme of family friendly events, including the annual Bluedot Festival, which brings together live music and science workshops each July.
Pic du Midi, French Pyrenees (France)
There are few observatories in the world where you can eat a delicious dinner, spend the night stargazing before retiring to a comfortable cabin, then get up to watch the sun rise above the clouds. Getting to Pic du Midi is an adventure in its own right, involving a ride on two cable-cars up to 2,877m. Once there, guided astronomy sessions help kids discover Saturn and its rings, clusters of stars in deep space and solar flares on the sun’s surface via some of the world’s most powerful telescopes.
Mount Teide, Tenerife (Spain)
It’s home to the largest solar observatory in the world, which sits at an altitude of 2,390m on Spain’s highest mountain, the Teide volcano. Ride the cable-car up for a scientist-led tour, which includes the chance to observe the sun through portable solar telescopes. The special family visits include a fascinating science workshop exploring how observatory astrophysicists carry out their research.
1. Where can visitors watch rocket launches?| A．Kennedy Space Center. | B．Jodrell Bank. |
| C．Pic du Midi. | D．Mount Teide. |
| A．Enjoying live music. | B．Exploring educational displays. |
| C．Wandering on guide-free pathways. | D．Calling between via a designed device. |
| A．A comfortable cabin. | B．A workshop of science. |
| C．Places for eating food. | D．Guidance to observe the sun. |
1. How long will the science fair probably last?
| A．Four days. | B．Five days. | C．Six days. |
| A．The chemistry experiments. |
| B．The space exploration show. |
| C．The lectures on modern physics. |
8 . Animals were the real pioneers of space flight. Let us learn about some animals that have been to space.
A. Fruit flies
On February 20, 1947, the United States sent some fruit flies into space to study the impact that cosmic radiation (宇宙辐射) might potentially have on astronauts in the future. They chose flies because they are genetically similar to humans.
When they returned to Earth, the scientists found the flies alive, with no evidence of the effects of radiation.
B. Mice
Mice have long been used to find out more about how space travel will affect the human body. In fact, NASA has recently published a study of mice housed at the International Space Station. It shows that mice quickly adapt to microgravity (微重力) conditions.
The very first mouse went into space in 1950, reaching an altitude of 137km. However, unlike the fruit flies, the mouse died when the rocket broke into parts due to a parachute (降落伞) failure.
C. Dogs
Laika, a Russian homeless dog, went to space on November 3, 1957. She was picked up on the streets and was thought suitable because she had a gentle temperament (性情) and behaved well. The scientists also believed a homeless dog would be better at dealing with difficult conditions like microgravity than a pet dog.
Laika is famous for being the first animal to orbit (环绕……运行) the Earth. However, she never returned.
D. Spiders
In 1973, two garden spiders called Anita and Arabella were used in an experiment to see if they could still build webs in space.
Both spiders managed to build webs, even though the webs were slightly finer than on Earth. The study showed a great deal about the effects of microgravity on motor response (运动反应).
1. What can we learn about the mouse astronaut?| A．It failed to come back alive. |
| B．It couldn’t survive in microgravity conditions. |
| C．Its genes were similar to humans’. |
| D．It was the first animal to be sent to space. |
| A．her good temperament | B．her identity as a pet dog |
| C．her ability to deal with microgravity | D．her good behavior |
| A．To compare the quality of webs they made on Earth and in space. |
| B．To study the impact of cosmic radiation on their survival. |
| C．To see how fast they could build webs in space. |
| D．To see whether they could build webs in space. |
9 . BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China:
SHENZHOU-17 SPACE FLIGHT
China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, and the three astronauts aboard will be sent to stay in orbit (轨道) for about six months on a space station mission.
The spaceship, atop (在……顶上) a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off (发射升空) at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the China Manned Space Agency .
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Over 500 experts and scholars from China and abroad came together at the 7th Global Forum of Leaders for Agricultural Science and Technology (GLAST-2023) and its side events to exchange ideas on promoting sustainable (可持续的) agricultural development through technological innovation.
The two-day forum, which began on Thursday in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, was themed “science and technology leading the transformation of global agri-food system.”
INTERNATIONAL LUNAR RESEARCH STATION
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has signed cooperation documents with the space agencies of Pakistan and Belarus respectively for joint (共同的) work on the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program.
The new cooperation effort marks the start of participation by Pakistan and Belarus in the ILRS program, said the CNSA. The program was initiated (发起) by China, with an invitation extended to organizations and scientists around the world to participate.
1. Where was Shenzhou-17 blasted off from?| A．Beijing | B．Sanya | C．Pakistan | D．Jiuquan |
| A．Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship was launched on Tuesday. |
| B．GLAST-2023 finished on Thursday. |
| C．GLAST-2023 was held in Sanya. |
| D．There are two countries in the ILRS program. |
| A．News report | B．Argumentation | C．Exposition | D．Biography |
10 . The great flight of the Chinese astronaut (宇航员) Yang Liwei in 2003 made China the third country in the world to send a person into space. His journey of 600, 000 kilometres took one day. But the training of astronauts like Yang Liwei takes years and is very hard.
As a basic requirement, trainee (受训者) astronauts must be fighter pilots with over 600 hours of flying. This means that they have experience of flying at high speed and dealing with changes in air pressure. As well, they must have at least 4 years of college education and must be very strong and healthy. A normal trainee is 25-35 years old, weighs 55-70 kilogrammes and is 1. 60-1. 72 metres tall.
Pilots with the basic requirements then go through a long period of examination to see if they are fit for training. They stay in hospital for a month of tests, which check for any kind of physical (生理的) weakness. Moreover, they have to sit in a chair which turns around at high speed for 15 minutes, to find out how their body works. There are also mental tests to find out how they will deal with living in a very small room, and how well they will respond to dangers and solve problems.
Once they are chosen, the pilots go through a five-year course to prepare them for space flights. At the end of the five-year programme, there are final tests for the trainees. After passing these tests, they have succeeded in becoming real astronauts.
1. Why is Yang Liwei mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．To find a result. | B．To do a research. | C．To introduce a topic. |
| A．29 years of age. | B．1. 80 metres in height. | C．75 kilogrammes in weight. |
| A．To ensure their proper response. |
| B．To warn them of possible dangers. |
| C．To prepare them for fighter flights. |
| A．Taking a PE Training | B．Fighting to Be a Fighter Pilot | C．Choosing Astronauts in China |
