1 . In 2017,the United Arab Emirates announced its ambition to colonize Mars within the next 100 years. But architects are already imagining what a Martian city might look like-and planning to recreate it in the desert outside Dubai.
Mars Science City was originally scheduled to cover 176,000 square meters of desert-the size of more than 30 football fields-and cost approximately 135 million dollars. To create a space for Dubai's Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to develop the technology needed to colonize Mars,architects Bjarke Ingels Group were asked to design a prototype of a city suitable for sustaining life on Mars-and then adapt it for use in the Emirati desert.
For this unique commission,the architects first had to overcome the immense challenges of creating a design to make the severe environment of Mars habitable. Mars has a thin atmosphere and no global magnetic field,so there's little protection from harmful radiation. Temperature is another problem-the average on Mars is a chilly 63 degrees C. The thin atmosphere also means there's little air pressure,so liquids quickly evaporate into gas; despite freezing temperatures,an unprotected human's blood would boil on Mars.But according to Jonathan Eastwood,director of the Space Lab at Imperial College London,the biggest challenge in terms of a sustained presence on Mars is not the engineering or scientific challenge,but the human and personal one.More researches need to be done to test the effects of isolation on mental and physical health of astronauts.
The MBRSC hopes that,in future,such research could take place in Mars Science City.This is going to be our platform where we can develop the science and the technology that will help us in our future missions to Mars,said Adnan AlRais,Mars 27 Program Manager at MBRSC."We want to come up with a totally new facility that will help the international community.”
1. What information can you get about the Martian city?| A．It is planned to be completed in the next 100 years. |
| B．It occupies more than 30 football fields of Dubai. |
| C．It has been put into use in the desert outside Dubai. |
| D．It serves as a prototype for sustaining life on Mars. |
| A．A thin atmosphere exposes people to harmful radiation. |
| B．High temperature makes unprotected human's blood boil. |
| C．Little air pressure causes liquid to turn into gas quickly. |
| D．A long period of isolation may affect physical health. |
| A．Positive | B．objective | C．critical | D．skeptical |
| A．The research on the effects of living on Mars. |
| B．A Martian city designed for the desert outside Dubai. |
| C．The United Arab Emirates' ambition to colonize Mars. |
| D．The challenges of surviving the inhabitable environment of Mars. |
