During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with the development of production, astronomy attained many achievements. The Ganshi Star Classic,
Gan De and Shi Shen respectively conducted astronomical observations in their own aspects
Tianwen-1, China’s first independent interplanetary mission (星际任务),
Various space missions, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express and several of NASA’ s Mars lovers
That’s important, scientists say, because plenty of evidence points to Mars having an
3 . Interesting Space Facts
As time goes by, technological advancements have made us learn more facts about space in the past century than in all time before that. We’ve already searched the universe for the most amazing space facts, including facts about the planets in our solar system, moons, the Milky Way and beyond!
The highest mountain discovered is the Olympus Mons, which is located on Mars. It is 16 miles high, making it nearly 3 times higher than Mount Everest.
The sun weighs about 330,000 times more than Earth.
Footprints left on the moon won’t disappear as there is no wind. But wait a minute.
| A．We’re pretty sure they will make you interested! |
| B．New discoveries will no longer be made in the future. |
| C．It is so large that it can contain about 1,300,000 Earths! |
| D．Not only is it tall, but it’s 114,000 square meters as well. |
| E．All these space facts may not be true at the time of writing. |
| F．Astronauts can grow about two inches in height when in space. |
| G．If there’s no wind to blow them away, then why is the flag blowing? |
Do stars only appear at night? The answer is no. Venus(金星)is the only star
If Venus is so bright and close to us, isn't it a better choice for human
5 . It took humans thousands of years to understand our own planet, and centuries
Up to the present time, astronomers have
Among all these, scientists are eager to find a clue of the
| A．explore | B．separate | C．forget | D．defend |
| A．revised | B．discovered | C．saved | D．created |
| A．travelled | B．damaged | C．recognized | D．ignored |
| A．slowly | B．easily | C．wrongly | D．rapidly |
| A．Removing | B．Circling | C．Lighting | D．Showing |
| A．stars | B．moons | C．planets | D．satellites |
| A．type | B．distance | C．power | D．size |
| A．authorities | B．species | C．systems | D．facilities |
| A．familiar | B．previous | C．unknown | D．distant |
| A．hide | B．discover | C．injure | D．support |
| A．luckily | B．instantly | C．probably | D．officially |
| A．small | B．bright | C．blue | D．clear |
| A．And | B．Yet | C．So | D．Thus |
| A．limits | B．ends | C．opposites | D．beginnings |
| A．examples | B．designs | C．means | D．signs |
6 . A new study focuses on K2-18b, an exoplanet(系外行星) discovered in 2018, which orbits a red dwarf star close enough to receive about the same amount of radiation from its star as Earth does from our sun.
Recently, scientists have discovered gas giants that have water in their atmospheres, but this is the least giant planet ever to have water detected in its atmosphere. “The water detection was quite clear to us relatively early on,” lead author Bjorn Benneke, a professor at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Universite de Montreal, told Space.com in an interview.
“Studies have suggested that planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres could host certain forms of life.” Benneke said. However, “K2-18b’s large atmosphere is extremely thick and creates high-pressure conditions, which likely prevents life as we know it from existing on the planet’s surface.” a news release reads. While these researchers found evidence for liquid water clouds on K2-18b, because of its lack of surface, rain wouldn’t pool on the planet. Without a real surface, so to speak, landing on the planet would also be nearly impossible to land on, especially because the gas is so thick and has such an incredibly high pressure that any Earth-created spacecraft sent there would be destroyed.
Benneke suggests that, possibly, this planet formed by rock absorbing large amounts of gas, “like a vacuum cleaner,” he said. The gas absorbed would have more than doubled the planet and increased its volume Warren eightfood.
To come to these conclusions, the research team analyzed data from Hubble Space Telescope observations that they made between 2019 and 2020 of the K2-18b planet passing in front of its star eight times. This type of research, Benneke said, is leading toward a final goal of “being able to study real, true earth-like planets.” We are not quite there yet, he said, but this is really exciting.”
1. Why is it impossible to land on the K2-18b?| A．It has thin gas. | B．It doesn’t have a real surface. |
| C．It has too much water. | D．It is too far from the earth. |
| A．By releasing gas itself. | B．By receiving radiation from the sun. |
| C．By taking in much gas by rocks. | D．By getting away from the red dwarf star. |
| A．Scientists are making progress in studying real earth-like planets. |
| B．It is impossible for humans to land on other earth-like planets. |
| C．Scientists have succeeded in exploring K2-18b completely. |
| D．The K2-18b planet has passed before its star eight times between 2019 and 2020. |
| A．The exploration of the outer space. |
| B．The study of solar systems’ environment. |
| C．The discovery of the K2-18b planet. |
| D．The research on the K2-18b planet. |
7 . If Mars were the popular kid in school,Venus （金星）would be the unwelcome one sitting in the corner,largely ignored. Venus has nearly the same mass and size as Earth,but being closer to the sun, it gets nearly twice as much heat from the sun.
However, instead of having a climate that is just a warmer version of Earth’s, Venus's surface and atmosphere are unbearable：clouds of sulphuric acid blanket the planet,while at ground level, it is hot enough to melt lead. Despite this, there is now a sign that Venus may harbour life.
Jane Greaves at Cardiff University, UK, and her colleagues recently detected phosphine（磷化氢）in Venus's atmosphere, with one potential explanation that it is the by-product of biology. That is because the only way this gas is made on Earth is in laboratories or by microbes（微生物）.Though this doesn't mean it was produced by life on Venus, attempts to find non—biological explanations for its presence have so far failed.
Our best way of confirming or rejecting the possibility of life on Venus is to go and have a proper look. While Mars has been the focus of interplanetary exploration efforts lately, the phosphine discovery lets people look at Venus in a new light. As NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted：“It's time to prioritize Venus.”
In the months and years to come, computer simulations will be used to further study the possible chemistries of the atmosphere on Venus. More laboratory experiments will be conducted to try to identify other ways the phosphine there could be produced. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will reveal the true nature of this substance on Venus. A newly-proposed strategy is to directly sample the atmosphere and surface of Venus. By doing so,we would be able to take direct measurements of phosphine.
The discovery of phosphine in Venus's atmosphere is a great accomplishment. The scientific efforts may be just what we need to finally refocus on this neglected world. Possibly, the quiet kid in the corner may get the last laugh.
1. In theory，what's Venus expected to be like?| A．It is almost as large as Earth. |
| B．It has nearly the same mass as Earth. |
| C．It has a warmer Earth-like climate. |
| D．It has the unbearable surface and atmosphere. |
| A．There might exist signs of life. |
| B．This kind of gas is very common. |
| C．Many products can be made with it. |
| D．Experiments were once conducted there. |
| A．The importance of observations. |
| B．The power of computer simulations. |
| C．The approaches to exploring phosphine. |
| D．The necessity to analyse phosphine. |
| A．Casual. | B．Supportive. | C．Cautious. | D．Doubtful. |
8 . “We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds.... Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth.” These are the words of the famous scientist Stephen Hawking, spoken at a science festival in Norway in 2017, a year before his death.
Hawking was not alone in this view. Many experts feel that the only way for humanity to last far into the future is to colonize （移民） other planets. That way, if an asteroid （小行星）, a terrible disease, nuclear war, or some other disaster strikes Earth, civilization would still have a chance. Mars is one of the ideal destinations. NASA, SpaceX, and Mars One all have plans to send humans there. “Either we spread Earth to other planets, or we risk going extinct,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at a conference in 2013.
But not everyone agrees that colonizing Mars or any other planet is such a great plan. The most common argument against going is that it’s just too expensive or dangerous. It will take huge amounts of money and other resources just to get people there, let alone set up a place for them to live. It’s not even clear if humans could survive on Mars.
Maybe all the time and money people would pour into a Mars mission would be better spent on more urgent projects here on Earth, like dealing with poverty or climate change. Some experts argue that handling a problem like an asteroid strike or disease outbreak while staying here on Earth would be much easier and less expensive than surviving on a new planet.
In addition, moving to a new planet could harm or destroy anything that already lives there. Human visitors change or damage the Martian environment. Some feel that’s too much of a risk to take.
1. What is Stephen Hawking’s view according to paragraph 1?| A．The earth is likely to blow up. |
| B．Humans are using up natural resources on Earth. |
| C．It is necessary to spread out to other planets. |
| D．We should explore our world to save ourselves. |
| A．Because there will be a nuclear war in the near future. |
| B．Because human can live better on Mars. |
| C．Because it is a way for earth civilization to last. |
| D．Because it is a way to test our space technology. |
| A．It is wiser to deal with problems on Earth. |
| B．It is easy to stop a disease outbreak. |
| C．Human will not survive on Mars. |
| D．It is impossible to set up a place for people to live on Mars. |
| A．Leaving Earth to Other Planets | B．Should We Colonize Mars? |
| C．New Home on New Planet | D．A Mar Mission Is on The Way |
9 . After traveling more than seven months in space, Tianwen 1 is one step closer to Mars! Tianwen 1, China’s first Mars probe （探测器）, successfully entered Mars orbit in February, according to the China National Space Administration （CNSA）. It will stay in orbit for about three months before landing on the red planet.
A small step on the red planet will be a big step for human beings. Humans have launched 46 Mars exploration missions since October 1960, but only 19 of them have been successful, according to China Daily. It’s China’s first spacecraft to Mars, and the missions are rather ambitious. Tianwen 1 aims to achieve “orbiting, landing, and roving （环绕，着陆，巡视）” all in one journey, which will make the country the world’s first to accomplish all three goals with one probe, mission scientists said. Among the three tasks, touchdown on the red planet is the most difficult. The result mainly depends on the “breathtaking seven minutes,” which will deploy multiple cutting-edge technologies and accurate timing of each action, including the burning of engines and opening of parachutes （降落伞）to ensure a safe landing, according to the Global Times. The previous success of Chang’e 5 has accumulated experience in this regard which “boosts our confidence”, Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times. Tianwen Vs ultimate goal is to land a rover on Mars in May or June, and it will conduct scientific investigations on Mars’ soil, geological （地质学的）structure, environment, atmosphere and water, according to China Daily.
February was Mars month. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on Feb 19, and China’s Tianwen 1 and United Arab Emirates’ （UAE） Hope have arrived within orbit of the red planet. Although they started their Mars journeys at almost the same time, their missions vary. “When we step into the far planets of the solar system, the magnitude （量级）of the resources and timeline required will take a global commitment,” US Congressman Frank Lucas said, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in space.
1. What can we learn about Tianwen 1?| A．It’s the world’s first probe to enter the orbit around Mars. |
| B．It will spend 10 months preparing for its landing. |
| C．It is expected to land on Mars in May or June. |
| D．It’s one of the 46 successful Mars exploration missions. |
| A．Landing a rover on the red planet. | B．Staying in orbit around Mars for months. |
| C．Bringing back samples from Mars. | D．Orbiting, landing and roving with one probe. |
| A．Lack of advanced technologies. | B．Achieving a safe landing. |
| C．Completing tasks quickly. | D．Insufficient landing experience. |
| A．There are risks in exploring other planets. |
| B．Space exploration calls for global cooperation. |
| C．Tianwen 1 will reach other planets besides Mars. |
| D．Exploring space takes considerable time and resources. |
10 . From this issue, we explore why the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute hasn't turned up anything since its founding in the 1980s. (See page 30 for more.) We asked our Facebook followers: Do you think that astronomers will find evidence of alien life in your lifetime?
Loran McCormick: 1 think they already have it. Judging by the sudden industrialization, I figure they found something that's probably been here since before humans walked the Earth.
Jens Avery: We may find life, but it may not want anything to do with us. We are not very advanced and can't even get along with each other.
Steven Buhrow: I think the more important question is — will any government ever publicly admit it in our lifetime? I fully believe that we could discover alien life today and the government would simply say the public is not ready for this information.
Jenna Walsh: I think we already see it, but just don't realize what it is. Intelligent alien life probably doesn't want anything to do with the disaster that is Earth at this point, so no doubt they're playing it safe and observing from a safe distance.
Christopher Harvey: By alien life, do you mean intelligent alien life? Then no. It would be extremely hard to find, short of them coming down to Earth. But if you mean unintelligent alien life, like bacteria or single cell, we might.
1. Why did we ask the Facebook followers the question?| A．To question the efficiency of SETI. |
| B．To confirm the appearance of aliens on earth. |
| C．To ensure the existence of aliens. |
| D．To complain about the failure to find aliens. |
| A．Loran McCormick. | B．Steven Buhrow. |
| C．Jenna Walsh. | D．Christopher Harvey. |
| A．An album. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A magazine. | D．A travel guide. |
