Question

Humans may not have landed on Mars (火星) just yet, but that isn’t stopping a European company from devising a plan to send four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.

“Everything we need to go to Mars exists,” said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. “We have the rockets to send people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the settlement for humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists.” Yet the four astronauts chosen for the trip will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars One’s thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission's huge cost ($6 billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project by selling the broadcast rights for the mission and subsequent experiences living on the planet.

Those broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to select the people who will be sent to Mars. Lansdorp said the company will hold a selection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, several other potential problems could inhibit (阻止) the mission to Mars.

“It’s even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars,” said Adam Baker, senior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. “The size of the rockets you’d need to do this would be absolutely colossal.”

1.According to Project Mars One, humans could send four people to Mars within the next ________years.

A. seven B. eight C. ten D. six

2.According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. Robots are prepared for the settlement for humans.

B. He could not come up with the fund for Mars One.

C. We humans have the rockets to send people to Mars.

D. The equipment is ready for humans to land on Mars.

3.The word “colossal” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ___________.

A. very large B. very small

C. medium D. average

4.Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?

A. Ready for a Round Trip to Mars

B. Ready for a Short Visit to Mars

C. Ready for a One-way Trip to Mars

D. Ready for a Walk on Mars

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文主要是在說明現今的科學家們對火星的探測和上火星的一個初步計劃�？茖W家們的目標是在2020年能夠送一批人到火星上去。但是這個計劃實施難度很大，會遭遇一系列的困難和問題。

1.第一段的第二行到第三行提到aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022，目標是在2020年送一小批人去火星。而現在是2014年，所以2022—2014=8所以答案選B。

2. is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project是說lansdorp對火星一號的那個項目籌集資金是非常有信心的，而B選項卻說他沒有。所以答案選B。

3. even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars是說現在要想送人去火星難度更大，因為還要提供一系列的用來支撐生命的物質，按照推理，更多的東西需要運載，所以自然火箭的型號也要更大。所以答案選A。

4.

考點：考查科技說明文閱讀。