What do you plan to do when you retire? Keep working? Get more exercise? Or learn something new? You may put them on hold . There's a chance that, sooner or later, you might have to move further than you were thinking, as far as Mars.
On Thursday, National Geographic will show the first-ever Mars show home, giving earthlings ( 地球人 )an idea of what their life could look like on the Red Planet. In the not-so-distant year of 2037, the igloo-shaped structure could be the home of your future.
It shows a house built using recycled spacecraft parts and Martian soil, called regolith, which has been microwaved into bricks. Some parts of the home are recognizable — a kitchen, a bedroom — but there are fundamental differences that are important to human survival.
As the Martian atmosphere is around one hundredth as thick as the Earth’s, people will need permanent ( 永久的 ) shelter from the sun ; society will move largely indoors. Most buildings will be connected by underground passages and the houses won't have windows. The homes will have simulated solar lighting, or natural light that has been bent several times. Walls will need to be 10 to 12 feet thick, to protect people from dangerous rays ( 光线 )that can pass through six feet of steel, and a double air-locked entrance to keep the home under proper pressure.
"We don’t think of our houses as things that keep us alive, but on Mars your house will be a survival centre, 99 says Stephen Petranek, author of How We’ll Live on Mars. This is not just the stuff of sci-fi. “10 to 20 years from now there will certainly be people on Mars,” Petranek says.
“We’ve had the technology for 30 years to land people on Mars, but we haven’t had the will, ”Petranek says. But two main factors have “completely swung public attitudes”.
The private companies’ participation has forced government agencies to speed up their game, and influential films such as Gravity and The Martian have caught society’s eye.
1 . What do the underlined words "put them on hold" in paragraph 1 probably mean?
A . Put them off. B . Give them away.
C . Carry them through. D . Take them seriously.
2 . What can we infer about the show home from the text?
A . It has no windows or doors due to security concern.
B . Its design presents the idea of environmental protection.
C . It has thick walls keeping the home under propel pressure.
D . Its underground passages connect all the buildings together.
3 . According to Petranek, what has sped up the process of sending people to Mars?
A . The development of related technology.
B . The competition from private companies.
C . The great influence of the Mars show home.
D . The popularity of influential books on Mars.
4 . What is the best title for the text?
A . Living on Mars: Possible or Not B . Sending People to Mars: Yes or No
C . First-Ever Show Home: How Is It Made D . Future Home on Mars: What Will It Be like
1 . A
2 . B
3 . B
4 . D
【解析】
【导读】
本文是说明文。文章主要讲述了人类将来有可能去火星居住,那里的房子有与地球上完全不同的构造和风格,文章大篇幅描述了未来火星上的房子的样子。
1 .
词句猜测题。根据画线词前面的 “Keep working? Get more exercise? Or learn something new?( 继续工作?再多锻炼一下吗?还是学习一些新的东西? )” 可知,这是一些退休后的具体打算,同时根据划线词后面的 “There's a chance that, sooner or later, you might have to move further than you were thinking, as far as Mars.( 有可能,你迟早要搬到比你想象的更远的地方,比如火星 )” 说明做这些计划还早,你可能会搬家到更远的地方,因此推断划线句句意:你可能要把它们搁置起来。划线部分表示 “ 推迟这些打算 ” ,故选 A 项。
2 .
推理判断题。根据第三段中的 “It shows a house built using recycled spacecraft parts and Martian soil, called regolith, which has been microwaved into bricks.( 它展示了一座用回收的航天器部件和被称为风化层的火星土壤建造的房子,已经被微波制成砖块 )” 可知,房屋的设计显示了环境保护的理念。故选 B 项。
3 .
细节理解题。根据最后一段中的 “The private companies’ participation has forced government agencies to speed up their game, and influential films such as Gravity and The Martian have caught society's eye.( 私营公司的参与迫使政府机构加大了竞争力度,《地心引力》和《火星救援》等有影响力的电影也引起了社会的关注 )” 可知,私人公司的参与迫使政府机构积极起来。故选 B 项。
4 .
主旨大意题。根据第二段中的 “On Thursday, National Geographic will show the first-ever Mars show home, giving earthlings ( 地球人 ) an idea of what their life could look like on the Red Planet.( 周四,《国家地理》将首次展示火星家园,让地球人了解他们在这颗红色星球上的生活可能是什么样子 )” 和下面几个段落的内容可知,本篇文章主要讲述了未来人们在火星上居住的情况。因此推断 D 项 “ 未来的火星家园:它会是什么样子 ” 为最佳标题。故选 D 项。