Since the end of its own space shuttle program in 2011, the US has used Russian Soyuz spacecraft every time it wants to transport humans to and from space. While NASA is busy working on its own solution, the agency has increasingly turned to US private companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to meet its off-planet transportation needs. Although SpaceX has successfully flown cargo (货物)flights for NASA since 2012 via the reusable Dragon spacecraft, the company has yet to launch humans in its so-called Crew Dragon capsule. Originally scheduled to launch in 2017, the program has seen multiple delays. After all, it is rocket science and the path has not been easy.
But 2019 seemed different. NASA’s pre-purchased Soyuz flights had run out by the end of 2019, and SpaceX, along with Boeing, had scheduled all its final tests to achieve certification in time to pick up where Soyuz left off. On March 2, the Crew Dragon capsule was launched on a run without crew toward the International Space Station (ISS). The flight, known as Demo-1, went successfully.
The next major milestone scheduled was the in-flight abort test (飞行中止测试)，another dry mission meant to test the reliability of the abort system that would save the crew in case of any accident during launch. The plan was to use the same capsule from the Demo-1 flight. But SpaceX never got the chance.
In April 2019, the company ran what was supposed to be a routine test, firing certain rockets with the capsule anchored firmly to the ground. Some 100 milliseconds before the engines fired, a leak of oxidizer caused an explosion that completely destroyed the capsule.
SpaceX spent the rest of spring and early summer figuring out what had gone wrong and pushing preparations for a replacement capsule. While the problem is now solved and the Crew Dragon spacecraft for Demo-2 has arrived at the launch site, NASA and SpaceX haven’t set an exact date for the first test flight with astronauts to the ISS.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A.US tends to continue reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecrafts.
B.SpaceX can cover all NASA’s off-planet transportation needs.
C.NASA has not ceased developing its space travel technology.
D.Russia and SpaceX are competing for US space transportation.
2.The underlined word “dry” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A.without crew B.without cargo C.without a capsule. D.without fuels
3.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.A Ray of Hope for Space Exploration
B.The Rough Road to Launching A Dragon
C.Opportunities for Elon Musk’s SpaceX
D.Doubts about Off-planet Transportation
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Since the end of its own space shuttle program in 2011, the US has used Russian Soyuz spacecraft every time it wants to transport humans to and from space. While NASA is busy working on its own solution, the agency has increasingly turned to US private companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to meet its off-planet transportation needs. Although SpaceX has successfully flown cargo (货物)flights for NASA since 2012 via the reusable Dragon spacecraft, the company has yet to launch humans in its so-called Crew Dragon capsule. Originally scheduled to launch in 2017, the program has seen multiple delays. After all, it is rocket science and the path has not been easy.
But 2019 seemed different. NASA’s pre-purchased Soyuz flights had run out by the end of 2019, and SpaceX, along with Boeing, had scheduled all its final tests to achieve certification in time to pick up where Soyuz left off. On March 2, the Crew Dragon capsule was launched on a run without crew toward the International Space Station (ISS). The flight, known as Demo-1, went successfully.
The next major milestone scheduled was the in-flight abort test (飞行中止测试)，another dry mission meant to test the reliability of the abort system that would save the crew in case of any accident during launch. The plan was to use the same capsule from the Demo-1 flight. But SpaceX never got the chance.
In April 2019, the company ran what was supposed to be a routine test, firing certain rockets with the capsule anchored firmly to the ground. Some 100 milliseconds before the engines fired, a leak of oxidizer caused an explosion that completely destroyed the capsule.
SpaceX spent the rest of spring and early summer figuring out what had gone wrong and pushing preparations for a replacement capsule. While the problem is now solved and the Crew Dragon spacecraft for Demo-2 has arrived at the launch site, NASA and SpaceX haven’t set an exact date for the first test flight with astronauts to the ISS.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A.US tends to continue reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecrafts.
B.SpaceX can cover all NASA’s off-planet transportation needs.
C.NASA has not ceased developing its space travel technology.
D.Russia and SpaceX are competing for US space transportation.
2.The underlined word “dry” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A.without crew B.without cargo C.without a capsule. D.without fuels
3.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.A Ray of Hope for Space Exploration
B.The Rough Road to Launching A Dragon
C.Opportunities for Elon Musk’s SpaceX
D.Doubts about Off-planet Transportation
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When a space shuttle has accomplished its _____, it can be ready for another trip in about two weeks.
| A．venture | B．mission | C．commission | D．responsibility |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
MOSCOW(Reuters) – Russia hopes the United States will extend the deadline to retire its space shuttles beyond 2011 and has heard unofficially it is possible, the head of Russia"s space agency was quoted as saying on Friday.
The U.S. space agency NASA(美国宇航局) plans six more missions by its fleet of aging space shuttles by late next year or early 2011 after the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) is completed. The shuttles will then be retired. But the head of Roscosmos, Russia"s space agency, said he would prefer to see further shuttle missions to the Space Station, now in orbit 360 km (225 miles) above Earth. "From some sources we have learned that it is possible to extend the life of the shuttle beyond 2011," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted by RIA news agency as saying. Reuters was not invited to the briefing(简报会). "Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side," Perminov was quoted as saying by Interfax. Perminov said he had not been told this through official channels, Interfax news agency reported. He added that NASA"s new chief and former astronaut Charles Bolden would visit Russia"s Baikonur cosmodrome on September 30 in his first foreign trip.
NASA"s future strategy is currently under review with the main focus on possible flights to Mars. It is also encouraging a private space taxi project to the ISS. NASA"s current plan, conceived under former President George Bush after the Columbia accident, is to complete the space station, retire the shuttles and build new spaceships. A new rocket and capsule to transport astronauts to the ISS is also being developed but will not be operational until about 2015. Until then, NASA will rely on Roscosmos and must pay $50 million per seat for flights to the ISS by Soyuz capsules.
The U.S., Russian and Chinese governments are the only entities currently capable of human orbital space flight, although several U.S. companies are developing vehicles and support services to do so.
1.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A．NASA agrees to extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011.
B．Reuters was not invited to the briefing.
C．The US would work jointly with Russia.
D．NASA’s new chief would visit Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome.
2.NASA’s current plan includes all the following EXCEPT ________.
A．completing International Space Station
B．flights to Mars
C．retiring the current space shuttles
D．building new spaceships
3.If the US doesn’t extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011, ________.
A．International Space Station will be quit
B．Roscosmos will have to build more spaceships
C．NASA will have to quicken the development of the new rocket and capsule
D．Roscosmos will be burdened with the transportation to ISS
4.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A．China has already been involved in the project of flights to Mars
B．it is certain the NASA will retire the current space shuttles as planned
C．NASA is considering Russia’s suggestion
D．NASA will be able to provide a private space taxi project to the ISS by 2015.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Entering Space, astronauts can give us a fascinating account of a shuttle flight, describing the pressure of a countdown and launch, the complexities of living the days in the strange weightless environment, the challenges of working in space, the emotional effect of seeing earth from space, the drama of the meteoric landing.
However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can’t do because of their weightless environment, and that’s very sad. What’s more, they can’t even let their sadness show, because it’s impossible to cry in zero gravity.
Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space, reported The Atlantic in January. Without gravity, tears don’t flow downward out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go – they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. “Tears,” he said, “don’t fall off of your eye... They just kind of stay there.”
Besides making your vision unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that’s not the case in space. The space environment dries out astronauts’ eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. “My right eye is painful like crazy.” Feustel told his teammate during the walk.
Since gravity doesn’t work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of the tears. Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe the tears away. Another choice is to just wait – “When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eye and float around,” astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic.
There are lots of small things – things like crying – that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted, until they become a problem in a totally different environment, like space. There, astronauts can’t talk to each other directly. They also can’t eat or drink in normal ways. They can’t even burp (打嗝), because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up (呕吐) everything in their stomach, according to the UK National Space Center.
Thus, perhaps it’s only space explorers who can honestly say: “Gravity, you’re the best.”
1.What can we conclude from the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs?
A. Astronauts are unable to feel sad in space.
B. Tears produced in space don’t flow downward.
C. Astronauts produce fewer tears in space.
D. Tears produced in space flow down more slowly.
2.What can the astronaut do to get rid of the tears?
A. Get the tears big enough to break away from his eyes.
B. Get the tears big enough to fall off of his eyes.
C. Rub his eyes against his helmet to let the tears float forward.
D. Rub his eyes by hand to let the tears float around.
3.What’s the second-to-last paragraph mainly about?
A. Suggestions on how astronauts can stay comfortable in space.
B. Why burping is impossible in space.
C. Things that humans can’t do without gravity.
D. Other basic things that are difficult to do in space.
4.What can be the best title of this passage?
A. In the sky, you can’t cry
B. In the sky, you can’t burp
C. No Gravity, no tears
D. Better life with gravity
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The space shuttle Discovery has had a long and busy career. For 27 years, it has worked for NASA, carrying astronauts to space and back on 39 missions. On March 9, 2011, after returning from its final voyage, the world’s most traveled spaceship was retired.
A crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Three minutes before noon, they watched as the shuttle appeared in the sky and made one last touchdown. “For the final time: wheels stop,” Discovery’s commander Steven Lindsey said when the shuttle rolled to a stop.
Discovery’s final trip was to the International Space Station (ISS), a giant space lab in the sky. Discovery’s crew took care of the last U.S. construction project at ISS. They delivered 10 tons of supplies for the ISS. The six-person crew also dropped off an unusual companion for ISS’s researchers: a human-like robot named Robonaut 2. Astronauts will assemble（组装）R2 at the ISS over several months.
Now, NASA is winding down its shuttle programme. NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances. Discovery’s retirement is the first of three. Endeavor, another shuttle, is scheduled to make its final voyage soon. And Atlantis’s last trip is planned for the end of June.
Museums across the country have requested the retired shuttles. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., was the lucky recipient（接收者）of Discovery. The museum’s collection contains hundreds of NASA artifacts.
Where will the other shuttles go? You’ll have to wait to find out. NASA will announce its decision on April 12, the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launching. Stay tuned!
1.As part of the final mission, Discovery’s crew___________.
A. carried researches to space
B. assembled the Robonaut 2 at the ISS
C. brought supplies to the ISS
D. went on a spacewalk
2.The underlined phrase “winding down” in Paragraph 4 probably means _________.
A. improving B. ending C. changing D. testing
3.What can we infer from the text?
A. Discovery completed 39 missions during its two decades of space travel.
B. The ISS is a big project and six researchers live on the station.
C. American space exploration will focus on longer missions.
D. The shuttles Endeavor and Atlantis will make their last missions next month.
4.According to the text, we can learn about ___________.
A. people’s opinions of Discovery’s retirement
B. the government’s concern about the shuttles’ future
C. the shuttles’ final homes after retirement
D. museums’ great interest in the retired shuttles
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch（发射）. The Discovery was to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it 42 so many times on television, now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle drives home one unforgettable point — the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building, 4.5 million pounds, and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much , so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small of hundreds of portable radios all tuned（调准） to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating out of your _ .
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts （螺栓） . The first things you see are large white clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way . Thousands upon millions of pounds of can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle __ _ and roars into the sky, headed into space at a _ of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is . Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first two minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital altitude.
And that’s exactly how success : The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However, you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
1.A. advised B. hoped C. scheduled D. reminded
2.A. take up B. come up C. step up D. go up
3.A. but B. and C. as D. therefore
4.A. universe B. world C. nature D. air
5.A. costing B. weighing C. measuring D. selling
6.A. on B. off C. up D. away
7.A. smaller B. greater C. bigger D. clever
8.A. rockets B. workers C. speakers D. astronauts
9.A. mouth B. stomach C. mind D. chest
10.A. blow B. follow C. grow D. flow
11.A. gas B. smoke C. mist D.steam
12.A. downward B. upward C. forward D. outward
13.A. pull B. lift C. push D. pressure
14.A. picks up B. puts off C. picks out D. puts on
15.A. distance B. degree C. height D. speed
16.A. ordinary B. present C. absolute D. apparent
17.A. puts off B. gets off C. takes off D. gives off
18.A. hardest B. easiest C. simplest D. biggest
19.A. while B. if C. unless D. until
20.A. useless B. careless C. priceless D. aimless
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch. The Discovery was____to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it____so many times on television,____now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the____of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle____home one unforgettable point—the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building—it____4.5 million pounds—and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles off the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much____, so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small____of hundreds of portable radios all tuned to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating____
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts____The first things you see are large white____clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way____Thousands upon millions of pounds of____can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle picks up and roars into the sky, headed into space attaining a____of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is____Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first 2 minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital____
And that’s exactly how success____: The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the____and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However,____you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost____for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
1.A. advised B. hoped C. scheduled D. reminded
2.A. rise up B. come up C. step up D. go up
3.A. but B. and C. as D. therefore
4.A. universe B. world C. nature D. air
5.A. gets B. drives C. runs D. jumps
6.A. costs B. weighs C. measures D. sells
7.A. smaller B. greater C. bigger D. smoother
8.A. rockets B. workers C. speakers D. actors
9.A. off your mouth B. out of your stomach C. off your mind D. out of your chest
10.A. blow B. follow C. glow D. flow
11.A. gas B. smoke C. mist D. steam
12.A. downward B. upward C. forward D. outward
13.A. pull B. lift C. push D. pressure
14.A. distance B. degree C. height D. speed
15.A. ordinary B. absolute C. apparent D. present
16.A. attitude B. altitude C. route D. rail
17.A. puts off B. pays off C. takes off D. drops off
18.A. hardest B. easiest C. simplest D. biggest
19.A. while B. if C. unless D. until
20.A. useless B. careless C. wireless D. priceless
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch. The Discovery was to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it so many times on television, now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle home one unforgettable point—the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building—it 4.5 million pounds—and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles off the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much , so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small of hundreds of portable radios all tuned to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating .
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts . The first things you see are large white clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way . Thousands upon millions of pounds of can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle picks up and roars into the sky, headed into space attaining a of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is . Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first 2 minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital .
And that’s exactly how success : The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However, you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
1.A. advised B. hoped C. scheduled D. reminded
2.A. rise up B. come up C. step up D. go up
3.A. but B. and C. as D. therefore
4.A. universe B. world C. nature D. air
5.A. gets B. drives C. runs D. jumps
6.A. costs B. weighs C. measures D. sells
7.A. smaller B. greater C. bigger D. smoother
8.A. rockets B. workers C. speakers D. actors
9.A. off your mouthB. out of your stomachC. off your mind D. out of your chest
10.A. blow B. follow C. glow D. flow
11.A. gas B. smoke C. mist D. steam
12.A. downwardB. upward C. forward D. outward
13.A. pull B. lift C. push D. pressure
14.A. distance B. degree C. height D. speed
15.A. ordinary B. absolute C. apparent D. present
16.A. attitude B. altitude C. route D. rail
17.A. puts off B. pays off C. takes off D. drops off
18.A. hardest B. easiest C. simplest D. biggest
19.A. while B. if C. unless D. until
20.A. useless B. careless C. wireless D. priceless
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
What makes the space shuttle _____ is that it takes off like a rocket but lands like an airplane.
| A．exceptional | B．strange | C．unique | D．rare |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Housing prices ________ since the end of the last year. Therefore, it’s time the central government ________ some effective measures to bring them under control.
A. have increased; would take
B. have increased; will take
C. have been increasing; take
D. have been increasing; took
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析