On February 6, Space X, a private US aerospac...

On February 6, Space X, a private US aerospace company owned by Elon Musk, has successfully launched its new Falcon Heavy spacecraft, making it the world’s most powerful rocket.

Falcon Heavy is the largest rocket since the retirement of NASA’s Saturn V, which was used for the Moon missions in the 1970s. “Falcon Heavy can launch about 64 tonnes into low Earth orbit-that’s almost three times more than the current running biggest launch vehicle, Delta IV Heavy, ”Imperial College astrophysicist David Clements told AI Jazeera. According to Space X, Falcon Heavy can lift into orbit a mass greater than a 737 jet loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.

The rocket was designed with the idea of earning humans into space and opening the possibility of flying missions with people to the Moon and even Mars. For its first voyage, it carried Musk’s $ 100,000 cherry-red Tesla sports car and a fake space-suited human model fixed in the driver’s seat. Musk joked that “it may be discovered by some future alien race”.

Falcon Heavy went into space on its last flight on February 6. The launch took place at NASA’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida, the spot also used for the Apollo 11 Moon mission and several space shuttle launches. It was delayed by several hours because of high winds in the upper atmosphere. Minutes after take-off, the two outer boosters (助推器) landed at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Space X announced plans to eventually use Falcon Heavy to launch two paying space tourists on a trip around the Moon. However, Musk said he will probably reserve that mission for another launch system, the BFR. Recently, Space X scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA’s TESS mission on March 20, 2018. It is reported that Space X is scheduled to complete 30 independent launch missions in 2018, at least half of which will use Falcon 9.

1.Which of the following can function as a rocket?

A. A 737 jet.　　 B. Tesla.　　 C. Saturn V.　　 D. Space X.

2.What do we know about Falcon Heavy from the text?

A. It was the latest rocket in the world.

B. It is of the same load as a 737 jet.

C. It is to be found by the creatures in the outer space.

D. It was launched at the same place for the Apollo 11 mission.

3.What delayed the launch of Falcon Heavy?

A. Weather condition.　　 B. Program error.　　 C. Equipment failure.　　 D. Deliberate damage.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. The BFR will be completed in 2018.

B. The vehicle to launch space tourists is unknown.

C. Tourists will be sent into space by Falcon 9.

D. Falcon 9 will take 15 launch missions.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Who Owns the Moon?

Within the next ten years, the US, China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?

A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies(天体) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.

But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions(派遣团) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.

“This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(协力的) public-private working group. He was peaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.

To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.

1.In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that 　　　　 .

A. the US will live on the moon forever

B. the moon will not be able to hold all mankind

C. the potential land rush will become more and more frequent

D. no one can answer the question “Who owns the moon?”

2.The “Google Lunar X Prize” aims to 　　　　 .

A. encourage private groups to land on the moon

B. help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon

C. help some developing countries complete their lunar projects

D. reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon

3.The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to 　　　　 .

A. the Outer Space Treaty　　　　　　 B. if and when they plant a flag

C. the NASA working group　　　　　　 D. monks from the Middle Ages

4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. The US astronauts will live on the moon for a longer time.

B. Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon.

C. Why some private groups wish to land on the moon.

D. It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Qian Xuesen is one of the pioneers of China's space science. As a world-famous expert on aerospace rockets and aerodynamics, he obtained great achievements in the areas of applied mechanics, engineering cybernetics and system engineering and made distinguished contributions to the foundation and development of Chinese aerospace undertaking(事业).

He graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934, and Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study in MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one year later. After receiving master's degree in MIT, he went to study in California Institute of Technology and received PhD degrees in both aerospace and mathematics.

In 1955, six years after the founding of People's Republic of China, Qian Xuesen returned to his motherland. His return brought China the hope of developing space science and its own missiles. In 1956, Qian Xuesen put forward “Proposal on the Development of China's Aviation Industry for National Defense”. With the support from Zhou Enlai, the premier, and marshal Nie Rongzheng, Qian Xuesen began to prepare for the establishment of China's first missile and rocket research and development structure, the Fifth Research Institute of State Ministry of Defense. Henceforth(从此以后), he has long been in charge of the chief technological research and development of China's missile, rocket and spacecraft.

Due to research and development led by Qian Xuesen, China successfully exploded its first atom bomb in 1964. Later, China launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, to the earth orbit on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to independently launch satellite following the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USA, France and Japan. The satellite floated around the earth, blaring(高声播放)the song Dong Fang Hong, which has the same name as the satellite.

As a forerunner leading the development of China's aerospace science and technology, Qian Xuesen also provided chances for young scientists. Wang Yongzhi, former chief designer of China's manned-space project, has benefited a lot from Qian Xuesen. “He suggested that rocket of the second generation should be developed by our second generation scientists. This suggestion gave us chances to be general designers.” Recalling the experience working with Qian Xuesen, Sun Jiadong, general designer of China's lunar orbiter project, is very grateful. “He put great expectation on us and trusted us a lot. Whenever we made mistakes, he seldom blamed us, but helped us to find out the reason so we could avoid it in the future.”

Honored as Father of China's Missile and King of Rockets, Qian Xuesen never stopped his work on scientific research after he retired. He said he had no time to review the past, but looked forward to the future.

1.When did Qian xuesen begin to study in Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

2.Which of the following is about the five countries that launched man-made satellite independently before 1970?

3. What does the underlined word “forerunner”(Paragraph 5) probably mean?

4.According to the passage, which of the following about Qian Xuesen is NOT true?

5.It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that _________.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was when the private company successfully launched astronauts into space__________I knew it would open up more opportunities in the space industry.

A.which B.how C.where D.that

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

On February 6, 2020, American astronaut Christina Koch arrived back on Earth after 328 days in space. Her time in space is just one of the records set by herself. That’s the longest spaceflight ever made by a woman, and just one of the many things Ms. Koch achieved in space.

Ms. Koch took off from Earth for the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, 2019. While in space, she made 5, 248 trips around the Earth, travelling 2, 237 million kilometers, which is roughly the same as 291 trips to the Moon and back. During her 11 months on the ISS, Ms. Koch took part in six spacewalks, spending over 42 hours in all outside the station. In October of 2019, Ms. Koch led the first ever all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir.

But for most astronauts, space travel isn’t about setting records. It’s about doing science. Ms. Koch took part in a wide variety of special experiments, including studying how crystals (晶体) grow in space, how atoms (原子) behave in extreme cold and learning more about growing plants in low gravity. Growing plants in space could be an important way to provide food on future trips. She also tested a new way of separating liquids from gases. This experiment could lead to simple methods of cleaning water and air in space, which could be very important for future space travel.

Ms. Koch isn’t just a scientist and an astronaut. She is also being studied. She’s part of a NASA program studying how astronauts are affected by being in space for long periods of time. Her trip was only 12 days shorter than the American record set by Scott Kelly in 2016. As they did with Mr. Kelly, NASA scientists are looking carefully at ways Ms. Koch’s body has been affected by her time in space. That research is important for the longer space trips NASA hopes to make in the future, such as for a base on the moon or a trip to Mars.

1.Which of the following is an achievement Ms. Koch has made?

A.Making the longest spaceflight by herself.

B.Leading the first women-only spacewalk.

C.Cleaning water and air successfully in space.

D.Staying outside the ISS continuously for 42 hours.

2.What does the author want to tell us with so many detailed figures in Paragraph 2?

A.Koch made historic breakthroughs in space.

B.Koch went through a life-threatening space trip.

C.Koch completed admirable tasks in the space travel.

D.Koch is the most experienced astronaut in NASA.

3.Which statement agrees with the text?

A.Astronauts are competing to set new records.

B.Koch’s team produced their own food in space.

C.NASA has founded a scientific base on the moon.

D.Koch’s research is significant for space exploration.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Record-Setting Astronaut Koch Returns to Earth

B.US Astronauts Carried out Experiments in Space

C.Spacewalks Have Successfully Been Done on the ISS

D.NASA is Studying Astronauts for Longer Space Trips

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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

On February seventeenth, the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company of Chino, California, recalled almost sixty-five kilograms of beef. The government declared the products unfit for human food, Officials at the Department of Agriculture said the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection.

The beef recall was the largest in American history. But the government rated the health risk as low. No cases of sickness have been reported.

The beef was produced over the last two years. Almost all of it went to federal programs to provide lunches for schoolchildren. Some also went to federal programs for Indian reservations and emergency food aid.

About half of the beef had already been used when the recall took place. The recall followed the public release of video secretly recorded by the Humane Society of the United States. The video showed workers at the Chino slaughterhouse (屠宰场) mistreating “downers”---- the name for sick or injured cows unable to stand.

The workers kicked them and shot water at their faces. They also used electric shocks and forklift trucks to force the animals to their feet. The Agricultural Department bans downer cattle from entering the food supply. The ban is part of measures to protect against the human version of mad cow disease.

Westland/ Hallmark is closed until investigations are completed, and its deals to supply federal programs are suspended. Local officials have brought animal cruelty charges against two employees. And lawmakers in Congress have ordered the head of the company to appear at a hearing this week, saying he refused an earlier invitation.

At the end of February, the Humane Society brought a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over a change in its inspection rules. The group says the change made last year could make it easier for sick and injured cows to enter the food supply.

Officials defend the inspection process, but have also announced new measures, including inspections outside approved hours of operation.

When food recalls are announced, they often include the names of some of the stores that were supplied with the products. But under a new state law, California has published an online list of names, addresses and phone numbers of thousands of places affected by the beef recall. These include markets, restaurants, hotels and school systems.

68．What caused the recall of the beef?

A．The release of the video recorded secretly

B．The poor inspection to the beef industry

C．The illness caused by the beef.

D．The investigation of the Agriculture Department

69．Why did the Humane Department Society bring a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department?

A．The Agriculture Department failed to inspect the beef.

B．The Agriculture Department changed its inspection rules.

C．The changed inspection rules are not suitable for the beef industry.

D．The sick and injured cows are easy to enter the food supply.

70．Which of the following statements is true?

A．Half of the beef from the company proves to be poisonous.

B．The beef has made lots of people sick.

C．The employer of the company was accused of what his workers did to the cattle.

D．Almost all of the beef went to the lunches for school children.

71．What is the meaning of the underlined word “suspended” in Para 6?

A．held back       B．called off         C．put off                  D．slow down

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The world is not coming to an end on December 21st, 2012, the US space agency announced to dispel （消除） widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．

The latest big screen 2012 was based on stories according to the Mayan calendar．It showed that by the end of 2012, a Planet X will collide （碰撞） with the earth．

Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet's existence, but the US space agency considered such stories as tricks．"There is no basis in fact for these claims," NASA said in its website．"If such a collision were real, scientists would have been tracking it for at least the last decade, and we would see it with our eyes now．Obviously, it doesn't exist and there will be no threat to the earth in 2012," it insisted．"After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years," added NASA．

There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the earth, according to NASA．

And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our plant would be very little．"And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the earth, big hits are very rare," NASA noted．The last major collision was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting the end of dinosaurs （恐龙）．

"We are sure that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs," the space agency said．

1.．What played a key role in the spread of the rumors?

A．The Internet and the film 2012．

B．The Mayan calendar．

C．The US space agency．

D．The television screen．

2.．The underlined word "it" in Paragraph Three probably refers to ____________．

A．the collision                        B．the Planet X

C．the threat                           D．the NASA website

3.．We can conclude from the passage that ____________．

A．the film 2012 is well accepted in the science field

B．scientists have been tracking Planet X for over ten years

C．the earth will exist for more than four billion years

D．the rumors caused a panic among some people

4.．What do we know about Eris according to the passage?

A．It doesn't exist in the universe．

B．It won't threaten the earth．

C．It is too far to be seen．

D．It is similar to the earth.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The world is not coming to an end on December 21st, 2012, the US space agency announced to dispel （消除）widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．

The latest big screen 2012 was based on stories according to the Mayan calendar．It showed that by the end of 2012, a Planet X will collide （碰撞） with the earth．

Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet's existence, but the US space agency considered such stories as tricks．"There is no basis in fact for these claims," NASA said in its website．"If such a collision were real, scientists would have been tracking it for at least the last decade, and we would see it with our eyes now．Obviously, it doesn't exist and there will be no threat to the earth in 2012," it insisted．"After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years," added NASA．

There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the earth, according to NASA．

And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our plant would be very little．"And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the earth, big hits are very rare," NASA noted．The last major collision was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting the end of dinosaurs （恐龙）．

"We are sure that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs," the space agency said．

1.What played a key role in the spread of the rumors?

A．The Internet and the film 2012．             B．The Mayan calendar．

C．The US space agency．                    D．The television screen．

2.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to _________.

A．the collision       B．the threat        C．the Planet X     D．the NASA website

3.We can conclude from the passage that __________.

A．the film 2012 is well accepted in the science field

B．scientists have been tracking Planet X for over ten years

C．the earth will exist for more than four billion years

D．the rumors caused a panic among some people

4.What do we know about Eris according to the passage?

A．It doesn't exist in the universe．

B．It won't threaten the earth．

C．It is too far to be seen．

D．It is similar to the earth.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．

The latest big screen offering from Sony Picture, 2012, arrives in theaters on Friday, with a 200-million-dollar production about the end of the world supposedly based on myths backed by the Mayan calendar．It is claimed that the end of time will come as a Planet X---or Nibiru---heads toward or collides with the Earth．

Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet’s existence, but the US space agency condemned such stories as an “Internet hoax”．“There is no factual basis for these claims,” NASA said in a question-and-anwser posting on this website．“If such a collision were real, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye．Obviously, it does not exist．Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” it insisted．“After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years,” added NASA．

There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet similar to Pluto will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the Earth, according to NASA．

Earlier theories set the disaster for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved forward to the winter in 2012 to coincide with the end of a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar．

NASA insisted the Mayan calendar in fact does not end on December 21, 2012, as another period begins immediately afterward．

And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our planet would be “negligible（unimportant）”, NASA said．

“And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the Earth, big hits are very rare,” NASA noted．The last major impact was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting in the end of dinosaurs．

“We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs,” the space agency said．

1.______ played a key role in the spread of the rumors．

A．A new book                       B．The Internet and a new Hollywood movie

C．NASA                             D．An Indian calendar

2.We can infer that ______．

A．people didn’t take the rumor seriously

B．Planet X --- or Nibiru does exist

C．astronomers have been tracking Planet X for over ten years

D．the rumor caused a panic among some people

3.NASA thinks that Eris ______．

A．might have a threat to the Earth B．doesn’t have any threat to the Earth

C．is too far away to be visible    D．is similar to our planet, where life might exist

4.Which of the following is the best title?

A．New Hollywood movie 2012

B．December 21, 2012, Not the end of the world

C．End of the ancient Mayan calendar

D．How rumors came into being

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析