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An experiment which saw salad seeds sent into space has given hope for the future of growing food on another planet, according to a recently-published study.
The findings have appeared after two kilograms of seeds spent six months on board the International Space Station(ISS)with British European Space Agency(ESA)astronaut, Tim Peake, as part of his Principia mission.
There, the seeds could have absorbed up to 100 times more radiation(辐射)than on Earth while being influenced by the violent shaking from the stresses of space travel.
When the seeds returned to Earth in 2016,600,000 children from schools across Britain took part in an experiment, supported by the UK Space Agency, to plant them and monitor their growth, comparing it to that of seeds that had remained on Earth.
The results showed that, while the space seeds grew more slowly and were more sensitive to ageing, they were still able to survive.
Peake said, “When humans travel to Mars, they will need to find ways to feed themselves, and this research helps us understand some of the biology of seed storage and germination(发芽) which will be important for future space missions.”
The Royal Horticultural Society(RHS)tasked 8,600 schools and groups across Britain to take part in the controlled study, recording their results as a scientist would.
It was part of a project called Rocket Science, led by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, in partnership with the UK Space Agency.
RHS manager Alana Cama said, “The Rocket Science experiment opened a window into space biology and allowed young people to be at the forefront of creative research.”
“This research project did more than just inspire; it furthered our understanding of the challenges around growing plants in unusual environments and the possibility of growing food on long-term space missions in the future. Inspiring a new generation of botanists and biologists will remain our goal to enrich everyone’s lives through plants.”
1.The findings of the experiment indicate that
A.salad seeds sent into space turned out a failure
B.astronauts successfully grew salad seeds on Mars
C.the future of growing plants in space looks bright
D.the radiation makes it impossible for plants to survive
2.Unlike those on Earth, the seeds sent into space
A.can grow 100 times larger in size B.provide enough food for astronauts
C.stop growing when returning to Earth D.are more likely to show signs of ageing
3.Which word can be filled in the blank to complete the research steps?
A.update B.observe C.protect D.improve
4.What can we learn from what Alana Cama said?
A.Growing plants in unusual environments is no longer a challenging task.
B.A new generation of botanists and biologists takes the lead in the research.
C.The project inspires the interests of the young generation in creative fields.
D.The exploration of growing food in space is the central mission in the future.
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China sent up Shenzhou Ⅸ manned spaceship into space successfully, which shows science and technology ______ rapidly in China.
A．have been developing B．have developed
C．has been developed D．is developing
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Earlier this year, China achieved a new milestone in space exploration. On Jan. 3, Chang’e 4 became the first space probe (探测器) in history to successfully land on the far side (dark side) of the moon. After a 26-day journey, it touched softly down on a crater. The whole process of landing lasted 12 minutes, which opened a new page in history of mankind’s space exploration.
The far side of the moon is the side that we can not see. We don’t know much about it. This landing is of great importance. The far side of the moon is an ideal place for scientific research. It may have unique minerals (矿物质）and other resources. Scientists can make clearer observations of deep space from there.
Chang’e 4 has sent back photos of the far side of the moon. It is also being used to carry out experiments. The data collected from these experiments could be used to help us build a base on the moon in the future. The success of the Chang’e 4 mission (任务) is a major achievement for China’s space program.
China launched its lunar (月球的) exploration program in 2004, naming it Chang’e. Chinese scientists set three goals-“orbiting (环绕运行), landing and sample returning”. Chang’e 4 has realized the second goal. The third will be achieved during the Chang’e 5 mission, which is set to take place before the end of this year.
Following the success of the Chang’e missions, Chinese scientists are looking even farther into our’ solar system. China’s first Mars mission is expected to be carried out by 2020.
1.Chang’e 4 is the first space probe in the world to land ________.
A.in deep space
B.on the moon
C.on the near side of the moon
D.on the far side of the moon
2.The underlined word “observations” in paragraph 2 means
A.学习 B.观察 C.描述 D.庆祝
3.Which of the following is the second goal of China’s lunar exploration program?
A.Landing on the moon.
B.Bringing some samples back to the earth…
C.Building a base on the moon.
D.Travelling around the moon.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A.The Space Probe B.Exploring the Moon
C.The Three Goals D.Exploring the Mars
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China as well as the other two super countries _____ sent a man into ____ space.
| A．has; the | B．have;/ | C．has;/ | D．have; the |
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If you grew up watching the kid’s television channel Nickelodeon, you will probably understand that there is nothing greater than enjoying its special bright green slime ( 水晶泥). The week of May 11, astronauts (宇航员) aboard the International Space Station(ISS) joined the slime.
Nickelodeon sent two kilos of its green slime into space in the summer of 2019. The Slime in Space project’s idea was to create an educational trip for teachers to use in class. The green slime was also used to guide astronauts through a series of experiments that were designed to learn more about how slime acts in microgravity.
Researchers from Portland State University(PSU) were excited to design the experiments for the project. Mark Weislogel and his partner designed eight shows for NASA astronauts and European Space Agency astronaut aboard to perform.
If you’re wondering what we could hope to learn from sending slime into space, the answer lies in its very name. Slime is slimy. This is because it is a liquid that is thicker than liquids like water. This makes slime act in unexpected ways in the microgravity of the ISS. Improving our understanding of how thicker liquids act in space may help us improve the design of systems that something were designed with Earth’s gravity in mind.
“Interestingly, we consider liquid on Earth as that takes the shape of its container,” Koch tells CNN. “Water just turns into a ball in microgravity, so we’ve had to have a new understanding of different kinds of matter in space. This experiment shows how microgravity can help us understand things on Earth, especially the things we take for granted.”
1.In paragraph one, Nickelodeon is mentioned .
A.to introduce the topic B.to attract the kids
C.to make advertisements D.to share a TV show
2.Why are the experiments with slime designed in space ?
A.Because they get students interested in space.
B.Because slime takes the shape of its container.
C.Because slime is popular with kids in the TV show.
D.Because they help us understand how slime acts in space.
3.What is Koch’s attitude towards the experiment with slime?
A.Puzzled. B.Worried. C.Uninterested. D.Positive.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
A.Microgravity makes a difference to matters.
B.Astronauts join the slime in space for science.
C.Kids join the slime so as to become astronauts.
D.Experiments are designed with slimy slime.
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I don’t think Jim saw me; he ______ into space.
A. just stared B. was just staring
C. has just stared D. had just stared
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Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into space. In 1963,she spent almost three days in space. That was her only trip into space.
Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937, in Maslennikovo, a village northeast of Moscow. Her parents worked on a farm, and her father was killed during World War II. Tereshkova left school when she was 16 and worked at a factory. Tereshkova joined the factory's Young Communist League and soon advanced to the Communist Party. She became interested in parachute（降落伞）jumping after joining the Yaroslavl Air Sports Club.
After Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961, Tereshkova volunteered for the Soviet space program. Although she did not have any experience as a pilot, she was accepted into the program because of her 126 parachute jumps. At the time, astronauts had to jump from their spacecrafts seconds before they hit the ground on returning to Earth.
Along with four other women, Tereshkova received 18 months of training, which included tests to determine how she would react to long periods of time being alone, to extreme gravity conditions and to zero-gravity conditions. Of the five women, only Tereshkova went into space. Tereshkova stayed more than 70 hours in space and made 48 orbits（轨道）of Earth. Soviet and European TV viewers saw her smiling face and her books floating in front of her.
But they did not realize that the flight almost turned into a tragedy. An error in the spacecraft caused the ship to move away from the Earth, according to the RT news channel. Tereshkova noticed this and Soviet scientists quickly developed a new landing plan. Tereshkova landed safely but received an injury on her face in the end. She landed near today's Kazakhstan-Mongolia-China border. Villagers helped Tereshkova out of her spacesuit and asked her to join them for dinner. She accepted, and was later punished for breaking the rules and not having medical tests first.
However, Tereshkova was honored with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. She received the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal. Tereshkova later became a test pilot and never flew in space again.
1.We can infer that the purpose of the 18 months of training is to __________.
A.prepare pilots for tests
B.improve physical conditions
C.develop pilots' interest in space exploration
D.get used to the space environment in advance
2.What does the underlined word "tragedy" in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.A funny joke. B.A great success.
C.An interesting story. D.A serious failure.
3.What is this text mainly about?
A.Tereshkova's large family.
B.Tereshkova's hard life.
C.Tereshkova's personal experiences.
D.Tereshkova's scientific achievements.
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Some people say chili peppers (辣椒) can help you breathe better if you have a cold. Others believe that chilies give you more energy. We cannot tell whether these ideas are true or false. But we can tell you that people have been growing chilies for centuries, and there are many kinds—about two hundred kinds of chili peppers.
Chilies need a warm climate to grow better. If you plant the seeds outside when the weather is cold, place the seeds in a glass. That will add more warmth from the sun so as to make the temperature inside higher than outside.
If you plant inside, fill a pot with soil. The pot should have holes in the bottom so water can run out. Drop several seeds over the surface of the pot and cover them with some soil. Then cover the top of the pot with a piece of plastic. Place the pot in a warm area.
Take off the plastic when the chilies start growing; when the plants have reached about two centimeters high, place each one carefully in its own pot.
When the roots show through the holes in the bottom of pot, put each young plant into a bigger pot which is about twelve centimeters high. When the plants are twenty centimeters high, tie the plants to a stick placed in the pot to support them.
When the chili peppers are thirty centimeters, get rid of the tops. That will make new branches grow. When the first flowers show, give the plants some potash fertilizer (钾肥). When the weather is warm, put them outside. Make sure that they get plenty of light and water.
Some people like to harvest chilies when they are green. Others like to harvest them when they are red. Both give color, taste and different amounts of heat to salads, soups, dishes and other foods.
1.We can know from the passage that _________.
A.chilies can make us breathe better
B.chilies can give our body more energy
C.chilies has been grown for a long time.
D.a red chili is hotter than a green one
2.In the cool weather , the glass which the chili seeds are placed in can ___________.
A.increase the temperature inside B.make the air inside cleaner
C.stop the sun drying up the seeds D.stop wind blowing away the seeds
3.What’s the right order to plant chilies inside?
①Getting rid of the tops of the chili plants.
②Covering the top of the pot with plastic
③Dropping chili seeds onto the soil in the pot.
④Giving potash fertilizer to the chili plants.
A.②③①④ B.①④②③ C.①③②④ D.③②①④
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The meanings of planting chilies B.The steps of planting chilies
C.The advantages of planting chilies D.The varieties of chilies
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Going on a trip into_____ space must be quite __ exciting experience.
A. /; the B. /; an C. the; an D. the; the
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However exciting space travel sounds, astronauts must still suffer with bad food. Now, food in space has to be dehydrated ( 使 脱 水 ) or pre-cooked and stored. This means astronauts aren’t really eating fresh food.
New technology may change this. Scientific American reports that a specially-designed oven will be sent into space this autumn with NASA’s NG-12 cargo (货物) mission (太空飞行任务).
Far from the common vacuum-packed (真空包装的) meals, astronauts may get to enjoy freshly baked cookies before the end of 2019.
Why aren’t they baking cookies in space already? For one thing, there’s the risk of a fire. Engineers also have to overcome the challenge of microgravity ( 微 重 力 ), which prevents heat from circling inside ovens the same way it does on Earth.
Astronauts will still have to wait a while before they can have their cookies, though. After baking, the results will be sent back to Earth for safety testing. If successful, this will be the first oven to bake food in space.
“I believe ... that will be game-changing for both science and astronauts,” food technology researcher Maeena Naman Shafiee told Scientific American.
One of the main driving forces behind this project has been NASA’s 2018 research into the effects of “confinement (封闭) and isolation (隔离)”. Unlike on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts traveling out of Earth’s orbit (轨道) may not be able to speak to their loved ones on future missions, which could lead to negative feelings.
It’s hoped that the chance to bake and sense familiar smells can bring joy to crews (宇航人员).
“Is the ISS going to smell like fresh-baked cookies? We don’t know,” said NanoRacks’ communications manager Abby Dickes. “But that’s a feeling we all know and love ... that will make someone feel at home.”
Baking cookies in space would mark an important step, offering a small comfort in the difficult and unfamiliar environment of space travel. Astronauts have already grown plants aboard the ISS.
With commercial ( 商 业 的 ) space travel now being planned, who knows what other developments may surprise us in the future?
1.What can the new technology help astronauts to do in space?
A.Enjoy fresh cookies.
B.Store more food.
C.Quickly prepare food.
D.Cook many different kinds of home-made meals.
2.Why is it difficult to bake cookies in space?
A.It’s difficult and costly to send food into space.
B.Microgravity stops food from staying in one place.
C.Baking cookies in space would pollute the spaceships.
D.It is hard to heat food properly because of microgravity.
3.What was the main purpose of the cookie project?
A.To improve astronauts’ health.
B.To make improvements in space travel.
C.To encourage more people to travel to space.
D.To make space travel more comfortable for astronauts.