TOKYO—Lonely astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be getting a robot friend from Japan.
Japan's space agency is considering putting a talking humanoid(有人的特点的) robot on the ISS to watch the work while astronauts are asleep, monitor their health and stress levels and communicate to Earth through the microblogging site Twitter.
Japan's space agency JAXA announced this week that it is looking at a plan to send a humanoid robot to the space station in 2013 that could communicate with the ground through Twitter—primarily feeding photos, rather than original ideas —and provide astronauts with “comfort and companionship”．
Following up on US NASA's “Robonaut” R2 program, which is set for launch on the Discovery shuttle next week, the Japanese robot would be part of a larger effort to create and refine robots that can be used by the elderly, JAXA said in a statement.
Japan is one of the leading countries in robotics and has a rapidly aging society with one of the world's longest life expectancies.
Improving robot communication capabilities could help elderly people on Earth by providing a nonintrusive(无干扰的) means of monitoring the robot owner's health and vital signs and sending information to emergency responders if there is an abnormality, JAXA said.
“We are thinking in terms of a very humanlike robot that would have facial expressions and be able to talk with the astronauts，” said JAXA's Satoshi Sano.
The robot was being developed with the advertising and communications giant Dentsu Inc and a team at Tokyo University.
The NASA project has a humanlike head, hands and arms and uses the same tools as station crew members. The “Robonaut” called R2 is intended to carry out maintenance tasks in the station's Destiny lab.
NASA says it hopes that humanoid robots could one day stand in for astronauts during spacewalks or perform tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans.
For now, the $2.5 million NASA robot is limited to activities within the lab.
1. According to the passage, a humanoid robot, put on the ISS, shall carry out the tasks except ________.
A. keep in contact with Earth
B. get a friend for astronauts from Japan
C. take care of the ISS sometimes
D. keep an eye on the health of the astronauts
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A. NASA is planning to communicate with the space station through Twitter.
B. Japan has the largest number of elderly people.
C. The robot program will eventually benefit the elderly.
D. R2 program is in the charge of Japan's JAXA.
3.From the passage we can know ________.
A. robots could completely take the place of human astronauts in the future
B. the robot program, having cost $2.5 million, can carry out all tasks
C. many Japanese universities joined in the robot program
D. future astronauts will become less lonely and more comfortable with the help of the robot
高二英语阅读理解困难题
TOKYO—Lonely astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be getting a robot friend from Japan.
Japan's space agency is considering putting a talking humanoid(有人的特点的) robot on the ISS to watch the work while astronauts are asleep, monitor their health and stress levels and communicate to Earth through the microblogging site Twitter.
Japan's space agency JAXA announced this week that it is looking at a plan to send a humanoid robot to the space station in 2013 that could communicate with the ground through Twitter—primarily feeding photos, rather than original ideas —and provide astronauts with “comfort and companionship”．
Following up on US NASA's “Robonaut” R2 program, which is set for launch on the Discovery shuttle next week, the Japanese robot would be part of a larger effort to create and refine robots that can be used by the elderly, JAXA said in a statement.
Japan is one of the leading countries in robotics and has a rapidly aging society with one of the world's longest life expectancies.
Improving robot communication capabilities could help elderly people on Earth by providing a nonintrusive(无干扰的) means of monitoring the robot owner's health and vital signs and sending information to emergency responders if there is an abnormality, JAXA said.
“We are thinking in terms of a very humanlike robot that would have facial expressions and be able to talk with the astronauts，” said JAXA's Satoshi Sano.
The robot was being developed with the advertising and communications giant Dentsu Inc and a team at Tokyo University.
The NASA project has a humanlike head, hands and arms and uses the same tools as station crew members. The “Robonaut” called R2 is intended to carry out maintenance tasks in the station's Destiny lab.
NASA says it hopes that humanoid robots could one day stand in for astronauts during spacewalks or perform tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans.
For now, the $2.5 million NASA robot is limited to activities within the lab.
1. According to the passage, a humanoid robot, put on the ISS, shall carry out the tasks except ________.
A. keep in contact with Earth
B. get a friend for astronauts from Japan
C. take care of the ISS sometimes
D. keep an eye on the health of the astronauts
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A. NASA is planning to communicate with the space station through Twitter.
B. Japan has the largest number of elderly people.
C. The robot program will eventually benefit the elderly.
D. R2 program is in the charge of Japan's JAXA.
3.From the passage we can know ________.
A. robots could completely take the place of human astronauts in the future
B. the robot program, having cost $2.5 million, can carry out all tasks
C. many Japanese universities joined in the robot program
D. future astronauts will become less lonely and more comfortable with the help of the robot
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
On 7, August, 2015, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) got to eat a special treat. No, it wasn’t a cookie or cake. It was red lettuce they had grown themselves in space.
“It was one small bite for man, one giant leap for NASAVEGGIE,” astronaut Scott Kelly wrote on Twitter. (Kelly based his tweet on the words astronaut Neil Armstrong famously used in 1969, after becoming the first person to ever walk on the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said at the time.)
“NASAVEGGIE” refers to the ISS’s Veggie plant-growth system. It uses special red, blue, and green LED lights to grow plants. The system is a big step toward NASA’s goal of developing a way to grow food in space during future long space missions deep into the solar system.
Kelly and fellow NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren prepared the red romaine lettuce like many people do on Earth. They cleaned it, and then mixed it with olive oil and vinegar. Then they gobbled up the leafy red greens. “That’s awesome!” Lindgren said after taking a bite.
It was the first taste of fresh food the astronauts had had in a long time, since there is no refrigeration on the ISS. They ate half the lettuce. The rest was packaged and frozen so that it could be returned to Earth for testing.
Lindgren and Kelly are the only two NASA astronauts currently on the space station. The other crew members are Russian astronauts Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Komienko, and Lleg Kononenko, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui.
Kelly and Kornienko have been on the ISS since March. They plan to spend 342 days in space, in part to help determine the effects of long-term space travel on astronauts’ bodies. They traveled to the ISS with Padalka, who will return to Earth in September.
Kelly and Komiendo’s job — which will be one of the longest-ever stay in space by astronauts — will help pave the way for future long-term space tasks. NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars by the 2030s.
1.Why is growing food in space very important?
A.It is a symbol of scientific development.
B.It will help solve the hunger problem
C.Astronauts can get enough nutritious food.
D.People plan to go into the deep space.
2.What Kelly said in Para. 2 suggests that _____.
A.it is a great success to grow fresh food in space
B.he respected Neil Armstrong very much
C.mankind makes great progress in exploring space
D.humans should speed up to land on Mars
3.Who will remain in the ISS until March, 2016?
A.Padalka and Kononenko. B.Yui and Lindgren.
C.Kelly and Kormienko. D.Kelly and Lindgren.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Astronauts grow their favorite food in space.
B.Astronauts get more fresh food from space.
C.Astronauts plant vegetables for a journey to Mars.
D.Astronauts eat fresh food grown on the ISS.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The International Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.
They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
Jacqucs has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge 167ft ship, named 'Sea Orbiter', consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player. And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!
1.Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?
A. Because they can’t stand the high water pressure.
B. Because it’s too cold in deep ocean.
C. Because time for experiments is too limited.
D. Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life.
2.The underlined word "circumvent" probably means________.
A. fly away B. get around C. travel through D. move into
3.From the fourth paragraph we can learn that________.
A. Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling
B. living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly
C. it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food
D. researchers on Jacque’s ship will live more comfortably than astronauts
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future
B. A new way to explore the deep oceans
C. A great architect—Jacques Rougerie
D. Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Do astronauts get space sick when they travel from Earth to the International Space Station (ISS)? Yes, astronauts can get space sick travelling to the ISS. It is less likely travelling in the cramped (拥挤的) Russian Soyuz spacecraft used to transport astronauts there now, than the old Space Shuttle that was used until 2011. The ability to move around in the Space Shuttle increased the chance of space sickness happening.
As you probably know, gravity is lower inside the ISS. The low gravity in space allows astronauts to float around, which looks like fun, but it can help cause space sickness.
Recent experiments show that space sickness is related to our inner ear. Two separate parts of the inner ear respond to sudden changes in direction. If you shake or move your head very quickly, you can get dizzy. However, this normally passes very quickly. This normal response is upset under low gravity: your inner ear thinks you are constantly moving. It takes some time to adapt to the new condition of weightlessness. It is made worse if you move your head while your body is still adapting. This is why previous astronauts travelling in the larger Space Shuttle were likely to suffer from space sickness more than the current astronauts travelling in the cramped Soyuz spacecraft. The astronauts were less likely to move their heads around very much in a narrow space.
Space sickness was not talked about in the early space missions (任务).The original Mercury and Gemini spacecraft were, like the current Soyuz, cramped. The astronauts were less likely to get sick, so space sickness no longer became a concern of NASA.
In 1983 the first detailed study was carried out aboard a Space Shuttle flight (STS-7) by astronaut-doctor Norm Thagard. His and all later studies were hampered by the astronauts themselves. None of them wanted admit to being space sick. They were worried that mission control might remove them from space walking opportunities, or even worse, that they might not get included on later space missions.
1.What was the problem with the Space Shuttle?
A.It was too slow.
B.It was too small.
C.It broke down often.
D.It had too much space.
2.How does low gravity hurt astronauts?
A.It fools their inner ear.
B.It causes pain in their head.
C.It stops them shaking their head.
D.It prevents them measuring their weight.
3.Why wasn’t NASA worried about space sickness until later missions?
A.The condition had been kept secret to the public.
B.There were few detailed studies on it.
C.The old spacecraft were better equipped.
D.The astronauts were less likely to get sick.
4.What does the underlined word “hampered” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Changed. B.Improved.
C.Blocked. D.Compared.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What was the news about?
A. A space station. B. Life on the moon. C. The astronauts.
2.Why is the man interested in such news?
A. He is an astronaut.
B. He hopes to go to the moon.
C. He wans to do research in space.,
高二英语长对话困难题查看答案及解析
The Internationa1 Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.
They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
Jacques has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge l67ft. ship, named ‘Sea Orbiter’, consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player! And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!
1.Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?
A. Because they can’t stand the high water pressure.
B. Because it’s too cold in deep ocean.
C. Because time for experiments is too limited.
D. Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life.
2.The underlined word “circumvent ” probably means________.
A. fly away B. go around C. travel through D. move into
3.From the fourth paragraph we can learn that________.
A. Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling
B. living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly
C. it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food
D. researchers on Jacques ’ ship will live more comfortably than astronauts
4.In Jacques’ opinion, which of the following is not the purpose of the undersea research?
A. To find supply for food in the future.
B. To find supply for medicine in the future.
C. To draw governments’ attention to the construction of the ship.
D. To solve the global warming.
5.Which of the fol1owing would be the best title for the text?
A. Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future
B. A new way to explore the deep oceans
C. A great architect—Jacques Rogerie
D. Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The International Space Station，one of the most ambitious space projects ever and a key launching board for exploration of the solar system，turns l0 years old Thursday．
On Nov．20，1998，the first part of the space station was launched by the Russians from Kazakhstan．NASA followed up two weeks later with Piece No 2 carried up by a space shuttle．
The space station has grown into a giant outpost(前哨)355 km up，home to three people at any given time—soon to be six．
Thanks to the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour，the space station now has five sleep stations，two baths，two kitchens and two mini—gyms．Ahogether， there are nine rooms，three of which are full scale labs．
The United States has financed the main part of the project，estimated to cost some 100 billion dollars．Fifteen other countries have also contributed， including Russia，Japan，Canada，Brazil anti eleven nations belonging to the European Space Agency．
Fhe space station has traveled 2．1 billion km，orbited Earth more than 57，300 times，hosted 167 people from 15 countries，and served up more than l 9，000 meals
“The ISS is the largest ever expenment in international technological cooperation，” said John Logsdon。a historian at the National Air and Space Museum in US．
“1 think it’s a necessary stepping stone to long—term human activities in new Areas of operations，”Logsdon said．The station is“off the planet and it’s the first Step outward—not all end in itself，but a step along the way．”
1.The passage is mainly about________．
A the construction of the International Space Station
B．the history of the International Space Station．
C the tenth anniversary of the International Space Station．
D．the eountries that help establish the International Space Station．
2.Piece No 2 of the ISS was put into orbit oil________
A．Nov．6，1998 B．Nov．24，1998
C．Dec．8，1998 D．Dec．9，1998
3.Which of the following is true about Endeav our according to the passage?
A．Endeavour is a newly built shuttle
B．Endeavour is part of the space station
C．Endeavour didn’t get close to the space station
D．Endeavour carried a lot of equipment for the apace station
4.Which of the following country has not made a contribution to the eonstruction of the International space station according to the passage?
A．USA． B．Japan． C．Korea． D．Spain
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On the right on TV____, the China’s first female astronaut who had been sent up into space on June 29,2012.
A．did Liu Yang sit B．sat Liu Yang
C．was Liu Yang seated D．seated Liu Yang
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The president is talking on ____ phone with astronauts in ____ space.
A. 不填；the B. the; the C. the; 不填 D. 不填；不填
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The threats to the health of astronauts in space are very different from ______ on earth.
A. ones B. that C. it D. those
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析