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China launched its second space laboratory, the Tiangong II, on Sept 15, which space officials say will become the country’s largest scientific platform in space to date.
The space lab was lifted off atop a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province at 10:04 pm. Around 20 minutes later, the mission was declared a success.
The Tiangong II did preparations in space for about one month and then the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft rocketed two astronauts to the lab on October 17th. The pair will make it their home for 30 days before being returned to Earth.
The lab’s predecessor, Tiangong I, was launched in September 2011 and was used mainly to test technology involved in space docking.
By comparison, the Tiangong II will be used to conduct more than 40 scientific and technological experiments together with the Shenzhou XI. That’s many times more than those carried out by the Tiangong I and the three previous Shenzhou spacecraft, according to Wu Ping, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency. China’s manned space program has entered a “new phase of application and development,” he said.
1.The underlined expression“atop” can be probably replaced with ________.
A. according to B. by means of
C. on top of D. in front of
2.What is the author’s attitude towards the Tiangong II’s prospect?
A. optimistic. B. negative. C. objective. D. subjective.
3.Which of the following statement about the passage is NOT true?
A． At present, the Tiangong II is our country’s largest scientific platform in space.
B. Two astronauts will live and work in the Tiangong II till mid November.
C. The Tiangong II will carry out far more scientific and technological experiments than its latter space lab.
D. Before two astronauts arrived, the Tiangong II had done preparations in space for about one month.
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China's newest space laboratory,TiangongⅡ,will be sent up into the air from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China.It will provide more comfortable digs for astronauts living aboard.
Zhu Zongpeng,chief designer of TiangongⅡsaid designers aimed to create an astronaut-friendly environment in every regard when they refitted the space lab that was developed based on Tiangong Ⅰ.
"A number of particulars were taken into account,including the sound,lighting,inner decorations as well as support equipment.For instance,the carpet in Tiangong I was replaced with floorboards.We fixed a foldable, multifunctional table that can be used for dining and experiments.The light is softer and can be adjusted.Each astronaut has a bed lamp.We also equipped the astronauts with Bluetooth headsets and Bluetooth speakers."Zhu added.
The Tiangong Ⅱconsists of two cabins（舱）with separate functions—the experiment cabin is sealed and acts as the astronauts' living quarters,while the resource cabin contains solar panels（太阳电池板）,storage batteries,engines, etc.
The lab has about 15 square meters for astronauts to live and work,including a separate sleep section and waste storage area.The equipment in the spacecraft ensures its inner sound under 50 decibels（分贝）.The temperature within the experiment cabin is kept between 22℃ and 24℃ and the humidity（湿度）between 45 and 55 percent.
In addition,Tiangong Ⅱ has an air detector（空气探测器）,and it can be used to check and deal with more than 20 dangerous gases.Also,designers placed exercise equipment in the space lab to help astronauts keep healthy and its communication systems also allow astronauts to receive and reply to emails and make calls to family and friends.
1.What does the underlined word "digs" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Rooms. B. Temperature.
C. Headsets. D. Light.
2.Why was the space lab of Tiangong Ⅱ refitted?
A. To help astronauts keep healthy.
B. To create an astronaut-friendly environment.
C. To help astronauts to receive and reply to emails.
D. To deal with over 20 dangerous gases in the lab.
3.What's the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. A table for dining and experiment was fixed.
B. A few aspects were considered to refit the space lab.
C. Astronauts were equipped with Bluetooth headsets.
D. Bright lamps which could be adjusted were placed.
4.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Astronauts can live and work in different places.
B. Exercise equipment has been placed for astronauts to keep fit.
C. Astronauts will feel more comfortable in the space lab after the improvement.
D. The sound and temperature in the spacecraft will help astronauts sleep well.
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With the successful launch of Tiangong-l, which was _____ breakthrough in space field,China's space dream took a step closer to _____ reality.
A. a;/ B. the； a C. a; the D. the;/
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With ______ successful launching of Tiangong-1, China’s space dream has taken ______ step closer to reality.
A．the; a B．/; a C．a; the D．the; /
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With ________ successful launching of Tiangong1，China's space dream has taken ________ step closer to reality.
A．the；a B．/；a C．a；the D．the；/
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Six seconds after its launch in Virginia, US, an unmanned rocket bound for the International Space Station （ISS） exploded, disappointing people both on Earth and in space．
Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cargo was destroyed in the Oct． 28 explosion due to An“equipment failure”, said Orbital Sciences, the company hired by NASA for the resupply mission．
The rocket was carrying a cargo ship loaded with 2,200 kilograms of supplies such as food, tools, parts, and experiments． Roughly a third of the cargo was a series of scientific investigations． Some of them were from high school students in the US． For example, 10 students from the Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston were conducting experiments about microgravity and put their samples on the rocket． “I know that failure is a part of science, but I really feel sorry for my students," science teacher Greg Adragna told the Houston, Chronicle ．
Astronauts at the ISS felt a more urgent disappointment, however． The cargo included 617kg of food． Now they will have to rely on supplies from a Russian launch on Oct． 29．
Launched in 1998 and involving the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and the member countries of the European Space Agency, the ISS is one of the most ambitious international collaborations in history． Currently, there are six astronauts at the station, five male and one female． Three are from Russia, two are from the US, and one is from Germany． They have lived together for about six months． The station gets regular resupplies from Earth, using unmanned spacecrafts． Food is always a big part of the supplies． Most of the food is frozen and ready to eat, and often tastes bad-somewhat like trying to eat when you have a heavy cold．
To make space life better, however, scientists have made breakthroughs． Earlier this year, Russian astronauts managed to grow a variety of crops aboard the station． Next year they are going to try to grow rice and other plants． And, as transporting water to space is expensive, astronauts are looking for ways to recycle water． "Astronauts on board the ISS already drink water distilled from sweat and urine<尿） ," Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported．
Is that the reason the astronauts were so disappointed not to get the water from the failed resupply mission, by any chance?
1. What is the author-s main purpose in writing the article?
A．To explain what caused the explosion of NASA-s unmanned rocket．
B．To inform us of the explosion of NASA-s unmanned rocket and its effects．
C．To tell us about astronauts lives at the International Space Station．
D．To tell us how the world reacted to the explosion of NASA-s unmanned rocket．
2. The underlined word “cargo” in the second paragraph is closet in meaning to
A． goods B． equipment
C． food supply D． investigation
3.How did teacher Greg Adragna feel about the explosion of the rocket?
A． Angry． B． Anxious．
C． Frustrated． D． Unconcerned．
4.We can conclude from the article that the situation seemed for astronauts on board the ISS when the rocket exploded．
A． hopeless B． interesting
C． depressing D． dangerous
5.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the ISS, according to the article?
A． Half of the astronauts at the ISS are from the US．
B． The ISS was set up by four countries．
C． The water that astronauts at the ISS drink is mainly made by recycling．
D． Most of the food astronauts eat at the ISS is frozen and tastes bad．
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The successful launch of Tiangong1 symbolizes a further step for China to join in the________of space stations previously mastered by Russia and the US.
A．invention B．production
C．operation D．preparation
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China launched its fifth Beidou orbiter into space on Sunday morning, moving it one step closer to its goal of building a navigation(导航) and positioning satellite network.
The Beidou, or Compass, system is being built to rival the US-developed GPS, the European Union's Galileo and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System. It can allow travelers, drivers and military officials to know their locations.
The fifth orbiter was launched on top of a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 5:30 am on Sunday from Xichang of Southwest China's Sichuan province.
It is the third Compass satellite launched this year, following launches on Jan 17 and June 2.
The short interval of less than two months since the last launch demonstrated that "the country is stepping into a busy period of launching the Compass satellites", an unnamed official in charge of the project said last month.
The first two orbiters were launched in 2007 and 2009 respectively.
Sun Jiadong, the Beidou program's chief designer, said on June 21 in a TV interview that China would launch 13 to 15 Beidou navigation satellites into orbit by 2012 to form a network that provides regional service covering the neighboring areas.
And in about 10 years, the network would be expanded to include more than 30 satellites covering the globe, he said.
The system is a crucial part of the country's space infrastructure for providing navigation and positioning services in transportation, meteorology, petroleum prospecting, forest fire monitoring, disaster forecasting, telecommunications and public security.
In addition, a global positioning system is crucial to any country's national security and defense, said Ran Chengqi, an official in charge of the program, referring to the fact that the US initially built its GPS system for military purposes.
It is unimaginable for China to go without such a system, he said.
Earlier reports cited（引用） Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based military expert, as saying that 90 percent of the world's current weapons systems need a global positioning system.
1.This news report was probably released________.
A．in January, 2010 B．in June, 2010 C．in July, 2010 D．in August, 2010
2.The Compass System is expected to finally cover________in the future.
A．China B．China and its neigh boring areas
C．Asia, Europe and Oceania D．the earth
3.At the very beginning, the GPS system was built to help________.
A．military officers to judge their locations B．travelers to know their locations
C．drivers to reach their destinations easily D．hunters to find wild animals smoothly
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Today, China has conducted its first 3D printing experiment in space in a newly launched spacecraft, which was put into low-Earth orbit by China's Long March 5B heavylift carrier rocket.
Video broadcast on CCTV showed that the printer has printed a flat section of a honeycomb-shaped （蜂巢状）structure as well as a symbol of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the parent company of the China Academy of Space Technology. The experiment was done by a 3D printer, developed and built by its Beijing Spacecrafts Manufacturing Factory, inside the prototype of China's new — generation manned spacecraft.
The printer, named the Space-Based Composite Material 3D Printing System, uses carbon fiber-reinforced materials to autonomously print objects. It is installed in the reentry module of the experimental spaceship, and will be brought back to Earth once the module returns.
The printer features advanced technologies in material modeling, precision control and automation. Once the space-based 3D printing technology becomes operationally ready, it can extensively benefit space programs as astronauts can use it to manufacture a lot of things they currently need to obtain from resupply flights by cargo spacecraft.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the 3D Printer will be very useful in extended space missions, such as those in a space station, because it will allow astronauts to make components quickly and conveniently in space. The technology will save future space journeys considerable resources and costs.
In fact, the device is not the only representative of 3D printing onboard the Prototype.
A CubeSat deployer, designed and made through 3D printing by CoSats Space Technology, is also carried by the spacecraft to check the adaptability of 3D-printed equipment in space. CoSats Chief Operating Officer Bai Ruixue said the 3D-Printed deployer is much lighter and stronger than its counterparts and it will have huge Potential in the space industry.
1.What did the video broadcast on CCTV show to the audience?
A.The process and the products of the 3D printing.
B.The name and the shape of the 3D printer.
C.The significance of the 3D printing technology.
D.The relationship between the two companies.
2.What if a component is broken in the space station now?
A.It has to be sent by spaceship back to earth for repair.
B.The astronauts can fix it conveniently by hand on the spot.
C.The astronauts make one using 3D printing and replace it.
D.It has to be unloaded and abandoned in space.
3.Why is the last paragraph mentioned?
A.To introduce the CubeSat deployer produced in space.
B.To explain the advantages of the 3D printing in space.
C.To show the adaptability of 3D printing in space.
D.To indicate a bright future of 3D printing in space.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.3D printing experiment conducted in space.
B.3D printing set to help ease space trips.
C.3D printing launched by Long March 5B.
D.3D printing—a new way to explore space.
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BEIJING — The launch of a new manned space mission brings China closer to the establishment of a permanent space station, international experts say.
Chinese taikonauts, Jing Haipeng, 50, and Chen Dong, 37, were blasted off into space onboard Shenzhou-11 at 7:30 am Monday and will spend 30 days in the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2.The launch marks a key step toward China's plan to eventually operate a permanent space station. The successful launch of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft is another step forward to put China among leading players in space technology, said Alexander Zheleznyakov, a Russian expert on history of space flights. China's experimental space lab will help provide solutions for spacecraft of different functions to approach and anchor, and for a long-term operation of life support system, said Zheleznyakov. Shenzhou-11 is scheduled to anchor on Wednesday with Tiangong-2, which is part of China's plan to build a permanent space station by 2022.
China can now test technologies for cargo spacecraft anchoring, life support system operation and water recycling to ensure a long-term continuous operation of its space station in the future with less dependence on renewal from the Earth, he said. If all goes well, China will launch the unpiloted Tianzhou-1 cargo ship next spring to autonomously tie up with Tiangong-2. Tianzhou-1 will be capable of automatically transferring rocket fuels, a vital requirement for space station grouping and maintenance, according to a report by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
"That will further their anchoring abilities needed for the larger space station," Johnson Freese was quoted." Tiangong-2 is supposed to be able to stay in orbit for two years or longer, so that's taking them (Chinese) really close to 2019 or so. I think this will be their last big technology test phase before going to their large space station," said Freese.
1.Why did China launch Shenzhou-11 into space?
A. To improve its launching ability.
B. To show off its space progress.
C. To set up a permanent space station.
D. To replace the space lab Tiankong-2.
2.Which of the following is designed to automatically transfer rocket fuels?
A. Shenzhou-11. B. Tiangong-2.
C. Shenzhou-1. D. Tianzhou-1.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase “blasted off” in last paragraph?
A. sent up B. gave away
C. swept off D. carried away