Question

Humans may not have landed on Mars (火星) just yet, but that isn’t stopping a European company from devising a plan to send four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.

“Everything we need to go to Mars exists,” said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. “We have the rockets to send people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the settlement for humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists.” Yet the four astronauts chosen for the trip will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars One’s thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission's huge cost ($6 billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project by selling the broadcast rights for the mission and subsequent experiences living on the planet.

Those broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to select the people who will be sent to Mars. Lansdorp said the company will hold a selection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, several other potential problems could inhibit (阻止) the mission to Mars.

“It’s even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars,” said Adam Baker, senior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. “The size of the rockets you’d need to do this would be absolutely colossal.”

1.According to Project Mars One, humans could send four people to Mars within the next ________years.

A. seven B. eight C. ten D. six

2.According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. Robots are prepared for the settlement for humans.

B. He could not come up with the fund for Mars One.

C. We humans have the rockets to send people to Mars.

D. The equipment is ready for humans to land on Mars.

3.The word “colossal” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ___________.

A. very large B. very small

C. medium D. average

4.Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?

A. Ready for a Round Trip to Mars

B. Ready for a Short Visit to Mars

C. Ready for a One-way Trip to Mars

D. Ready for a Walk on Mars

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要是在说明现今的科学家们对火星的探测和上火星的一个初步计划。科学家们的目标是在2020年能够送一批人到火星上去。但是这个计划实施难度很大，会遭遇一系列的困难和问题。

1.第一段的第二行到第三行提到aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022，目标是在2020年送一小批人去火星。而现在是2014年，所以2022—2014=8所以答案选B。

2. is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project是说lansdorp对火星一号的那个项目筹集资金是非常有信心的，而B选项却说他没有。所以答案选B。

3. even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars是说现在要想送人去火星难度更大，因为还要提供一系列的用来支撑生命的物质，按照推理，更多的东西需要运载，所以自然火箭的型号也要更大。所以答案选A。

4.

考点：考查科技说明文阅读。