2020考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇：Unit 61

Unit 61

Launching people into space may make headlines but it does little useful science. So when George Bush redirected America’s space agency, NASA, away from scientific research and towards a manned return to the moon in 2004, many scientists were disappointed. Now the agency has finally offered some small morsels of comfort in the form of four projects that could accompany efforts for a lunar return.

The most exciting of these is the plan for a radio telescope that could be placed on the far side of the moon. Such a device would look back at the early universe to the time when large-scale structures such as galaxies and stars formed. A lunar-based radio telescope would be able to detect long wavelengths that cannot be sensed on Earth because they are absorbed by the outermost layers of the planet’s atmosphere. Moreover by pointing the telescope away from the din of shorter-wavelength radio waves that are used for communication on Earth, astrophysicists would be able to see the early universe in unprecedented detail.

Finding alien life might also be possible with such a telescope. It would be able to map the magnetic fields of stars and exoplanets（planets that circle stars outside the solar system）. It is the magnetic field of the Earth that protects its inhabitants from being bombarded by high-energy particles from space that would otherwise leave the planet sterile. Detecting a magnetic field surrounding an Earth-like exoplanet would prove a promising sign for finding extraterrestrial life. The proposal, led by Joseph Lazio, of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. D.C., is to create an array of three arms arranged in a Y-shape, each of which would be 500 metres long and contain 16 antennae. Each arm would be made of a plastic film that could be rolled out onto the surface of the moon, either by robots or by astronauts.

A second project, headed by Michael Collier, of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, would examine how the solar wind—a stream of charged particles ejected from the sun—interacts with the tenuous lunar atmosphere close to the moon’s surface. Such bombardment produces low-energy X-rays that would be detected on the surface of the moon. The third and fourth projects are similar both to each other and to earlier ventures dropped on the moon by the Apollo and the Soviet Luna missions in the late 1960s and 1970s. Some 35 years on, reflectors placed on the lunar surface are still used by scientists interested in geophysics and geodesy（for example, how the moon’s gravitational field shifts over time）. Most of the reflectors are clustered close to the lunar equator. The proposals, led by Stephen Merkowitz, also of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, and Douglas Currie, of the University of Maryland, are to sprinkle some more sophisticated versions over more of the moon’s surface.

Such efforts may attract little attention compared with the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour this week. Nevertheless, when NASA argues that putting people into space inspires young people to study science, it is precisely these endeavours that it wishes to encourage.

注（1）：本文選自Economist；

注（2）：本文習題命題模仿對象為2004年真題Text 3（題目順序稍微調整）。

1. By saying “Launching people into space may make headlines but it does little useful science” （Line 1, Paragraph 1）, the author means that _______.

A) launching people into space is very important in terms of the future development of science

B) newspaper only cares about eyecatching news such as whether humans can travel into space

C) human’s travel to outside space is against scientific rules, and the effort will be wasting and futile

D) launching people into space is of little scientific value but would arouse great public enthusiasm

2. The most distinctive feature of a lunar-based radio telescope mentioned in the second paragraph is that _______.

A) it is able to capture long wavelengths

B) it possesses better functions than those telescopes on Earth

C) it can escape from the magnetic field of the Earth

D) it can avoid the influence of the short-wavelength radio waves

3. How does the author feel about the four new moon plans?

A) Objective.

B) Affirmative.

C) Carefree.

D) Panicked.

4. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the last two projects discussed in the fourth paragraph?

A) The two projects are of less importance than the other two.

B) The two plans are of similar nature with each other.

C) The purpose of the plans is to add some equipment on the moon.

D) These plans are a continuance of previous studies carried out decades ago.

5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?

A) The radio telescope will be able to find extraterrestrial life.

B) The second project focuses on the interaction between solar wind and Earth atmosphere.

C) Joseph Lazio’s proposal is part of the radio telescope project.

D) The four projects are closely related to the recently launched space shuttle Endeavour.

篇章剖析

本文主要介紹了美國宇航局的四項新的月球計劃的主要內容。文章開頭首先指出了載人登月在科研的價值上不如其他科研項目，從而引出話題。第二、三段介紹了第一個月球計劃的詳細內容；第四段簡要介紹了另外三項計劃的內容及其負責人；第五段總結全文，并指出了實施月球計劃所包含的一種精神所在。

詞匯注釋

morsel /?m??s?l/ n. 小量；一點

lunar /?lju?n?/ adj. 月的，月亮的

galaxy /?ɡ?l?ksi/ n. 星系，銀河

wavelength /?we?vle?θ/ n. 【物】波長

bombard /b?m?bɑ?d/ vt. 炮轟；轟擊

sterile /?stera?l/ adj. 貧脊的，不育的

extraterrestrial /?ekstr?t??restr??l/ adj. 地球外的

array /??rei/ n. 天線陣

antenna /?n?ten?/ n. 天線

eject /??d?ekt/ v. 驅逐；噴射

tenuous /?tenj??s/ adj. 纖細的

geophysics /?d?????f?z?ks/ n. 地球物理學

geodesy /d?i???d?si/ n. 測地學

gravitational /?ɡr?v??te???n?l/ adj. 重力的

sprinkle /?spr??kl/ v. 灑，噴灑

難句突破

The proposal, led by Joseph Lazio, of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. D.C., is to create an array of three arms arranged in a Y-shape, each of which would be 500 metres long and contain 16 antennae.

主體句式：The proposal is to creat an array.

結構分析：這個句子可以以is為界分為前后兩個部分。其中前一個部分的主體內容是主語the proposal，led by Joseph Lazio是用來形容主語的分詞結構，而of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. D.C.是補充說明Joseph Lazio這個人的身份。后一部分包含了一個以each of which引導的定語從句。

句子譯文：該計劃由美國華盛頓特區(qū)海軍研究實驗室的約瑟夫·拉齊奧領導，目標是創(chuàng)造出一個以三臂狀構成Y字形的天線陣，其中每只臂長500米，含16根天線。

題目分析

1. D 語義題。文章第一句話的意思是，把人送入太空也許能成為頭條新聞，引發(fā)大眾的熱切關注，但是對科學研究卻沒有多大幫助和價值。headline這里是指報紙的頭條新聞。

2. A 細節(jié)題。文章第二段提到，該無線電天文望遠鏡的最大特點在于能夠探測到那些在地球表面無法檢測到的長波。D選項的錯誤在于文章第二段最后一句話提到的“shorter-wavelength radio wave”與選項中的“short-wavelength radio wave”并不是同義詞，前者指比長波短的無線電波，如中波或者短波等。

3. B 情感態(tài)度題。文章第二段作者用“the most exciting”來形容其中的一項月球計劃，說明了作者的支持態(tài)度。同樣，最后一段中作者對這些月球計劃所代表的“奮進”精神大加贊賞，同樣表達了一種支持的態(tài)度。

4. A 細節(jié)題。文章中沒有特別說明各個項目的重要性有大小之分，相反，縱觀全文，我們可以看出這幾個項目具有同等的重要性，只是作者在描述的時候有的較為具體，有的則比較簡單而已。

5. C 推理題。A選項的錯誤原因在于尋找外星人只是一種可能性，結果是不確定的。B選項的錯誤原因在于該研究定位于太陽風和月球稀薄的大氣層之間的關系，而不是和地球大氣層的關系。D選項的錯誤原因在于這四項研究與“奮進”號航天飛機并沒有很大的關系。

參考譯文

把人送入太空也許能成為頭條新聞，但是對科學研究卻沒有多大幫助。因此，當喬治·布什在2004年要求美國宇航局將重點從科學研究轉移到載人回歸月球時，很多科學家都備感失望?，F(xiàn)在，美國宇航局為回歸月球計劃增加了四項科研項目，總算給大家?guī)砹诵┰S安慰。

這些項目中最激動人心的是一種可以安裝在月球背面的無線電天文望遠鏡。通過這種望遠鏡，人們可以了解到從宇宙早期直到大規(guī)模天體結構如星云和恒星形成的時期。安裝在月球上的無線電天文望遠鏡可以探測到那些無法在地球表面被檢測到的長波，因為這些長波都被地球大氣層的最外層吸收了。此外，天體物理學家們使該望遠鏡遠離在地球上頻繁地用于通信的較短波長的無線電波，從而能夠史無前例地細致觀察早期的宇宙。

使用這臺望遠鏡也許還可以尋找外星生物。因為它能夠描繪出恒星和太陽系外行星（太陽系之外圍繞恒星運動的行星）的磁場圖。正是由于地球磁場的保護，地球上居住著的生物才能幸免于來自太空中高能量粒子的襲擊，否則這個星球就會變成一片不毛之地。如果能夠檢測到某個太陽系外行星也像地球一樣被磁場包圍，就有希望找到地球以外的生命。該計劃由美國華盛頓特區(qū)海軍研究實驗室的約瑟夫·拉齊奧領導，目標是創(chuàng)造出一個以三臂狀構成Y字形的天線陣，其中每只臂長500米，含16根天線，用塑料薄膜制成，以便由機器人或宇航員平鋪在月球表面。

第二項計劃的負責人是美國宇航局戈達德太空飛行中心的邁克爾·克里爾，該計劃將研究太陽風——太陽噴發(fā)出的一束帶電粒子流——如何與月球表面附近稀薄的大氣相互作用。這種作用產(chǎn)生的低能量X射線可以在月球表面探測到。第三和第四項計劃相似，并與早前于20世紀60年代末和70年代進行的阿波羅計劃和前蘇聯(lián)的登月計劃大同小異?，F(xiàn)在那些放置于月球表面的反射器已差不多工作了35年，且仍然為那些對地球物理學和測地學（如研究月球引力場如何隨時間而變化）感興趣的科學家們服務著。大多數(shù)反射器都安裝在靠近月球赤道的地方。這兩項計劃的主管人是美國宇航局戈達德太空飛行中心的史蒂芬·默克維茨以及馬里蘭大學的道格拉斯·奎瑞，其目標是在月球上更大范圍地布置一些更加尖端的反射器。

與本周發(fā)射的奮進號航天飛機相比，這些月球計劃可能不會引起多大關注，但是，當美國宇航局極力主張載人航天可以激勵年輕人學習科學時，為月球計劃而“奮進”的精神也正是它所要鼓舞的。