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B
Mars has fascinated humans since we first set eyes on it as a star-like object in the night sky. Over the last century, everything we've learned about Mars suggests that the planet was once quite capable of providing ecosystems(生态系统). Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms. The soil contains compounds that would be harmful to life. Although water does exist on Mars, it's locked into the planet's icy polar caps and buried, perhaps a lot, under the Martian surface.
Since the 1960s, humans have sent dozens of spacecraft to study Mars. Early missions were flybys(近天体探测飞行), with spacecraft snapping photos as they travelled past rapidly. Later, probes pulled into orbit around Mars. More recently, landers and rovers have touched down on the surface. But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed. Early highlights of Mars missions include NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft, which captured the first close-up images of this foreign world in 1965. In 1971, the Soviet space programme sent the first spacecraft, Mars 3, into Martian orbit. It returned about eight months of observations about the planet's atmosphere, weather, and geology(地质状况). The mission also sent a lander to the surface, but it returned data for only about 20 seconds before going quiet. Over the following decades, orbiters returned far more detailed data on the planet's atmosphere and surface, and finally cleared the misunderstanding, widely held by scientists since the late 1800s, that Martian canals(运河) were built by an alien civilisation. They also uncovered some truly dramatic characteristics: the small world owns the largest volcanoes in the solar system, and one of the largest canyons(峡谷).
Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up in a way that minimises travel time and expense, enabling spacecraft to make the interplanetary journey in about half a year. Now, three countries are sending spacecraft to Mars: The United Arab Emirates, China, and the United States. All of the robotic activity is, of course, laying the preparation work for sending humans over to the next world. NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars. Private spaceflight companies such as SpaceX are also getting into the Mars game. Soon, in one way or another, humanity may finally know whether our neighbouring planet ever hosted life—and whether there's a future for our species on another world.
6. Which of the following is a reason for the failure to host life on Mars according to the text?
A. Carbon dioxide atmosphere wraps Mars.
B. There is no trace of water.
C. The soil is rich in compounds.
D. A thin toxic gas appears in the atmosphere.
7. The underlined word "tricky" can be replaced by "".
A. dangerous
B. worrying
C. difficult
D. easy
8. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. All the attempts of landing on Mars failed.
B. An alien civilisation built canals on Mars.
C. No other volcanoes in the universe are larger than those on Mars.
D. Efforts have been made to take a closer look at Mars over decades.
9. What is the current expectation for Mars exploration according to the text?
A. NASA will send the first astronauts to Mars in 2035.
B. Astronauts will take a walk on Mars in the near future.
C. Private spaceflight companies will create a Mars game.
D. More countries will send spacecraft to Mars.
10. What might be the best time for a new attempt if NASA failed its launch to Mars in 2035?
A. In 2035.
B. In 2036.
C. In 2037.
D. In 2038.
Mars has fascinated humans since we first set eyes on it as a star-like object in the night sky. Over the last century, everything we've learned about Mars suggests that the planet was once quite capable of providing ecosystems(生态系统). Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms. The soil contains compounds that would be harmful to life. Although water does exist on Mars, it's locked into the planet's icy polar caps and buried, perhaps a lot, under the Martian surface.
Since the 1960s, humans have sent dozens of spacecraft to study Mars. Early missions were flybys(近天体探测飞行), with spacecraft snapping photos as they travelled past rapidly. Later, probes pulled into orbit around Mars. More recently, landers and rovers have touched down on the surface. But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed. Early highlights of Mars missions include NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft, which captured the first close-up images of this foreign world in 1965. In 1971, the Soviet space programme sent the first spacecraft, Mars 3, into Martian orbit. It returned about eight months of observations about the planet's atmosphere, weather, and geology(地质状况). The mission also sent a lander to the surface, but it returned data for only about 20 seconds before going quiet. Over the following decades, orbiters returned far more detailed data on the planet's atmosphere and surface, and finally cleared the misunderstanding, widely held by scientists since the late 1800s, that Martian canals(运河) were built by an alien civilisation. They also uncovered some truly dramatic characteristics: the small world owns the largest volcanoes in the solar system, and one of the largest canyons(峡谷).
Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up in a way that minimises travel time and expense, enabling spacecraft to make the interplanetary journey in about half a year. Now, three countries are sending spacecraft to Mars: The United Arab Emirates, China, and the United States. All of the robotic activity is, of course, laying the preparation work for sending humans over to the next world. NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars. Private spaceflight companies such as SpaceX are also getting into the Mars game. Soon, in one way or another, humanity may finally know whether our neighbouring planet ever hosted life—and whether there's a future for our species on another world.
6. Which of the following is a reason for the failure to host life on Mars according to the text?
A. Carbon dioxide atmosphere wraps Mars.
B. There is no trace of water.
C. The soil is rich in compounds.
D. A thin toxic gas appears in the atmosphere.
7. The underlined word "tricky" can be replaced by "".
A. dangerous
B. worrying
C. difficult
D. easy
8. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. All the attempts of landing on Mars failed.
B. An alien civilisation built canals on Mars.
C. No other volcanoes in the universe are larger than those on Mars.
D. Efforts have been made to take a closer look at Mars over decades.
9. What is the current expectation for Mars exploration according to the text?
A. NASA will send the first astronauts to Mars in 2035.
B. Astronauts will take a walk on Mars in the near future.
C. Private spaceflight companies will create a Mars game.
D. More countries will send spacecraft to Mars.
10. What might be the best time for a new attempt if NASA failed its launch to Mars in 2035?
A. In 2035.
B. In 2036.
C. In 2037.
D. In 2038.
答案
6.A 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.C
B
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了人类对火星进行的探测活动。
6. A 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms.”可知，火星上没有生命存在的一个原因是二氧化碳的大气层包裹着火星。故选 A。
7. C 词义猜测题。根据第二段中的“But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed.”可知，火星稀薄的大气层使得大半的探测器登陆失败，所以 tricky 表示“难办的”，与 difficult 意思相近。故选 C。
8. D 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“Since the 1960s, humans have sent dozens of spacecraft to study Mars ... More recently, landers and rovers have touched down on the surface.”可知，几十年来，人们一直在努力近距离观察火星。故选 D。
9. A 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars.”可知，目前对火星探测的预期是，美国宇航局将在 2035 年向火星发送首批宇航员。故选 A。
10. C 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up in a way that minimises travel time and expense, enabling spacecraft to make the interplanetary journey ...”可知，如果美国宇航局在 2035 年 7 月发射失败，需要时隔 26 个月进行新的尝试，即 2037 年 9 月。故选 C。
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B
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了人类对火星进行的探测活动。
6. A 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms.”可知，火星上没有生命存在的一个原因是二氧化碳的大气层包裹着火星。故选 A。
7. C 词义猜测题。根据第二段中的“But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed.”可知，火星稀薄的大气层使得大半的探测器登陆失败，所以 tricky 表示“难办的”，与 difficult 意思相近。故选 C。
8. D 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“Since the 1960s, humans have sent dozens of spacecraft to study Mars ... More recently, landers and rovers have touched down on the surface.”可知，几十年来，人们一直在努力近距离观察火星。故选 D。
9. A 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars.”可知，目前对火星探测的预期是，美国宇航局将在 2035 年向火星发送首批宇航员。故选 A。
10. C 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up in a way that minimises travel time and expense, enabling spacecraft to make the interplanetary journey ...”可知，如果美国宇航局在 2035 年 7 月发射失败，需要时隔 26 个月进行新的尝试，即 2037 年 9 月。故选 C。
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解析
【分析】
本题为英语阅读理解题，包含5道小题，分别考查细节理解、词义猜测和推理判断能力。解题思路如下：
1. 第6题：定位第一段，查找火星无法支持地球生命的原因，匹配对应选项；
2. 第7题：定位tricky所在句子，结合上下文“超过60%的尝试失败”的语境推断词义；
3. 第8题：定位第二段，梳理人类几十年来对火星的探测活动，推理得出合理结论；
4. 第9题：定位第三段，查找NASA对火星探测的预期时间，匹配对应选项；
5. 第10题：定位第三段，找到地球与火星的26个月发射周期，计算2035年后的下一次尝试时间。
【解析】
6. 细节理解题：根据第一段“Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms.”可知，火星被稀薄的二氧化碳大气层覆盖，无法支持地球生命，对应选项A；B项文中提到水被锁在极地冰盖或地下，并非没有水；C项土壤含有害化合物，并非“丰富的化合物”；D项是稀薄的二氧化碳大气，不是有毒气体，故选A。
7. 词义猜测题：根据第二段“But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed.”可知，超过60%的登陆尝试失败，说明登陆是“困难的”，tricky与difficult意思相近，故选C。
8. 推理判断题：第二段提到从20世纪60年代起，人类发射数十个航天器研究火星，从近天体探测飞行到轨道探测器再到着陆器、漫游车，说明几十年来人类一直在努力近距离观察火星，对应选项D；A项“所有尝试都失败”与文中“more than 60 per cent failed”不符；B项火星运河是误解，并非外星人建造；C项是太阳系最大火山，不是宇宙，故选D。
9. 细节理解题：根据第三段“NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars.”可知，NASA预期2035年送首批宇航员登陆火星，对应选项A；B项“近期”与2035年不符；C项是参与火星项目，不是创造游戏；D项文中说三个国家已在行动，不是“更多国家”，故选A。
10. 推理判断题：根据第三段“Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up...”可知，发射周期为26个月，2035年失败后，下一次尝试时间为2035+26个月=2037年，对应选项C，故选C。
【答案】
6.A 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.C
【知识点】
英语阅读理解；细节理解；词义猜测；推理判断
【点评】
本文围绕人类火星探测展开，题目侧重考查学生快速定位原文信息、结合上下文分析词义及推理判断的能力，整体难度适中，掌握阅读解题基本方法即可完成。
【难度系数】
0.6
本题为英语阅读理解题，包含5道小题，分别考查细节理解、词义猜测和推理判断能力。解题思路如下：
1. 第6题：定位第一段，查找火星无法支持地球生命的原因，匹配对应选项；
2. 第7题：定位tricky所在句子，结合上下文“超过60%的尝试失败”的语境推断词义；
3. 第8题：定位第二段，梳理人类几十年来对火星的探测活动，推理得出合理结论；
4. 第9题：定位第三段，查找NASA对火星探测的预期时间，匹配对应选项；
5. 第10题：定位第三段，找到地球与火星的26个月发射周期，计算2035年后的下一次尝试时间。
【解析】
6. 细节理解题：根据第一段“Unfortunately, the planet is now covered by a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life-forms.”可知，火星被稀薄的二氧化碳大气层覆盖，无法支持地球生命，对应选项A；B项文中提到水被锁在极地冰盖或地下，并非没有水；C项土壤含有害化合物，并非“丰富的化合物”；D项是稀薄的二氧化碳大气，不是有毒气体，故选A。
7. 词义猜测题：根据第二段“But the thin Martian atmosphere makes landing tricky, and more than 60 per cent of such tries have failed.”可知，超过60%的登陆尝试失败，说明登陆是“困难的”，tricky与difficult意思相近，故选C。
8. 推理判断题：第二段提到从20世纪60年代起，人类发射数十个航天器研究火星，从近天体探测飞行到轨道探测器再到着陆器、漫游车，说明几十年来人类一直在努力近距离观察火星，对应选项D；A项“所有尝试都失败”与文中“more than 60 per cent failed”不符；B项火星运河是误解，并非外星人建造；C项是太阳系最大火山，不是宇宙，故选D。
9. 细节理解题：根据第三段“NASA is targeting July 2035 as a reasonable time for sending a spacecraft, aiming to set the first boots on Mars.”可知，NASA预期2035年送首批宇航员登陆火星，对应选项A；B项“近期”与2035年不符；C项是参与火星项目，不是创造游戏；D项文中说三个国家已在行动，不是“更多国家”，故选A。
10. 推理判断题：根据第三段“Once every 26 months, the Earth and Mars are lined up...”可知，发射周期为26个月，2035年失败后，下一次尝试时间为2035+26个月=2037年，对应选项C，故选C。
【答案】
6.A 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.C
【知识点】
英语阅读理解；细节理解；词义猜测；推理判断
【点评】
本文围绕人类火星探测展开，题目侧重考查学生快速定位原文信息、结合上下文分析词义及推理判断的能力，整体难度适中，掌握阅读解题基本方法即可完成。
【难度系数】
0.6
