Ⅰ. 阅读理解
We humans are a curious species. As NASA says on its website, “Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and then push further. ”
And space exploration is where we’ve been “pushing” our furthest curiosity.
The year 2019 began with two pieces of exciting space exploration news. On Jan. 3, China landed a spacecraft, Chang’e 4, on the moon’s far side—the side we can’t see from Earth—for the first time in human history. And according to a report published on Jan. 9 in Nature, scientists from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) detected repeated radio signals from a galaxy 1. 5 billion light years away, possibly sent by intelligent aliens.
However, what’s even more exciting than the news is the fact that whenever speaking of space exploration, we forget our political and cultural differences—the things that so obsess us.
“When you go into space, you become part of this overall collective (集体) called ‘humanity’, ” Ken Liu, Chinese-American sci-fi writer and translator, told Quartz website. “You’re no longer Chinese, American, Russian. . . Your culture is left behind. You’re now just ‘humanity’ with a capital ‘H’. ”
This magic has worked all the way along our journey into space. When US astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930—2012) became the first human to set foot on the moon in 1969, for example, he told the world: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. ” Now, with Chang’e 4 touching down on new moon territory, China’s aim is to help scientists from around the world find out more about Earth’s only satellite. And with the discovery of the CHIME astronomers, we’re one step closer to answering a common question in science: “Are humans alone in the universe? ”
It’s true that we are a curious species. But instead of being curious about the “unknown”, perhaps we’re really more eager to “push further” our own human “boundaries” and “limits”.
【语篇概述】这是一篇说明文。本文主要讲述太空探索是人类共同的事业, 这里没有政治、国家的边界, 只有“人类”这一概念。
1. Which of the following is the discovery of the CHIME scientists?
A. A galaxy with intelligent aliens.
B. Repeated radio signals sent by intelligent aliens.
C. Repeated radio signals from a distant galaxy.
D. Radio signals from a galaxy several years ago.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据文章第三段最后一句“. . . scientists from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) detected repeated radio signals from a galaxy 1. 5 billion light years away, possibly sent by intelligent aliens. ”可知, 来自加拿大氢强度测绘实验(CHIME)的科学家检测到来自15亿光年外星系的重复无线电信号, 可能是由有智慧的外星人发出的。由此可知是来自遥远星系的重复无线电信号。故选C。
2. Why does the author quote Ken Liu’s words?
A. To introduce the famous writer, Ken Liu.
B. To show that in space we are just humanity.
C. To emphasize that culture is not important.
D. To introduce the things that obsess us very much.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据文章第五段可知, 华裔美国科幻作家兼翻译家刘肯(Ken Liu)在Quartz网站上说: “当你进入太空时, 你会成为这个被称为‘人类’的整体集体的一部分。你不再是中国人、美国人、俄罗斯人……你的文化被抛在了脑后。你现在只是有一个大写字母‘H’的‘人类’。”由此可见, 作者引用Ken Liu的话是为了证明在太空中我们只是人类。故选B。
3. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 6?
A. Further confirm his opinion.
B. Add some background information.
C. Summarize the previous paragraphs.
D. Introduce a new topic for discussion.
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据文章第六段最后一句And with the discovery of the CHIME astronomers, we’re one step closer to answering a common question in science: “Are humans alone in the universe? ”可知, 随着加拿大氢强度测绘实验天文学家的发现, 我们离回答科学中的一个常见问题又近了一步: “宇宙中只有人类吗? ”由此来进一步证实他的观点。故选A。
4. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. China takes the lead in space exploration.
B. Humans are not alone in the universe.
C. Space exploration is a common cause of mankind.
D. Humans desire to push the boundaries of scientific limits.
【解析】选C。主旨大意题。根据这篇文章大意可知, 本文主要讲述太空探索是人类共同的事业, 这里没有政治、国家的边界, 只有“人类”这一概念。故选C。
