Question

Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars. They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers. Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth.

We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures. These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars. Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there. This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists.

Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth’s plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth. But it will take at least 300 years.

Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt. The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support. Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species. We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate. Currently terraforming earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places.

While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible .Even if earth –bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth.

 The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars.

1.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Terraforming Mars.               B．Saving the Earth

C．Travelling to Mars.                 D．A Newly-found Place

2.What does the underlined word “altering” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Warming.    B．Changing.    C．Planting.      D．Building

3.According to the passage the main purpose of terraforming Mars is to ________.

A．do some scientific research work

B．find out its similarity to earth

C．avoid the dying away of many other species

D．find on Mars living place for the increasing human beings

4.The main reason for causing many people to consider terraforming Mars is that _______.

A．there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars.

B．terraforming Mars is theoretically simple

C．we have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: Earth

D．the development of science and technology is very rapid

5.What’s the author’s attitude towards the project?

A．Optimistic.  B．Negative

C．Sceptical（懷疑的）  D．Objective.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.A

5.A

【解析】

試題分析：本文圍繞著人類移民火星而展開論述。首先從火星與地球的相似之處講到移民火星在理論上的 可行性以及搬遷過程，繼而又談論了人類因人口的急劇增加而向外空發展的必要性。最后分析了人類科技的發展和成就大大增加了使火星適合人類居住和人類移民火星的可能性。

1.A主旨大意題。文章首段提出human beings will move to Mars，然后圍繞此話題展開論述，所以文章中心應該是將火星地球化問題。所以A選項正確。

2.B詞意猜測題。由后句so that Earth’s life forms can survive there.可判斷為了讓地球上的生命能在火星上存活，就要改變火星上的條件以便更適合地球上生命的生長，所以alter應該是改變的意思。

3.D推理判斷題。由第二段Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there.可知使火星地球化的目的是讓地球上生命能在火星上存活，故D選項正確。

4.A細節理解題。文章第二段Mars resembles the earth in many aspects。。。和 These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars.，由此可知A選項正確。

5.A推理判斷題。A 樂觀的；B 否定的；消極的；C 懷疑的；D 客觀的。從文章倒數第二段While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible可知作者對此事持樂觀態度。

考點：考查科學知識類短文閱讀。