2．Six volunteers are about to find out what it would be like to live on Mars without ever leaving the Earth．Three men and three women will spend eight months living in a special place on the side of a volcano in Hawaii．They are part of an experiment that is designed to mimic（模仿）life on Mars．Their mission began on October 15，2014．NASA says it could send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s．The mission would take more than two years，so NASA needs to know how people would react to living in a small group，isolated from the rest of the world，for such a long time．Some people may become depressed or bored living under those conditions．By studying people living in similar conditions here on Eares NASA hopes to learn how to choose the most suitable people for a space mission，and how to help them get along．
They will live in a two-story building．The ground floor is about 86square meters，roughly the size of a small two-bedroom apartment．It includes shared areas like kitchen，dining room，bathroom，laboratory and an exercise room．The upstairs is less than half the size of the downstairs．It contains another bathroom and six small bedrooms．The building is located in an abandoned quarry（采石场）about 2，400meters up the side of Mauna Loa，the second biggest volcano in the world．It is constantly monitored for signs of volcanic activity．NASA chose the location because the appearance looks very similar to Mars．
To make it more like being on Mars in the future，they are only able to communicate by email during the experiment．Meanwhile，there will be a 20-minute delay between the time when a message is sent and that when it is received．When they go outside，they will have to suit up in full spacesuits，just as if they were on Mars．
The commander is Martha Lenio，a 34-year-old Canadian．During the mission，she will run experiments on growing food．The other members have backgrounds in physics and so on．None of them are astronauts．
21．When will the six volunteers end their mission about mimicking life on Mars？A
A．On June 15，2015．
B．On October 15，2015．
C．On October 15，2030．
D．On June 15，2032．
22．What's the main purpose of the experiment？B
A．To monitor signs of volcanic activity．
B．To prepare for a space mission to Mars．
C．To train the six people to become astronauts．
D．To study the difference between men and women．
23．Mauna Loa was chosen as the experimental site becauseC．
A．it is located near a rocket base
B．other people can hardly find the location
C．its landscape is so much like that of Mars
D．it is a safe place to conduct the experiment
24．What can be inferred from the passage？D
A．Martha is a famous expert on agriculture．
B．The six volunteers will be sent to Mars in 2030．
C．All the experimental activities are done in doors．
D．It takes about 40minutes to get a reply to an email．
分析 一个研究小组的六名志愿者为了模拟火星上的生活状态，在夏威夷的一个火山附近居住并生活八个月，另外文章还介绍了生活在那的一些具体条件状况．
解答 21．A．细节理解题．根据第一段"Three men and three women will spend eight months living in a specialplace on the side of a volcano in Hawaii．They are part of an experiment that is designed to mimic（模仿）life on Mars．Their mission began on October 15，2014．"可知，研究人员在那居住八个月，开始时间为2014年10月15日，故结束时间为2015年6月15日．故选A．
22．B．细节理解题．根据第一段最后一句"By studying people living in similar conditions here on Eares NASA hopes to learn how to choose the most suitable people for a space mission，and how to help themget along．"可知此项活动是为了选择合适人选进行太空任务，以及帮他们在执行任务时如何相处；故选B．
23．C 细节理解题．根据第二段"NASA chose the location because the appearance looks very similar to Mars．"可知，选择此处作为基地是因为与火星外表相似．故选C．
24．D 推理判断题．根据倒数第二段的"Meanwhile，there will be a 20-minute delay between the time whena message is sent and that when it is received．"可知，发送成功接受成功邮件均需要20分钟，所以要想得到一个回复需要40分钟．故选D．
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力，做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确的选择．在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
