Question

  Space is where our future is—trips to the Moon,Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets (彗星) and stars,there is little else out there. But,since our space journey started we have left so much trash (垃圾) there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up,we may all be in mortal (致命的) danger.

  The first piece of space junk was created in 1964,when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped op?erating and lost its connection with the ground centre. However,since it kept orbiting around the Earth with?out any consequences,scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning things that no longer served any useful purposes in space.

  It is estimated that there are now over 500,000 pieces of manmade trash orbiting around the Earth at the speed of up to 17       ,500 miles per hour. The junk va?ries from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras,huge fuel tanks,and even odd items like the milliondollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Ste-fanyshyn-Piper lost during a spacewalk.

  The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage travelling space?craft. Moreover,pieces of junk may collide (碰撞) with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this,scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.

1. What was the first piece of manmade space trash?

    A. A camera.   B. A tool kit.

   C. A fuel tank. D. A broken satellite.

2. Why were scientists NOT concerned about space trash in the beginning?

   A. It no longer served any useful purposes.

   B. It was millions of miles away from the Earth.

   C. It did not cause any problems.

   D. It was regarded as similar to comets and stars.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE about space junk?

   A. It is huge,heavy machines.

   B. It never changes position.

   C. It floats slowly around the Earth.

   D. It may cause problems for space shuttles.

4. What has been done about the space trash problem?

   A. Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash.

   B. Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched.

   C. Many nations have worked together to stop pol?luting space.

   D. Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space.

Answer 1

1. D细节理解题。根据第二段第一句"The first piece of space junk was created in 1964.when the American satel?lite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground centre."可知答案为D项。

2. C细节理解题。根据第二段中"However,since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences,sci?entists became increasingly comfortable abandoning things that no longer served any useful purposes in space."可知答案为C项。

3. D细节理解题。根据文章最后一段大意可知太空碎片主要对卫星和航天飞机存在巨大的威胁。故D项正确。

4. B推理判断题。根据文章最后一段的"Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles."可知B项正确。