Question

Man has been travelling into space for more than 40 years. Even today though, very few people get the chance to be an astronaut, about 30 persons per year. This is mainly because of the expense. It costs millions of yuan to train and send the astronauts into space. Very few countries can afford this.

This is why American businessman Dennis Tito paid 20,000,000 US dollars to the Russian Space Agency to go into space. He visited the International Space Station. His trip, making him the first ever space tourist, took eight days in total. He spent most of his time taking photos, looking at the earth and listening to music on his once?in?a?life trip.

After landing safely back on the earth, Mr Tito thought the trip was worth the money. The only difficulty he had was walking, but this is normal for anyone who's been in zero gravity.

Some people, especially in the American Space Agency, argue that you must be professional to go into space. They worry about the safety of other astronauts. However, Mr Tito received training before he left. He also helped to prepare food for the others while in space. They told him what to do and where he was allowed to go.

A survey carried out soon after Tito landed showed that 75% of Americans supported space tourism. Some people are bored with all the places on earth. They are looking for a new adventure and space is the place.

Mr Tito paid the Russians for 20% of their annual budget (年度预算). If we want to see men on Mars and other planets, we may need rich people like Tito to help us pay for it. The Russians have more rich people who want to become space tourists. They should take them.

1．The number of people flying into space so far has reached ________.

A．about 30 　　　 B．more than 1,200

C．one thousand 　　　 D．about 12,000

2．Why did the Russians want Dennis Tito to go into space?

A．Because they wanted to work with an American.

B．Because they wanted him to have a once?in?a?life trip.

C．Because they wanted him to take photos of the earth.

D．Because they wanted his money.

3．According to the writer, what is the problem for space tourists?

A．People's legs take time to get used to the earth again.

B．They are not safe enough in space.

C．There is not much to do, only take photos and listen to music.

D．Tourists need to learn Russian before they go.

4．The difference between Mr Tito and the other astronauts is that ________.

A．he could only listen to music

B．only Tito was allowed to cook

C．Tito couldn't go anywhere he liked on the Space Station

D．Tito had received training before he flew into space

5．What does the writer think of Dennis Tito?

A．He helped Russia keep going into space.

B．He was not a good astronaut.

C．He couldn't help the Russians much.

D．He shouldn't be allowed to travel into space again.

 

Answer 1

整体把握：本文讲述了太空旅行及人们对它的看法。作者在最后一段指出了自己的看法：人类要想继续探索其他星球，还需要富人的支持。表明作者对普通人作太空旅行持肯定的态度。

1．B　计算题。根据第一段中的“more than 40 years”及“about 30 persons per year”可计算出。

2．D　细节理解题。第二段第一句涉及题干的信息，答案在第一段。由“It costs millions of yuan to train and send... can afford this.”可推断出，俄罗斯之所以让他进入太空是想要他的高额旅费。

3．A　细节理解题。从第三段最后一句可知，他们重返地球时行走有些困难，即他们要过一段时间才能适应地球的重力状态，从而正常行走。

4．C　细节理解题。由第四段最后一句“They told him what to do and where he was allowed to go.”可知，Tito 和其他宇航员的区别是他的行动受到一定限制，其余三项与事实不符。

5．A　推理判断题。文章最后一段肯定了 Tito 此举对俄罗斯的太空探索活动是有帮助的，特别是在资金方面，故选A项。