单选题
The future of space exploration depends on many
things. It depends on how technology evolves, how political forces shape
competition and partnerships between nations, and how important the public feels
space exploration is. The near future will see the continuation of human space
flight in Earth's orbit and unpiloted space flight within the solar system.
Piloted space flight to other planets, or even back to the moon, still seems far
away. Any flight to other solar systems is even more distant, but a huge advance
in space technology could drive space exploration into realms currently explored
only by science fiction. The 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey
depicted commercial shuttles flying to and from a giant wheel-shaped space
station in orbit around Earth, bases on the moon, and a piloted mission to
Jupiter. The real space activities of 2001 will not match this cinematic vision,
but the 21st century will see a continuation of efforts to transform humanity
into a spacefaring species. Perhaps the most difficult problem
space planners face is how to finance a vigorous program of piloted space
exploration, in Earth's orbit and beyond. In 1998 no single government or
international enterprise had plans to send people back to the moon, much less to
Mars. Such missions are unlikely to happen until the perceived value exceeds
their cost. One belief shared by a number of space exploration
experts is that future lunar and Martian expeditions should be aimed at creating
permanent settlements. The residents of such outposts would have to "live off
the land," obtaining such necessities as oxygen and water from the harsh
environment. On the moon, pioneers could obtain oxygen by heating lunar
soil. In 1998 the Lunar Prospector discovered evidence of significant deposits
of ice, a valuable resource for settlers, mixed with soil at the lunar poles. On
Mars, oxygen could be extracted from the atmosphere and water could come from
buried deposits of ice. The future of piloted lunar and
planetary exploration remains largely unknown. Most space exploration scientists
believe that people will be on the moon and Mars by the middle of the 21st
century, but how they get there, and the nature of their visits, is a subject of
continuing debate. Clearly, key advances will need to be made in lowering the
cost of getting people off Earth, the first step in any human voyage to other
worlds.
单选题
A flight to other solar systems will be made more possible by
A. technological breakthroughs.
B. international co-operation.
C. market competition.
D. public pressure.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 从第一段最后一句话“Any flight to other solar systems is even more distant，but a huge advance in space technology could drive space exploration into realms currently explored only by science fiction.”可看出，技术上的突破才能使进入太阳系成为可能，B、C、D三项只是影响太空探索的未来的因素。故选A。
单选题
It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that human society will become
increasingly
A. worried about life on other planets.
B. dependent on space tourism.
C. accustomed to long-distance flights.
D. associated with space exploration.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 从最后一段最后一句话“... but the 21st century will see a continuation of efforts to transform humanity into a spacefaring species.”可知，人类一直进行着太空探索。这与D项答案所表达的意思一致。
单选题
According to this text, piloted space missions will need to be
A. more exciting than earlier film versions.
B. supported by international organizations.
C. more cost-effective than they appear to be at present.
单选题
It is difficult to send people to other planets because of
A. lack of capacity of space exploration vehicles.
B. the financial expenditure involved in space travel.
C. controversial nature of space travel.
D. the uncertain future of space exploration.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[精析] 由文章第三段“Perhaps the most difficult problem space planners face is how to finance a vigorous program of piloted space exploration...”可知，人类抵达其他星球的最大问题是资金问题，故选B。