单选题
The moon appears to warp the minds of some men. Despite putting men on the moon in 1969 America seems determined on re-enacting the space race, this time pitting its efforts against those of the Chinese. Now a Russian company claims it could develop a system to exploit the moon's natural resources and potentially relocate harmful industries there. This is lunacy. Russia certainly has great prowess in space. In its former guise as the centre of power in the Soviet Union it launched the first man-made satellite in 1957. In a spectacular follow up, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space in 1961. Another triumph came in 1968 when the Russians sent a spaceship to orbit the moon with turtles aboard, returning it and its living cargo safely to Earth. An unmanned Russian spacecraft also landed on the moon ahead of the first manned landing by the Americans. Even after Neil Armstrong took his one small step, Russia has proved its superiority in keeping people in space stations orbiting the Earth. The Russian Soyuz rocket is a mainstay of satellite launches and would be used to rescue astronauts should any accident befall the International Space Station. Head of the spacecraft manufacturer that helped achieve these Russian successes, this week boasted that his rockets could be used to industrialise the moon. So why were his remarks greeted with such scepticism? One reason for the cynicism is that the idea is absurd. A United Nations treaty passed in 1967 bans potentially harmful interference with the Earth's original satellite and requires international consultation before proceeding with any activity that could disrupt the peaceful exploration of space, including the moon. A second problem is that landing on the moon has proved beyond the budget of any state other than America and of any private company to date. In fact one of the best hopes for investment comes from space tourism. On Saturday April 7th, the fifth such holidaymaker entered space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. Charles Simonyi, an American software developer, paid $25m for his ten-day stay at the International Space Station. The next holiday destination is the moon. The tour operator that organised the first five packages is offering two tickets to orbit the moon for $100m each. Launch would be aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. But the Soyuz system was designed in the 1960s and has been on the verge of retirement for many years. Unfortunately the Russian authorities have postponed indefinitely the development of a successor. Thus the claim of the industrialisation of the moon is unlikely to succeed.
单选题
The Underlined word" lunacy" (Line 4, Paragraph 1) most probably means ______. [A] an effort to explore the universe. [B] a kind of insane state connected with the moon. [C] the ability to transfer harmful industries onto the moon. [D] the power to orbit around the moon.
单选题
Which of the following is not Russian achievement in space exploration? [A] The first astronaut who was sent to space. [B] The first landing of manned spacecraft on the moon. [C] Launching of the first man-made satellite. [D] Rockets that can be used to save astronauts in space stations.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题为细节理解题。根据“Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space in 1961”可以断定选项A正确，根据“In its former guise as the centre of power in the Soviet Union it launched the first man-made satellite in 1957”可以判定选项C正确，根据“The Russian Soyuz rocket is a mainstay of satellite launches and would be used to rescue astronauts should any accident befall the International Space Station”可以判定选项D正确。而文中提到“An unmanned Russian spacecraft also landed on the moon ahead of the first manned landing by the Americans．”。由此可见，载人登月是由美国完成而非俄罗斯的航天成就，故选B。
单选题
Why was the claim of the Russian company widely criticized? [A] Russia is not able to develop such advanced space technologies. [B] The cost will be too high for a country to afford. [C] It violates agreements on the exploration of the moon. [D] Landing on the moon needs much more than orbiting it.
单选题
According to the text, which is the most probable result of the development of space tourism? [A] It is mainly taken by US software developers such as Charles Simonyi. [B] It need the development of new rocket systems to replace the current one. [C] It brings to a new round of space race between US and China. [D] It witnesses the success of the industrialization of the moon.
单选题
The Russian company has boasted such claims mainly because they ______. [A] get more financial support from the government. [B] explore the moon and acquire more natural resources for human beings. [C] transfer harmful industries to the moon to prevent our environment. [D] attract more space travelers to develop the space tourism industry.