With human footprints on the moon, radio telescopes listening for messages from alien creatures who may or may not exist, technicians looking for celestial and planetary sources of energy to support our civilization, orbiting telescopes' data hinting at planetary systems around other stars, and political groups trying to figure our how to save humanity from nuclear warfare that would damage life and eliminate on a planet-wide scale, an astronomy book published today enters a world different from the one that greeted books a generation age. Astronomy has broadened to involve our basic circumstances and our mysterious future in the universe. With eclipses and space missions broadcast live, and with NASA, Europe, and Russia planning and building permanent space stations, astronomy offers adventure for all people, an outward exploratory thrust may one day be seen as an alternative to mindless consumerism, ideological bickering, and wars to control dwindling resources on a closed, finite Earth. Today's astronomy students not only seek an up-to-date summary of astronomical facts: they ask, as people have asked for ages, about our basic relations to the rest of the universe. They may study astronomy partly to seek points of contact between science and other human endeavors, philosophy, history, politics, environmental action, even the arts and religion. Science fiction writers and special effect artists on recent films help today's students realize that unseen worlds of space are real places--not abstract concepts. Today's students are citizens of a more real, more vast cosmos than conceptualized by students of a decade age. In designing this edition, the Wadsworh editors and I have tried to respond to these developments. Rather than jumping at the start into murky waters of cosmology, I have begun with the viewpoint of ancient people on Earth and worked outward across the universe. This method of organization automatically (if loosely) reflects the order of humanity's discoveries about astronomy and provides a unifying theme of increasing distance and scale.
单选题
What does the author imply about the "mindless consumerism, ideological bickering, and wars to control dwindling resources" at the end of paragraph 1 ? A. He doubts that they will attract the younger generation in the future B. He expects that the more worthy space adventures will replace them C. He assumes that they are as difficult to solve as the astronomy issues D. He believes that space adventures are more thought-provoking than them
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章第一段最后一句“With eclipses and space missions broadcast live．and with NASA，Europe，and Russia planning and building permanent space stations，astronomy offers adventure for all people，an outward exploratory thrust may one day be seen as an alternative to mindless consumerism，ideological bickering，and wars to control dwindling resources on a closed，finite Earth．”可知，随着日食月食和太空任务的现场直播，随着美国 国家航空航天局、欧洲和俄罗斯计划修建永久性空间站，天文学为所有人提供了冒险机会， 开放式的太空探索有一天可能替代缺乏计划的消费主义、意识形态的冲突、封闭有限的地 球上的资源短缺。据此判断，答案是B。
单选题
The author's purpose in presenting the first paragraph is______ A. to explain the changed background and new features of today's astronomy B. to inform of the most up to date achievements in the astronomy research C. to introduce the importance of astronomy to the world development D. to arouse interest in modern astronomy among his readers
单选题
The author believes that today's astronomy students______ A. may have less interest in the astronomical facts B. are much brighter than students of a generation ago C. are less concerned with problems faced on the earth D. may learn more about man through the study of astronomy
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章第三段第二句“Today's students are citizens of a more real，more vast cosmos than conceptualized by students of a decade age．”可知，当今的学生不像十年前的学生， 当今的学生是一个更加真实、更加广阔的宇宙的市民。所以，天文学的学生通过研究天文学 肯定可以学到更多的东西。据此判断，答案是D。
单选题
The expression "these developments" (in the last paragraph) refers to all of the following EXCEPT______ A. the world-wide involvement in space exploration B. human new achievements in the field of astronomy C. the development of science fiction and special effects of films D. the new concepts about the universe acquired by today's students