《考研英语阅读理解100篇 基础版》第4章　科学研究类 Unit 61

Launching people into space may make headlines but it does little useful science．So when George Bush redirected America's space agency，NASA，away from scientific research and towards a manned return to the moon in 2004，many scientists were disappointed．Now the agency has finally offered some small morsels of comfort in the form of four projects that could accompany efforts for a lunar return. 
The most exciting of these is the plan for a radio telescope that could be placed on the far side of the moon．Such a device would look back at the early universe to the time when large-scale structures such as galaxies and stars formed．A lunar-based radio telescope would be able to detect long wavelengths that cannot be sensed on Earth because they are absorbed by the outermost layers of the planet's atmosphere．Moreover by pointing the telescope away from the din of shorter-wavelength radio waves that are used for communication on Earth，astrophysicists would be able to see the early universe in unprecedented detail. 
Finding alien life might also be possible with such a telescope．It would be able to map the magnetic fields of stars and exoplanets（planets that circle stars outside the solar system）．It is the magnetic field of the Earth that protects its inhabitants from being bombarded by high-energy particles from space that would otherwise leave the planet sterile．Detecting a magnetic field surrounding an Earth-like exoplanet would prove a promising sign for finding extraterrestrial life．The proposal，led by Joseph Lazio，of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington．D.C.，is to create an array of three arms arranged in a Y-shape，each of which would be 500 metres long and contain 16 antennae. Each arm would be made of a plastic film that could be rolled out onto the surface of the moon，either by robots or by astronauts. 
A second project，headed by Michael Collier，of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre，would examine how the solar wind—a stream of charged particles ejected from the sun—interacts with the tenuous lunar atmosphere close to the moon's surface．Such bombardment produces low-energy X-rays that would be detected on the surface of the moon．The third and fourth projects are similar both to each other and to earlier ventures dropped on the moon by the Apollo and the Soviet Luna missions in the late 1960s and 1970s．Some 35 years on，reflectors placed on the lunar surface are still used by scientists interested in geophysics and geodesy（for example，how the moon's gravitational field shifts over time）．Most of the reflectors are clustered close to the lunar equator．The proposals，led by Stephen Merkowitz，also of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre，and Douglas Currie，of the University of Maryland，are to sprinkle some more sophisticated versions over more of the moon's surface. 
Such efforts may attract little attention compared with the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour this week．Nevertheless，when NASA argues that putting people into space inspires young people to study science，it is precisely these endeavours that it wishes to encourage. 
注（1）：本文选自Economist； 
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2004年真题Text 3（题目顺序稍微调整）。 
1．By saying“Launching people into space may make headlines but it does little useful science” （Line 1，Paragraph 1），the author means that _______. 
A) launching people into space is very important in terms of the future development of science 
B) newspaper only cares about eyecatching news such as whether humans can travel into space 
C) human's travel to outside space is against scientific rules，and the effort will be wasting and futile 
D) launching people into space is of little scientific value but would arouse great public enthusiasm 
2．The most distinctive feature of a lunar-based radio telescope mentioned in the second paragraph is that _______. 
A) it is able to capture long wavelengths 
B) it possesses better functions than those telescopes on Earth 
C) it can escape from the magnetic field of the Earth 
D) it can avoid the influence of the short-wavelength radio waves 
3．How does the author feel about the four new moon plans? 
A) Objective. 
B) Affirmative. 
C) Carefree. 
D) Panicked. 
4．Which of the following is NOT a feature of the last two projects discussed in the fourth paragraph? 
A) The two projects are of less importance than the other two. 
B) The two plans are of similar nature with each other. 
C) The purpose of the plans is to add some equipment on the moon. 
D) These plans are a continuance of previous studies carried out decades ago. 
5．To which of the following is the author likely to agree? 
A) The radio telescope will be able to find extraterrestrial life. 
B) The second project focuses on the interaction between solar wind and Earth atmosphere． 
C) Joseph Lazio's proposal is part of the radio telescope project． 
D) The four projects are closely related to the recently launched space shuttle Endeavour.