Ⅳ.閱讀理解

　　(2014·河北正定中學高一期末)

　　Space is where our future is—trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets(彗星) and stars, there is little else out there. But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash(垃圾) there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up, we may all be in great danger.

　　The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any results, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning(拋棄) things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.

　　It is said that there are now over 500,000 pieces of man­made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour. The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million­dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk.

　　The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spaceship. Moreover, pieces of junk may crash with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.

　　文章大意：文章介紹了第一片人造太空垃圾是一個破碎的衛(wèi)星，因為它沒有造成任何問題，所以科學家最初并沒有關心太空垃圾。隨著太空垃圾越來越多，科學家意識到如果不及時清理太空垃圾，人類將面臨危險。

　　1.What was the first piece of man­made space trash?

　　A.A camera. B.A tool kit.

　　C.A fuel tank. D.A broken satellite.

　　答案：D　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段的句子：The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center.可知第一片人造太空垃圾是一個破碎的衛(wèi)星，選D。

　　2.Why were scientists NOT concerned about space trash in the beginning?

　　A.It no longer served any useful purpose.

　　B.It was millions of miles away from the Earth.

　　C.It did not cause any problems.

　　D.It was regarded as similar to comets and stars.

　　答案：C　 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段的句子：However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.可知科學家最初沒有關心太空垃圾，是因為它沒有造成任何問題，故選C。

　　3.Which of the following statements is true about space junk?

　　A.It is huge, heavy machines.

　　B.It never changes position.

　　C.It floats slowly around the Earth.

　　D.It may cause problems for space shuttles.

　　答案：D　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的句子：The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling space ship. Moreover, pieces of junk may crash with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth.可知太空垃圾會給太空飛船帶來很多問題。D項的表述正確，故選D。

　　4.What has been done about the space trash problem?

　　A.Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash.

　　B.Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched.

　　C.Many nations have worked together to stop polluting space.

　　D.Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space.

　　答案：B　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的句子：To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles.可知現(xiàn)階段比較大的太空廢物正在被緊密監(jiān)測，故選B。