However exciting space travel sounds, astronauts must still suffer with bad food. Now, food in space has to be dehydrated ( 使 脱 水 ) or pre-cooked and stored. This means astronauts aren’t really eating fresh food.
New technology may change this. Scientific American reports that a specially-designed oven will be sent into space this autumn with NASA’s NG-12 cargo (货物) mission (太空飞行任务).
Far from the common vacuum-packed (真空包装的) meals, astronauts may get to enjoy freshly baked cookies before the end of 2019.
Why aren’t they baking cookies in space already? For one thing, there’s the risk of a fire. Engineers also have to overcome the challenge of microgravity ( 微 重 力 ), which prevents heat from circling inside ovens the same way it does on Earth.
Astronauts will still have to wait a while before they can have their cookies, though. After baking, the results will be sent back to Earth for safety testing. If successful, this will be the first oven to bake food in space.
“I believe ... that will be game-changing for both science and astronauts,” food technology researcher Maeena Naman Shafiee told Scientific American.
One of the main driving forces behind this project has been NASA’s 2018 research into the effects of “confinement (封闭) and isolation (隔离)”. Unlike on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts traveling out of Earth’s orbit (轨道) may not be able to speak to their loved ones on future missions, which could lead to negative feelings.
It’s hoped that the chance to bake and sense familiar smells can bring joy to crews (宇航人员).
“Is the ISS going to smell like fresh-baked cookies? We don’t know,” said NanoRacks’ communications manager Abby Dickes. “But that’s a feeling we all know and love ... that will make someone feel at home.”
Baking cookies in space would mark an important step, offering a small comfort in the difficult and unfamiliar environment of space travel. Astronauts have already grown plants aboard the ISS.
With commercial ( 商 业 的 ) space travel now being planned, who knows what other developments may surprise us in the future?
1.What can the new technology help astronauts to do in space?
A.Enjoy fresh cookies.
B.Store more food.
C.Quickly prepare food.
D.Cook many different kinds of home-made meals.
2.Why is it difficult to bake cookies in space?
A.It’s difficult and costly to send food into space.
B.Microgravity stops food from staying in one place.
C.Baking cookies in space would pollute the spaceships.
D.It is hard to heat food properly because of microgravity.
3.What was the main purpose of the cookie project?
A.To improve astronauts’ health.
B.To make improvements in space travel.
C.To encourage more people to travel to space.
D.To make space travel more comfortable for astronauts.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the purpose of the talk?
A.To present a prize. B.To introduce a lecturer. C.To recommend a book.
2.Where is Russel working now?
A.In Oxford. B.In Chicago. C.In Virginia.
3.What does Russel think of sleep?
A.It’s seldom studied.
B.It’s just a waste of time.
C.It’s of great importance.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the man doing?
A.Placing an order. B.Selling insurance.
C.Conducting an interview.
2.What did Leaney study for a degree?
A.Finance. B.Education. C.Public Relations.
3.What is an advantage of a smaller business according to Leaney?
A.Greater contributions to the neighborhood.
B.Closer employer-employee relationship.
C.More flexibility in providing services.
4.What is Leaney’s plan for the next two weeks?
A.To visit her parents.
B.To call her relatives.
C.To finish her work.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does Jessica make the call?
A.To look for her passport.
B.To apply for a credit card.
C.To ask for the manager.
2.Where will Jessica go right after the phone call?
A.The bank. B.Her home. C.The supermarket.
3.How does the man sound?
A.Helpful. B.Nervous. C.Surprised.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman do?
A.She’s a secretary. B.She’s a hotel maid. C.She’s a salesperson.
2.What is the man going to do?
A.Change the sheets. B.Have breakfast. C.Meet his friends.
3.What does the man ask the woman to do at the end of the conversation?
A.Take the plate away.
B.Bring some towels.
C.Turn on the light.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who is the newcomer?
A.David Cook. B.Joey Sanders. C.Liam Neeson.
2.What is the newcomer’s position in the company?
A.He is a film director.
B.He is a program manager.
C.He is a department head.
