Question

Humans have launched themselves into the outer space. They’ve landed on the moon. They’ve built habitable space stations that orbit the Earth. The next giant leap for mankind is to reach another planet – specifically, Mars.

   The problem is that it’s no easy task. The planet is 586 times further away from the Earth than the moon, and it’ll take around 180 to 220 days to reach Mars, depending on where each planet is in its orbit. Such long periods in space have suggested many potential health problems, including hormonal changes, skin conditions, and muscle and bone deterioration (损耗).

   Here’s where some furry friends come in. A wide range of animals have been in space, from fruit flies and spiders to cats, and dogs. Such experiments began as far back as the late 1940s in first tests to see if living things could withstand the extreme g-force (重力) of a rocket launch.

   Mice continue to play a very important part in space experiments, mainly because the animals make excellent test subjects. They’re small, which makes them inexpensive and easy to care for. In addition, their size and short life span make it possible to do the equivalent of several human years of tests in a much shorter time. Finally, because mice are mammals, they share many common characteristics with humans in terms of genetics, biology and behavior.

   Astromice have hit the headlines recently, as a team of scientists led by Betty Nusgens, professor of biology at the University of Liege in Belgium, found that the mice suffered a 15 percent thinning of their skin after 91 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

   This experiment was part of a wider NASA mission (任务) called the Mice Drawer System (MDS). The Italian Space Agency developed the facility, which allows six mice to be housed, monitored, and automatically fed and watered aboard the ISS, among which three survived during the mission.

  The mice have participated in 20 separate experiments, to study such effects as osteoporosis (骨质疏松症), anemia (贫血) and heart health.

   Results for the 20 experiments are coming in gradually. But it’s clear that mice continue to play an important role in the ongoing quest to conquer the final frontier.

1.We can infer from Paragraphs 2-3 that ______.

A. Mars is the farthest planet away from Earth discovered so far

B. animals that have been sent into space have mostly survived

C. it was in the late 1940s that animals were first sent to the ISS

D. the journey to Mars could put humans’ health at risk

2.The underlined word “withstand” in Para.3 means _________.

A.set up        B. come across

C. work out     D. hold up

3.According to Betty Nusgens and her team, the mice aboard the ISS ______.

A. all survived for the duration(期间) of the mission

B. suffered the loss of part of their skin  

C. were fed and watered by the astronauts

D. participated in 20 experiments that made great breakthroughs

4. The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. analyze how mice could pave the way to Mars

B. report on the results of the Mice Drawer System

C. describe the role mice play in scientific research

D. change people’s traditional attitudes toward mice

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文属于科普说明文，主要告诉我们在太空探索中，老鼠其中很重要的作用。尤其是在人类探索火星的时候，老鼠能够帮助我们铺平前进的道路。

1.D 推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句Such long periods in space have suggested many potential health problems, including hormonal changes, skin conditions, and muscle and bone deterioration (损耗).可知前往火星充满力量危险，人们也许会遇见很多健康方面的问题。故D项正确。

2.D 词义猜测题。根据第二段最后一句可知在前往火星的太空中会有很多危险，人们可能会遇见很多健康方面的问题。所以人们选择先让老鼠这类的动物代替人类进入太空，检查它们是否可以承受太空中的危险。故D项正确。

3.B 细节理解题。根据第五段the mice suffered a 15 percent thinning of their skin after 91 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).可知人们发现老鼠在太空中91天以后，它们的皮肤有了问题。故B项正确。

4.

考点：考查科普说明文阅读