Question

    NASA has a new job listing, and it’s no joke. The US space agency (机构) is looking for a “joker” to join their planned mission (任务) to Mars.

A mission to Mars is no laughing matter. On average, the red planet is 140 million miles (225 million kilometers) away from Earth. A trip there would take around eight months in a small spacecraft. And Mars has a communications delay (延迟) of 20 minutes. This means that astronauts will have to wait 20 minutes for a reply, when an emergency happens.

“When you’re living with others in a confined space for a long period of time, such as on a mission to Mars, problems are likely to occur,” Jeffrey Johnson, a scientist at the University of Florida, told The Guardian.

This is probably why NASA wants an astronaut with a sense of humor. “These are people that have the ability to pull everyone together,” Johnson said.

In stressful situations, perhaps humor is a way to know we aren’t alone. By laughing together, we share our stress. Then we can focus on our jobs instead of just worrying.

There are other examples of team “clowns”. One example is the journey to the South Pole (南极) led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It was a difficult journey, full of danger. Adolf Lindstrom, a cook at Amundsen’s team, was a “clown”. He made people laugh through the whole journey. Amundsen later wrote that Lindstrom was the most valuable member of the team.

But if you’re hoping that your favorite TV comedian (喜剧演员) will fly to Mars, that probably won’t happen.

“Being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job,” Johnson said. “They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer.”

Besides, they must be in top physical condition.

1.What is NASA’s new job listing?

A.A funny engineer. B.A talented clown.

C.A good cook. D.A popular comedian.

2.What does “a confined space” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A.a crowded space B.an empty space

C.an open space D.a small space

3.How does the author think humor can help astronauts?

A.It can stop them from feeling worried.

B.It can encourage teamwork on a mission.

C.It can help them feel less homesick.

D.It can help them know themselves better.

4.What could be the best title of the passage?

A.A New Job Listing of NASA

B.Humorous Astronauts in NASA

C.Keeping the Spirits Up

D.A mission to Mars

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了美国宇航局正在寻找一位“小丑”与宇航员一起执行火星任务，这个人不但要有幽默感，还要是一名优秀的科学家和工程师。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“The US space agency (机构) is looking for a “joker” to join their planned mission (任务) to Mars.”可知，美国宇航局正在寻找一名“小丑”加入他们计划中的火星任务，再根据倒数第二段中的““Being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job,” Johnson said. “They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer.””可知，这个“小丑”不但要风趣，还需要是一名优秀的科学家和工程师，也就是说他们的任务是寻找一个风趣的工程师，故A项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据画线词后的“such as on a mission to Mars,”可知，在执行火星任务时，几个宇航员要在航天器里生活很多天，而航天器里的空间是非常狭小的，此处是说“当你和别人在一个狭小的空间里生活很长一段时间，比如执行火星任务时，很可能会出现问题”，由此可知画线词指的是“狭小的空间”，故D项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段“This is probably why NASA wants an astronaut with a sense of humor. “These are people that have the ability to pull everyone together,” Johnson said.”可知，这也许就是为什么美国宇航局想要一个有幽默感的宇航员，约翰逊说：“这些人有能力把所有人团结起来，由此可知，幽默可以在任务中鼓励团队合作，故B项正确。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了美国宇航局正在寻找一位“小丑”（不但要有幽默感，还要是一名优秀的科学家和工程师）与宇航员一起执行火星任务，以此来让宇航员的精神振奋起来，所以短文的最佳标题为“振奋精神”。故C项正确。