Question

    Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, which has been transporting all astronauts to and from the International Space Station（ISS）since 2011, typically carries a crew of three. However, the MS-14 capsule launched（发射）from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan on August 22, 2019, had just one passenger—a human-like robot named Skybot F-850.

The robot is the latest version of Russia’s FEDOR robots, which were initially designed to help with search and rescue efforts. Skybot is good at many human skills, including driving a car, having short conversations, and even telling jokes. But since it lacks some special sills, the spacecraft to the ISS was piloted from the ground by scientists from Russia’s space Agency. Roscosmos.

The six-foot-tall, 350-pound robot had another important task while on board. Without risking the lives of human astronauts, it helped Roscosmos researchers test the safety and flight experience of the new Soyuz-2.1, a carrier rocket, which carried the spacecraft into orbit. The feedback（反馈）will be important in determining if the rocket is safe to transport future human crews to space.

Though the launch into orbit went smoothly, Skybot’s arrival at the ISS was delayed by three days, from August 24 to August 27. The delay didn’t seem to bother the robot, which announced its arrival, “Sorry about the delay. Met with traffic. Ready to work now.”

Skybot’s two-week task is largely a test to measure its ability to work effectively in microgravity, and includes simple tasks like using tools. If all goes well, Russia hopes to send more advanced versions of the FEDOR robots to help astronauts with special tasks.

Earlier this year, the US space agency launched two little robots called Astrobees to help astronauts with daily chores, like finding lost pieces of equipment. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency’s social AI-powered CIMON spent a year assisting astronauts, before returning to Earth on August 27, 2019.

1.What is Skybot F-850 unable to do？

A.Drive a vehicle like humans. B.Conduct short conversations.

C.Say something funny to people. D.Pilot the spacecraft to the ISS.

2.How long did it take Skybot F-850 to fly to the ISS？

A.Two days. B.Three days.

C.Five days. D.Fourteen days.

3.We infer from the text that Skybot          .

A.is bound to take the place of human crews

B.isn’t the first robot to help at the space station

C.worked with two other robots to assist astronauts

D.was launched to measure its security and flexibility

4.Where is the text most likely from？

A.A science experiment. B.A news report.

C.A technology guidebook. D.A research paper.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇新闻报道。自2011年以来, 俄罗斯的联盟号宇宙飞船一直在运送宇航员往返国际空间站, 通常搭载三名宇航员。然而, 2019年8月22日从哈萨克斯坦南部的俄罗斯航天发射场发射的MS-14太空舱只有一名乘客—一个名 为Skybot F-850的人形机器人。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段“Skybot is good at many human skills, including driving a car, having short conversations, and even telling jokes. But since it lacks some special sills, the spacecraft to the ISS was piloted from the ground by scientists from Russia’s space Agency. Roscosmos.” Skybot擅长许多人类技能，包括驾驶汽车，进行简短的对话，甚至讲笑话。但由于缺少一些特殊的门槛，这艘飞往国际空间站的飞船由俄罗斯航天局的科学家从地面驾驶。由此可知, Skybot F-850无法导航太空飞船抵达国际空间站。故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据第一段“However, the MS-14 capsule launched（发射） from a Russian spaceport in：southem Kazakhstan on August 22, 2019, had just an passenger—a human-like robot named Skybot F-850. ” 然而，MS-14太空舱于2019年8月22日从哈萨克斯坦南部的一个俄罗斯太空港发射，当时只有一名乘客——一个名为Skybot F-850的类人机器人。及第四段“Though the launch into orbit went smoothly, Skybot’s arrival at the ISS was delayed by three days, from August 24 to August 27.” 虽然发射进入轨道很顺利，但Skybot抵达国际空间站的时间却推迟了三天，从8月24日推迟到8月27日。由此可推断, Skybot F-850飞行了五天才抵达国际空间站。故选C。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后两段、尤其是最后一段中“Earlier this year, the US space agency launched two little robots called Astrobees to help astronauts with daily chores, like finding lost pieces of equipment. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency’s social AI-powered CIMON spent a year assisting astronauts, before returning to Earth on August 27, 2019” 今年早些时候，美国航天局发射了两个名为Astrobees的小型机器人来帮助宇航员做日常琐事，比如寻找丢失的设备。与此同时，欧洲航天局的社交人工智能驱动的西蒙在2019年8月27日返回地球之前，花了一年的时间帮助宇航员。由此可知, 今年的早些时候, 美国航天局和欧洲航天局都发射了机器人到太空站协助字航员。由此可推断, 在太空站提供帮助的Skybot不是此类中的第一个。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据文章第一段中“Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, which has been transporting all astronauts to and from the International Space Station（ISS）since 2011, typically carries a crew of three. However, the MS-14 capsule launched（发射）from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan on August 22, 2019, had just one passenger—a human-like robot named Skybot F-850. 自2011年以来，俄罗斯的联盟号航天器一直在运送所有宇航员往返国际空间站(ISS)，通常搭载三名机组人员。然而，2019年8月22日从哈萨克斯坦南部的一个俄罗斯航天港发射的MS-14太空舱只有一名乘客-一个名为Skybot F-850的类人机器人。以及根据本文的主要内容可推断, 本文最有可能出自“新闻报道”。故选B。