外刊阅读理解测试12 -2025届高三英语上学期一轮复习专项

Study: Better Instruments Needed to Discover Life on Mars A new study suggests that current tools used by scientists to look for signs of life on Mars may not be effective enough to make new discoveries. A group of international scientists is raising questions about the instruments used on the latest spacecraft and vehicles to explore Mars. The concerns started after researchers carried out tests on soil and rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert. The area is one of the driest places on Earth and one of the oldest deserts in the world. The area – which is geologically similar to Mars – is often used by scientists to carry out experiments to improve Mars research methods. The team tested material from a fossil-rich area in the desert called Red Stone. It was once a body of water that now contains a large collection of microorganisms. Such microorganisms, also called microbes, are commonly studied in the search for ancient life on Mars. The American space agency NASA says this part of the Atacama Desert is dry and rocky and experiences extreme temperatures and severe radiation from the sun. "If you can find life here, you might be able to find it in an even harsher environment – like the surface of Mars," the space agency said in a statement. Researchers from NASA and other organizations have spent time in the desert testing instruments meant to be used to search for signs of ancient life forms on Mars. Such testing is carried out in areas where bodies of water once existed. This is because those areas, called deltas, contain higher levels of ancient microbes to study. The Red Stone area was a river delta about 100 million years ago. In the most recent research, the team tested four instruments at Red Stone that are either currently being used on Mars or are to be used in the future. Research results were recently published in a study in Nature Communications. The scientists said the instruments were not able to make clear identifications of several "signatures," or signs, that would suggest the presence of "current and ancient microorganisms." The researchers said the instruments did find "numerous" microbes of unknown classification. Scientists call such microbes "dark microbiome" and they are of limited use in efforts to search for past life on Mars. The team said their testing led them to believe that the latest instruments used on Mars "might not be sensitive enough" to effectively make discoveries about possible life. Armando Azua-Bustos was the study's lead writer. He said new instruments and technologies should be considered to improve the current tools used to confirm microbes on Mars. Azua-Bustos is a research scientist at the Center of Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain. He said ineffective instruments can make confirmed identifications of microbes extremely difficult. The high chance of getting false negatives in the search for life on Mars "highlights the need for more powerful tools," he said. The team is suggesting that space agencies either put more complex instruments on Mars or bring samples back to Earth for close examination. Such efforts will be needed "to conclusively address whether life ever existed on Mars," the researchers said. Both of these plans, however, are extremely difficult to carry out, said Alberto Fairén. He is a visiting scientist in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University in New York. Fairén urged planetary researchers to decide which methods are more effective at searching for past life on Mars. The first possibility would be to use the limited abilities and instruments currently on Mars for studying many samples. The other would be to have limited samples examined by the best instruments on Earth designed to identify signs of microbial life. NASA currently operates two explorers, or rovers, on Mars. One vehicle, Curiosity, is searching an area called Mount Sharp, within the planet's Gale Crater. Curiosity has been active in the area since landing on Mars in 2012. In addition, NASA's Perseverance rover has been gathering rock, soil and atmospheric samples at Mars' Jezero Crater since September 2021. Both areas are believed to have contained large water bodies in the distant past. Materials collected by the rovers are expected to be returned to Earth in a future mission. That mission – a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) – is planned for 2028. Why is Chile's Atacama Desert used for Mars research? A. It has a lot of rain. B. It is geologically different from Mars. C. It is geologically similar to Mars. D. It has a mild climate. What did the researchers find in the Red Stone area? A. No microbes. B. Only known microbes. C. Numerous microbes of unknown classification. D. Only ancient microbes. What did the study suggest? A. Continue using the current instruments on Mars. B. Use less complex instruments on Mars. C. Consider new instruments and technologies. D. Stop searching for life on Mars. What are the two plans suggested by the researchers? A. Put more complex instruments on Mars or bring samples back to Earth. B. Send more rovers to Mars or stop searching for life on Mars. C. Use only the instruments currently on Mars or never search for life on Mars again. D. Use only Earth-based instruments or abandon the search for life on Mars. Which rovers are currently operating on Mars? A. Curiosity and Perseverance. B. Discovery and Endeavour. C. Spirit and Opportunity. D. None of the above. Mars Rover Begins Dropping Rock Samples for Future Return to Earth The American space agency NASA's Mars explorer has begun dropping rock samples it collected on the planet's surface. A different spacecraft is to recover the samples at a future date and return them to Earth. The Perseverance explorer, or rover, landed on Mars in February 2021. It has been collecting rock, soil and atmospheric samples at Mars' Jezero Crater area since September 2021. NASA officials have said detailed study of the samples on Earth will be important to help scientists understand whether life ever existed on Mars. NASA said Perseverance has collected 18 different samples. The space agency plans to pick up the collected materials during a Mars mission planned for 2028. The joint mission with the European Space Agency would involve a lander spacecraft being sent to Mars along with a small rocket. The samples would be loaded onto the rocket to be transported to Earth. If the mission goes well, the samples could arrive on Earth in 2033. The samples are kept inside a storage area inside the rover. They are kept inside air-tight titanium tubes to be protected from the severe conditions on Mars. Most of them will be kept inside a container on Perseverance until the return mission happens. But NASA decided to drop 10 of them on the planet's surface in case something goes wrong with the ones kept inside the rover. NASA said the tubes dropped on the surface could be picked up by a helicopter-like vehicle and transported to the rocket to be brought to Earth. The space agency has already demonstrated that its Ingenuity helicopter can operate successfully on Mars. Perseverance collected the samples with robotic equipment attached to the rover. The collection operations are led by NASA mission controllers on Earth. Perseverance has a drill attached to a robotic arm it uses to collect small, circular rock samples from beneath the surface. NASA said in a statement the first sample container was dropped on the Mars surface by Perseverance on December 21. The agency plans to drop the remaining nine containers over the next two months. Perseverance will be releasing the samples in an area of Jezero Crater known as "Three Forks." Scientists believe Jezero Crater contains the remains of an ancient river system. NASA considers the area a good place to find possible signs of microscopic life. Scientists believe if life ever existed on Mars, it would have been present 3 to 4 billion years ago, when water flowed on the planet. Meenakshi Wadhwa is a scientist from Arizona State University who helps lead the scientific team of the Mars Sample Return program. She said the samples collected so far represent a good mix of different kinds of rock and soil found in the area being explored by Perseverance. The rover still has more than 20 empty containers that can be used in the collection mission. NASA officials said the operation to drop samples on the surface of Mars has been complex. This is because the chosen sites must be reachable by both flying and driving vehicles. Richard Cook is the Mars Sample Return program manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. He said once the 10 drop areas were identified, the team then had to map out exactly how the rover could effectively get to those places to deploy the samples. "You can't simply drop them in a big pile because the recovery helicopters are designed to interact with only one tube at a time." The team decided to create an "area of operation" stretching about 5.5 meters for each dropping point. The tubes are to be dropped about five to 15 meters apart from one another. NASA said mission controllers will be examining numerous images captured by the rover to assist them in deciding where to drop the samples. The images will also help the team identify exactly where the samples are in case they are covered in sand or dust before they are collected. When did Perseverance land on Mars? A. In 2020. B. In 2021. C. In 2022. D. In 2023. What is the plan for the samples collected by Perseverance? A. To leave them on Mars forever. B. To study them on Mars. C. To return them to Earth in 2033. D. To destroy them. How are the samples protected? A. In plastic tubes. B. In air-tight titanium tubes. C. In glass containers. D. Without any protection. What can be used to pick up the tubes dropped on the surface? A. A car. B. A ship. C. A helicopter-like vehicle. D. A plane. Where will Perseverance release the samples? A. In an area known as "Three Forks". B. In an area known as "Four Corners". C. In an area known as "Five Points". D. In an area known as "Six Bridges". Recent Asteroid Flyby Suggests ‘Blind Spot’ in Planetary Defense A small asteroid was discovered recently, just days before it passed close to Earth. The object was never considered a real threat to our planet. But the discovery has raised questions about whether current systems used to identify possibly threatening objects might leave a blind spot for some objects. NASA and its international partners continuously search the skies for what scientists call near-Earth objects. Such objects include asteroids and comets that come within 50 million kilometers of Earth's orbit. The American space agency NASA announced January 25 that an asteroid about the size of a large truck would pass very close to Earth the very next day. The agency said the object, called 2023 BU, was expected to make one of the closest trips past Earth ever recorded. NASA said the asteroid was discovered January 21 by an amateur astronomer based in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea. The astronomer, Gennady Borisov, is a telescope maker and operates his own observatory. He is credited with discovering an interstellar comet in 2019. Additional observations of 2023 BU were then reported to an internationally recognized organization, the Minor Planet Center, which records the current positions of near-Earth objects. The data was added to the Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page. NASA said that in the days leading up to the asteroid's flyby, a number of observatories around the world were able to confirm the position of the object. This helped astronomers follow 2023 BU's orbit. Davide Farnocchia is an engineer and planetary defense expert at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. He said in a statement that the agency was quickly able to rule out an asteroid strike. NASA said the asteroid passed within 3,600 kilometers of Earth, above the southern tip of South America. That distance is 10 times closer than numerous satellites orbiting Earth. Scientists said that even if the space rock came a lot closer to Earth, it would have burned up in the atmosphere. In that case, a few bigger pieces might have fallen to Earth as meteorites. In general, NASA believes the probability of Earth being struck by a space rock is very low. Astronomers estimate that a space rock of 5-meters in length targets Earth once a year. And a 50-meter rock is estimated to target Earth once every 1,000 years. But existing systems used to identify near-Earth objects have difficulty finding smaller ones. Asteroid 2023 BU was on the smaller end of a grouping of objects between 5 to 50 meters. Scientists say objects that size are difficult to identify until they get much closer to Earth. This makes it difficult to prepare for an object that might be heading for a populated area. "We don't know where most of the asteroids are that can cause local to regional devastation," Terik Daly told Reuters news agency. He is a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. Some astronomers have proposed using new tools to identify near-Earth objects rather than depending on probability estimates and existing asteroid populations. Daly noted that new identification tools could help scientists deal with a possibly dangerous asteroid event. "How many natural hazards are there that we could actually do something about and prevent for a billion dollars? There's not many," he said. NASA is already planning to launch a new infrared space telescope designed to support current planetary defense efforts. The Near-Earth Object Surveyor is currently still in development and is set to launch in 2026. NASA officials have said the telescope promises a major improvement over existing ground-based models limited by daytime light and the effects of Earth's atmosphere. Last year, NASA carried out the first-ever planetary defense test when it crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid. The test successfully changed the path of an asteroid named Dimorphos. What was discovered recently? A. A large comet. B. A small asteroid. C. A new planet. D. A satellite. Who discovered the asteroid 2023 BU? A. A professional astronomer. B. An amateur astronomer from Crimea. C. A scientist from NASA. D. A researcher from the Minor Planet Center. What is the problem with existing systems for identifying near-Earth objects? A. They can find all objects easily. B. They can only find large objects. C. They have difficulty finding smaller objects. D. They are too expensive to operate. What is NASA planning to do? A. Launch a new infrared space telescope. B. Stop searching for near-Earth objects. C. Depend only on probability estimates. D. Use only existing asteroid populations. What did NASA do last year? A. Launched a new satellite. B. Discovered a new asteroid. C. Carried out a planetary defense test. D. Sent a spacecraft to Mars. How do airplanes stay in the air? By 1917, Albert Einstein had explained the relationship between space and time. But, that year, he designed a flawed airplane wing. His attempt was based on an incomplete theory of flight. Indeed, insufficient and inaccurate explanations still circulate today. So, where did Einstein go wrong? And how do planes fly? Though we don’t always think of it this way, air is a fluid medium— it’s just less dense than liquids like water. Things that are lighter than air are buoyant within it, while heavier objects require an upward force, called lift, to stay aloft. For planes, this force is mostly generated by the wings. One especially pervasive false description of lift is the “Longer Path” or “Equal Transit Time” explanation. It states that air molecules traveling over the top of a curved wing cover a longer distance than those traveling underneath. For the air molecules above to reach the wing’s trailing edge in the same instance as those that split off and went below, air must travel faster above, creating a pocket of lower pressure that lifts the plane. This explanation has been thoroughly debunked. Air molecules floating above and below the wing don't need to meet back up. In reality, the air traveling above reaches the wing’s trailing edge much faster than the air beneath. To get a sense of how lift is actually generated, let's simulate an airplane wing in motion. As it moves forward, the wing affects the movement of the air around it. As air meets the wing’s solid surface, a thin layer sticks to the wing. This layer pulls the surrounding air with it. The air splits into pathways above and below the wing, following the wing’s contour. As the air that’s routed above makes its way around the nose of the wing, it experiences centripetal acceleration, the force you also feel in a sharply turning car. The air above therefore gathers more speed than the air traveling below. This increased speed is coupled with a decrease in pressure above the wing, which pulls even more air across the wing’s upper surface. The air flowing across the lower surface, meanwhile, experiences less of a change in direction and speed. The pressure across the wing’s lower surface is thus higher than that above the upper surface. This pressure difference results in the upwards force of lift. The faster the plane travels, the greater the pressure difference, and the greater that force. Once it overcomes the downward force of gravity, the plane takes off. Air flows smoothly around curved wings. But a wing’s curvature is not the cause of lift. In fact, a flat wing that’s tilted upwards can also create lift— as long as the air bends around it, contributing to and reinforcing the pressure difference. Meanwhile, having a wing that’s too curved or steeply angled can be disastrous: the airflow above may detach from the wing and become turbulent. This is probably what happened with Einstein’s wing design, nicknamed “the cat’s back.” By increasing the wing’s curvature, Einstein thought it would generate more lift. But one test pilot reported that the plane wobbled like “a pregnant duck” in flight. Our explanation is still a simplified description of this nuanced, complex process. Other factors, like the air that’s flowing meters beyond the wing’s surface— being swept up, then down— as well as air vortices formed at the wing’s tips, all influence lift. And, while experts agree that the pressure difference generates lift, their explanations for how can vary. Some might emphasize the air’s behavior at the wing’s surface, others the upward force created as the air is deflected downwards. However, there's no controversy when it comes to the math. Engineers use a set of formulas called the Navier-Stokes equations to precisely model air’s flow around a wing and detail how lift is generated. More than a century after Einstein’s foray into aeronautics, lift retains its reputation as a confounding concept. But when it feels like it’s all going to come crashing down, remember: it’s just the physics of fluid in motion. What is air considered in the article? A. A solid medium. B. A gas that is not a medium. C. A fluid medium. D. A vacuum. According to the “Longer Path” explanation, why does air travel faster above a curved wing? A. To meet up with air molecules below. B. Because it is pulled by a force. C. To create a pocket of lower pressure. D. For no specific reason. How is lift generated according to the article? A. By the curvature of the wing only. B. By the air traveling faster above the wing creating a pressure difference. C. By the air traveling slower above the wing. D. By equal transit time of air molecules above and below the wing. What can happen if a wing is too curved or steeply angled? A. It generates more lift. B. The airflow becomes smooth. C. The airflow above may detach and become turbulent. D. Nothing special happens. What do engineers use to model air's flow around a wing? A. The Einstein equations. B. The Navier-Stokes equations. C. The Newton equations. D. The Maxwell equations. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$ Study: Better Instruments Needed to Discover Life on Mars 答案： C。解析：文中提到 “The area – which is geologically similar to Mars – is often used by scientists to carry out experiments to improve Mars research methods.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “The researchers said the instruments did find "numerous" microbes of unknown classification.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “He said new instruments and technologies should be considered to improve the current tools used to confirm microbes on Mars.”。 A。解析：文中提到 “The team is suggesting that space agencies either put more complex instruments on Mars or bring samples back to Earth for close examination.”。 A。解析：文中提到 “NASA currently operates two explorers, or rovers, on Mars. One vehicle, Curiosity, is searching an area called Mount Sharp, within the planet's Gale Crater. In addition, NASA's Perseverance rover has been gathering rock, soil and atmospheric samples at Mars' Jezero Crater since September 2021.”。 Mars Rover Begins Dropping Rock Samples for Future Return to Earth 答案： B。解析：文中提到 “The Perseverance explorer, or rover, landed on Mars in February 2021.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “If the mission goes well, the samples could arrive on Earth in 2033.”。 B。解析：文中提到 “They are kept inside air-tight titanium tubes to be protected from the severe conditions on Mars.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “NASA said the tubes dropped on the surface could be picked up by a helicopter-like vehicle and transported to the rocket to be brought to Earth.”。 A。解析：文中提到 “Perseverance will be releasing the samples in an area of Jezero Crater known as "Three Forks."”。 Recent Asteroid Flyby Suggests ‘Blind Spot’ in Planetary Defense 答案： B。解析：文中提到 “A small asteroid was discovered recently”。 B。解析：文中提到 “NASA said the asteroid was discovered January 21 by an amateur astronomer based in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “But existing systems used to identify near-Earth objects have difficulty finding smaller ones.”。 A。解析：文中提到 “NASA is already planning to launch a new infrared space telescope designed to support current planetary defense efforts.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “Last year, NASA carried out the first-ever planetary defense test when it crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid.”。 How do airplanes stay in the air? 答案： C。解析：文中提到 “Though we don’t always think of it this way, air is a fluid medium”。 C。解析：文中提到 “It states that air molecules traveling over the top of a curved wing cover a longer distance than those traveling underneath. For the air molecules above to reach the wing’s trailing edge in the same instance as those that split off and went below, air must travel faster above, creating a pocket of lower pressure that lifts the plane.”。 B。解析：文中提到 “As the air that’s routed above makes its way around the nose of the wing, it experiences centripetal acceleration... The air above therefore gathers more speed than the air traveling below. This increased speed is coupled with a decrease in pressure above the wing, which pulls even more air across the wing’s upper surface. The air flowing across the lower surface, meanwhile, experiences less of a change in direction and speed. The pressure across the wing’s lower surface is thus higher than that above the upper surface. This pressure difference results in the upwards force of lift.”。 C。解析：文中提到 “Having a wing that’s too curved or steeply angled can be disastrous: the airflow above may detach from the wing and become turbulent.”。 B。解析：文中提到 “Engineers use a set of formulas called the Navier-Stokes equations to precisely model air’s flow around a wing and detail how lift is generated.”。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$