2017年武汉大学考博英语真题4

Reading Comprehension 4

From beach balls,pool toys,and jump houses,inflatable technology takes a big step forward for its next frontier:space station.A new kind of tech will be aboard Space X's eighth supply m to the International Space Station(ISS).A compressed living module will be delivered and attached to the station where,in the void of space,it will expand into a new habitat for astronauts.

Designed by Bigelow Aerospace,the inflatable space habitat is one area NASA is exploring for potential deep space habitats and other advanced space missions."The'Bigelow Expandable Activity Module,'or the BEAM,is an expandable habitat that will be used to investigate technology and understand the potential benefits of such habitats forhuman missions to deep space,"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post.

The habitats could be a way to"dramatically increase"the space available for astronauts while also offering added protection from the dangers of space,like radiation and space debris,the NASA press release says.

But how is an inflatable space station supposed to be a viable means of housing for space travelers?BEAMs are far more than balloon-like rooms where astronauts can take asylum.Technically,the modules don't inflate―they expand,according to the company.And beyond just air,the habitats are reinforced with an internal metal structure.The outside is composed of multiple layers of material including things like rubber and kevlar to protect from any speeding debris.

Inside SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on the way to the ISS,the BEAM will be approximately 8 feet in diameter.It will expand once deployed in space to offer 565 cubic feet of space for astronauts."It'll be the first time human beings will actually step inside this expandable habitat in space,"former astronaut George Zamka,who has worked for Bigelow Aerospace,told USA Today.["There won't be this sense of it being like a balloon."]

But astronauts won't be getting inside the module for some time yet.The BEAM will be attached to the Tranquility Node and deployed.Inside the module are a series of tools that will help the crew of the ISS monitor different aspects of the expandable area to see how it acts in space.The crew will watch heat,radiation,orbital debris,and provide information about the viability of using similar modules in the future.

The testing is scheduled to go on for a two-year time period,after which the module will be released and burn up in the atmosphere.NASA's partnership with Bigelow fits Mr.Bolden's desire to help grow a robust private sector industry to commercialize aspects of space―a process he sees as vital if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations."The world of low Earth orbit belongs to industry,"Bolden said at a press conference in January.

13．What is special about the new living module on SpaceX's eighth mission to ISS?

A．It is expandable.

B．It is going to deep space.

C．It looks like a toy.

D．It will not return to Earth.

14．What is the purpose of designing the inflatable space habitat?

A．It is to find out its potential capacity.

B．It is to give a try on a new technology.

C．It is to save time and money in production.

D．It is to see if it can be applied in deep space.

15．What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．The habitat will not be a balloon-like room.

B．The habitat will not feel like a balloon.

C．The habitat will be like a senseless balloon.

D．The habitat will be a different kind of balloon.

16．Why does NASA intend to commercialize aspects of space?

A．It can save NASA time and energy.

B．It is necessary for a robust industry.

C．It is crucial for further space explorations.

D．It meets both NASA's and Bigelow's needs.

【参考翻译】

从沙滩球、泳池玩具和跳房子，充气技术为它的下一个前沿领域迈出了一大步：空间站。一种新的技术将出现在X号空间给国际空间站（ISS）的第8个补给m号上。一个压缩的生活舱将被运送到空间站，在那里，在太空的空隙中，它将扩展为宇航员的新栖息地。

由毕格罗航空航天公司（Bigelow Aerospace）设计的充气太空栖息地是美国宇航局（NASA）正在探索的潜在深空栖息地和其他先进太空任务的一个领域。美国宇航局局长查尔斯·博尔登在一篇博客文章中写道:“‘毕格罗可扩展活动模块’（简称BEAM）是一种可扩展的栖息地，它将被用来研究技术，并了解这种栖息地对人类深入太空任务的潜在好处。”

美国航空航天局的新闻发布会上说，这些栖息地可以“大大增加”宇航员的可用空间，同时提供额外的保护，使他们免受太空辐射和太空碎片等危险。

但是充气式空间站怎么可能成为太空旅行者的一种可行的居住方式呢?光束远不止像气球一样的房间，宇航员可以在里面避难。该公司表示，从技术上讲，这些模块不会膨胀——它们会扩张。除了空气，栖息地还被内部的金属结构加固。外部由多层材料组成，包括橡胶和凯夫拉尔纤维，以防止任何超速碎片。

在前往国际空间站的途中，SpaceX公司的“龙”号宇宙飞船内的光束直径约为8英尺。一旦部署到太空中，它将扩大，为宇航员提供565立方英尺的空间。曾在毕格罗航空航天公司工作的前宇航员乔治·赞姆卡在接受《今日美国》采访时说:“这将是人类第一次真正进入这个可扩展的太空栖息地。”(“不会有像气球一样的感觉。”)

但是宇航员在一段时间内还不能进入太空舱。光束将连接到宁静节点并部署。在太空舱内部有一系列的工具，可以帮助国际空间站的工作人员监视可扩展区域的不同方面，观察它在太空中的活动。机组人员将观察热量、辐射、轨道碎片，并提供未来使用类似模块的可行性信息。

测试计划进行两年时间，之后模块将被释放并在大气中燃烧。美国航空航天局与毕格罗的合作符合博尔登先生的愿望，即帮助发展一个强大的私营产业，将太空的各个方面商业化——他认为，如果人类想要到达更远的宇宙目的地，这一过程至关重要。博尔登在1月份的新闻发布会上说:“近地轨道世界属于工业。”

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2017年武汉大学考博英语真题汇总