Wherever we humans go, we leave behind a mess. That goes for space, too. An estimated 500,000 pieces of debris (碎片) litter the Earth’s orbit as a result of man’s explorations of space. Some satellites have been hit by fast-moving pieces of junk. The remains of old rockets can be the size of a bus, while other debris pieces are simply tiny spots of paint.
Today, our species is responsible for the junk dashing around Earth at high speeds, and if we don’t start actively removing the largest pieces, the risk of collisions will only grow worse. “Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be, if all the ships ever lost in history were still floating on top of the water,” says Jan Wörner, ESA director general. “That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”
It’s almost as if we need a truck to remove all of failed satellites from our orbit. By 2025, the agency plans on launching the world’s first orbiting junk collector, a four-armed robot that tracks down space waste. The first-of-its-kind task, known as ClearSpace-1, will start collecting only a single piece of space junk to prove the concept works. The target in this case is called Vespa, a leftover from ESA’s Vega rocket launch in 2013. This piece of junk weighs roughly the same as a small satellitle and has a simple shape that should make it easy to grab with four robotic arms. Once it’s safely in the arms of the garbage collector, it will then be dragged out of orbit and allowed to burn up in the atmosphere.
In addition, an Australian company, Electro Optic Systems, has received a $ 3.5 million government fund to develop the world’s first laser tracking (激光跟踪) technology. It would replace existing radar (雷达) networks that currently monitor that part of space. The goal is to track small objects with great accuracy.
28. Why does Jan Wörner refer to ships on the high seas?
A. To explain the danger of space debris. B. To describe the universe’s huge space.
C. To praise man’s explorations of space. D. To compare the oceans with the universe.
29. Humans plan to handle debris by____________.
A. ClearSpace-1 and Vespa
B. ESA’s Vega rocket launch and radar networks
C. the orbiting junk collector and the first laser tracking technology
D. truck to remove all of failed satellites and track small objects
30. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Dangerous Space Exploration B. Cleaning up Space Junk Pieces
C. Developing Space Technology D. Launching A Four-armed Robot
31. Where is this text probably from?
A. An astronomy report. B. A travel guidebook.
C. A science fiction. D. An environmental magazine.
【答案】28. A    29. C    30. B    31. D
【解析】
本文是一篇说明文。人类所到之处都是一片狼藉，太空也不例外。人类终于开始清理太空垃圾了，不然隐患甚大。文章介绍了人类的太空垃圾清理计划。
【28题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段中的“Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be, if all the ships ever lost in history were still floating on top of the water,” says Jan Wörner, ESA director general. “That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”可知，“想象一下如果曾经失踪的所有船只都漂浮在水面上，在公海航行会有多危险，”欧洲航天局局长Jan Wörner说。“目前轨道上就是这种情况，不能再任其继续发展了。”由此可知，Jan Wörner用公海上的船只来解释空间碎片的危险。故选A。
【29题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段中的By 2025, the agency plans on launching the world’s first orbiting junk collector, a four-armed robot that tracks down space waste.及最后一段中的In addition, an Australian company, Electro Optic Systems, has received a $ 3.5 million government fund to develop the world’s first laser tracking (激光跟踪) technology.和The goal is to track small objects with great accuracy.可知，该机构计划到2025年发射世界上第一个轨道垃圾收集器，这个4条手臂的机器人就像迷宫里的吃豆子的人一样追踪太空垃圾。此外，一家澳大利亚公司，电子光学系统，获得了350万美元的政府基金开发世界上第一个激光跟踪技术。目标是精确地跟踪小物体。由此可知，人类计划通过轨道垃圾收集器和首个激光跟踪技术来处理太空垃圾。故选C。
【30题详解】
主旨大意题。根据第一段中的Wherever we humans go, we leave behind a mess. That goes for space, too.(人类所到之处都是一片狼藉，太空也不例外)及下文对太空垃圾清理计划的介绍可知，本文主要介绍了人类的太空垃圾清理计划。由此可知，B. Cleaning up Space Junk Pieces(清理太空垃圾)适合做本文最佳标题。故选B。
【31题详解】
推理判断题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了人类的太空垃圾清理计划，以保证太空飞行器有一个安全的太空环境。由此可知，这篇文章可能来自一本环境杂志。故选D。