2. 外语
  3. For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic an

For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic an

admin2010-11-02  51
问题      For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic. Columbus went west to look for better trade routes to the Orient and to promote the greater glory of Spain. Lewis and Clark journeyed into the American wilderness to find out what the U.S. has acquired when it purchased Louisiana, and Apollo astronauts rocketed to the moon in a dramatic show thanks for technological muscle during the cold war.
     Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.
     Today Mars looms as humanity’s next terra incognita(未探明之地). And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet’s reddish surface. Could it be that science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at last destined to take a leading role? The question naturally invites a couple of others: Are there experiments that only humans could do on Mars? Could those experiments provide insights profound enough to justify the expense of sending people across interplanetary space?
     With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. The issue of whether life ever existed on the planet, and whether it persists to this day, has been highlighted by mounting evidence that the Red Planet once had abundant, stable liquid water and by the continuing controversy over suggestions that bacterial fossils rode to Earth on a meteorite(陨石) from Mars. A more conclusive answer about life on Mars, past or present, would give researchers invaluable data about the range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life.  If it could be established that life arose independently on Mars and Earth, the finding would provide the first concrete clues in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science: the prevalence of life in the universe.  
By saying "With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been"(Linel, Para.4) the author means that______.
选项 A、with Mars the risks involved are much greater than any previous space ventures
B、in the case of Mars, the rewards of scientific exploration can be very high
C、in the case of Mars, much more research funds are needed than ever before
D、with Mars, scientists argue, the fundamental interests of science are at issue
答案A
解析 推理判断题。题干的意思是：探索火星要冒的风险超过以往的历次探索。内容和答案A相符。答案B的内容有关科学回报，这是文章中没有提到的；同样C选项在火星探索中，需要比以往更多的科研基金； D对于火星的探索的科学意义还在争论中都是文章没有涉及的话题。因此答案是A。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/1ys7777K
0

大学英语六级

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)