When Neil Armstrong stepped on to the moon 50 years ago, it was down to a giant leap of political and scientific imagination. Hi

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问题     When Neil Armstrong stepped on to the moon 50 years ago, it was down to a giant leap of political and scientific imagination. His footprints on the powdery lunar surface changed the way we saw ourselves, confirming that humanity could escape its earthly coils. The mission unleashed a dream of what we as a species might do. Yet only a dozen people have walked on the moon, all between the summer of 1969 and the end of 1972.
    Did we lose our original urge to explore? Almost certainly not—though Buzz Aldrin this week condemned "50 years of non-progress", probes have travelled to Pluto and beyond. But times have changed. The cold war rivalry that catalyzed the space race vanished. The Soviet Union was first with a satellite, dog and astronaut in space. Today Washington and Moscow play the great game in the Middle East, not the heavens, although both are now contemplating a return to the moon: Donald Trump wants to make America great again by putting astronauts there by 2024, though some think China may get there first; Russia talks of landing cosmonauts by 2030.
    Then there’s the money. By 1966 the United States was spending 4. 4% of the national budget on NASA. Now the US cash for space barely touches 0. 5% of GDP. More striking is that space is increasingly a playground for rich men. There is a risk that, thanks to Elon Musk and Richard Branson, manned space flight degenerates into conspicuous consumption for the super-rich. The world’s wealthiest man, Jeff Bezos, also dreams of going to the moon, this time to stay and turn it into an industrial park. This is not as silly as it sounds: helium-3, which could be a plentiful source of energy, could be mined there. Sceptics might say that before Mr Bezos carves up the moon he should sort out the business model of the corporation that pays for his plans, but the next giant leaps may well come from entrepreneurs, not states.
    If Armstrong’s stroll produced the greatest broadcast in television history, then another astronaut produced the most significant image. The picture of the Earth rising above the moon’s horizon was pivotal for environmentalism, since it induced the sense that our home planet was something to be cared for rather than robbed. Underlying the idea of living on another planet is that we might need to if we continue making a mess of the one we have.
    However, the treaty that governs who can do what is even older than Armstrong’s steps on the moon. Private firms and smaller nations have joined the race for the stars. Luxembourg is positioning itself to be the centre of the space business. This will need careful handling.
Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 2?

选项 A、The focus of exploring space has changed.
B、America and Russia is competing in another field instead of the space.
C、Man have no progress in exploring the space in the past 50 years.
D、Several countries are planning to send astronauts back to the moon.

答案C

解析 判断题。本题属于是非判断题,四个选项均出自第二段的四个细节性内容。A项对应第二段第二句Almost certainly not—though Buzz Aldrin this week condemned "50 years of non-progress", probes have travelled to Pluto and beyond. 人类在探索月球方面,50年来毫无进展,但是探测器已经探索到冥王星及其之外的区域。即人类从探索月球转变到探索太空其他领域,故A项符合原文描述,不符合题干要求。同理,虽然在探索月球方面没有进展,但是在太空探索的其他领域有所进展,故C项描述不符合原文,符合题干要求,为正确选项。B项和D项出自第二段最后一句Today Washington and Moscow play the great game in the Middle East, not the heavens, although both are now contemplating a return to the moon: Donald Trump wants to make America great again by putting astronauts there by 2024, though some think China may get there first; Russia talks of landing cosmonauts by 2030.B项描述符合原文,其中America=Washingon;Russia=Moscow;competing in another field=play the great game in the Middle East, not the heavens,但不符合题干要求,故排除。D项亦是对第二段最后部分的正确概括,故排除。故本题答案为C项。
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