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

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

admin2022-06-13  57
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.
The precondition of living on another planet is that________.
选项 A、the population on the earth is exploding
B、the resources on the earth is limited
C、the threat from outer space is urgent
D、we don’t take care of the earth
答案D
解析 细节题。根据题干中的living on another planet可定位至第四段最后一句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. 由此可判断，答案出自该句话后半句，D项是对原文的同义替换，其中not take care of=making a mess of；the earth=the one we have。其他三个选项的内容均属于无中生有，故排除。故本题正确答案为D项。
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