China successfully launched three astronauts into space on June 17, bringing the country o

China successfully launched three astronauts into space on June 17, bringing the country one step closer to completing its new space station. The Shenzhou-12 mission is the first crewed mission and the third launch of a total of 11 launches for China’s space station construction. This is also China’s first manned mission in nearly five years.

The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft ( 宇宙飞船 ) was launched on a Long March-2F carrier rocket Thursday morning, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert. The mission sent the crew to the core module of the planned space station, called Tiangong, which is still under construction in a low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft docked with the core module about six-and-a-half hours after launch, according to state media CGTN. The crew will stay in orbit for three months, during which the life support system and maintenance will be tested. And two astronauts will conduct two long-duration spacewalks.

The mission is led by Nie Haisheng, the oldest member of the team and a former fighter pilot with the People’s Liberation Army. Liu Boming, the second oldest team member, joined China’s 2008 space mission. He is expected to play a crucial role during outside cabin operations in this mission. The crew’s youngest member, Tang Hongbo, is the only one of the three yet to travel to space, despite training for 11 years.

Huang Weifen, one of the chief designers on the manned space program said that during the mission the crew will be using new spacewalk suits as well as a new spacecraft. “The possibility of various problems is quite high. So for the astronauts, emergency decision-making and troubleshooting capabilities are also very high requirements,” said Huang.

China’s space program has expanded rapidly in the past decade — in the last seven months alone, the country’s scientists have successfully landed exploratory rovers on the moon in December and on Mars in May.

In April, China successfully launched the first module of the space station. The station will need to be assembled ( 组装 ) from several modules launching at different times. If successfully completed, the station is expected to operate for 10 years.

1 ． What does the successful launch of Shenzhou-12 symbolize?

A ． The completion of Chinese space station.

B ． China’s leading position in the space industry.

C ． Further development of China’s space program.

D ． The great success of China’s first manned program.

2 ． What is the purpose of paragraph 2?

A ． To introduce the mission of Shenzhou-12.

B ． To prove the importance of Shenzhou-12.

C ． To explain the technology used by the spaceship.

D ． To show the difficulties of long-duration spacewalks.

3 ． What does Huang Weifen convey in his words?

A ． Astronauts need a long period of training.

B ． A brand new spacecraft is hard to operate.

C ． The three astronauts are highly experienced.

D ． Astronauts face huge challenges in their missions.

4 ． What is the text mainly talking about?

A ． Astronauts’ life in space.

B ． Public attitudes towards Shenzhou-12.

C ． The mission of Shenzhou-12 and China’s space exploration.

D ． The construction and significance of the Chinese space station.

1 ． C

2 ． A

3 ． D

4 ． C

【解析】

【导语】

本文是一篇说明文。主要讲解了神舟 12 号的任务和中国的太空探索。

1 ．

推理判断题。根据文章第一段 “The Shenzhou-12 mission is the first crewed mission and the third launch of a total of 11 launches for China’s space station construction. This is also China’s first manned mission in nearly five years. （神舟 12 号是中国空间站建设的第一次载人任务，也是中国空间站建设共 11 次发射中的第三次发射。这也是中国近 5 年来首次载人航天任务） ” 可推知，神舟十二号的成功发射标志着中国太空计划的进一步发展。故选 C 。

2 ．

推理判断题。根据文章第二段 “The crew will stay in orbit for three months, during which the life support system and maintenance will be tested. （机组人员将在轨道上停留 3 个月，在此期间生命支持系统和维护将进行测试） ” 可知文章第二段主要介绍神舟十二号的任务。故选 A 。

3 ．

细节理解题。根据文章倒数第三段 Huang Weifen 的话 “The possibility of various problems is quite high. So for the astronauts, emergency decision-making and troubleshooting capabilities are also very high requirements （出现各种问题的可能性相当高。所以对于宇航员来说，应急决策和故障排除能力也是非常高的要求） ” 可知， Huang Weifen 想表达的是宇航员在执行任务时面临着巨大的挑战。故选 D 。

4 ．

主旨大意题。通读全文，并结合文章第一段 “The Shenzhou-12 mission is the first crewed mission and the third launch of a total of 11 launches for China’s space station construction. This is also China’s first manned mission in nearly five years. （神舟 12 号是中国空间站建设的第一次载人任务，也是中国空间站建设共 11 次发射中的第三次发射。这也是中国近 5 年来首次载人航天任务） ” 和文章倒数第二段 “China’s space program has expanded rapidly in the past decade — in the last seven months alone, the country’s scientists have successfully landed exploratory rovers on the moon in December and on Mars in May. （在过去的 10 年里，中国的宇宙事业迅速发展。去年 12 月和今年 5 月，中国科学家成功地在月球和火星上着陆了探测车） ” 可知，文章主要讲解的是神舟 12 号的任务和中国的太空探索。故选 C 。