The oddness of life in space never quite goes away. Here are some examples. 

First consider something as simple as sleep. Its position presents its own challenges. The main question is whether you want your arms inside or outside the sleeping bag. If you leave your arm out, they float free in zero gravity, often giving a sleeping astronaut the look of a funny ballet(芭蕾) dancer. “I'm an inside guy, ” Mike Hopkins says, who returned from a six­-month tour on the International Space Station. “I like to be wrapped up. ”

On the station, the ordinary becomes strange. The exercise bike for the American astronauts has no handlebars. It also has no seat. With no gravity, it's just as easy to pedal violently. You can watch a movie while you pedal by floating a microcomputer anywhere you want. But station residents have to be careful about staying in one place too long. Without gravity to help circulate air, the carbon dioxide you exhale(呼气) has a tendency to form an invisible(隐形的) cloud around your head. You can end up with what astronauts call a carbon-­dioxide headache. 

Leroy Chiao, 54, an American retired astronaut after four flights, describes what happens even before you float out of your seat. “Your inner ear thinks you're falling. Meanwhile your eyes are telling you you're standing straight. That can be annoying—that's why some people feel sick. ” Within a couple of days—truly terrible days for some—astronauts' brains learn to ignore the panicky signals from the inner ear, and space sickness disappears. 

Space travel can be so delightful but at the same time invisibly dangerous. For instance, astronauts lose bone mass. That's why exercise is considered so vital that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) puts it right on the workday schedule. The focus on fitness is as much about science and the future as it is about keeping any individual astronaut healthy. NASA is worried about two things: recovery time once astronauts return home, and, more importantly, how to maintain strength and fitness for the two and a half years or more that it would take to make a round-­trip to Mars. 

1.What is the major challenge to astronauts when they sleep in space?

A Deciding on a proper sleep position.

B Choosing a comfortable sleeping bag.

C Seeking a way to fall asleep quickly.

D Finding a right time to go to sleep.

解析：选A。A　细节理解题。第二段开头前两句“ First consider something as simple as sleep. Its position presents its own challenges.” 可知，在睡觉时到底把手放在睡袋里还是睡袋外，即确定睡姿，选A。

2.The astronauts will suffer from a carbon-­dioxide headache when _______.

A they circle around on their bikes

B they use microcomputers without a stop

C they exercise in one place for a long time

D they watch a movie while pedaling

解析：选C。C　细节理解题。第三段第六句But station residents have to be careful about staying in one place too long…You can end up…可知，如果在同一个地方待太长时间，呼出二氧化碳，趋向在头上形成隐形的云，从而引起二氧化碳性头疼。可知选C。

3.Some astronauts feel sick on the station during the first few days because _______.

A their senses stop working

B they have to stand up straight

C they float out of their seats unexpectedly

D their brains receive contradictory messages

解析：选D。D　推理判断题。由第四段 “Your inner ear thinks you’re failing. Meanwhile your eyes are telling you you’re standing straight. That can be annoying-that’s why some people feel sick.”可知，内耳认为你要倒下，而眼睛告诉你在直立。即：大脑接收到了恰恰相反的信息。故可推断宇航员在大脑接收到矛盾信息的时候会感到不舒服，选D。

4.One of NASA's major concerns about astronauts is _________.

A how much exercise they do on the station

B how they can remain healthy for long in space

C whether they can recover after returning home

D whether they are able to go back to the station

解析：选B。B　推理判断题。由第五段最后一句提示词more importantly可知后面的how maintain strength and fitness…即是正确答案，人们主要关心的是在飞往火星来回两年半或更多时间如何保存体力和保持健康。因此选B。