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A rocket launched on Monday, July 20th from Japan took the Emirati probe “Hope” into space, which will orbit Mars next February in the first interplanetary mission carried out by an Arab country.

The launch of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) rocket was made at 6:58 local time (21:58 GMT Sunday), when scheduled, from the Tanegashima space center in the extreme south-west of Japan. The 42nd H-IIA series rocket was due to take off last Wednesday, but heavy rains in the area led to the postponement until Friday, and again put off until Monday.

MHI said in a statement that the launch was successful, and its orbit went as planned. 57 minutes after takeoff the separation of the rocket from the spacecraft carrying the probe to Mars was confirmed. The “Hope” probe will travel 495 million kilometers to enter the red planet’s orbit in February 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Emirati mission to Mars is the first in a series of three projects to Mars that will be completed in the coming weeks and that includes other vehicles launched by China (Tianwen-1) and by the United States (Mars 2020). The idea of “Hope” is to study the climate and atmosphere of Mars, in addition to exploring the causes that led to the disappearance of water and the chances of life on the red planet, according to Emirati officials. Ahmad Belhoul al Falasi, the president of the UAE Space Agency, stressed that this Monday’s operation is “a historic milestone” for his country.

For the Japanese firm, today’s launch is the second collaboration project with the Emirati authorities, since in 2018 another MHI rocket placed the Khalifasat observation satellite in Earth’s orbit.

1.Why did the launch of the “Hope” probe make history?

A Because it marked 50 years of the UAE’s foundation.

B Because it was the Arab world’s first space programme.

C Because it indicated that the UAE begins to enter high-tech times.

D Because it made the UAE a pioneer of Mars research in Arab region.

解析：选D。推理判断题。根据文章第一段可知，此次阿联酋的“希望”号火星探测器成功发射创造了历史，因为这将是阿拉伯国家首次执行星际飞行任务，也就是说它使得阿联酋成为阿拉伯地区火星研究的先行者，故选D。

2.Why was the 42nd H-IIA series rocket put off until Monday again?

A Because of the time limit.

B Because of the weather condition.

C Because of not being prepared.

D Because of the astronauts in poor health.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第二段The 42nd H-IIA series rocket was due to take off last Wednesday, but heavy rains in the area led to the postponement until Friday, and again put off until Monday.可知，探测器发射因为大雨又一次推迟到星期一，是因为天气的原因，故选B。

3.What is one of the missions for the “Hope” probe?

A To find out where the hidden water can be.

B To make it clear why there is no plant on Mars.

C To build up the connection between Mars and Earth.

D To better understand the climate and atmosphere on Mars.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据文章第四段The idea of “Hope” is to study the climate and atmosphere of Mars, in addition to exploring the causes that led to the disappearance of water and the chances of life on the red planet, 可知，“希望”号想要研究火星的气候和大气，此外还探索导致水消失的原因以及在这颗红色星球上出现生命的机会，故选D。

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A The other two Mars programs have been scheduled for this year.

B The UAE cooperated with Japan in Mars exploration before.

C The launch will inspire more Arab countries to join in space research.

D The development of the UAE’s space results from the struggle of generations.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据文章第四段第一句The Emirati mission to Mars is the first in a series of three projects to Mars that will be completed in the coming weeks and that includes other vehicles launched by China (Tianwen-1) and by the United States (Mars 2020).可知，阿联酋的火星任务是未来几周内完成的三个火星系列计划中的首个，其中包括中国（天问一号）和美国（火星2020）发射的其他运载工具，故选A。