日本计划在2023年发射世界上第一颗木制卫星
日本计划在2023年发射世界上第一颗木制卫星

Japanese researchers say they are working to build the world’s first satellite made of wood. The goal is to help fight the problem of space junk. Space junk includes things like dead satellites, lost pieces of equipment and small pieces of paint. Such objects can be dangerous to spacecraft and satellites running in space. 
The project is a joint effort including the company Sumitomo Forestry and Japan’s Kyoto University. The development team recently announced plans for the satellite in a news release. The researchers say the wooden satellite, which they call LignoSat, is one of several planned projects that seek to explore how wood might be used in space in the future. 
The design of a wooden satellite model is being developed by researchers from Sumitomo Forestry company and Japan’s Kyoto University. The developers say wood offers several advantages over other materials commonly used to build satellites, such as aluminum(铝) and other metals. For example, the researchers say wood does not stop electromagnetic waves(电磁波). For this reason, wooden structures could be used to house antenna(天线) equipment and other controlling equipment, the team said in a statement. Wooden structures would also be simpler to design and weigh less than present satellite equipment, the researchers added. Such satellites would be better for the environment because they would burn up when returning Earth’s atmosphere. They would not release very small pieces of polluting things into the air and oceans. 

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1.What can we learn about space junk?

A It can be cleared in the future.

B It can be seen everywhere in space.

C It does harm to spacecraft and satellites.

D It's produced because people keep littering.

解析:选C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句Such objects can be dangerous to spacecraft and satellites operating in space. 可知,太空垃圾这类物体可能对在太空运行的航天器和卫星构成危险,故选C。

2.The project _______ according to Paragraph 2.

A has a bright future

B is on the first stage

C is run by the government

D has collected lots of money

解析:选B。推理判断题。根据文章第二段最后一句The researchers say the wooden satellite, which they call LignoSat, is one of several planned projects that seek to explore how wood might be used in space in the future. 可知,研究人员表示木制卫星是几个计划中的项目之一,这些项目旨在探索未来如何在太空中使用木材。由此推断这个项目正处于初期阶段,故选B。

3.Which is NOT the advantage of a wooden satellite?

A It is light in weight.

B It is easy to design.

C It doesn’t become space junk.

D It stops electromagnetic waves.

解析:选D。细节理解题。根据文章第三段内容可知,与铝和其他金属等通常用于制造卫星的其他材料相比,木材具有一些优势。例如,木头不会阻挡电磁波,木质结构的设计也会更简单,重量也会比目前的卫星设备轻。这样的卫星对环境更有利,因为它们在重返地球大气层时会燃烧殆尽。它们不会将污染颗粒释放到空气和海洋中,故选D。

4.From which part of the newspaper is this passage taken?

A Culture.

B Science.

C Travel.

D Education.

解析:选B。推理判断题。根据全文内容可知,本文属于前沿科技类文章,当然会刊登在报纸的科学版面,故选B。