China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, and the three astronauts aboard will be sent to stay in orbit for about six months on a space station mission. The spaceship, on top of a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-17 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a complete success. After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-17 spaceship will make a fast, automated rendezvous (交会) and docking with the space station combination. The Shenzhou-17 crew will rotate with the Shenzhou-16 crew in orbit.

The Shenzhou-17 crew has the youngest lineup since the construction of China’s Tiangong space station started. Tang Hongbo, born in 1975, is the mission commander and a veteran astronaut who once launched into orbit on the Shenzhou-12 mission in June 2021. Tang Shengjie, born in 1989, is a new face and also the youngest astronaut to enter China’s space station. Jiang Xinlin, born in 1988, is also a newcomer to space.

They will perform various in-orbit space science and application payload tests and experiments, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, announced. They will carry out extravehicular (舱外的) activities, install extravehicular payloads and conduct space station maintenance and other tasks, Lin said. The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will do extravehicular experimental maintenance for the first time, which is a very challenging task, Lin added.

With space debris increasing, their impact on long-term operating spacecraft is unavoidable, Lin said. “Through preliminary (初步的) inspections, we have found that the solar wings of the space station had been hit by tiny space particles several times, causing minor damages.” “Of course, we already took this into consideration in the design stage. At present, all functionality (功能) and performance indicators of the space station meet requirements,” he added.

1.Which question can the first two paragraphs answer?

A Who commands the Shenzhou-17 mission?

B How long will the Shenzhou-17 crew stay in orbit?

C Who crew the Shenzhou-17 mission?

D When will Shenzhou-16 and Shenzhou-17 crews meet?

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第一段的“the three astronauts aboard will be sent to stay in orbit for about six months”可知，神舟十七号航天员乘组将在轨大约6个月；A、C、D项在一二段中均未提及。故选B。

2.What does the underlined word “veteran” probably mean?

A Creative.

B Generous.

C Experienced.

D Humorous.

解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。根据划线词后面的“once launched into orbit on the Shenzhou-12 mission in June 2021”可知，汤洪波执行过神舟十二号任务，因此他是一名经验丰富的航天员。故选C。

3.How is the Shenzhou-17 mission different from others?

A They will carry out extravehicular activities for the first time.

B They will do extravehicular experimental maintenance.

C They will perform various tests and experiments.

D They will stay even longer in orbit.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第四段中最后一句“The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will do extravehicular experimental maintenance for the first time”可知，神舟十七号航天员乘组首次进行空间站舱外试验性维修作业。故选B。

4.How does Lin Xiqiang feel about the space station?

A Concerned.

B Confused.

C Curious.

D Confident.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“‘Of course, we already took this into consideration in the design stage. At present, all functionality and performance indicators of the space station meet requirements,’ he added.”可知，虽然空间站太阳翼也多次受到空间微小颗粒的撞击，造成轻微的损伤，但是这都在设计考虑之中，目前空间站各项功能、性能指标均满足要求。由此推断林西强对空间站很有信心。故选D。