《星际迷航》90岁舰长进入太空 成太空旅行最年长游客
The Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other passengers flew about 106 kilometers over the desert of western Texas to the edge of space. The ship operates without a pilot. It spent about three minutes at zero gravity then safely returned to Earth by parachute. The flight lasted just over 10 minutes.
Shatner broke the record for the oldest person in space by eight years. Pilot Wally Funk set the earlier record in July, also on a Blue Origin rocket.
Science fiction fans enjoyed the chance to see the man best known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. “This is a pinch-me moment for all of us to see Captain James Tiberius Kirk go to space,” said Blue Origin launch commentator Jacki Cortese before liftoff. She said she, like many others, became interested in the space business because of shows like Star Trek.
Bezos is also a Star Trek fan. He once played an outer space creature in one of the later Star Trek movies. Shatner flew on the ship for free as his invited guest. The launch brings attention to Bezos’ space travel company.
Bezos himself drove the four passengers to the launch area. He closed the ship’s door after they climbed into the 18-meter rocket. And he was there to welcome the crew after the ship returned. “Hello, astronauts. Welcome to Earth!” Bezos said as he opened the door and was hugged by Shatner.
The space tourism industry is quickly growing. Many passengers without government spaceflight training have been able to fly into space recently.
After the flight, Shatner told Bezos that he gave him the most profound experience he can imagine. Through tears, the actor said, “I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. It’s extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it.”
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1.What can we know about William Shatner?
A He flew to the edge of space alone.
B He operated the ship for over 10 minutes.
C He overcame many barriers to break the record.
D He once acted as Captain James Tiberius Kirk in Star Trek.
解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第一段“The Star Trek actor William Shatner...”及第三段“Science fiction fans enjoyed the chance to see the man best known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise.”可知，威廉·夏特纳曾参演《星际迷航》，剧中扮演詹姆斯·提比略·柯克舰长。故选D。
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A Wally Funk served as a pilot in this journey.
B Jacki Cortese started her business with Shatner’s help.
C Bezos offered Shatner the space travel at no charge.
D Shatner created many working positions for Bezos’ company.
解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第四段可知，贝佐斯是《星际迷航》的粉丝，曾在其中扮演过一个太空生物，夏特纳是作为他的受邀嘉宾免费乘坐的这艘飞船，故选C。
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A Bezos has made great contributions to space research.
B The Blue Origin rocket mainly works for military use.
C People must be trained to travel in space nowadays.
D The space tourism industry is a newly developing industry.
解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第六段可知，太空旅游业正在迅速发展。最近，许多未经政府太空飞行训练的乘客已经能够飞入太空。由此可推断太空旅游业是一项新兴产业。故选D。
4.How did Shatner feel about this trip according to the last paragraph?
A Relaxing.
B Thrilling.
C Impressive.
D Frightening.
解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据最后一段“After the flight, Shatner told Bezos that he gave him the most profound experience he can imagine.”可知，夏特纳告诉贝佐斯，是贝佐斯给了他能想象到的最深刻的体验。说明此次旅行给他留下了深刻印象，故选C。