2015年职称英语考前复习指导重难点集训（50）
发布时间：2012/11/7 14:39:39 来源：城市网学院 编辑：admin
Will We Take Vacation in Spaces?
When Mike Kelly first set out to build his own private space-ferry service, he figured his bread-and-butter business would be lofting satellites into high-Earth orbit. Now he thinks he may have figured wrong. “People were always asking me when they could go,” says Kelly, who runs Kelly Space & Technology out of San Bernardino, California. “I realized that real market is in space tourism.”
According to preliminary market surveys, there are 10,000 would be space tourists willing to spend $1 million each to visit the final frontier. Space Adventure in Arlington, Virginia, has taken more than 130 deposits for a two-hour, $98,000 space tour tentatively （and somewhat dubiously） set to occur by 2005. Gene Meyers of the Space Island Group says: “Space is the next exotic vacation spot.”
This may all sound great, but there are a few hurdles. Putting a simple satellite into orbit -with no oxygen, life support or return trip necessary-already costs an astronomical $22,000/kg. And that doesn't include the cost of insuring rich and possibly litigious passenger. John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists acerbically suggests that the entire group of entrepreneurs trying to corner the space-tourism market have between them “just enough money to blow up one rocket.” The U.S. space agency has plenty of money but zero interest in making space less expensive for the little guys. So the little guys are racing to do what the government has failed to do: design a reusable launch system that's inexpensive, safe and reliable. Kelly Space's prototype looks like a plane that has sprouted rocket engines. Rotary Rocket in Redwood City, California, has a booster with rotors make a helicopter-style return to Earth; Kistler Aerospace in Kirkland, Washington, is piecing together its versions from old Soviet engines, shuttle-style thermal protection tiles and an elaborate parachute system. The first passenger countdowns are still years away, but bureaucrats at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington are already informally discussing flight regulations. After all, you can't be too prepared for a trip to that galaxy far, far away.
For those who are intent on joining the 100-mile high club, Hilton and Budget are plotting to build space hotels. Before the Russian space Mir came down, some people were talking about using it as a low-rent space motel to reduce the cost. If a space hotel is finally built in space, and if you're thinking of staying in it, you may want to check the Michelin ratings before booking yourself a suite.
1. Mike Kelly planned to turn his business of making bread and butter into a business that is engaged in space tourism.
A True B False C Not mentioned
2. Kelly hoped to develop space tourism, which he thought would be a good market.
A True B False C Not mentioned
3. Space Adventure in Arlington has taken 130 deposits totaling $98,000 for a two hour space tour.
A True B False C Not mentioned
4. It sounds great that soon there will be space residence, although it is still a tentative plan.
A True B False C Not mentioned
5. Some of the hurdles space tourism faces include a lack of oxygen and life support equipment.
A True B False C Not mentioned
6. Little guys, who do not have plenty of money but have great interest in space tourism, are trying to make the space travel less expensive but more reliable.
A True B False C Not mentioned
7. We can infer from the context that the Michelin ratings can help people to find prices of hotels.
A True B False C Not mentioned
参考答案： BABCBAA
答案解析：
1. 首先，解决这道题的关键是弄清楚两个不同短语的意思，文中出现的“bread-and-butter”指的是“谋生的，生计的”，而这道题中的“making bread and butter”指的是“制作蛋糕和黄油”，所以答案选择B.
2. 第一段的最后一句话，“I realized that real market is in space tourism.”，意思是“我意识到真正的市场是太空旅游”，从此可以判断出，Kelly认为发展太空旅游是很好的市场。故答案选择A.
3. 在第二段中， “Space Adventure in Arlington, Virginia, has taken more than 130 deposits for a two-hour, $98,000 space tour tentatively （and somewhat dubiously） set to occur by 2005.”可以看到文中提到的是130多份定金，而不是正好130份定金，关键是“more than”，所以答案选择B.
4. 这道题的意思是“尽管这只是一个试验性计划，但很快就会有太空居民，听起来很不错。”在文中，让人感觉不错的是“Space is the next exotic vacation spot.”“太空是下一个异地旅游点”。对于有太空居民的说法，文中没有提到，所以答案选择C.
5. 文中提到的障碍（hurdles）是“Putting a simple satellite into orbit -with no oxygen, life support or return trip necessary-already costs an astronomical $22,000/kg.”“仅仅是把一个没有氧气，没有生活保障的单程卫星送入轨道要花费2.2万美元/千克”。这句话指出的障碍是花费问题，而非氧气和生活保障的问题，所以答案选择B.
6. 从第二段中“So the little guys are racing to do what the government has failed to do: design a reusable launch system that's inexpensive, safe and reliable.”这句话中，可以判断出本题答案为A.
7. 从文中的最后一句话“If a space hotel is finally built in space, and if you're thinking of staying in it, you may want to check the Michelin ratings before booking yourself a suite.”可以推断出，如果建立了太空酒店，人们可以通过查询Michelin ratings来预订套房。答案选择A.
