Module 5 The Conquest of the Universe

跟踪导练

阅读理解

A

“Folks in Henan！ Wing Loong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle （UAV） is here for you.” Residents in Mihe county， Central China's Henan Province， whose telecommunications were cut off due to record downpours and floods， regained connection with the aid of China's home-produced UAV.

The floods have affected more than 3，000，000 people across the province and forced 37，600 to be evacuated （疏散）. More than 215，200 hectares of crops have been damaged， causing a direct economic loss of about 1.22 billion yuan.

The drone （无人机） provided local residents with much needed information of disaster relief， and allowed them to reconnect with their families and loved ones， guaranteeing an emergency lifeline. It also conducted a geological hazard （地质灾害） survey and provided imagery data to help the analysis of the disaster situation.

“Widely known as a drone for military purposes， the Wing Loong is also an ideal choice in civilian missions like disaster relief， serving as an aerial communications relay platform，” experts said. It is capable of realizing network connection for images， voices， and data messages through aerial networking， high-point relay and other technologies， to provide timely assistance to disaster areas. It has the characteristics of long range， long endurance， large carrying capacity， and high adaptability to various environments. Apart from providing public and private network communications， it can also deliver emergency materials to affected regions.

Drones are not the only military equipment China has used to save people， with other examples being military helicopters used in earthquake rescues and transport aircraft used in fightingCOVID-19.

1. How did the Wing Loong drone help Henan Province after the flood？

A. By dropping food from the sky.         B. By helping fix the local network.

C. By saving crops of disaster regions.      D. By guiding affected people to safe places.

2. What do the data in Paragraph 2 tell us？

A. The importance of timely rescue work.    B. The severe harm caused by the floods.

C. The efforts to deal with economic loss.    D. The difficulty of recovering electricity supplies.

3. What can we learn about the drone from Paragraph 4？

A. It can forecast the flood.              B. It is powered by green energy.

C. It can work in the sea.                D. It has a wide range of applications.

4. What can be the best title for the text？

A. Henan Suffered from Heavy Rains        B. UAV： A Valuable Military Invention

C. Chinese Drones Serve Flood-hit Areas     D. Flood： The Mirror of Extreme Weather

B

Why should mankind explore space？ Why should money， time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits？ Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth？ These are questions that， understandably， are very often asked.

Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains， and into all possible areas and environments？ The wider the spread of a species （物种）， the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them， they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction， in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products of technological developments in the space.

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return， the exploration of space allows creative， brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. The danger exists， but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space， the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life， surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different， but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

5. Why does the author raise the questions in Paragraph 1？

A. To express his doubts.                B. To compare different ideas.