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Orbital Space Plane

While scientists are searching the cause of the Columbia disaster， NASA is moving ahead with plans to develop a new craft that would replace shuttles on space station missions by 2012 and respond quickly to space station emergencies.

The space agency released the first set of mission needs and requirements several days ago for the orbital space plane， which would be designed to transport a crew of four to and from the International Space Station.

Although it includes few specifics， the plan stipulates the orbiter will be safer， cheaper and require less preparation time than the shuttle. It would be able to transport four crew members by 2012 – though it would be available for rescue missions by 2010. NASA says the craft should be able to transport injured or ill space station crew members to “definitive medical care” within 24 hours.

The release of the requirements showed NASA remains focused on the long-term priorities of space exploration， even as questions linger concerning the loss of Columbia and its seven-member crew on February 1， 2003.

Experts at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville， Alabama， have been working for years on a successor to the shuttle. The project， known as the Space Launch Initiative， was divided last year into two parts – one focusing on a future launch vehicle， the other on a space station orbiter. The orbiter is expected to be ready sooner.

The program’s managers say NASA officials have told them not to alter Space Launch Initiative in light of the Columbia disaster.

U.S. President George W. Bush asked Congress for about US$1 billion for Space Launch Initiative in 2004， funds that would be almost equally split between the Orbital Space Plane and Next Generation Launch Technology.

詞匯：

shuttle 穿梭機 initiative 創始；倡議

orbiter 軌道航天飛機 in light of 鑒于，由于

linger 繼續存留

注釋：

1.would：這是虛擬語氣的用法，表示未來可能發生的事。下面第三段出現的兩個would也屬這種用法。

2.few specifics：談到很少細節。specific意為“詳情，細節”時，一定要用復數形式的specifics

3.definitive medical care：最權威的醫療機構

4.concerning the loss of Columbia and its seven-member crew on February1,2003：作定語，修飾linger前面的questions。

練習：

1. The orbital space craft has been designed for

A. controlling the International Space Station.

B. carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

C. transporting equipment to the International Space Station.

D. training astronauts in space flights.

2. From the passage we know that the design of the orbiter indicates

A. NASA’s determination to continue its space exploration projects.

B. the U.S. space technology superiorities.

C. a victory in space exploration.

D. the birth of an absolutely safe space craft.

3. When did the scientists start working on a successor to the shuttle?

A. Immediately after the Columbia disaster.

B. One year after the Columbia disaster.

C. Years before the explosion of Columbia.

D. Not mentioned in the passage.

4. Besides the main mission stipulated by NASA， the orbiter would also be used as

A. a space hospital.

B. a medical research center.

C. a medicine-transporting vehicle.

D. a space ambulance.

5. According to the passage， the funds， if granted， would

A. be used for developing the orbiter only.

B. be equally shared by the two projects under Space Launch Initiative.

C. be given to Marshall Space Flight Center.

D. be mainly used to improve space launch technology

答案與題解：

1.B 答案的依據是第二段的"...which would be designed to transport a crew of four to and from the International Space Station. ”

2.A答案的依據在第四段。第四段提及即使發生了哥倫比亞航天飛機失事、7名宇航員喪生 的悲劇,國家航空航天局仍舊關注于其在太空探索領域的長期優勢所在。

3.C本文應該是在哥倫比亞航天飛機失事之后不久寫的，因為第一段中說到哥倫比亞航天飛 機失事的原因還在調查之中，第五段又提到the orbiter的研究巳進行了多年。所以，選項C 是答案。

4.D第三段說到到2010年,the orbiter就能擔負起接回在宇宙站工作的病員、傷員的任務，也 就是說，the orbiter起一種類似于space ambulance(太空救護車）的作用。

5.B最后一段說，若10億美元的款項獲得國會的批準，這筆款項基本上平分給the Orbital Space Plane 和 Next Generation Launch Technology 這兩個研究項目。

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