A Record-Breaking Rover

　　NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity has boldly gone where no rover has gone before—at least in terms of distance. ____1____

　　On July 27, after years of moving about on Martian ground, the golf-cart-sized Opportunity had driven more than 24 miles, beating the previous record holder—a Soviet rover sent to the moon in 1973.

　　“This is so remarkable considering Opportunity was intended to drive about 1 kilometer and was never designed for distance,” says John Callas, the Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager.

　　____2____ “But what is really importantly is not how many miles the rover has racked up, but how much exploration and discovery we have accomplished over that distance.”

　　OPPORTUNITY

　　The solar-powered Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit, landed on Mars 10 years ago on a mission expected to last 3 months. ____3____

　　Spirit stopped communicating with Earth in March 2010, a few months after it got stuck in a sand pit. But Opportunity has continued to collect and analyze Martian soil and rocks.

　　During its mission, Opportunity has captured, and sent back to Earth, some 187,000 panoramic and microscopic images of Mars with its cameras. ____4____

　　MARATHON ROVER

　　The rover doesn’t seem to be ready to stop just yet. If Opportunity can continue on, it will reach another major investigation site when its odometer hits 26.2 miles. ____5____

　　Researchers believe that clay minerals exposed near Marathon Valley could hold clues to Mars’s ancient environment1. Opportunity’s continuing travels will also help researchers as they plan for an eventual human mission to the Red Planet.

　　练习：

　　A　It has also provided scientists with data on the planet’s atmosphere, soil, rocks, and terrain.

　　B　He works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

　　C　Scientists call this site Marathon Valley, because when the rover reaches the area, it will have traveled the same distance as the length of a marathon since its arrival on Mars.

　　D　Opportunity has been working on Mars since January 2004.

　　E　The objective of the rovers was to help scientists learn more about the planet and to search for signs of life，such as the possible presence of water.

　　F　Since arriving on the Red Planet in 2004, Opportunity has traveled 25.01 miles, more than any other wheeled vehicle has on another world.

　　答案与题解：

　　1.F　前文讲“机遇号”在距离上比之前的任何漫游车行进的距离都长，因此接下来应该讨论关于行进距离的问题。

　　2.B　前文引入了一个新人物John Callas，而后文是他说的一些话，因此这里应该填写的内容是对这个人的进一步介绍。

　　3.E　前文讲了同时被送入太空的两台漫游车“机遇号”和“勇气号”，因此下文应该对它们的情况进行介绍，而关于发射目的的介绍在这里是合适的。

　　4.A　前文讲到“机遇号”给地面传回了许多照片，而选项A中讲到它还给地面传回了许多其他信息，在这里是一致的。

　　5.C　前文讲漫游车在行进到26.2英里的时候会到达一个地点，而后文提到了马拉松谷这个地方，因此这里应该是关于这个地点的介绍。

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）