Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said “cheers,” clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.

The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will save NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.

The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttle Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and thanked engineers in two NASA centers that worked on the system.[来源:Zxxk.Com]

“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”

The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the steam is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water steam is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about 18 liters from urine in about 6 hours.

“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.

The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami.

1. According to the text, the recycling system is important because __________.

   A. it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible

   B. it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded

   C. with it NASA won’t need to ship any water up the space station

   D. it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste

2. From Paragraph 5 we can know __________.

   A. the process of recycling urine                   

   B. the effect of the recycling system

   C. the theory behind the recycling system            

   D. an opinion on recycling urine

3. What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?

   A. The taste of recycled urine is not as good as that of common water.

   B. The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true.

   C. The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant.

   D. It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress 

   B. New Technology Is Used in the Space Station

   C. Drink up: Space Station Recycles Urine to Water  

   D. Good News:Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good 

 

Dear Earthmen,

I have enjoyed my stay on your interesting unusual planet. I think I understand the life on earth now and I would like to give you my impressions.

First of all you live in boxes. Every morning you leave your big boxes and get into smaller boxes on wheels. All these small boxes race around and around, and finally stop to rest. You then leave these boxes on wheels and go to very large tall boxes.

After testing all days you get back in your little boxes and return to your big boxes. There you sit and stare at tiny glowing boxes with moving pictures on the front.

Only one thing puzzles me. One day, I went to a football game. A bunch of angry boys fought over a little round ball. Everyone yelled for them to stop but they kept on fighting. They were angry, I suppose, about being cooped up（被关起来）in boxes all day.

Thank you earthmen for this chance to get to know you.

Gratefully,

The man from the Mars（火星）

1. The small boxes on wheels are ________.

	A. toys	B. cars
	C. houses that can be moved	D. boxes in which there are wheels

2. The tiny glowing boxes with moving pictures on the front are ______.

A. cameras

B. cinema screens

C. telescopes

D. TV sets

3. In the football game ________.

A. the players were very angry because there was only one ball on the playground

B. the players were very angry because everyone yelled at them

C. the man from the Mars saw fighting among the angry boys

D. the man from the Mars saw a close match

4. The best title of this passage is ______.

	A. The Man from the Mars	B. Something about Boxes
	C. A Letter from the Mars	D. A football Game

5. The man from the Mars thinks _______.

A. it is interesting to live on our unusual planet

B. there are so many boxes on the earth

C. the tiny glowing boxes are moving pictures

D. the angry boys are too foolish to fight over a little round ball

 

Dear Earthmen,

I have enjoyed my stay on your interesting unusual planet. I think I understand the life on earth now and I would like to give you my impressions.

First of all you live in boxes. Every morning you leave your big boxes and get into smaller boxes on wheels. All these small boxes race around and around, and finally stop to rest. You then leave these boxes on wheels and go to very large tall boxes.

After testing all days you get back in your little boxes and return to your big boxes. There you sit and stare at tiny glowing boxes with moving pictures on the front.

Only one thing puzzles me. One day, I went to a football game. A bunch of angry boys fought over a little round ball. Everyone yelled for them to stop but they kept on fighting. They were angry, I suppose, about being cooped up（被关起来）in boxes all day.

Thank you earthmen for this chance to get to know you.

Gratefully,

The man from the Mars（火星）

1. The small boxes on wheels are ________.

	A. toys	B. cars
	C. houses that can be moved	D. boxes in which there are wheels

2. The tiny glowing boxes with moving pictures on the front are ______.

A. cameras

B. cinema screens

C. telescopes

D. TV sets

3. In the football game ________.

A. the players were very angry because there was only one ball on the playground

B. the players were very angry because everyone yelled at them

C. the man from the Mars saw fighting among the angry boys

D. the man from the Mars saw a close match

4. The best title of this passage is ______.

	A. The Man from the Mars	B. Something about Boxes
	C. A Letter from the Mars	D. A football Game

5. The man from the Mars thinks _______.

A. it is interesting to live on our unusual planet

B. there are so many boxes on the earth

C. the tiny glowing boxes are moving pictures

D. the angry boys are too foolish to fight over a little round ball

Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.
The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will have NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or cargo rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttles Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centres that worked on the system.
“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”
The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor(水蒸气) is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.
“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami.
【小题1】 According to the text, the recycling system is important because ___________.

A．it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible

B．with it NASA won’t need to ship any water up the space station

C．it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded

D．it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste

【小题2】What’s the RIGHT time order of the following events?
a. The samples of the recycled water were tested on earth.
b. Astronauts celebrated the space first of making water from urine
c. The recycling system was brought up to the space station.
d. The technology for the system was used to quickly purify water.

A．a, d, c, b

B．a, c, b, d

C．d, a, c, b

D．d, c, a, b

【小题3】From Para. 5 we can know ____________.

A．the theory behind the recycling system	B．the effect of the recycling system
C．the process of recycling urine	D．an opinion on recycling urine

【小题4】What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?

A．The taste of recycled urine is not as good as that of common water.

B．The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true.

C．The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant.

D．It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space.

【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress.

B．New Technology Is Used in the Space Station.

C．Drink up: Space Station Recycles Urine to Water.

D．Good News: Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good

Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.

   The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will have NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or cargo rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.

   The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttles Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centres that worked on the system.

   “This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”

   The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor(水蒸气) is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.

   “Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.

   The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami.

According to the text, the recycling system is important because ___________.

  A. it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible

  B. with it NASA won’t need to ship any water up the space station

  C. it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded

  D. it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste

What’s the RIGHT time order of the following events?

  a. The samples of the recycled water were tested on earth.

  b. Astronauts celebrated the space first of making water from urine

  c. The recycling system was brought up to the space station.

  d. The technology for the system was used to quickly purify water.

  A. a, d, c, b   B. a, c, b, d   C. d, a, c, b   D. d, c, a, b

From Para. 5 we can know ____________.

  A. the theory behind the recycling system   B. the effect of the recycling system

  C. the process of recycling urine          D. an opinion on recycling urine

What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?

  A. The taste of recycled urine is not as good as that of common water.

  B. The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true.

  C. The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant.

  D. It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space.

What is the best title for the passage?

  A. The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress.

  B. New Technology Is Used in the Space Station.

  C. Drink up: Space Station Recycles Urine to Water.

  D. Good News: Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good