A
The Apollo Missions
“That's one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.”
— Neil Armstrong
Apollo’s Goals
The national effort that enabled Astronaut Neil Armstrong to speak those words as he stepped onto the lunar surface fulfilled a dream as old as humanity. Project Apollo’s goals went beyond landing Americans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth.
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 has been called a “successful failure,” because the crew never landed on the Moon, but they made it home safely after an explosion crippled their ship. When the associated heater was turned on during flight, the tank exploded depleting almost all of the power from the command module and forcing the crew to use the lunar module as a lifeboat. Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert came home safely thanks to the mission control team’s improvised procedures and their own ability to implement them.(Launch: April 11, 1970; splashdown: April 17)
Apollo 14
Notable for the return of America’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard, to space, Apollo 14 also was probably the smoothest lunar landing to that point. The crew spent more than nine hours outside the lunar module and set up a number of experiments. Shepard set a new distance record by walking more than 9,000 feet on the lunar surface, pulling a hand cart to carry their tools and samples.(Launch: Jan. 31, 1971: lunar landing: Feb. 5: splashdown, Feb. 9)
Apollo 15
For the first time, humans drove a car on the Moon. The first of the Apollo “J” Missions-designed for longer stays on the Moon - the mission carried a lunar rover, which Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin used while they were on the surface for more than I8 hours. They traveled more than 17 miles in the rover, setting up experiments and collecting 170 pounds of samples. Before leaving the lunar surface, Scott conducted an experiment to test Galileo’s theory that objects in vacuum, without air resistance, would fall at the same rate. He dropped a geological hammer and a feather, which hit the ground at the same time, proving Galileo right.(Launch: July 26, 1971, lunar landing: July 30: splashdown: Aug. 7)
1. Why has Apollo 13 been called a “successful failure”?
A. Apollo 13 finally exploded as planned in space.
B. All the crew succeeded in landing on the Moon.
C. The crew managed to escape from a severe accident and returned to Earth.
D. The crew finished the experiment although they failed to land on the Moon.
2. Which of the following is True according to the passage?
A. It took five days for Apollo 14 to reach the Moon.
B. The lunar rover was used as a lifeboat for space travel.
C. Shepard tested Galileo’s theory successfully on the Moon.
D. Apollo 15 remained in space for the shortest period of time.
3. Which of the following column is this article most likely to be found?
A. Booming Science B. Exploring the Unknown
C. Mechanical World D. Transforming Moon
【答案】1-3 CAB
【语篇解读】这是一篇说明文。文章简要地讲述了，阿波罗登月计划任务的目标及阿波罗的几次太空登月任务。
1. 细节理解题。由题干关键词successful failure可将答案定位于第三段。由第三段第一句“Apollo 13 has been called a “successful failure,” because the crew never landed on the Moon, but they made it home safely after an explosion crippled their ship.”（阿波罗13号被称为“成功的失败”，因为机组人员从未登上过月球，但在爆炸使他们的飞船瘫痪后，他们安全地返回了月球。），可知“成功的失败”是因为船员们设法从一次严重事故中逃脱，返回了地球。故选C项。
2. 细节理解题。由倒数第二段最后一句的斜体字部分“Launch: Jan. 31, 1971: lunar landing: Feb. 5: splashdown, Feb. 9”（发射：1971年1月31日：登月：2月5日：溅落，2月9日），可知阿波罗14号花了五天时间到达月球。故选A项。
3. 推理判断题。由第一段的““That's one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.”— Neil Armstrong”（“这对一个男人来说是一小步。对人类来说是一个巨大的飞跃。”——尼尔·阿姆斯特朗），第二段最后一句“Project Apollo’s goals went beyond landing Americans on the moon and returning them safely to Earth.”（阿波罗计划的目标不仅仅是让美国人登上月球，还要让他们安全返回地球。）和各段小标题Apollo’s Goals、Apollo 13、Apollo 14和Apollo 15，可知本文讲的是阿波罗太空登月计划，去探索未知的月球，推断出在文章的“探索未知”栏出现。故选B项。
