Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Scientists and engineers 【小题1】 (prepare) for possible travel into interstellar space, the area in between stars, in the distant future. Experts believe it will likely take many years before the technology and equipment are developed 【小题2】 (send) humans to this unexplored area of space. But if it does happen, massive spaceships 【小题3】 carry humans on long trips to distant starts.
Two American researchers, Andrew McKenzie from the University of Kansas and Jeffrey Punske of Southern Illinois University, have explored one possible problem with such travel. They considered the possibility 【小题4】 changes in human language could develop over time, thus 【小题5】 (cause) major communication problems with people on Earth.
Languages naturally change as communities grow more isolated from each other, the researchers noted in the paper. The long isolation of a community could lead to enough differences in language to make 【小题6】 impossible for community members back home to understand. The researchers noted that in【小题7】 (add) to new words being used, the language of people traveling on spaceships and living in colonies 【小题8】 (experience) many other changes. For example, the sounds of different letters would likely change over time, affecting not only individual words, but the whole grammatioal system.
The researchers say one possible solution to 【小题9】 (limit) communication problems would be to include language experts on spaceship crews. Another suggestion is to use sign language as a form of communication. McKenzie added that space travelers might question whether it is even worth trying to learn how to communicate with people on Earth. But he believe there will always be a need, even 【小题10】 it is very limited. “You have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back, or to read the instruction manuals and information that came with the ship,” he said.
