Six people are about to find out what it would be like to live on Mars—without ever leaving the Earth.
Three men and three women will spend eight months living in a special habitat on the side of a volcano in Hawaii. They are part of an experiment being done by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) that is designed to mimic (模仿) life on Mars.
Some people may become unhappy or bored living under those conditions. Certain personality types may not get along, and living together for a long time could cause them to argue.
By studying people living in similar conditions here on Earth, NASA hopes to learn how to choose the best people for a space mission, and how to help them get along.
The crew (全体工作人员) will live in a two-story dome-shaped (圆顶形) building. The dome is located in an area about 2,400 metres up the side of Mauna Loa, the second biggest volcano in the world. Mauna Loa is an active volcano, but it has not erupted since 1984. It is monitored all the time for signs of volcanic activity. NASA chose the location because the environment there looks very similar to Mars.
During the experiment, the crew will only be able to communicate by email. To make it more like being on Mars, there will be a 20-minute waiting time between the time a message is sent and when it is received. That means it will take 40 minutes to get a reply to an email.
The crew will be performing scientific work while they are there, including some trips outside the dome. When they go outside, they will have to wear spacesuits, just as if they were on Mars.
The commander of the crew is Martha Lenio, a 34-year-old Canadian. Lenio studied engineering and is interested in space exploration and environmental problems. During the mission, she will run experiments on growing food and making compost (堆肥) inside the dome.
The other crewmembers have backgrounds in physics and astronomy. They were chosen from about 150 people who applied to take part in the experiment. None of them are astronauts.
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the experiment?| A．To study people’s behavior. |
| B．To complete a challenging task. |
| C．To get familiar with our natural world. |
| D．To prepare volunteers for life on Mars. |
| A．try to show their own personality |
| B．learn to get along with each other |
| C．have no chance to go outside |
| D．communicate by phone |
| A．Martha Lenio used to be an astronaut. |
| B．The experiment will take about two years. |
| C．All six members have professional backgrounds. |
| D．All members will run experiments on growing food. |
| A．A travel magazine. |
| B．A science magazine |
| C．A biology textbook. |
| D．A geography textbook. |
