(2019·石家庄教学质量检测二)No spacecraft will ever land on the sun. The sun is a flaming ball of gas that reaches thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. But this year, a ship from Earth will fly closer to it than any manmade craft has flown before. The mission(任务) is a big development for scientists and, maybe, for everyone else.
In the summer of 2018, NASA plans to launch the Parker Solar Probe. After a journey of nearly 90 million miles, it will fly within 3.85 million miles of the sun. Within two months of launching, the probe is expected to reach the sun’s corona(日冕). That’s the sun’s outer atmosphere of gas.
Getting there won’t be easy. Designing a spacecraft tough enough to hold up to the sun’s heat has proved difficult. But that hasn’t stopped engineers from trying. Temperatures in the corona can reach millions of degrees. The probe will limit itself to regions where things get no hotter than 2，500. That’s still a heavy heat load for a spacecraft. But a 4.5inchthick heat shield(护罩) will protect the probe’s camera and scientific instruments.
NASA says the data the probe collects could provide knowledge into the physics of stars. Our sun is special to us. But as a star, it’s rather common. So the better we understand how it works, the better we understand all stars of mass and colors.
Perhaps the most important is what the probe may show us about solar storms. During solar storms, charged particles stream through the solar system. They can disable communications satellites and shut down power systems. One study has found that a very intense solar storm could cause up to $2 trillion in damage in the U．S. alone. It could also black out the East Coast for a year.
Understanding solar storms might allow us to predict them and protect ourselves. That could make even a mission with a billionplus price tag one of NASA’s great bargains.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇说明文。2018年夏天，美国航空航天局计划发射Parker Solar Probe(帕克太阳探测器)，该探测器收集到的数据有利于研究太阳及太空中的其他恒星，更重要的是，这还会让我们了解有很大的破坏作用的太阳风暴，从而预测它们，保护我们自己。
1．What can we learn about the probe?
A．It’ll fly closer to the sun than the previous ones.
B．It’s the first manmade instrument to fly to the sun.
C．It’ll get to the core of the sun in nearly two months.
D．It’ll fly about 3.85 million miles to reach the corona.
A 解析：细节理解题。根据第一段中的“But this year, a ship from Earth will fly closer to it than any manmade craft has flown before.”可知，今年要发射的宇宙飞船比以往的任何人造飞行器都更加靠近它(太阳)，故答案是A。
2．What is the challenge for the engineers?
A．Directing the probe to collect data.
B．Reducing the temperature of the probe.
C．Building a shield against the heat.
D．Limiting the probe to proper regions.
C 解析：细节理解题。根据题干中的关键词“challenge”和“engineers”定位到文章的第三段。根据第三段中的“Designing a spacecraft tough enough to hold up to the sun’s heat has proved difficult. But that hasn’t stopped engineers from trying.”和“But a．..instruments.”可知，对工程师来说，设计出能够到达太阳日冕的宇宙飞船的挑战在于研发能够抵挡太阳的“高温”(heat)的护罩，故答案是C。
3．What might be the best title?
A．Exploring the Stars
B．Getting Close to the Sun
C．Designing a Spaceship
D．Protecting Earth
B 解析：标题归纳题。文章主要介绍了美国航空航天局打算2018年夏天发射宇宙飞船到达太阳日冕的事情，这次飞船将比以往任何人造飞行器更加靠近太阳。题目要体现出文章的核心词 “太阳”，故答案是B。
4．Where does the value of the mission lie?
A．Monitoring satellites.
B．Exploring solar energy.
C．Developing scientific instruments.
D．Forecasting solar storms.
D 解析：细节理解题。根据题干中的关键词“value of the mission”定位到文章的第五、第六段。根据第五段第一句“Perhaps the most important is what the probe may show us about solar storms.”和第六段第一句“Understanding solar storms might allow us to predict them and protect ourselves.”可知，帕克太阳探测器所收集到的数据能让我们更多地了解太阳风暴，从而预测它们，保护我们自己。故答案是D。
