No spacecraft will ever land on the sun.The sun is a flaming ball of gas that reaches thousands of degrees Fahrenheit.But next year,a ship from the earth will fly closer to it than any man-made craft has flown before.The mission (任务) is a big development for scientists and,maybe,for everyone else.

　　In September 2018,NASA plans to launch the Parker Solar Probe.After a journey of nearly 90 million miles,it will fly within 3.8 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 gases.

　　Getting there won’t be easy.Designing a spacecraft tough enough to hold up to the sun’s heat has been 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 4.5-inch-thick heat shield(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 its mass and color.

　　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 communication 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 US alone.It could also black out the East Coast for a year.Understanding solar storms might allow us to predict them ourselves.

　　【语篇导读】文章主要介绍了帕克太阳探测器这项工程以及科学家面临的挑战,

　　1.What can we learn about the probe?

　　A.It’s the first man-made instrument to fly to the sun.

　　B.It’ll get to the core of the sun in nearly two months.

　　C.It’ll fly about 3.8 million miles to reach the corona,

　　D.It’ll fly closer to the sun than the previous ones.

　　答案　D

　　解析　细节理解题。根据第一段中的“But next year,a ship from the earth will fly closer to it than any man-made craft has flown before.”可知,帕克太阳探测器将比任何人造飞行器更靠近太阳,所以选D项。

　　2.What is the challenge for the engineers?

　　A.Reducing the temperature of the probe.

　　B.Building a shield against the heat.

　　C.Limiting the probe to proper regions.

　　D.Directing the probe to collect data.

　　答案　B

　　解析　细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Designing a spacecraft tough enough to hold up to the sun’s heat has been proved difficult.”和“The probe will limit itself to regions where things get no hotter than 2,500℉.”可知,摆在科学家面前的困难是让探测器能承受高温。

　　3.What might be the best title?

　　A.Getting close to the sun.

　　B.Designing a spaceship.

　　C.Protecting the earth.

　　D.Exploring the star.

　　答案　A

　　解析　主旨大意题。通读全文可知,文章主要介绍了帕克太阳探测器将比任何人造飞行器更靠近太阳以及科学家面临的挑战,A项“Getting close to the sun.”可概括文章的内容。

　　4.Where does the value of the mission lie?

　　A.Exploring solar energy.

　　B.Developing scientific instruments.

　　C.Forecasting solar storms.

　　D.Monitoring satellites.

　　答案　C

　　解析　细节理解题。根据第五段中“Perhaps the most important is what the probe may show us about solar storms.”可知,C项正确。