The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars. We're ready. Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared today to send humans to Mars than we were to travel to the Moon at the beginning of the space age. Given the will, we could have our first teams on Mars within a decade. The reasons for going to Mars are powerful. Firstly, we must go for the knowledge of Mars. Our robotic probes have revealed that Mars was once a warm and wet planet, suitable for hosting life's origin. But did it? A search for fossils (化石)on the Martian surface or microbes (微生物)in the groundwater below could provide the answer. If found, they would show that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and probably intelligence as well. From the viewpoint of learning our true place in the universe, this would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus. Secondly, we must go for knowledge of the Earth. We have evidence that we are changing the Earth's atmosphere and environment in significant ways. It has become a critical matter for us to better understand all aspects of our environment. In this project, comparative planetology is a very powerful tool, a fact already shown by the role that Venusian (金星的)atmospheric studies played in our discovery of the potential threat of global warming by greenhouse gases. Mars, the planet most like the Earth, will have even more to teach us about our home world. The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival. We must go for the future. Mars is not just a scientific curiosity; it is a world with a surface area equal to all the continents of the Earth combined, possessing all the elements that are needed to support not only life but technological society. It is a New World, filled with history waiting to be made by a new and youthful branch of human civilization that is waiting to be born. We must go to Mars to make that potential a reality. We must go, not for us, but for people who are yet to be. We must do it for the Martians. What would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus according to the passage? A The discovery of groundwater on Mars. B The discovery of life on Mars. C The discovery of fossils on the Martian surface. D The discovery of the origins of our universe.
The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars. We're ready. Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared today to send humans to Mars than we were to travel to the Moon at the beginning of the space age. Given the will, we could have our first teams on Mars within a decade. The reasons for going to Mars are powerful.
Firstly, we must go for the knowledge of Mars. Our robotic probes have revealed that Mars was once a warm and wet planet, suitable for hosting life's origin. But did it? A search for fossils (化石)on the Martian surface or microbes (微生物)in the groundwater below could provide the answer. If found, they would show that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and probably intelligence as well. From the viewpoint of learning our true place in the universe, this would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus.
Secondly, we must go for knowledge of the Earth. We have evidence that we are changing the Earth's atmosphere and environment in significant ways. It has become a critical matter for us to better understand all aspects of our environment. In this project, comparative planetology is a very powerful tool, a fact already shown by the role that Venusian (金星的)atmospheric studies played in our discovery of the potential threat of global warming by greenhouse gases. Mars, the planet most like the Earth, will have even more to teach us about our home world. The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival.
We must go for the future. Mars is not just a scientific curiosity; it is a world with a surface area equal to all the continents of the Earth combined, possessing all the elements that are needed to support not only life but technological society. It is a New World, filled with history waiting to be made by a new and youthful branch of human civilization that is waiting to be born. We must go to Mars to make that potential a reality. We must go, not for us, but for people who are yet to be. We must do it for the Martians.
What would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus according to the passage?
A The discovery of groundwater on Mars.
B The discovery of life on Mars.
C The discovery of fossils on the Martian surface.
D The discovery of the origins of our universe.
题目解答
答案
解析
本题考查对文章细节信息的理解。解题的关键在于准确找到与题干中“the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus”相关的内容，并对各选项进行分析判断。
- 首先在文章中定位到相关信息：“If found, they would show that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and probably intelligence as well. From the viewpoint of learning our true place in the universe, this would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus.” 这里的“they”指代前文提到的“fossils on the Martian surface or microbes in the groundwater below”，即火星表面的化石或地下水中的微生物，也就是火星上的生命迹象。
- 接着分析各选项：
- A选项：“The discovery of groundwater on Mars.” 文章强调的是地下水中的微生物，而不是单纯的地下水发现，所以A选项不符合。
- B选项：“The discovery of life on Mars.” 与我们定位到的信息中火星上的生命迹象相契合，发现火星上的生命能证明生命起源不唯一，符合“the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus”的描述，所以B选项正确。
- C选项：“The discovery of fossils on the Martian surface.” 虽然化石是可能的证据之一，但文章强调的是整体的生命迹象，而不仅仅是化石，所以C选项不准确。
- D选项：“The discovery of the origins of our universe.” 文章中并未提及发现宇宙起源相关内容，所以D选项不符合。