01 新能源带到月球 （阅读专练）英语高考复习通用版 教师版.docxVIP

话题：新能源带到月球题源：Science目标生：高三

一、课前预习：文本基础梳理（5分钟）

TakingnuclearenergytotheMoon

Earlierthismonth,SeanDuffy,theactingheadoftheUSNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA),announcedanaccelerationoftheagency’sFissionSurfacePowerprogram,withtheambitiousgoalofplacinganuclearreactorontheMoonby2030thatcanproduce100kilowattsofelectricpower.AsurfacereactorwillbeessentialtoenablesustainedhumanexplorationonboththeMoonandMars.However,anoverlyaggressiveschedulecouldcompromisebothtechnicalreadinessandNASA’sotherscientificpriorities.

Spacereactorsarenotnew.In1965,theUnitedStatesputthefirstnuclear-poweredsatelliteintoorbit,whichproducedabout500wattsfor43daysbeforeanon-nuclearcomponentfailedprematurely.From1967to1988,theSovietUnionlaunched33nuclearfission-poweredEarth-observingsatellites,includingtwothatproduced5kilowatts.In1978,theunfortunatefailureofasupportsystemresultedintheuncontrolledreentryintoEarth’satmosphereofaSovietsatellite,scatteringradioactivedebrisacross20,000squaremilesofCanadianterritory.Clearly,reactorscanoperateinspace,butintegrationwithsupportsystemsmayultimatelydeterminemissionsuccess.

Still,nuclearfissionisthebestavailablepowersourcetooperatethroughthe14-daylunarnightorontheharshsurfaceofMars,thoughtheproposedreactorwillbelargerthanitspredecessors.Earlierunitswereapproximatelythesizeofacar,butNASA’snewreactorwilllikelyexceedthatofastandardfreightshippingcontainer.

Massmustbethefirstconstraint.Launchandlandingsystemsmustaccommodatethereactor’ssizeandweightwithoutsacrificingstabilityorcontrol.NASA’sgoalofkeepingsystemmassundersixmetrictonswouldhavebeenchallengingevenfortransportingthesmaller40-kilowattreactorenvisionedin2022.Withanincreasedtargetpowerout