2020年高考英语外刊时事命题阅读理解：美国女孩Alyssa Carson的星际之旅 Shooting for the Stars
Shooting for the Stars美国女孩Alyssa Carson的星际之旅“Im ready,” said Alyssa Carson, an 19-year-old American girl. We were in Universals Islands of Adventure, a theme park in Orlando, Florida, standing before the entrance of The Incredible Hulk. Its a roller coaster that accelerates (加速) up to 108 kilometers per hour in two seconds and travels upside down seven times. I hadnt eaten for hours, but Alyssa was enjoying an ice cream. “Do you want to wait until youve digested that?” I asked. “No,” she responded forcefully. “Lets go!” For Alyssa, after all, riding the most aggressive roller coaster in the park is not such a big deal. If all goes well, NASA will send her and other suitable candidates to Mars in the 2030s, which will make her one of the first people to ever set foot on the red planet. She will spend two to three years colonizing (将建为殖民地) it, growing food, performing science experiments, and searching for signs of life. Alyssa has decided to devote her entire life to preparing for this journey.Now an astronaut-in-training at NASA, Alyssa became interested in space after watching a cartoon at the age of three. In one episode, five animal friends have an imaginary adventure to Mars. At that moment, she thought this strange red planet looked so cool and she started to dream of going to Mars.When she turned seven, Alyssas father took her to a NASA space camp in Huntsville, Alabama. She got to see a life-sized rocket. She got to master the basics (基本知识) of space science. She got to meet the veteran (资深的) astronaut Sandra Magnus who convinced her that her love of space was not just a passing interest. Five years later, Alyssa became the first person in history to attend all three NASA space camps. Apart from training, Alyssa also travels to different countries to speak to her peers. She gets them excited about space exploration and encourages them to follow their own dreams. When I met her, she was speaking to 3,500 teenagers from around the world at the International Convention of BBYO, a Jewish youth group that focuses on leadership and social action. “We are the Mars Generation,” Alyssa said. “Together, we can do anything.”Still, sometimes Alyssa wants to be just a regular teenager. BBYO rented out Universals Islands of Adventure the Saturday night of the conference. When we rode The Incredible Hulk together, we sat amongst rows of teenagers. And just like them, the girl with her long brown hair screamed for the entire two-minute ride like any kid having fun at the fair.（选自Sciencemag）1. According to the article, Alyssa Carson _. A. showed interest in Mars when she was reading a book about spaceB. began to receive professional training at the age of sevenC. had attended all three NASA space camps by the time she was 12D. will likely be sent to Mars at the age of 352. Alyssa Carson travels around the world to _. A. have space training coursesB. meet other teenagersC. raise money for NASAs Mars programD. inspire young people to keep their own dreams alive3. What CANNOT be inferred from the article? A. The Incredible Hulk is an exciting amusement ride.B. Alyssa will have many tasks to complete if she lands on Mars successfully.C. Alyssa was forced to learn the basics of space science by her father.D. Alyssa enjoys riding roller coasters like many other young people.译文：“我准备好了，”一名19岁的美国女孩艾丽莎卡森说。我们当时站在佛罗里达州奥兰多市的主题公园环球冒险岛上，正站在绿巨人入口之前。这是一款过山车，可在两秒钟内加速达到108公里，然后倒置七次。我已经好几个小时没吃东西了，但Alyssa却在享用冰淇淋。 “您想等到消化完吗？”我问。“不，”她用力地回答。 “我们走吧！”毕竟，对于Alyssa而言，乘坐公园里最具侵略性的过山车并不是一件大事。如果一切顺利，美国宇航局将在2030年代将她和其他合适的候选人送往火星，这将使她成为有史以来最早踏上这颗红色星球的人之一。她将花两到三年的时间对其进行定殖，种植食物，进行科学实验并寻找生命的迹象。阿丽莎决定毕生致力于这一旅程。如今，阿莉莎现在是美国国家航空航天局的一名宇航员，在三岁的时候看了一部卡通漫画后就对太空产生了兴趣。在一个情节中，五个动物朋友对火星进行了一次虚构的冒险。那一刻，她以为这颗奇怪的红色星球看起来如此酷，她开始梦想去火星。当她七岁的时候，阿丽莎的父亲带她去了阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔的NASA太空营。她得看一架真人大小的火箭。她掌握了空间科学的基础知识。她遇到了资深的宇航员桑德拉马格努斯，后者说服了她，对太空的热爱不仅是一种短暂的兴趣。五年后，阿丽莎成为历史上第一个参加所有三个NASA太空营地的人。除培训外，Alyssa还前往其他国家与同龄人交谈。她使他们对太空探索感到兴奋，并鼓励他们遵循自己的梦想。当我遇到她时，她正在BBYO国际大会上与来自世界各地的3500名青少年交谈，BBYO是一个致力于领导力和社会行为的犹太青年团体。 “我们是火星一代，”阿丽莎说。 “我们在一起可以做任何事情。”尽管如此，有时Alyssa还是想成为一名普通的少年。在会议的星期六晚上，BBYO出租了环球冒险岛。当我们一起骑着绿巨人时，我们坐在成排的少年中间。就像他们一样，有着长长的棕色头发的女孩在整个两分钟的行程中尖叫着，就像任何在博览会上玩耍的孩子一样。背景信息：NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science. Since its establishment, most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches.NASA成立于195
