【正文】 was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center39。s propulsion (推進(jìn)) lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump on the space shuttle was working so well when previous seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast plexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seal could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.“I worked a bit with NASA engineers,” says Voss, but I did it mostly by analysis. I used ahandheld calculator, not a puter, to do a thermodynamic (熱力學(xué)的) analysis, At the end ofthe summer, he, like the other NASAASEE fellows working at Marshall, summarized his f39。indings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss because the ASEE program gave him added understanding of NASA, deepened his desire to fly in space, and intensified his application for astronaut status. It was not an essay process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he reapplied repeatedly, and was finally accepted in1987. Since then he has participated in three space mission. The 50yearold Army officer, who fives in Huston, is now in training fro a fourmonth mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000 Voss says the ASEE program is wonderful for all involved. It brings in people from theacademic world and gives NASA a special properly for a particular period of time. It brings somefresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA, and establishes a link with our colleges and universities, Voss explains. “There’s an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important.” For the academic side, Voss says, the ASEE program also brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on realworld problems and take it back to the classroom.36. Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle? A. Because previous seals all failed. B. Because it was very plex in running the space program. C. Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing. D. Because any crack in the seals would cause disastrous results for the astronauts.37. The great significance of Voss39。s findings lies in _________. I. strengthening his determination to join in space flights II. furthering his understanding of NASA III. consolidating his astronaut status in NASA programsA. I only. B. II only. C. I, II and III all included. D. I and II only.38. How many flights will Voss have finished if his Fourmonth mission starting in July 2000 ends up successfully? A. Three B. Two C. Four D. Five39. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to what Voss said on the ASEE program? A. Fresh members from die academic world participate in the program. B. The program brings new outlooks to HASA space programs. C. It is important for the space scientists to exchange information and perspectives. D. American colleges and universities me a special property of NASA.40. What does Voss want to stress in the last paragraph? A. The technological significance of the program B. The educational significance of the program C. The philosophical significance of the programD. The historical significance of the programPassage TwoThe current emergency in Mexico City that has taken over our fives is nothing. I could ever have imagined for me or my children, we are living in an environmental crisis, an air pollutionemergency of unprecedented severity. What it really means is that just to breathe here is to play adangerous game with your health. As parents, what terrorizes us most are reports that children are at higher risk because theybreathe more times per minute. What more can we do to protect them and ourselves? Ourpediatrician39。s (兒科醫(yī)師的) medical remendation was simple: abandon the city permanently.We are foreigners and we are among the small minority that can afford to leave. We are here because of my husband39。s work. We are fascinated by Mexicoits history and rich culture. We know that for us, this is a temporary danger. However, we cannot stand for much longer the fear we feel for our boys. We cannot stop them from breathing. But for millions, there is no choice. Their lives, their jobs, their futures depend on being here. Thousands of Mexicans arrive each day in this city, desperate for economic opportunities. Thousands more are born here each day. Entire families work in the streets and practically live there. It is a familiar sight: as parents hawk goods at stoplights, their children play in the grassy highway dividers, breathing exhaust fumes. I feel guilty plaining about my personal situation。 we won39。t be here long enough for our children to form the impression that skies are colored only gray. And yet the government cannot do what it must to end this problem. For any country, especially a developing Third World economy like Mexico39。s, the idea of barring from the capital city enough cars, closing enough factories and spending the necessary billions on public transportation is simply not an option. So when things get bad, as in the current emergency, Mexico takes half measures—prohibiting some more cars from circulating, stopping some factories from producingthat even its own officials concede aren39。t adequate. The word emergency implies the unusual. But when daily life itself is an emergency, theconcept loses its meaning. It is human nature to try to adapt to that which we cannot change. Or tomislead ourselves into believing we can adapt.41. According to the passage, the current emergency in Mexico City refers to ________. A. serious air pollution B. economic crisisC. unemployment D. natural disaster42. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?A. Kids are in greater danger than grownups in Mexico City.B. The author is not a native Mexican.C. The author’s husband is a pediatrician. D. The Mexican history and culture appeal to the author.43. The word hawk (Paragraph 3) most probably means ________. A. sell B. transport C. place D. deliver44. The Mexican government takes half measures to solve the pollution problem because_____