Life on Mars could become a reality and it could happen in your lifetime.
A welcoming planet
Scientists say Earth’s neighbor Mars, a bright red planet about half Earth’s size, is the most likely to support human life. Mars even has frozen water on its surface.
Since the late 1990s, NASA has been exploring Mars using remote-controlled vehicles（装置）. Most recently Curiosity, a car-size vehicle, traveled through space on an unpiloted spacecraft(航天器) and landed on Mars in August 2012. Directed by NASA scientists , the vehicles move on the surface, taking pictures , collecting and analyzing soil, and looking for signs of life.
But what about human explorers? Plans are already in the works to send astronauts to Mars as soon as the mid-2030s.
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But before you start packing your bags, let’s consider the challenges. For starters, Mars is far away. Just getting there could take up to 10 months.
Scientists already know that time away from Earth’s gravity harms the human body. Bones and muscles get weaker. The body produces less blood. What damage would months and months of living in space do?
And then there is the matter of water, oxygen, food and fuel. Scientists will have to find solutions to these problems, or the first humans on Mars won’t survive very long in their new home.
Tiny Dangers
There’s another tinier risk. It’s so tiny that you can’t even see it: germs.
Some scientists believe that our germs could pollute the whole planet of Mars. Potentially killing Martian life before we have the chance to discover it. Worse, there is a small but terrifying chance that any microscopic life already there might be harmful to us .
Worse still, if any of those Martian germs(火星细菌) were brought back to Earth, the result could be disastrous. Animals, plants, and people could be wiped out.
Worth the $$$?
A more practical concern is the cost. The price could approach $ 1 trillion(万亿). How can we justify spending that much when so many problems—poverty, disease—could use the cash here on Earth?
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the “A welcoming planet” part?
A．Mars is a little bigger than Earth.
B．There are flowing rivers on Mars.
C．People haven’t been to Mars so far.
D．Scientists have discovered signs of life on Mars.小题2:Which of the following can best fill in the blank in the passage?
A．Living in space.
B．Limited resources.
C．Extreme conditions.
D．Interesting challenges.小题3:By “Tiny dangers” the author means ________________.
A．there is no serious danger
B．people won’t be in any danger
C．it’s difficult for people to realize the danger
D．the danger may be caused by very small things小题4:Which may cause the biggest danger?
A．Martian germs may be different from those on Earth.
B．Martian germs may be brought back to Earth.
C．People may carry germs to Mars.
D．There may be germs on Mars.小题5:Which section of a newspaper is the passage most probably taken from?
A．People
B．History
C．Science
D．Business
小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:D
小题4:B
小题5:C
题目分析：火星移民到底能不能实现？科学家目前对火星进行了许多研究，并认为目前移民是很困难、有风险的。火星的环境和地球差距很大，但是并不代表未来不可行。这吸引了人们的执着追寻。
小题1:细节理解题。由“ Plans are already in the works to send astronauts to Mars as soon as the mid-2030s.”可知让人们登上火星还要等到21世纪年30年代中期。 故选C。
小题2:推理判断题。这一部分主要讲了前往火星最主要的困难，因此是极端的条件。Living in space. 生活在太空；Limited resources.有限的资源；Extreme conditions.极端的条件；Interesting challenges.有趣的条件。故选C。
小题3:推理判断题。由“There’s another tinier risk. It’s so tiny that you can’t even see it: germs.”可知，微生物对火星和地球都是潜在的威胁，但是它们太小以至于看不见。故选D。
小题4:细节理解题。根据“Worse still, if any of those Martian germs(火星细菌) were brought back to Earth, the result could be disastrous. Animals, plants, and people could be wiped out. ”可知，火星带回来的细菌很可能是致命的。故选B。
小题5:推理判断题。本文主要讲了火星移民的风险和困难，是一篇科普性质的文章，因此来源于“科学” 报。故选C。