TPO-50

Reading
Scientists are considering the possibility of sending humans to Mars in the coming decades. Although
there have been successful manned missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, Mars is 150 times
further away from Earth than the Moon is. Thus the project of sending humans to Mars would require
solving an array of problems the Moon missions did not have to face.

One problem is that a round-trip to Mars and back is likely to take at least two years. The trip to the
Moon lasted only a few days, and it was easy to bring enough supplies of food, water, and oxygen;
but the cargo capacity of space vehicles is too limited to put on board the food, water, and oxygen
required by a crew for a period of two years. Without those essentials, though, a Mars mission is
impossible.

A second problem is that astronauts on the Mars mission would be in the zero-gravity environment of
space for many months at a time. Spending a long time in the zero-gravity environment has negative
effects on the human body, such as decreased muscle mass and lower bone density. Over the course
of a two-year mission, the effects would be so severe; they would make it impossible for humans to
make the trip without experiencing grave medical problems.

Finally, astronauts on a mission to Mars would be exposed to dangerous levels of space radiation,
much of which comes in the form of charged particles emitted by the Sun. Earth's magnetic field,
which normally protects us from dangerous solar radiation, would not be able to protect a spaceship
traveling in interplanetary space. Constructing a shield that would protect the whole spaceship from
space radiation is at present impossible because it would add too much weight to the ship.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is better to have broad knowledge of many academic subjects than to
specialize in one specific subject.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Nowadays, elementary school students are supposed to acquire knowledge for various
subjects such as math, science and literature, while university students are only provided
with related courses about their major. Then, the question goes,“should students focus on
one specific subject or distribute their efforts to a broader range of subjects?” As far as I am
concerned, having broad knowledge of many academic subjects does have more
advantages over the other option.

First of all, in such a competitive job market, by devoting to a broader range of academic
subjects in school, people are more likely to obtain a satisfied position in successful
companies. Many top 500 businesses have higher demand for talents with versatile
educational background. For instance, when my company plans to hire a product manager,
the job description usually requires the candidate to have good understanding of marketing
strategies, function designing as well as product management. So, obviously, in such cases,
expert in one field is less qualified and competitive.

Moreover, the distinctions lie in subjects becomes less clear—many of them are interrelated.
To solve the problem in a certain aspect may use knowledge in other aspects. Thus it leads
us to cover more knowledge instead of just specializing in one specific subject. Astronomers
cannot calculate the distance between the earth and other planets without good knowledge
base for math and physics; nutritionist should have a good understanding of physiology and
neurography. Obviously, Limited knowledge would grant an individual with great
restrictions, preventing him or her from moving forward.

Finally, having a large range of knowledge also affects our thinking methods. Since there is
no thinking way could be perfect, it would benefit us a lot if we could consider a thing from
all the perspectives.For instance, those who learn maths, physics or chemistry would have
great logic, reasoning, imaging abilities. On the contrary, those who learn history, literature
and politics would be good at analyzing and memorizing. And such different abilities could
notably affect our thinking methods.

In a nutshell, I believe having a good command of various subjects brings people more
benefits.
LISTENING-50
A trip to mars would definitely be challenging but scientists have proposed solutions to the problems
the reading selection discusses.

First of all, food, water and oxygen. Well astronauts can use hydroponics. Hydroponics is a technique
for growing plants with their roots in water rather than in soil. It requires relatively little space. Using
hydroponics, the astronauts should be able to cultivate food crops in the spacecraft. In addition, the
hydroponic will grow plants with recycle waste water and release it as clean water vapor, which can
be collected as drinking water. And of course, all plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
So thanks to hydroponics the astronauts will also have fresh air to breathe.

Second, the effects of zero gravity. Over the last few decades, we have launched several space
stations orbiting the earth. And a number of astronauts have spent many months on them in a zero
gravity environment. These astronauts have learned to use several techniques to safely manage the
effects of zero gravity. For example, regular exercise prevents the decrease in muscle mass.
Likewise, taking vitamins and minerals like calcium slows down the decrease in astronauts’ bone
density.

Third, solar radiation. Astronauts traveling to Mars will be exposed to some solar radiation but this
radiation will not be at dangerous levels all the time. The sun only releases dangerous amounts of
radiation occasionally, during periods when it is particularly active. In order to avoid this threat, the
spacecraft could be equipped with special instruments that monitor solar radiation and with a small
shelter that shield against radiation but doesn’t add much weight to the ship. Most of the time, the
astronauts will go about their normal business in unshielded areas of the spacecraft. But when their
instruments detect increased radiation, they could stay in the small shielded area until the danger has
passed.
范文-50 （298）
The reading lists out three problems for sending human being to Mars. However, the listening
offers three solutions to these questions.

First, the reading raises the question that it takes too long to send people to Mars, approximately
two years and no spacecraft could take that many loads of life essentials such as food, water and
oxygen. Instead, the listening says this is not a real problem since the astronauts could use
hydroponics to grow crop plants in water and food will not be an obstacle. Also, they could grow
plants with recycle waste water and reuse it as clean water vapor, which could be drunk. Plus, since
all plants do photosynthesis, the astronauts could breathe fresh air released by them.

Second, the reading asserts that living in a zero-gravity environment would exert a negative effect
on one’s health. Nevertheless, the professor says that the astronauts have learned to use several
techniques to make up for the health issue. They will do regular exercise to prevent muscle mass
from decreasing and take vitamins and minerals to slow down problem with their bone density. In
another word, they’ve figured out how to cope with the potential health problem.

Third, the reading claims that radiation emitted by the sun would be dangerous to astronauts. This
time professor rejects by pointing out that sun only releases dangerous amounts of radiation
occasionally，not all the time，so the spaceship would be equipped with a special instrument to
monitor the radiation and with a small shelter that doesn’t add much weight to the ship to shield
against the radiation. When astronauts meet the period of a large amount of radiation, they could hide
behind the shielded areas and come out when the danger has passed.