G)comparableO)violent
H)components
Section B
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement
contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is
derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the
questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The future of personal satellite technology is here—are we ready for it?
A)Satellitesusedtobetheexclusiveplaythingsofrichgovernmentsandwealthycorporations.Butincreasingly,
asspacebecomesmoredemocratized,theyarecomingwithinreachofordinarypeople.Justlikedrones (无人
机)beforethem,miniaturesatellitesarebeginningtofundamentallytransformourconceptionsofwhogetsto
dowhatupaboveourheads.
B)AsarecentreportfromtheNationalAcademyofScienceshighlights,thesesatellitesholdtremendouspotential
formakingsatellite-basedsciencemoreaccessiblethaneverbefore.However,asthecostofgettingyourown
satellite in orbit drops sharply, the risks of irresponsible use grow. The question here is no longer“Can
we?”but“Should we?”What are the potential downsides of having a slice of space densely populated by
equipmentbuiltbypeoplenottraditionallylabeledas“professionals”?Andwhatwouldtheresponsibleand
beneficialdevelopmentanduseofthistechnologyactuallylooklike?Someoftheanswersmaycomefroma
nonprofitorganizationthathasbeenbuildingandlaunchingamateursatellitesfornearly50years.
C)Havingyourpersonalsatellitelaunchedintoorbitmightsoundlikeanideastraightoutofsciencefiction.But
over the past few decades a unique class of satellites has been created that fits the bill: CubeSats.
The“Cube”heresimplyreferstothesatellite'sshape.ThemostcommonCubeSatisa10cmcube,sosmallthata
singleCubeSatcouldeasilybemistakenforapaperweightonyourdesk.Thesemini-satellitescanfitina
launchvehicle'sformerly“wastedspace.”Multiplescanbedeployedincombinationformorecomplexmissions
thancouldbeachievedbyoneCubeSatalone.
D) Within their compact bodies these minute satellites are able to house sensors and communications
receivers/transmittersthatenableoperatorstostudyEarthfromspace,aswellasspacearoundEarth.They’re
primarilydesignedforLowEarthOrbit(LEO)—aneasilyaccessibleregionofspacefromaround200to800
milesaboveEarth,wherehuman-tendedmissionsliketheHubbleSpaceTelescopeandtheInternationalSpace
Station(ISS)hangout.Buttheycanattainmoredistantorbits;NASAplansformostofitsfutureEarth-
escapingpayloads(tothemoonandMarsespecially)tocarryCubeSats.
E)Becausethey'resosmallandlight,itcostsmuchlesstogetaCubeSatintoEarth’sorbitthanatraditional
communicationsorGPSsatellite.For instance, aresearch grouphere atArizona StateUniversity recently
claimedtheirdevelopmentalsmallCubeSatscouldcostaslittleas$3,000toputinorbit.Thisdecreaseincost
a11owsresearchers,hobbyistsandevenelementaryschoolgroupstoputsimpleinstrumentsintoLEOoreven
havingthemdeployedfromtheISS.
F)ThefirstCubeSatwascreatedintheearly2000s,asawayofenablingStanfordgraduatestudentstodesign,
build,testandoperateaspacecraftwithsimilarcapabilitiestotheUSSR’s Sputnik(前苏联的人造卫星).Since
then,NASA,theNationalReconnaissanceOfficeandevenBoeinghavealllaunchedandoperatedCubeSats.
Therearcmorethan130currentlyinoperation.TheNASAEducationalLaunchofNanoSatelliteprogram,
which offers free launches for educational groups and science missions, is now open to U.S. nonprofit
corporationsaswell.Clearly,satellitesarenotjustforrocketscientistsanymore.
G)TheNationalAcademyofSciencesreportemphasizesCubeSats'importanceinscientificdiscoveryandthe