2013高考英语短文阅读：Explore MKII

　　Explore MKII

　　探测MKII行星

　　MKII, a planet billions of kilometers away, is the origin of life in many religions. Physicists have proved the theory that its gentle climate and the pull of its gravity are similar to the earth’s. And astronomers have found that oxygen atoms and carbon dioxide, which are fundamental to life, exist in its atmosphere through satellites. Cheered up by this news, biologists, in their turn, began to do some research to remove people’s puzzles—Now that there are some suitable conditions, does life really exist on this globe? Do they multiply by laying eggs or giving birth to babies?

　　Last month, a spaceship was sent there. It’s a pity that this mission failed. Unlike the earth, MKII is a much younger planet. Thus, masses of harmful acid clouds float everywhere causing violent chain reactions to break out. These clouds not only blocked outthe pilots’ sight but also damaged the engine system. Luckily, the pilots watched out carefully and prevented the spaceship from crashing in time.

　　MK二号是一颗几十亿公里外的行星，它在许多宗教里都是生命起源的地方。物理学家已经证明了它温和的气候和重力的牵引都和地球相似的理论;天文学家也通过卫星，在它的大气层里发现了氧原子和二氧化碳的存在，这些都是对生命来说，都是基本的。受到这一消息的鼓舞，生物学家们接着开始了研究以解开人们的迷惑——既然有了适合的条件，生命真的存在于这个星球吗?他们是通过下蛋，还是产仔来繁殖后代的呢?

　　上个月，一艘太空飞船被派到了那儿。可惜的是，这次任务失败了。不像地球，MK二号是一颗年轻得多的行星。因此，大团大团的有害酸云到处漂浮，引起猛烈的连锁反应的爆发。这些云团不仅阻挡了飞行员的视线，而且还损坏了发动机系统。幸运的是，飞行员小心注意，才及时阻止了飞船的坠毁。