Task 4

本刊试题研究中心

The future of space exploration may depend on an art form from the past： the ancient art of paper folding.

Researchers from Washington State University （WSU）， the US， have used paper folding to possibly solve the problem of storing and moving fuel to rocket engines， a key challenge in space travel， according to Newswise. Theyve developed a foldable plastic fuel “bladder （气囊）” resistant to super cold temperatures， which could be used to store and pump fuel in spacecraft in the future. Their findings have recently been published in the journal Cryogenics.

“Folks have been trying to make bags for rocket fuel for a long time，” said Jake Leachman， one of the lead researchers. “We currently dont make large， long⁃duration trips because we cant store fuel long enough in space.”

Meanwhile， NASA is also looking for paper folding to help observe distant planets. The agency is currently developing Starshade， a piece of foldable， sunflower⁃shaped hardware that would help block starlight and enable telescopes to view distant objects more clearly in space.

“A huge part of my job is looking at something on paper and asking， ‘Can we fly this？’” Manan Arya， a technologist in California， said. “Once I realized this is how you fold spacecraft structures， I became interested in paper folding. I realized I was good at it and enjoyed it. Now， I fold constantly.”

Using paper folding for space purposes isnt new， however. Solar arrays （太阳能阵列）， experimental wings for space shuttle programs and an inflatable （需充气的） satellite were also inspired by paper folding in both past and present space projects.

“With most paper folding， the magic comes from the folding，” Robert Salazar， who helped design the Starshade and now works on the Transformers project， said in a statement. “There are so many patterns still to be explored.”

1. How could the “bladder” help in future missions？

A. By protecting spacecraft from extreme weather.

B. By being used to store and supply fuel in spacecraft.

C. By helping rocket engines cut energy consumption.

D. By being used to improve energy efficiency.

2. What can we know about NASAs Starshade？

A. It can be used to get telescopes closer to stars.

B. It can enlarge the view of telescopes in space.

C. It can absorb a star’s light before it enters telescopes.

D. It can help telescopes get clearer pictures of objects in space.

3. Where is this text probably taken from？

A. A travel journal. B. A digest.

C. A science report. D. An advertisement.

4. Which can be the suitable title for the text？

A. Folding into space B. The art of paper folding

C. Space exploration D. The paper folding?inspired projects