Section II Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.
Text 4
LignoSat’s communications failed as it was launched from the International Space Station (ISS) on December 9th 2024. But it was a breakthrough all the same. For much of it was made of magnolia, a wood its builders at Kyoto University had picked for its strength, ease of working and (as demonstrated by previous experiments on the ISS) resilience to the hostile environment of space.
It proved a good choice. Though LignoSat’s temperature oscillated from -100 to +100°C as it passed in and out of Earth’s shadow, and it was also bombarded by the radiation of the solar wind, its wooden panels held firm, according to tracking by America’s Space Force, until its fiery atmospheric re-entry 116 days later.
Huld, a Finnish firm, prefers birch plywood to magnolia for WISA Woodsat, a test vehicle it helped design that is due for launch this summer. Such plywood is routinely cooled to -163°C when used to insulate tanks carrying liquefied natural gas.
Wood has several advantages over metal alloys as a satellite material. One is to reduce the amount of metal vaporising when satellites burn up on re-entry. In 2023 some 290 tonnes of space junk fell into the atmosphere. A study published that year found a tenth of the stratospheric sulphuric-acid particles it sampled contained such metal.
How much that matters, if at all, is unclear. But some people fear a build-up of metals at altitude will trigger chemical reactions which might, for instance, destroy ozone, a form of oxygen that absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation. And build up they surely will. One forecast suggests that, by 2035, more than 2,800 tonnes of space junk a year will fall from orbit.
Swapping metal for wood, though, is not without hazard, observes Daniel Cziczo of Purdue University, who was one of the authors of the stratospheric-particle study. What might emerge from a reaction between the resulting soot and vaporised electronics remains unknown.
Such fears are unlikely, however, to rule wood out as a space material, for it has another advantage. Regulators are tightening the “design for demise” rules, intended to stop chunks of falling spacecraft reaching the ground. Satellites weighing more than about 300kg usually need special guidance systems to comply with these rules by ensuring controlled re-entry into a deserted part of the ocean. Dr Sakraker’s team think incorporating wood, which would burn up in the atmosphere, might permit spacecraft weighing up to a tonne to duck that additional cost and re-enter uncontrolled.
A further benefit is that radio signals are unperturbed by wood, so communications equipment need not be specially deployed once a satellite is in orbit. That will protect it from flecks of space debris, such as paint chips, and should reduce drag from errant atmospheric molecules, a big problem in low orbits. LignoSat2, intended for launch in 2028 into an orbit 400km up, will test this idea. Doi Takao, a former astronaut who is a member of the LignoSat team, reckons the reduced drag will extend the craft’s flight time by about 50%.
Wood is also cheaper than spacecraft alloys. And it absorbs vibrations, a plus for sensitive instruments. It insulates better than metal, too, meaning a craft’s heating coils will not have to be turned on so often.
It does have a downside. The vacuum of space can suck out moisture and organic compounds, weakening it—though not, experiments on the plywood used in the WISA Woodsat suggest, enough to matter. A protective coat of aluminium oxide may help. Overall, then, it looks possible that small spaceships may soon reverse the example of their maritime namesakes by rejecting man-made materials for their hulls and reverting to wood.
36. The author regards the launch of LignoSat as a "breakthrough" primarily because ______.
[A] it successfully established a communication link with the ISS
[B] it utilized birch plywood to insulate liquefied natural gas
[C] it confirmed the durability of magnolia wood in space
[D] it survived atmospheric re-entry without burning up
37. The concern regarding traditional metal satellites in Paragraphs 4 and 5 centers on ______.
[A] the sheer weight of space junk falling to Earth
[B] the potential damage to the ozone layer caused by metal vapor
[C] the formation of sulphuric-acid particles in the lower atmosphere
[D] the increasing cost of disposing of metal alloys
38. According to Dr Sakraker’s team, using wood could help heavier satellites to ______.
[A] avoid the expense of installing controlled re-entry systems
[B] land precisely in deserted parts of the ocean
[C] reduce their weight to below the 300kg regulatory threshold
[D] withstand the heat of re-entry better than metal ones
39. One advantage of wood's radio transparency mentioned in Paragraph 8 is that it allows for ______.
[A] faster transmission of data to Earth
[B] satellites to be launched into higher orbits
[C] a simplified design that prolongs the satellite's lifespan
[D] the total elimination of atmospheric drag
40. Which of the following best summarizes the author's attitude towards wooden satellites?
[A] Skeptical due to the unknown risks of soot.
[B] Optimistic about their potential to replace metal.
[C] Critical of their inability to handle vacuum conditions.
[D] Neutral, as the technology is still in its infancy.
附注：根据历年考研英语真题阅读题源外刊等，摘选最新文章，模拟仿真出题。
参考答案见以下。
Quick look: CBACB
36. 【答案】C
【解析】题型：因果细节题
定位： 第一段 "But it was a breakthrough all the same. For much of it was made of magnolia... resilience to the hostile environment of space."
分析： 第一段虽然提到通讯失败，但作者认为它仍是一个突破，原因是（For...）它使用了木兰木，且该材料在太空恶劣环境中表现出了韧性（resilience）。第二段进一步证实木板在极端温差和辐射下保持坚固。因此，突破点在于验证了木质材料的耐用性。
干扰项：[A] 第一句明确说 "communications failed"。 [B] 这是芬兰公司 Huld 的 WISA Woodsat 使用的材料，并非 LignoSat。 [D] 第二段末尾说 "until its fiery atmospheric re-entry"，说明它最终在大气层中烧毁了（这是符合预期的），并非幸存。
37. 【答案】B
【解析】题型：细节/推理题
定位： 第五段第二句 "...fear a build-up of metals at altitude will trigger chemical reactions which might, for instance, destroy ozone..."
分析： 第四段提到金属蒸汽，第五段具体说明了人们的担忧：高空的金属积累可能引发化学反应，进而破坏臭氧层。这对应选项 B。
干扰项：[A] 虽然提到了垃圾重量，但这只是背景数据，核心担忧是化学反应带来的环境后果。 [C] 硫酸颗粒是在 "stratospheric"（平流层）发现的，不是低层大气，且颗粒本身是载体，破坏臭氧才是后果。 [D] 成本问题是在第七段讨论木制卫星优势时提到的监管成本，与本段关于金属污染的讨论无关。
38. 【答案】A
【解析】题型：细节题
定位： 第七段最后一句 "...permit spacecraft weighing up to a tonne to duck that additional cost and re-enter uncontrolled."
分析： 监管规定要求超过 300kg 的卫星通常需要特殊的引导系统以确保受控再入。Dr Sakraker 的团队认为，使用木材可以让重达一吨的航天器“避开（duck）那笔额外费用”并进行不受控再入（因为木头会烧光，没有安全隐患）。这与选项 A "avoid the expense..." 完全一致。
干扰项：[B] 木材的目的是允许不受控（uncontrolled）再入，而不是精准着陆。 [C] 木材是允许“更重”的卫星避开针对重型卫星的规则，而不是把它们减重到 300kg 以下。 [D] 木材的优势在于它会烧毁（burn up），而不是承受（withstand）热量。
39. 【答案】C
【解析】题型：因果/推断题
定位： 第八段 "...so communications equipment need not be specially deployed... reduce drag... extend the craft’s flight time by about 50%."
分析： 木材对无线电波透明，意味着通讯设备可以置于内部（不需要像天线那样展开部署），这减少了由大气分子引起的阻力（drag）。段落最后提到，减少的阻力将延长飞行时间（extend flight time）。选项 C “简化的设计（无需展开）延长了卫星寿命”涵盖了这一逻辑链。
干扰项：[A] 文中未提及传输速度。 [B] 文中提到 LignoSat2 计划发射到 400km 轨道，但这并非无线电透明带来的直接结果。 [D] 原文是 "reduce drag"（减少阻力），选项说是 "total elimination"（完全消除），过于绝对。
40. 【答案】B
【解析】题型：态度主旨题
定位： 全文及最后一段 "Overall, then, it looks possible that small spaceships may soon... reverting to wood."
分析： 作者通篇列举了木制卫星的多个优势（环保、规避监管成本、减少阻力、便宜、抗震等），虽然也提到了潜在风险（soot, vacuum），但最后一段总结语气积极，认为“小型飞船很快可能重返木制时代”。这是一种谨慎乐观（Optimistic）的态度。
干扰项：[A] 这是一个被提及的保留意见，不是作者的总体态度。 [C] 作者提到真空会削弱木材，但也说有解决方案（涂层），并未对此持批判态度。 [D] 作者的态度有明显的倾向性（positive/possible），并非完全中立。
【参考译文】
2024 年 12 月 9 日，LignoSat 从国际空间站（ISS）发射时，其通讯系统发生了故障。但这依然是一个突破。因为它的大部分由木兰木（magnolia）制成，这是京都大学的建造者们选用的材料，因为它强度高、易于加工，并且（正如之前在 ISS 上的实验所证明的那样）对太空恶劣环境具有韧性。
事实证明这是一个不错的选择。据美国太空军的追踪显示，尽管 LignoSat 在进出地球阴影时温度在 -100 到 +100°C 之间振荡，且还受到太阳风辐射的轰击，但其木制面板一直保持坚固，直到 116 天后它在再入大气层时燃烧殆尽。
芬兰公司 Huld 更倾向于用桦木胶合板（birch plywood）而非木兰木来制造 WISA Woodsat，这是它参与设计的一款测试飞行器，定于今年夏天发射。这种胶合板通常用于绝缘运输液化天然气的储罐，会被冷却至 -163°C。
作为卫星材料，木材相比金属合金有几个优势。其一是减少卫星在再入大气层烧毁时蒸发的金属量。2023 年，约有 290 吨太空垃圾坠入大气层。同年发表的一项研究发现，其采样的平流层硫酸颗粒中有十分之一含有此类金属。
这究竟有多重要（如果有的话）尚不清楚。但一些人担心，高空金属的积累会引发化学反应，例如，可能会破坏臭氧——一种能吸收有害紫外线辐射的氧气形态。而且积累是肯定的。一项预测表明，到 2035 年，每年将有超过 2800 吨的太空垃圾从轨道坠落。
不过，普渡大学的丹尼尔·奇佐（Daniel Cziczo）指出，用木材交换金属并非没有风险，他是那项平流层颗粒研究的作者之一。木材燃烧产生的烟灰与汽化的电子元件之间会发生什么反应，目前仍是未知数。
然而，这些担忧不太可能将木材排除在太空材料之外，因为它还有另一个优势。监管机构正在收紧“易于销毁设计”（design for demise）的规则，旨在阻止坠落的航天器碎片到达地面。重量超过约 300 公斤的卫星通常需要特殊的引导系统，通过确保受控再入海洋的荒凉区域来遵守这些规则。Sakraker 博士的团队认为，加入木材（它会在大气中烧毁）可能允许重达一吨的航天器避开那笔额外费用，进行不受控再入。
另一个好处是无线电信号不受木材干扰，因此一旦卫星入轨，通讯设备无需专门展开。这将保护它免受油漆碎片等微小太空碎片的伤害，并应能减少来自游离大气分子的阻力，这是低轨道的一个大问题。计划于 2028 年发射到 400 公里轨道的 LignoSat2 将测试这一想法。LignoSat 团队成员、前宇航员土井隆雄（Doi Takao）估计，减少的阻力将使飞船的飞行时间延长约 50%。
木材也比航天器合金便宜。而且它能吸收振动，这对敏感仪器来说是个优点。它的绝缘性也比金属好，这意味着飞船的加热线圈不必频繁开启。
它确实也有缺点。太空的真空环境会吸出水分和有机化合物，使其变弱——尽管 WISA Woodsat 使用的胶合板实验表明，这种程度不足以造成影响。涂一层氧化铝保护层可能会有帮助。总的来说，小型宇宙飞船似乎很快就会效仿它们的海上同名物（船），拒绝使用人造材料制作外壳，而回归木材。
附注：
本篇 Flesch–Kincaid 可读性指标（估算英文文章纯语言阅读难度，数值越大代表难度越大，十分制）评分为 7.4。参考：2026年英语（一）真题四篇评分分别为 6.5、7.0、7.9、7.6，英语（二）为5.2、6.2、6.8、5.8 。在话题熟悉度，逻辑复杂度、段落结构线索丰富度方面综合指标（数值越大代表难度越大，十分制）评分为7.0。参考：2026年英语（一）真题四篇评分分别为5.8、6.5、8.2、8.0，英语（二）为4.5、6.0、6.5、5.2 。原文阅读链接为：https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/01/21/satellites-encased-in-wood-are-in-the-works ©图源水印/网络
