中国科学家烧制出“月壤砖” ！网友：“搬砖”搬到月球了
Chinese scientists recently introduced an innovative brick type that they hope will be used to build the world’s first base and inhabitable houses on the surface of the moon in the near future.
Earlier this year, China became the first country to land a probe on the dark side of the moon and bring it back with valuable soil samples, and putting people on the moon appears to be the next logical step. However, China is already planning for the day when we’ll be able to build bases and other buildings on the Earth’s natural satellite, and to that end, it has developed a special type of brick designed to handle both physical pressure and high levels of radiation from the sun. The “moon soil bricks” will be sent to the moon to be tested until the end of next year.
Moon soil bricks were developed by a team of experts at the National Digital Construction Technology Innovation Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. They have a mortise and tenon structure (榫卯结构) to make them easier to assemble and are meant to simulate the composition of lunar soil. However, experts claim that it is essential for moon soil bricks to have certain properties. For example, the compressive strength of lunar soil bricks is more than three times that of ordinary red bricks and concrete bricks, which is equivalent to being able to resist a weight of more than one ton per square centimeter. Also, since there is a large amount of cosmic radiation on the moon, researchers want to understand whether lunar soil bricks can resist the effects of cosmic radiation on the moon.
The world’s first moon soil bricks will be sent to the Chinese space station on the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft. They will be tested extensively until the end of next year when Chinese scientists hope to know whether the new bricks are fit for lunar development.
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1.1. Why are the moon soil bricks developed?
A To build stronger houses on Earth.
B To do some innovative science in protecting the moon.
C To prepare for future lunar bases and habitable structures.
D To protect humans against the radiation from the sun.
解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第二段的“However, China is already planning for the day when we’ll be able to build bases and other buildings on the Earth’s natural satellite, and to that end, it has developed a special type of brick designed to handle both physical pressure and high levels of radiation from the sun.”然而，中国已经在为有朝一日我们能够在地球的天然卫星（月球）上建造基地和其他建筑做准备，为此，中国开发了一种特殊的砖，可以承受物理压力和来自太阳的高水平辐射。即“月壤砖”拟用于未来建造月球基地，是未来可能用于月球上建造房屋的建筑材料。故选C。
2.2. What achievement has China made about lunar exploration?
A It has already brought back soil samples.
B It has already sent people to the moon.
C It has developed and tested moon soil bricks.
D It has already built a base on the moon.
解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第二段的“Earlier this year, China became the first country to land a probe on the dark side of the moon and bring it back with valuable soil samples, and putting people on the moon appears to be the next logical step.”可知，中国实现了人类探测器首次在月球背面的软着陆，并带回了珍贵的月球背面土壤样本。故选A。
3.3. What property do moon soil bricks have?
A They are much heavier than ordinary red bricks.
B They are mostly made of soil from the moon.
C They must be used in more complex structures.
D They have greater compressive strength than ordinary bricks.
解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第三段的“However, experts claim that it is essential for moon soil bricks to have certain properties. For example, the compressive strength of lunar soil bricks is more than three times that of ordinary red bricks and concrete bricks”可知，“月壤砖”的抗压强度是普通红砖和混凝土砖的三倍以上。故选D。
4.4. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A China has successfully landed a probe on the dark side of the moon.
B Chinese scientists develop a type of brick for lunar construction.
C The challenges of inhabiting the moon include high levels of radiation.
D Moon soil bricks will soon be tested on the Chinese space station.
解析：选B。主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了中国科学家研发的一种新型砖：“月壤砖”，旨在为未来在月球上建造基地和可居住建筑做准备。故选B。