Ofalltheplanetsnonehascapturedtheworld'simaginationlikeMars.Itsreddishcolorandchangesinbrightnessovertimemaketheplanetanunforgettablesight.InCosmosthetelevisionscienceseriesfromthe1980sscientistCarlSagan

Ofalltheplanetsnonehascapturedtheworld'simaginationlikeMars.Itsreddishcolorandchangesinbrightnessovertimemaketheplanetanunforgettablesight.

InCosmosthetelevisionscienceseriesfromthe1980sscientistCarlSagantalkedaboutsometraditionalideasaboutMars.SomeoftheseideasarefromtheEnglishsciencefictionwriterH.G.Well'sTheWaroftheWorlds.OthersarefromthemistakenscienceofPercivalLowelltheAmericanastronomerwhobelievedintelligentbeingslivedonMars.WellsdescribedMartiansasthreatening.Lowellimaginedthemasthehopefulengineersofgreatworks.CarlSagansaidthatbothideasinfluencedthepublicdeeply.

TodayMarscontinuestoexcitehumans—notastheobjectofsciencefictionbutofscientificstudy.SpacescientistshavecollectedawealthofinformationfromspacecraftsthathaveorbitedlandedonanddugintotheMartiansurface.

TheSmithsonian'sMarsDayofferedachanceforpeopleofallagestotouchMarsoratleastapieceofit.AllisonandAlyciafromSilverSpringMarylandbroughttheirchildrenGraceSamRyanandEmma.TheyheardaboutMarsanditsgeologyfromexperts.TheycouldseeatestversionoftheVikinglandersthatreachedMarsinJulyof1976.Theyalsosawmeteorites(陨星)knowntohavecomefromtheredorreddishplanet.Eight­year­oldSamlearnedthattheancientdescriptionofMarsasredisnotexactlyright.Hesaid“It'sactuallyorangishmorethanredandit'salsokindofbrown.”Emmaissix.ShelearnedaboutthevolcanicactivitythathasshapedthesurfaceofMars.Shesaid“TheclosestthingtoMars—thestuff—isfromvolcanoesmostly.”

MarsDayofferedAllisonandAlycia'schildrenachancetolearnmoreaboutaworldthattheyareverylikelytosetfootonwithintheirlifetimes.

40．WhatisParagraph2mainlyabout?

A．WhyMartianswereconsideredthreatening.

B．WhyMarshascapturedtheworld'simagination.

C．WhatpeoplegenerallythoughtofMarsinthepast.

D．HowH.G.Wellsgottheideaforhissciencefiction.

41．ItisimpliedinParagraph3that________.

A．today'sspacescientistsstillknownothingabout

Mars

B．today'sspacescientistsareveryinter