Throughout the Cold War，Asia kept pretty much to itself as the United States and Soviet Union staged a“first-to-the-moon”race．Now Asian nations are quietly caught up in their own space race．
While Japanese astronauts have traveled to outer space aboard American and Russian crafts，China could soon become the first Asian nation to launch a spacecraft．Even the Democratic People's Republic of Korea（DPRK），although allegedly impoverished by famine，claims to have put into orbit an unmanned satellite．
Most ambitious of all has been Japan，which has sent a satellite around the moon，launched a probe—currently on its way to Mars—and is the only Asian country to become part of the US-led international space station．
Like the Cold War space race，Asia's ambitions are motivated more by strategic factors than by lofty scientific goals．China is seeking to improve its satellite communications．Tokyo has vowed to launch the na- tion's first spy satellite in 2003 and，with the help of the United States，set up a state-of-the-art regional missile defense system．Japanese officials prefer not to comment on whether they are being drawn into a regional space race，but government reaction to the new threat from DPRK indicates that is indeed the case．
1．What is the main idea of the passage？
A）Japan may even set up a missile defense system with the help of the US．
B）A new space race has started in Asia after the end of the Cold War between the USand the former Soviet Union．
C）Many countries have launched their satellites around the moon．
D）Japan is the most ambitious counrty in the space race after the Cold War．
2．Which of the following is not true in Japan according to the passage？
A）It has sent a satellite around the Mars．
B）It has launched a probe to Mars．
C）It wants to launch a spy satellite after 2000．
D）It will set up a regional missile defense system．
3．“Now Asian nations are quietly caught up in their own space race．” means ．
A）Asian nations are developing space technology to improve missile systems
B）The space race in Asia becomes a quiet issue
C）all the nations in Asia are ambitious in space race
D）quietly，a new space race has started in Asia
4．What motivates Asia's ambitions in the space race according to the passage？
A）Improvement of satellite communications．
B）Lofty scientific goals．
C）Some strategic factors．
D）Reactions to the new threat of the outer space．
5．What is the best title of this passage？
A）Japan Gains Speed in the Space Race．
B）China Becomes the First Nation in Asia to Launch a Spacecraft．
C）Asians Look for Lift-off in Space．
D）DPRK Put an Unmanned Satellite into Orbit．
参考答案：BADCC
