The missing tomato

陜西 呂 品

宇航員弗蘭克·魯比奧在國際空間站上度過了371 天，創下了紀錄。在此期間，他參與了多項實驗，包括一項嘗試在太空中種植番茄的實驗。不過，一顆番茄不翼而飛的謎團一直未解……

?主題語境：太空探索 篇幅：332詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1In September, 2023, astronaut Frank Rubio returned from spending over a year in space.His record and his efforts were celebrated.But questions remained about a tomato that had gone missing while he was in space.Now, the mystery tomato has been found.

2Mr Rubio set a record by spending 371 days on the International Space Station (ISS).He had expected to spend about six months in space.But he ended up spending more than twice that time after the spacecraft that brought him to the ISS was damaged.

3In his time on the ISS, Mr Rubio, along with other astronauts, worked on dozens of experiments.One of these experiments involved trying to grow tomatoes in space.Not only were the plants growing in space, but they were being grown with only air and water—and no soil.One goal of the experiment was to learn how to grow fruits and vegetables to help feed astronauts on long trips through space.

4Mr Rubio said that he loved working with those little plants and seeing them grow and develop.When the plants finally produced tomatoes, all of the astronauts on board the ISS got to sample them except Mr Rubio.He had lost his tomato.Because there is so little gravity on the ISS, things that are not attached can simply float away.Mr Rubio always believed that was what had happened to the tomato.The ISS is a small place for lots of astronauts to live, but it has many, many places where little things can get lost.Mr Rubio said he spent many hours looking for the tomato.But his search came up empty.He believed that the tomato had dried out and someone else had found it and thrown it away.

5Last week, the mystery was solved in a video call with astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli.“We found the tomato,” she announced.But it was unclear where she found the tomato or what it looked like when it was finally discovered.

Reading Check

Detail1.Why did Mr Rubio stay longer in space than initially expected?

A.He was conducting an important experiment.

B.The spacecraft that brought him was damaged.

C.He got lost on the ISS.

D.He wanted to set a new record.

Detail2.What was unique about the way tomatoes were grown in the space experiment?

A.They required special space soil.

B.They were grown in complete darkness.

C.They were grown without soil.

D.They grew faster than on Earth.

Inference3.What happened to his tomato according to Mr Rubio?

A.It was eaten by another astronaut.

B.It was used in some experiments.

C.It was intentionally thrown away.

D.It floated away due to low gravity.

Detail4.Who announced the discovery of the missing tomato?

A.Frank Rubio.

B.The head of ISS.

C.Jasmin Moghbeli.

D.A reporter.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日積月累

astronautn.宇航員

spacen.空間；太空

experimentn.實驗

gravityn.重力

recordn.記錄

spacecraftn.宇宙飛船

International Space Station (ISS) 國際空間站

spend over a year 花超過一年的時間

set a record 創下紀錄

long trips through space 長途太空旅行

float away 飄走

dry out 干透

throw away 扔掉

in a video call 在一個視頻通話中

Ⅱ.語法填空

In September 2023, astronaut Frank Rubio 1.________(return) to Earth after a recordbreaking 371 days aboard the ISS, exceeding his expected six-month stay due 2.________a damaged spacecraft.During his mission, he participated 3.________ numerous experiments, 4.________(include) growing tomatoes using only air and water, without soil.One goal of the experiment was 5.________(explore) sustainable food sources for extended space travel.Rubio was 6.________(particular) fond of the tomato experiment.Unfortunately, when it came time to taste the fruits of their labor, he discovered his tomato was 7.________(miss).On the ISS, unsecured items can float away due to minimal gravity,which Rubio suspected happened to his tomato.Despite searching extensively, he never found 8.________, thinking it may have dried up and been discarded by someone.The lost tomato became a small mystery until recently, when astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli announced in a video call 9.________ they found the tomato.The location and condition of the tomato at the time of 10.________(discover) remain unknown.