Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
Do Peru's potatoes have the right stuff? That's the question scientists will be asking in Lima next month, when a selection of potatoes will begin undergoing tests to determine whether they are fit to grow on Mars.
NASA, the US space agency, is conducting the pioneering experiment together with Lima's International Potato Center.
They will cultivate a hundred selected varieties in Marslike conditions that could eventually pave the way for building a dome on the Red Planet for farming the vegetable. Of the selected candidates,40 are native to the Andes Mountains, conditioned to grow in different ecological zones, can stand sudden climate changes and reproduce in rocky areas. The other 60 are improved varieties, able to survive with little water a nd salt. They are also immune to viruses.Those that pass the tests must meet a final criterion—they must be able not only to grow well on Mars but also reproduce in large quantities. “We're almost 100 percent certain that many of the selected potatoes will pass the tests，” said Julio Valdivia Silva, a Peruvian NASA astrobiologist (太空生物学家)who is taking par t in the ambitious project. The scientists plan to transport 100 kilos of soil to a lab in Lima that will
