A
Peggy Whitson's job demands a daily twohour workout in a gym where weight has no meaning and the view changes at 17,000 miles an hour.
Whitson makes it look easy. At 57, she is the oldest woman to fly in space, breaking the record in November, 2016, when she began her third longterm stay at the International Space Station. After returning home in September, 2017, the NASA astronaut felt matteroffact about the age milestone (里程碑)．
“It wasn't a record I was seeking out，” Whitson said. “I was 42 and 48 for my first two space flights. I feel lucky that I was able to get to do another one in my 50s. I don't think people should let age discourage them, even on those jobs that require some amount of physical fitness. The oldest man is John Glenn (at 77), and we've had male astronauts in their 60s before, so it's not that unusual to be in your late 50s and be able to fly in space. It was just a matter of time before women started flying in space at this age.”
On Earth, she stays fit by weightlifting, biking, playing basketball and water skiing. She shared what it is like to live in microgravity, “It is like you're in a swimming pool, but you don't have to worry about breathing. If I push off from one side, I'm going to float to the other side. Every direction feels exactly the same, which is really hard for your brain to grasp, but it is amazing how fast you adapt.
“It's a big shock for the body to come back to Earth — everything is so heavy. We spend a lot of time getting used to being back in gravity again. Back pain is really the most dramatic for me this time. For me, coming home is harder than going up into space.”
语篇解读：本文介绍了世界上年龄最大的女宇航员Peggy Whitson，她在57岁时第三次登上国际空间站。
1．What does the underlined word “matteroffact” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Amazing. B．Natural.
C．Enthusiastic. D．Unbelievable.
解析：选B 词义猜测题。根据语境可知，Whitson在57岁时成为年龄最大的女宇航员，她说自己不是在追求这个纪录，人们不应该让年龄阻碍自己。结合这些信息看，她对于这个年龄的里程碑没有很特别的感觉，因此该词的含义应该与B项最接近。matteroffact“不带感情的”。
2．How many months did Peggy Whitson spend in space for her third stay in the International Space Station?
A．About 10 months. B．About 8 months.
C．About 9 months. D．About 7 months.
解析：选A 推理判断题。本文没有具体说Whitson在国际空间站停留了多长时间，但她在2016年11月开始了她的第三次太空停留，且她在2017年9月回到地球，因此她在国际空间站停留的时间大约为十个月。
3．What can we learn about Peggy Whitson from the passage?
A．She is the oldest person to fly in space, breaking the record.
B．She is not the only female astronaut over 60.
C．She likes swimming most to stay fit on Earth.
D．She had been in space in 2002 and 2008.
解析：选D 推理判断题。第二、三段说Whitson在57岁成为年龄最大的女宇航员，故B项表述错误；年龄最大的宇航员是77岁的John Glenn，故A项表述错误；第四段她只是说在微重力状态下就像在游泳池里一样，没有说她最喜欢游泳，故C项表述错误；本文说她在2017年57岁时成为年龄最大的女宇航员，之前在42岁和48岁时到过太空，因此那两个时间可能是2002年和2008年，因此选D。
