Topic 8: Millions of dollars are spent on space research every year.

Some people argue

that the money should be spent on improving living standards on Earth. Do you agree or
disagree ?
) finite and exhaustible ,( ) open energy and material resources of space for human benefit ;( ) support
economic growth ) ,( an increase in business activity ;(
) cause the usable space to shrink ) ,( find a sanctuary ,(
) environmental monitoring ) ,( living environment ) ( weather forecasting , ( ) sustainable
development (
) technological competitiveness ) ,( in international business ) ,( human capital and high-level
expertise ;( ) the interest of young people in natural sciences (
) long-term commitments and funding ) ,( unaffordable to most countries ) ,( famine (
) make little progress ) ,( taxing and unrewarding (
In recent years, there have been more and more countries involved and interested in long-
term space projects. Because of the enormous research expenditures incurred, the value of
space projects has been disputed. Some people suggest that government funding should be
diverted toward improving the living standard of ordinary people. In evaluating the merits of
space ambition, one should adopt a broader perspective. The investment in space research can
be paid off someday in the future .
The first reason to support it is that our planet is now facing an unprecedented resource
problem, which can be tacled only by discovering and mining new resources on other
planets. The overuse or scarcity of some resources on the !arth is a severe problem. "are
metals, such as gold or silver, will eventually be depleted, as industrial production expands.
These metals and other natural sources, although rare on !arth, might abound on other
planets. In that case, conducting space research is a promising adventure .
#eanwhile, the world$s population is now growing to a stage where there are too many
people for the planet to support, highlighting the need to see land suitable for people$s re-
settlement off the planet. !ven if new urban developments are able to accommodate the
increasing population, water and electricity supply, waste treatment, sewage disposal and
sanitation will become unmanageable for the capacity of our planet. %s there are countless
planets orbiting stars throughout the universe, one can be confident that at least one of them is
suitable for our second home planet. #ars, for example, bearing a close resemblance to the
!arth, is considered a potential backup .
In addition to searching for a shelter for future generations, space programs contribute
considerably to the well-being of the !arth in some other aspects. &or example, by monitoring
the o'one hole, global warming, the loss of rain forests and other environmental threats to
human survival, remote sensing satellites help people trace the recovery from the worst
environmental threats and thereby improve the (uality of life. #eanwhile, space research
provides a new platform on which scientists can carry out experiments and mae new
discoveries in a variety of fields, such as agriculture .
%s suggested above, in locating new resources, positioning new settlements, addressing
environmental concerns and facilitating scientific discovery, space research will prove to be
not only worthwhile, but also crucial to the survival and sustainability of human civili'ation .
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1 . alue !merit! worthiness !worth
" . #ivert!redirect!reroute!switch
$ . %veruse!overexploitation
& . 'bound!be plentiful!thrive!flourish!proliferate!grow in great numbers
( . 'dventure!voyage!)ourney
* . +e-settlement!relocation!immigration
, . -ewage !waste water
. . /nmanageable!uncontrollable!unruly
0 . 1ackup!candidate!replacement
12 . +ecovery!healing!recuperation
11 . 3latform!stage
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