考研英语真题(1990-)1990 ReadingPassage 1 In May l989, space shuttle "Atlantis" released in outer space the space probe “Magellan”, which is now on her 15-month and one-billion-kilometer flight to Venus
A new phase in spaceexploration has begun
The planet Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth; it is the only other object in the solarsystem, in fact, that even comes close to earth’s size
Venus has a similar density, so it is probably made of approximately the same stuff, and it has an atmosphere, complete with clouds
It is also the closest planet to earth, and thus the most similar in distance from the sun
In short, Venus seems to justify its long-held nickname of “earth’s twin
” The surface temperature of Venus reaches some 900F
Added to that is an atmospheric pressure about 90 times