China’s biggest solar-powered drone (太阳能无人机), Qimingxing-50 or Morning Star 50, finished its first test flight in September, 2022. The drone was built by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC, 中国航空工业集团有限公司).
Drones have been used for quite a few years now. There are different ways of increasing the flying time. However, all these methods become less useful compared with the unlimited (无限的) power provided by the Sun. That’s why researchers have been working to make solar-powered drones that can not only stay in the air for longer but also perform more tasks while in the sky.
In 2018, China tested the first version (版本) of Morning Star, which was 91 feet wide. Made from a special kind of plastic, the drone was so light, weighing only 41 pounds. Compared with it, the Morning Star 50 is much larger and has a wingspan (翼展) of 164 feet.
On September 3, Morning Star 50 took off from an airport in Yulin City in the Shanxi province in northwest China and landed back 26 minutes later after a smooth flight. Staff told some local reporters that all flight systems worked normally. This is a good start for future flights of the solar-powered drone that could last for many days or even months at a time.
In the US, Airbus has been testing the Zephyr solar-powered drones for the past few years. Its latest version, the Zephyr S, came close to breaking the record for the longest flight. It stayed in the air for 64 days. Unluckily, the drone fell onto the ground only a few hours before it would have set a new record.
1.Which one is an advantage of solar-powered drones researchers want?A.They’re cheaper than others. | B.They can fly in bad weather. |
C.They fly at a higher speed. | D.They can stay in the air for longer. |
A.Its look. | B.Its material. |
C.The power it uses. | D.The tasks it performs. |
A.It failed to land smoothly. | B.It flew for only a few hours. |
C.It set a new record in the US. | D.It had been tested for many years. |
A.To compare different drones. | B.To report a drone’s test flight. |
C.To discuss drones’ future. | D.To tell the importance of drones. |
A.The flying time of drones powered by nuclear is the longest. |
B.Solar-powered drones can only perform one task at a time while in the sky. |
C.Morning Star landed smoothly after a 26-minute flight. |
D.The Zephyr S finally set a new record. |

同类型试题

y = sin x, x∈R, y∈[–1,1],周期为2π,函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x, x∈[–1,1], y∈[–π/2,π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2


y = sin x, x∈R, y∈[–1,1],周期为2π,函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x, x∈[–1,1], y∈[–π/2,π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2

