Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions.
Substantial capital and engineering talent are now focused on the physical construction of hardware for Martian colonization. The development of heavy-lift rockets and advanced life-support systems is a clear pivot from scientific observation toward the logistics of permanent habitation. [I] The stated ambition of current space-faring ventures is to establish a self-sufficient human presence on the Red Planet, one capable of surviving and growing without constant resupply from Earth. Such an undertaking moves past exploration and into the realm of planetary transformation, a project far greater in scope than anything humanity has previously attempted.
A human arrival on Mars will immediately and irreversibly alter the planet on a microscopic level. The introduction of terrestrial microbes through crews and equipment is an accepted certainty, a biological footprint that cannot be erased. [II] Even the most stringent sterilization procedures cannot guarantee that no microorganisms will survive the journey and eventually thrive in a new niche. An event of this nature complicates the ongoing search for native Martian life, turning a profound scientific question into a race against our own presence. The planet's original biological state will be permanently compromised, closing a precious scientific window forever.
Sustaining a human population will then demand that Mars itself be systematically reworked. [III] Long-term survival depends on an aggressive campaign of resource utilization. Settlers must extract subsurface water ice for air and fuel, and process minerals from the Martian regolith for building materials. An entire industrial supply chain, from mining to manufacturing, must be built from scratch in this new world. These foundational actions will not just reshape the local environment but will represent the first permanent industrial marks made by humanity on another planet.
Current Martian ventures, therefore, mark a fundamental evolution in humanity’s role within the solar system. We are transitioning from a species that merely observes other celestial bodies to one that actively engineers them. The project to settle Mars is effectively the project to begin its comprehensive alteration, initiating changes that will unfold over centuries. [IV] In pursuing a second home, humanity is embarking on a deliberate course to create a new version of a neighboring world, one molded not by natural forces, but by human necessity.
(Adapted from ResearchGate)
Question 7: According to paragraph 1, current space ventures, by focusing on permanent habitation, are moving beyond the prior stage of ________.
A. developing the logistics for a self-sufficient presence
B. undertaking projects that involve planetary transformation
C. the monitoring of the planet for the purpose of research
D. the physical construction of advanced hardware for colonization
