四、閱讀測驗【請依照段落上下文意，選出最適當的答案】 第一篇：   High above us, swarms of artificial satellites orbit the Earth to enable global communication, map the planet, checkon the weather, assist in navigation, provide assistance during disasters, and monitor crops and military forces. Buildingsatellites, rockets, and human piloted spaceships is a big and profitable business.   The former Soviet Union put into orbit Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, on October 4, 1957. On January 31, 1958,only a few months after the launch of Sputnik 1, the United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1. Clearly, theSoviet Union and America were in the Space Race, an expensive competition for international prestige.   The Space Race was an important aspect of the Cold War. Initially, only America and the former Soviet Union had thetechnology and money to launch satellites. After the USA won the Space Race by landing humans on the Moon in July1969, Russian and American companies, along with others in France, Japan, China, India and Britain, wanted to get intothe growing commercial satellite business.   Satellites are usually placed in orbits anywhere from 300 to 35,000 kilometers above the earth’s surface, anddepending on their weight, they can cost from $10 million to $400 million to launch. The cost to build a satellite can be thesame or more than the launch cost. The largest satellite currently orbiting the Earth is the huge International Space Station,which was mainly built from large modules launched on the American Space Shuttle.   The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, became the leader in commercial space launches during the1990s. In 2003, humans first flew on China’s Shenzhou spaceship. During 2004, the privately owned SpaceShipOne madeits first piloted flights into space. Only by one, rich tourists visit the International Space Station. All these newdevelopments have added new excitement to the satellite business. Many companies are planning privately owned spacestations, and some are even thinking about putting tourists on the enormous natural satellite called the Moon.
51. Which of the following countries form part of ESA?
(A) England, Canada, and Japan
(B) England, Argentina, and Russia
(C) England, China, and Australia
(D) England, France, and Germany