Question 11 is based on the passage you have just heard.

Passage One

听力原文

     While some scientists explore the surface of Antarctica, others are learning more about a giant body of water four kilometers beneath the ice pack. (9) [Scientists first discovered Lake Vostok in the 1970s by using radio waves that penetrate the ice.] Since then, they have used sound waves and even satellites to map this massive body of water.

    How does the water in Lake Vostok remain liquid beneath an ice sheet? “The thick glacier above acts like an insulating blanket and keeps the water from freezing,” says Martin Siegert, a glaciologist from the University of Wales. In addition, geothermal heat from deep within the earth may warm the hidden lake. (10) [The scientists suspect that micro-organisms may be living in Lake Vostok, closed off from the outside world for more than 2 million years.] “Anything found there will be totally alien to what’s on the surface of the earth,” says Siegert. 

    Scientists are trying to find a way to drill into the ice and draw water samples without causing contamination. Again, robots might be the solution. If all goes as planned, a drill-shaped robot will melt through the surface ice. When it reaches the lake, it will release another robot that can swim in the lake, take pictures, and look for signs of life. (11) [The scientists hope their discoveries will shed light on life in outer space, which might exist in similar dark and airless conditions.]

    Recently, close-up pictures of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, shows signs of water beneath its icy surface. Once tested in Antarctica, robots could be sent to Europa to search for life there too.

11. What do the scientists hope their discoveries will do?11. What do the scientists hope their discoveries will do?

解析：D。录音后半部分讲到，科学家们希望机器人的发现能帮助探索外太空的生命，因为沃斯托克湖的环境黑暗且无空气，与外太空的环境相类似。D项与此内容相符，其中Shed light on...life in outer space为录音中的原词重现，故D项为正确答案。

错项排除：录音中提到了similar dark and airless conditions（类似的黑暗、无空气的环境），但这与freezing conditions（冰冻环境）不同，通过上文可知，沃斯托克湖面以下没有冻结，因此可以排除A项。录音中曾数次提到water，但并不是指新的淡水来源，故B项排除。录音最后提到木星的卫星木卫二（Jupiter’s moon），但说的是科学家要先用机器人探测沃斯托克湖，之后可能再用机器人去木卫二这颗卫星上寻找生命，并没有提到科学家希望机器人提供其他行星的相关信息，故C项可排除。