1、 2016 The College Board.College Board,SAT,and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.Practice Essay#8Make time to take the practice Essay.Its one of the best ways to get ready for the SAT Essay.For information on scoring your essay,view the SAT Essay scoring rubric at sat.org/
2、essay.5NS16EAs you read the passage below,consider how Bobby Braun uses evidence,such as facts or examples,to support claims.reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.stylistic or persuasive elements,such as word choice or appeals to emotion,to add power to the ideas expressed.Ad
3、apted from Bobby Braun,“Space Technology:A Critical Investment for OurNation s Future.”2014 by Capitol Hill Publishing Corp.Originally published inthe Hill,October 27,2011.1Aerospace remains a strong component of our national fabric and is the largestpositive contributor to our nation s trade balanc
4、e.However,this technologicalleadership position is not a given.To remain the leader in aerospace technology,we must continue to perform research and invest in the people who will createthe breakthroughs of tomorrow,preserving a critical component of our nation seconomic competitiveness for future ge
5、nerations.2For NASA,1past cutting-edge technology investments led to design and flight of theApollo missions,the space shuttle,the International Space Station and a myriad ofrobotic explorers that allowed us to reach destinations across our solar system andpeer across the universe.NASA remains one o
6、f the nation s premiere research anddevelopment agencies,pursuing breakthrough technologies that will expand thefrontiers of aeronautics and space.3Unfortunately,the pioneering spirit embodied by this storied agency is endangeredas a result of chronic underinvestment in basic and applied research.In
7、 a recentreport on the state of NASA s technology plans,the National Research Counciloffered a stark assessment:“Success in executing future NASA space missions willdepend on advanced technology developments that should already be underway.However,it has been years since NASA has had a vigorous,broa
8、d-based program inadvanced space technology.NASA s technology base is largely depleted.Currently,available technology is insufficient to accomplish many intended space missions.Future U.S.leadership in space requires a foundation of sustained technologyadvances.”4America is beginning an exciting new
9、 chapter in human space exploration.This chapter centers on full use of the International Space Station,maturation ofmultiple American vehicles for delivering astronauts and cargo to low-Earth orbit,development of a crew vehicle and an evolvable heavy-lift rockettwo criticalbuilding blocks for our n
10、ation s deep-space exploration futureand advancementof a suite of new in-space technologies that will allow us to send explorers safely intodeep space for the first time.1National Aeronautics and Space Administration2Unauthorized copying or reuse of any part of this page is illegal.5By investing in
11、the high payoff,transformative technology that the aerospaceindustry cannot tackle today,NASA will mature the systems required for its futuremissions while proving the capabilities and lowering the cost of other governmentagency and commercial space activities.Developing these solutions will createh
12、igh-tech jobs.6NASA s technology investments continue to make a difference in the worldaround us.Knowledge provided by weather and navigational spacecraft,efficiencyimprovements in both ground and air transportation,super computers,solar-andwind-generated energy,the cameras found in many of today s
13、cellphones,improvedbiomedical applications including advanced medical imaging and more nutritiousinfant formula,and the protective gear that keeps our military,firefighters and policesafe,have all benefitted from our nation s investments in aerospace technology.7For many of the tens of thousands of
14、engineering and science students in our nation suniversities today,the space program provides the opportunity to invent technologiestoday that will form the foundation for humanity s next great leap across the solarsystem.For this new generation of engineers and scientists,and for those workingacros
15、s NASA at this moment,the future starts today.Modest,sustained federalinvestment in space technology,at a funding level approaching 5 percent of NASA sbudget(well below the R&D2budget of many corporations),is the key ingredientto their success.A NASA that is reaching for grand challenges and operati
16、ng at thecutting-edge is critical not only for our country s future in space but also forAmerica s technological leadership position in the world.8Nearly 50 years ago,a young president gave NASA a grand challengeone chosennot for its simplicity,but for its audacity,not for its ultimate goal or destination,but to“organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.”In accomplishingthat goal,NASA not only defined what we now call“rocket science,”but also madea lasting imprint on the economic,