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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
Look at these pictures and describe them one by one. If possible, also try to find something relevant to talk about.
Hints: Picture 1
Space Shuttle Endeavour, the fifth and most recent NASA space shuttle, construction of Endeavour in 1987, to replace the Challenger, was first launched in 1992, captured and re-deployed (重新部署) a stranded communications satellite, in 1993 made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, in December 1998 delivered the Unity Module to the Intemationa1 Space Station; the orbiter is named after the first ship commanded by James Cook, the 18th century British explorer, navigator and astronomer, maiden voyage in August 1768, Cook sailed to the South Pacific，that explains the British spelling \
Picture 2
Space Shuttle Endeavour, circling around the Earth, large blue patches, the Earth's vast oceans, the grey and green part, the cargo bay of Endeavour, open, Endeavour's first mission to capture and re-deploy a stranded communications satellite, be much impressed by, this beautiful view of our Earth from outer space.
Picture 3
This picture was taken, before they were sent into space, American flag, seven astronauts, aboard shuttle Challenger, exploded during liftoff on January 28, 1986, lost their lives, the third person on the left, school teacher Christa McAuliffe, a solid-fuel booster rocket leak, led to a massive liquid-fuel tank explosion, during lift off from the launch pad; millions of American students, watch television in classrooms, as Challenger exploded, plan to participate in the lessons, Christa McAuliffe was to give, by TV from orbit, later, people around the world, watch the accident replayed (重播) from NASA videotape
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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
Picture 1
This is a picture of Space Shuttle Endeavour. It is the fifth and most recent NASA space shuttle to be built. Construction of Endeavour began in 1987 to replace the Challenger, which was lost in an accident in 1986. Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and on its first mission captured and re-deployed a stranded communications satellite. In 1993 it made the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. In December 1998 it delivered the Unity Module to the Interactional Space Station.
The orbiter is named after the first ship commanded by James Cook, the 18th century British explorer, navigator and astronomer. On Endeavour's maiden voyage in August 1768, Cook sailed to the South Pacific. That explains the British spelling \
Picture 2
This is a picture of Space Shuttle Endeavour circling around the Earth. The large blue patches in the picture are the Earth's vast oceans and the grey and green part is the land. This picture a1so shows that the cargo bay of Endeavour is open. Probably that was Endeavour's first mission to capture and re-deploy a stranded communications satellite. I am much impressed by this beautiful view of our Earth from outer space.
Picture 3
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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
This picture was taken before they were sent into space. We see an American flag in the background. Seven astronauts were aboard shuttle
Challenger when it exploded during liftoff on January 28, 1986. They all lost their lives. The third person on the left was school teacher Christa McAuliffe. She and six other astronauts onboard were killed when a solid-fuel booster rocket leak led to a massive liquid-fuel tank explosion during lift off from the launch pad.
Millions of American students were watching television in classrooms as Challenger exploded. They had been planning to participate in the lessons that Christa McAuliffe was to give by TV from orbit. Later, people around the world watched the accident replayed from NASA videotape.
Part D Home Listening
Listen to the recording and choose the right answers to each question you hear.
Note
USSR abbr. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1 922-1991) 苏联 habitable a. 可居住的
Salyut n. “礼炮号” (前苏联空间站)
predecessor n. 前任， (被取代的)原有事物 Vladimir Titov (人名) Musa Manarov (人名) Valeriy Polyakov (人名)
interplanetary a. 星际的, 行星间的 calamity n. 灾难
rendezvous n. 会合g 宇宙飞船的会合 dock v. 在外层空间对接 Shannon Lucid (人名) I. Mir Space Station
In 1986 the USSR launched the core of the first space station to be composed of distinct UNITS, or modules. This modular space station was named Mir, meaning Peace. Over the next ten years additional modules were launched and added to station. The first of these, called Kvant, contained telescopes for astronomical observations and reached the station in April, 1987. Another module, called Klystal, was devoted to experiments in processing materials in zero gravity. In 1996 Prioda, the last module, was added, bringing Mir's total habitable volume to about 380 cubic meters (about 13,600 cubic feet).
Cosmonauts have lived aboard Mir even longer than their Salyut predecessors did. In 1987 and 1988 Mir cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa
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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
Manarov achieved the first year-long mission. In 1995 physician-cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov completed a record of 14 months aboard the station. Such long-duration missions have helped researchers understand the problems posed by lengthy stays in space -- information vital to planning for piloted interplanetary voyages.
Then big changes took place. In 1991 Russia had taken over the Soviet space program after the collapse of the USSR. Beginning in 1995 Mir was the scene of joint U.S.-Russian missions. The joint missions were to pave the way for the planned international Space Station. U.S. space shuttles docked with Mir nine times， and seven U.S. astronauts lived aboard Mir for extended periods. One of them, Shannon Lucid, set the U.S. space flight endurance record of 188 days in1996.
By 1997 the 11-yaer-old Mir was experiencing a series of calamities that included computer failures, an onboard fire, and a collision with an unpiloted Progress spacecraft during a rendezvous exercise. Subsequent repair missions returned the station to a relatively normal level of functioning. The Russian Space Agency plans to abandon Mir and cause it to reenter the earth’s atmosphere in 1999.
Questions:
1. How many modules is Mir composed of? A. There B. Four C. Five D. Six
正确答案：B. Four
2. What is the record for the longest duration aboard the station? A. One year and 18 days B. 380 days. C. 188 days
D. One years and two months
正确答案：D. One years and two months
3. What is the significance of lengthy stays in the space station? A. More information about the earth can be obtained. B. More experiments can be conducted on board.
C. Their experience can be useful for future piloted interplanetary voyages. D. Some experiments on plants are time-consuming.
正确答案：C. Their experience can be useful for future piloted interplanetary voyages.
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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A. Mir was in service for a total of 11 years.
B. The computer system on board the station once failed. C. A disastrous fire broke out inside one of the modules.
D. Mir once collided with another unpiloted spacecraft during a rendezvous exercise.
正确答案：A. Mir was in service for a total of 11 years.
Listen to the passage twice and answer the following questions by filling in the blanks with the information you have hear.
II. Space Shuttle
Note
disintegrate v. (使) 分解 deploy v. 部署
remote manipulator arm 遥控操纵机械臂 cargo bay 货物舱
reusability n. 可重复使用 cost-effective 有成本效益的 rocket booster 火箭助推器
February 1, 2003 was surely another disastrous day that shocked the whole world and on this day, space shuttle \(分解) in flames over Texas minutes before it was to land, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
On April 12, 1981 -- exactly 20 years after Gagarin's pioneering flight as the first human in space-the orbiter \flew a near-perfect maiden voyage (首航) . Over-the next 17 months, 20 more shuttle missions were
accomplished. Shuttle astronauts deployed and retrieved satellites using the orbiter's remote manipulator arm. In space walks, astronauts repaired ailing satellites. They conducted a variety of scientific and medical research missions in a module called Spacelab, which was stored in the orbiter's cargo bay.
NASA had hoped that the reusability of the shuttle would make getting into space less expensive. The space agency expected that private companies would pay to have their satellites launched from the shuttle, which would provide a cost-effective alternative to launching by a conventional, \However, the cost of developing and operating shuttle proved enormous, and NASA found it was still a long way from reducing the cost of reaching Earth orbit. To offset these costs，the agency pushed for more frequent launches -- in 1986
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College English Listening and Speaking
Course 5 Listening Text (NEW) Recorder ： Cole Win Gao
they hoped to launch 24 missions per year.
Then, on January 28, 1986, disaster struck. The shuttle \exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing its seven-member crew, which included schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The tragedy shocked the nation and brought the shuttle program to a halt whi1e a presidential commission tried to determine what had gone wrong. The \disaster was traced to a faulty seal in one of the solid rocket boosters, and to faulty decision making by NASA and some of the contractors who manufacture shuttle components. After making several safety modifications, shuttle flights resumed in 1988.
1. What happened to the space shuttle \
The space shuttle \minutes before it was to land, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
2. What did orbiter \
On April 12, 1981 -- exactly 20 years after Gagarin's pioneering flight as the first human in space -- the orbiter \voyage.
3. What was NASA's original consideration in designing the shuttle?
NASA had hoped that the reusability of the shuttle would make getting into the space less expensive.
4. What did NASA later find out regarding the cost of using the shuttle?
However, the cost of developing and operating the shuttle proved enormous, and NASA found it was still a long way from reducing the coast of reaching Earth orbit .
5. What happened to the shuttle challenger on January 28, 1986?
On January 28, 1986, disaster struck. The shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing its seven-member crew, which included schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.
6. What was the cause of the \
The \rocker boosters, and to faulty decision-making by NASA and some of the contractors who manufacture shuttle components.
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