(共8张PPT)
Unit 4
Space Exploration
英 语
2026
晨读晚诵
导语:千百年来,人类一直向往能插上翅膀,飞出地球,探索宇宙的奥秘。然而人类对宇宙的探索并不是一帆风顺的,无数探索者用自己的汗水和生命铺设了人类通往宇宙的道路。
Following the Moon landings,space travel rapidly became unexceptional to the public,as innovations succeeded each other.By the early 1980s,the great rockets previously used in the American space programme had been replaced by the space shuttle.When the Challenger space shuttle took off on 28 January 1986,the world seemed to have lost its wonder at the amazing achievements of the astronauts involved.But this was going to be no ordinary excursion1,and millions of people tuned in to witness the take-off on TV.It was special because Christa McAuliffe aged 37,an ordinary teacher and mother,was about to become the first civilian in space.She planned to give two 15-minute lessons from orbit:the first to demonstrate the controls of the spacecraft and explain how gravity worked,and the second to describe the objectives of the Challenger programme.Christa hoped to communicate a sense of excitement and rekindle2 interest in the space programme.With the eyes of students across the nation upon her,she might have inspired an entirely new generation of astronauts and space scientists.
Tragically,she never returned to her classroom as the shuttle exploded just over a minute after taking off in Florida,and all seven astronauts on board were killed.The world went into shock,most people having assumed that this space flight would be no more dangerous than travelling in an aeroplane.How wrong they had been!Instantaneously3,excitement and optimism turned into terror and failure.It was the most disastrous space accident ever,and it cast a shadow on people’s hearts.
“I can remember that day so clearly,watching the take-off on TV at school,”said one student.“There was an ordinary teacher on the Challenger,and we were all very excited.We didn’t have much patience waiting for the launch.We had seen the smiling faces of the astronauts waving to the world as they stepped into the shuttle.Then,little more than a minute after take-off,we saw a strange red and orange light in the sky,followed by a cloud of white smoke.The Challenger had exploded in mid-air and we all started screaming.”
译文:
继月球着陆后,伴随着创新的层出不穷,太空旅行对公众来说很快就变得很普通了。到20世纪80年代初,以前在美国太空计划中使用的大型火箭已经被航天飞机所取代。当“挑战者”号航天飞机于1986年1月28日起飞时,全世界似乎对有关宇航员所取得的惊人成就已不再感到惊奇。但这将是一次不同寻常的短途旅行,数以百万计的人在电视上收看了飞机的起飞。它的特殊之处在于37岁的克里斯塔·麦考利夫,一位普通的教师亦是母亲,即将成为第一位进入太空的平民。她计划在轨道上上两节15分钟的课:第一节课演示航天器的控制装置以及解释重力是如何作用的,第二节课是描述挑战者号计划的目标。克里斯塔希望传达一种兴奋感,重新点燃人们对太空计划的兴趣。随着全国各地学生的目光注视着她,她或许已经激发了全新一代的宇航员和太空科学家。
不幸的是,航天飞机在佛罗里达起飞仅仅一分多钟后爆炸,机上7名宇航员全部遇难,她再也没有回到自己的教室。全世界为之震惊,大多数人认为这次太空飞行不会比乘飞机旅行更危险。他们真是大错特错!瞬间,兴奋和乐观变成了恐惧和失败。这是有史以来最具灾难性的太空事故,给人们的心灵蒙上了阴影。
一名学生说:“我还清晰地记得那一天,我们在学校的电视上观看飞机起飞。‘挑战者’号上有一位普通的老师,我们都很兴奋。我们没有多少耐心等待发射。我们看到了宇航员们步入航天飞机时向世界挥手,并面带微笑。然后,起飞仅仅一分钟多一点的时候,我们看到了在天空中有一道奇怪的红橙色的光,紧接着是一团白烟。‘挑战者’号在半空中爆炸了,我们都开始尖叫。”
【词海拾贝】
3.instantaneously / Inst n teIni sli/ adv.瞬间地
【理解诱思】
1.According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE
A.Most people had assumed the launch of the Challenger to be very safe.
B.The Challenger exploded several minutes after take-off.
C.There were ten astronauts in Challenger.
D.Christa planned to give three 15-minute lessons from orbit.
2.What do you think of China’s space programme
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
A
1.excursion /Ik sk n/ n.短途出行
2.rekindle / ri kIndl/ v.使重新活跃起,使复苏
提示:China is making great progress in space exploration and has made great contributions to mankind.