Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1, flight (n.) [flahyt] – a journey on an aircraft
Example: The flight
from Japan to the US takes hours.
2. reservation (n.) [rez-er-vey-shuhn] – an
arrangement to save something (e.g. a seat, room or table) for later use
Example: The family made a flight reservation for their family trip next
month.
3. contract (n.) [kon-trakt] – a
written agreement between two or more people
Example: The employee’s contract says he must work for five years in the company.
4. risky (adj.) [ris-kee] – uncertain;
having the possibility to fail
Example: Putting up a new company with little
money is risky.
5. tourism (n.) [toor-iz-uhm] – the
business of providing service for tourists
Example: Natural rivers help in promoting tourism.
Article
Read the text below.
Article
Read the text below.
Commercial spaceflights may soon be
reality, as several US space firms are already planning flights within the next few years.
Space companies such as Virgin
Galactic and XCOR Aerospace are planning test flights with their spaceships
this year. Virgin Galactic will be launching “SpaceShipTwo,” and has received
almost 500 reservations for
flights beginning in 2013. XCOR
Aerospace, meanwhile, is finishing its rocketplane called “Lynx.”
SpaceShipTwo can carry six passengers
and two pilots at $200,000 per ride, while Lynx can carry one passenger and
one pilot at $95,000 per flight.
The spaceships will climb to 62 miles
(100km) above Earth, enough for passengers to experience near zero gravity
and to see the Earth against black space. Aside from people, research
equipment from science and business organizations
will be flown to space.
NASA also helps in promoting these
industries by collaborating with these firms. Virgin Galactic and XCOR
Aerospace are among seven hired by NASA to do spaceflight research. NASA paid
them a total of $10 million for two-year contracts,
which experts say gave a boost to the commercial space industry.
At present, only seven people have
reached space using their own money, paying between $20 million and $35
million each. However, experts say spaceflight will eventually become
cheaper.
Although some believe spaceflight is
a risky business, others are more
hopeful that commercial spaceflights can open new economic opportunities, not
only in education and research but also in tourism and entertainment.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What
do you think motivated the passengers to sign up for the space flights?
·
Would
you say space tourism will be a strong business in the future? Why or why not?
Discussion B
·
How
can space exploration help solve problems in Earth?
·
Do
you think there is a need to make space flight commercial?
