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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Jackie: Hello I’m Jackie Dalton and today, we’re going to find out about space travel
and look at some science language. We’re going to do this with the help of Jeff
Hoffman. He’s a former NASA astronaut – an astronaut – a person who goes
into space. He’s going to describe what it’s like.
Some words to listen out for:
shuttle – meaning an aircraft that goes into space.
hydraulics – the parts of a machine that use the pressure of liquids to move
things.
launch pad – the base from which the shuttle is sent up into the sky, or
launched into space. You might also hear the word launch in other contexts,
usually meaning to start something.
Voice: We’ll launch the project next month.
Why don’t you come along to tonight’s book-launch – the author will be
signing copies of her new book.
Jackie: Try to listen out for ‘shuttle’, ‘hydraulics’ and ‘launch pad’ and also listen out
for another expression which we haven’t heard yet. What do people working at
the base say when they are ready for the shuttle to launch? Here’s Jeff.
Jeff: Well you get up, you start with a quick breakfast - if your stomach is calm
enough.
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Then the bus comes up to take you past the waiting photographers out toward
the shuttle towering on its launch pad.
you’re alone. And at this point, with all of the fuel inside, the vehicle is alive.
Then the launch director goes around the room and everybody gives their ‘go
for launch, go for launch!’ And you start the final countdown and then you
on and the whole shuttle shakes…
Jackie: ‘Go for launch!’ Is what staff say when they’re ready for the shuttle to launch.
We also heard the phrase ‘final countdown’. 4, 3, 2, 1 – that’s a countdown.
Now we’re going to hear mention of ‘boosters’. Boosters are a kind of vehicle
which give the shuttle extra power to take off and get into space. When the
boosters ignite, which means when they start burning, the shuttle lifts off. The
shuttle usually drops the boosters once it has reached space.
Jeff: Those last few minutes go by really quickly until finally everything starts to
the pants when the solid boosters ignite and everything starts shaking
tremendously
‘…and we have lift off - lift off of the space shuttle Endeavour on an ambitious
mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope…’
The shuttle goes supersonic in about 45 seconds, going straight up.
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Jackie: What was that word? Supersonic – faster than the speed of sound. Soon after
it’s launched the shuttle goes supersonic. And things get pretty noisy. What
happens next?
‘…and we have lift off - lift off of the space shuttle Endeavour on an ambitious
mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope…’
The shuttle goes supersonic in about 45 seconds going straight up.
I mean the power you’re sitting on is just spectacular. It’s a pretty violent ride
for those first two minutes when the solid rocket boosters are burning. Then
they fall off… all of a sudden it gets very quiet. The engines shut off, you’re in
space.
you’re weightless. You’re in space.
Jackie: You become weightless – you don’t weigh anything because there is no gravity.
Gravity is the force that pulls you down towards earth.
(the following is not included in the Mp3 version)
To finish, no more vocabulary, let’s just listen to Jeff Hoffman describing how
it feels to get into space.
Jeff: After having dreamed about his moment since I was six years old, I just got
this incredible smile on my face, I floated out of my seat, looked out my
along the coast. And I just couldn’t get rid of that smile and I think it lasted for
the entire mission.
点击收听单词发音
1 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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2 strap | |
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎 | |
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3 thumping | |
adj.重大的,巨大的;重击的;尺码大的;极好的adv.极端地;非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词);狠打;怦怦地跳;全力支持 | |
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4 rumble | |
n.隆隆声;吵嚷;v.隆隆响;低沉地说 | |
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5 straps | |
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带 | |
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6 racing | |
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的 | |
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