5.Discuss the to these questions with the partner.
· Is space travel useful to mankind? Why/ why not?
6.Give a short presentation on advantages and disadvantages of space exploration for the world. Talk about:
Use the notes to help you.
Remember to:
e.g. If we develop new inflammable materials, we’ll make great progress in space exploration
TEXT B
Vocabulary
online – 1. ðàáîòàþùèé ïîä óïðàâëåíèåì îñíîâíîãî îáîðóäîâàíèÿ, ðàáîòàþùèé â ðåæèìå îíëàéí 2. Ðàáîòàþùèé â îïåðàòèâíîì ðåæèìå (â òåìïå ïîñòóïëåíèÿ èíôîðìàöèè â ðåàëüíîì âðåìåíè)
to site – ïîìåùàòü, ðàçìåùàòü, ðàñïîëàãàòü
distortion – èñêàæåíèå, èñêðèâëåíèå
to twinkle – ìåðöàòü, ìèãàòü
to deploy – èñïîëüçîâàòü, óïîòðåáëÿòü
software – ïðîãðàììíîå îáåñïå÷åíèå
crystal clarity – êðèñòàëüíîñòü (ñòåêëà, æèäêîñòè), àáñîëþòíàÿ ÷åòêîñòü/ÿñíîñòü
èçîáðàæåíèÿ
overjoyed – î÷åíü äîâîëüíûé, ñ÷àñòëèâûé, âíå ñåáÿ îò ðàäîñòè
to pool – îáúåäèíÿòü â îáùèé ôîíä
1. Before reading the text answer the questions: 1. When was NASA set up? Why? 2.What field of research does NASA concentrate on?
2. Read the text and find the answer to the questions below.
The Hubble Space Telescope
(Extracts from the journal of DK Munro, Astronomer)
I can hardly wait – tomorrow Hubble comes online and we will move into a new era of astronomy. Ever since Galileo identified the planets in the 17th century we have looked at the stars and been disappointed. We have spent years looking for the best place to site our telescope, to minimize the distortion caused by the earth’s atmosphere, to find the clearest skies. Though telescopes have improved over the years, stars still appear to twinkle. We know that they don’t, it’s just the way the light comes into atmosphere. Now with a telescope in space we can see stars as they really are.
In a couple of hours, I will be able to see the first images from Hubble. All those years of planning – NASA and the European Space Agency have been working together for almost twenty years, beginning in the 1970s, and have pooledtheir resources to build this telescope. The space shuttle Discovery was deployed to put Hubble 600 kilometres above the earth. Any time now we can expect the clearest images of the moon, the planets and the stars.
I’ve just had a look at the first of Hubble’s images and all I can say is ‘Oh, dear!’ The pictures are no clearer than the ones taken through a telescope on earth. There seems to be a problem. Have we been wrong all this time and stars really twinkle? I don’t think so. There could be any number of reasons why Hubble’s images are out of focus. The people at NASA are checking the software, but it looks as if the problem is something to do with the mirror.
I’m hoping today will be a good day. The Shuttle arrives at Hubble and the astronauts will spend as much time as they can fixing the mirror. They have to fix the mirror so that it moves in and out to focus accurately. If they can do that, then we can try to look at the stars again and hopefully this time we’ll see them in crystal clarity.
At last, the astronauts have repaired the mirror and looking at images is just like being out there.
I wish Edwin Hubble could see these pictures. He was the scientist who first realized that the universe was expanding and would had been overjoyed to see the stars as clearly as I can see them now. Although Edwin Hubble expanded our outstanding of the universe, the telescope named after him will increase our knowledge of the planets, stars and galaxies we can now see properly.
1. Which project was run jointly by NASA and the European Space agency?
2. What place was chosen to site the Shuttle telescope?
3. What new technologies were deployed by investigators to get images from space?
4. What problem arose with the telescope? How was the problem solved?
5. Why was the telescope named after Edwin Hubble?
6. Could astronomers make new discoveries by using the Hubble telescope?
3.Read the text again and choose the best ending for the sentence.
1. Images of the stars are unclear because …
A of poor quality telescopes.
Bstars twinkle.
Cof the light coming into the atmosphere.
D the sky isn’t always clear.
2. Hubble was built …
A by the Americans.
B by the Europeans.
C over a 20 year period.
Din space.
3. A space shuttle …
A sent back clear images.
Blaunched the satellite.
Cbuilt the telescope.
Dput Hubble into orbit.
4. There was a problem ….
A with Hubble’s mirror.
Bwith the Space Shuttle program.
Crepairing the telescope.
Ddeploying the telescope.
5.Edwin Hubble was the first to ….
Anotice that the universe was getting larger.
Bsay how old the universe is.
Cdiscover new planets.
Dsee another universe.
4.Match the words with the definitions.
1 identify a. use something for a specific purpose
2 site b. get bigger
3 pool c. combine or share
4 deploy d. recognize someone or something
5 expand e. put something in a particular place