Topic ReadingPeople and StoriesFionaSwanMar,23rd,2015Heroes1. National HeroChinas first manned spaceship lifted off at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 15th, 2003 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province. The spaceship, called Shenzhou V, was carrying Chinas first astronaut, Yang Liwei. Yang, who was a pilot in the army, was chosen from 1,500 other army pilots and started training for his space flight in 1998.The launch was very successful. “When the spaceship was lifting off, I could really feel the high gravity”, said Yang Liwei. “When the spaceship separated from the rocket, I suddenly got a feeling of soaring into the sky because of the zero gravity.”During the 21-hour space flight, the Shenzhou V circled the earth 14 times. While the spaceship was circling the earth for the sixth time, Yang Liwei spoke with ground control in Gansu. He was also able to speak with his wife and 8-year-old son. Yang Liwei had several tasks to complete during the flight and only slept in the spaceship for about 3 hours. While he was sleeping, the spaceship circled the earth twice. When the spaceship was doing its seventh circle, Yang Liwei showed the flags of China and the United Nations, expressing the wishes of the Chinese people to explore and use space peacefully.At 6:23 a.m. on October 16th, Yang Liwei landed in Inner Mongolia safely. He told reporters later, “The surface of the spaceship was glowing red when it came back into the earths atmosphere. When Shenzhou V let out its parachute, I felt the ship was shaking.” As Yang Liwei returned into the earths atmosphere, helicopters were flying to where he would land, ready to collect him.Millions of people all over China were watching TV when the spaceship landed safely. When Yang Liwei climbed out of the spaceship, he smiled and waved to the crowds waiting for him. Yang Liwei was happy to be home but he said, “I thought 21 hours was too short to stay in space.”Answer the following questions:1. How did Yang Liwei feel during the flight? How did he feel afterwards?2. what did Yang Liwei during the Shenzhou Vs seventh circle of the earth?3. How many circles did the spaceship complete while Yang Liwei was sleeping?4. What were helicopters doing as Yang Liwei returned to the earths atpmosphere?5. What did Yang Liwei do when he came out of the spaceship?Match the verbs with the nouns to form expressions. Then fill in the blanks with them:Verbs Nouns1. collect a) space2. complete b) wishes3. let out c) a task4. express d) gravity5. explore e) information6. feel f) a parachute1. One of the reasons people are interested in _ is that they wonder if there is life on any other planets.2. Before you start writing your article, you must do research and _3. You may watch TV after you have _ all your _4. You can _ when an airplane takes off and you are pushed back in your seat.5. When John jumped from the airplane, he _ his _ and floated slowly back to earth.6. Children often _ and dreams through art. their pictures show how they are feeling.Space HeroesIn the course of space exploration, 434 astronauts have made the journey into space. Men and women from nations all over the world have studied, trained and worked hard in order to go into space. Yet, it is not a job without risk and 20 of those people have died while in space or in space programme training.Yuri GagarinOn April 12, 1961, Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. He died only seven years later on March 27, 1968 in an air crash during a training session in the East of Moscow.Gregory Jarivs, Ronald McNair, Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Sharon McAuliffeOn January 28, 1986, these seven American astronauts (five men and two women) died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded soon after launching. Among them was Sharon MacAuliffe, a high school teacher, who was to be the first teacher in space. Millions of people around the world and many students in primary and secondary schools saw the tragedy on TV.ChawLa Kalpana(USA), Rick Husband (USA), William McCool(USA), Michael Anderson (USA), David Brown (USA), Laurel Clark(USA), Ilan Ramon(Israel)On February 1, 2003, 16 minutes before landing, the space shuttle Columbia exploded. The five men and two women crew, which included the first Indian Born woman in space as well as Israels first astronaut, all died.Here is part of US President Ronald Reagans speech after the 1986 Challenger disaster:For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and were thinking about you so very much. Your