Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

The Shuttle Era Comes to an End

The set of Space Shuttle missions run by NASA captivated the world and proved that reusable spacecraft could be used to bring astronauts and cargo into space. The Space Shuttle programme had a total of six separate orbiters, five of which actually went into space. The first-made orbiter was only used to gather data about how the shuttles would glide back to the earth. This shuttle would be brought up into the air by a specially modified Boeing 747 and released to glide down without any power of its own.

The Space Shuttle Era ran from the first launch on April 12, 1981, and ended when the final shuttle landed on July 21, 2011. During this time, there were 135 missions flown. Of the five shuttles that did go into space, two met with disasters that killed all the crew members aboard.The first disaster happened on January 28, 1986 when Space Shuttle Challenger ran into severe problems and exploded less than two minutes after take-off. It was a major blow to NASA as a school teacher was on board the orbiter, and the launch was being watched by children from schools across the United States. The second disaster came on February 1, 2003. After having completed its mission, Space Shuttle Columbia was returning to the earth from space. During damage done to a wing during its launch, the orbiter disintegrated as it hit the earth’s atmosphere during re-entry.

Because the Space Shuttle programme was running, it largely made possible the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttles brought astronauts to the station, replenished supplies, and carried actual pieces to the Space Station up from the earth.As the Space Shuttle Era came to an end, many space lovers have been left wondering, “What’s next?” There is still plenty to explore, so we will all just have to wait and see.

What was captivated in the passage?

A. The world

B. An astronaut

C.A mission

D.A space shuttle

n Janqry I9,200,6,NASA* launched a new spacecraft called New Horizons into outer space. New Horizons is expected to travel about 3 billion miles for 10 years at around 50,000 kilometers per hour and take pictures of Pluto (the last planet in the solar system*),its moons, and the Kuiper KY-pun) Belt. It will also analyze Pluto's atmosphere and temperature. Scientists say that now is our last chance to send a spacecraft to Pluto. Otherwise Pluto will become too far from Earth and it will be more difficult to get near the planet. The New Horizons mission is important because no spacecraft has ever been sent that far before. The information collected during this mission will help to explain what the outer edges of the solar system look like and how the solar system was formed 4.5 billion years ago. * NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration * the Solar System: the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, IJranus, Neptune, Pluto

the word 'its' line 7 refer to:...

the word 'it' line 8 refer to:...

n Janqry I9,200,6,NASA* launched a new spacecraft called New Horizons into outer space. New Horizons is expected to travel about 3 billion miles for 10 years at around 50,000 kilometers per hour and take pictures of Pluto (the last planet in the solar system*),"its" moons, and the Kuiper KY-pun) Belt. "It" will also analyze Pluto's atmosphere and temperature. Scientists say that now is our last chance to send a spacecraft to Pluto. Otherwise Pluto will become too far from Earth and it will be more difficult to get near the planet. The New Horizons mission is important because no spacecraft has ever been sent that far before. The information collected during this mission will help to explain what the outer edges of the solar system look like and how the solar system was formed 4.5 billion years ago. * NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration * the Solar System: the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, IJranus, Neptune, Pluto

the word 'its' line 3 refer to:...

the word 'it' line 3 refer to:...

DIch sang TVIet : Virgin Galactic to Unveil New Space Tourism Rocket Plane

Virgin Galactic will roll out a new version of its SpaceShipTwo space tourism rocket Friday as it prepares to return to flight testing for the first time since a 2014 accident.

SpaceShipTwo is designed to be flown by a crew of two and carry up to six passengers to the fringes of space. At an altitude above 62 miles, passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the Earth below.

After years of development, Virgin Galactic appeared to be nearing the goal of turning ordinary civilians into astronauts. The first SpaceShipTwo broke apart on October 31, 2014.

The investigation found that co-pilot Michael Alsbury unlocked the so-called feathering system that is intended to slow and stabilize the craft as it re-enters the atmosphere. Alsbury was killed, but pilot Peter Siebold, although seriously injured, parachuted to safety.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

A_________ is a spacecraft that is designed to travel into space and back to earth several times.

A. plane

B. corporation

C. telecommunication

D. shuttle

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question.

Where will you go on your next vacation? Disneyland? Sea World? Outer space?

That’s right; tourists are now paying big bucks to travel into space with astronauts! The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman. In 2001, he paid about $20 million to ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. The Space Station circles 220 miles above Earth. Tito stayed on the station for a week, hanging out with astronauts and eating space food. The latest space tourist was Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-born woman from the United States who went to the Space Station in mid-September 2006.

How safe is space travel? Apart from the risk of crashing, space tourists have some special things to worry about. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from dangerous radiation from the sun. Space travelers are exposed to more of the sun’s rays. But for tourists spending only a few days or weeks in space, the radiation probably isn’t harmful.

A bigger problem might be space sickness. Without Earth’s gravity to hold them down, visitors to the Space Station float around inside the craft. It may look like fun on TV, but it can make first-time space travelers dizzy and sick. Luckily, the sickness usually wears off quickly. Then space tourists can enjoy their trip and the amazing view of Earth.

It is probably so expensive to travel to space because_____.

A. Astronauts want to make a lot of money

B. Astronaut food is very expensive

C. Space equipment and fuel is expensive

D. There are high taxes on space travel