2020-2021学年度第37期总第743期
The long march to space
吉林毓文中学  刘媛
Lead-in 
Do you know what China’s first rocket was?
 

Long March 1
It launched our first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, in 1970. 

In 2003, the Long March 2F rocket successfully launched the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, carrying China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space. 
  

China sent two new satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space on a Long March 3B carrier rocket. 
  

The Long March series of rockets have made a significant contribution to China’s space 
 
Pre-reading
After reading the title“The long march to space”, what do you think the article is about?
Read and explore
Para 1
The introduction of the launch of Long March 7A.  
development. 
Para 2
The background information on Long March 7A.
Para 3-5
The characteristics and advantages of Long March 7A. 
Para 6
The expected workload of Long March 7A. 

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.
    What type of rocket is the Long March 7A?
    What is its first flight mission?
    What’s the meaning of its successful launch?

1. What type of rocket is the Long March 7A?
     The Long March 7A is China’s next-generation medium-sized carrier rocket. 
2. What is its first flight mission?
     It has sent a technology demonstration satellite into the planned orbit. It will be used mainly to test new technologies. 
3. Why is its successful launch meaningful?
     The successful launch marked a grand start of China’s next-generation rocket mission. 
Read the passage and find how the Long March 7A is more advanced than previous rockets.
 
 
Express yourself
Suppose the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology asks high school students all over the country for a new rocket mission. What would you want them to do?
  
Language focus
1. The rollout of the new type of rocket would fill a void (空白) in the country's launch capacity to the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO, 地球同步转换轨道) for payloads (有效载荷) weighing from 5.5 to 7 tons, according to the rocket developers from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). 
解析：该句中weighing...为现在分词短语作 ______。定语
翻译： 
根据中国运载火箭技术研究院的研发人员，新型火箭的发射将填补国家向地球同步转换轨道发射的有效载荷能力，从原来的5.5吨提高到7吨。
2. It had a maximum transport capacity of 5.5 tons to the GTO, making it unable to lift next-generation high-orbiting satellites that usually weigh 6 to 7 tons.
结果状语
解析：该句中making ...为现在分词短语作 _________。结果状语
翻译： 
它向地球同步转换轨道发射的最大运载能力为5.5吨，这使它无法运载下一代高轨道卫星，而这些卫星通常重达6至7吨。
Homework
Search for more information online about the Long March rocket series and share with your partners.