2020-2021学年度第40期总第832期
Building a space station (P6)
山东省烟台第二中学 赵娜娜

Lead-in
Do you know what this is a picture of?

The core capsule of China’s space station, named Tianhe

The core capsule of China’s space station was sent into its planned orbit at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 29.

Title prediction
Building a space station

What is the space station?
Why are we building the space station?
How can we build the space station?

Read for main idea
The Tianhe core capsule has been launched into the planned orbit successfully, making way for completing the construction of China’s space station.
Read for structure

Read for details
Read the text carefully and answer the following questions.

1. What is China’s “three-step” strategy for aerospace engineering?

2. What is the significance of the launch of Tianhe?

It brought China closer to its final goal of building a space station.
Tianhe is the future management and control center of China’s space station.
It kicked off a series of launch missions that aims to complete the construction of China’s space station.

3. What’s the image of the future space station?

China’s space station will be a T shape, with the core module at the center and a lab capsule on each side.

It will be able to support three astronauts to work and live in for a long time or six astronauts at most for a short time.

It’s divided into six zones, including zones for work, sleep, sanitation, dining, healthcare and exercise.

Moreover, the station will feature “smart home” technology to remotely control household appliances in the cabin through tablets, such as the refrigerator, water dispenser (饮水机) and microwave.

China aims to build the space station into a state-level space lab that supports extended stays of astronauts and large-scale scientific, technological and application experiments.

The station is also expected to contribute to the peaceful development and utilization of space resources through international cooperation, as well as to enrich technologies and experiences for China’s future explorations into deeper space.

Post-reading

What other achievements has China made in space exploration?

China's Tianwen-1 probe successfully landed on Mars on May 15, 2021.

Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of generations of scientists, China has laid a solid foundation for the fast development of its aerospace industry, and has achieved one milestone after another in its space endeavors, including manned space flights, lunar exploration, and its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

In the human space odyssey, China, with enthusiasm, diligence and willingness to cooperate, will help propel humankind to travel faster and farther.

Language study

1.As the countdown ticked down to zero at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 29, 10 engines at the bottom of a Long March 5B heavy-lift carrier rocket roared to life, generating a thrust (推力) power of 1,068 metric tons (公吨) to lift the 18-story-tall vehicle through thick rain clouds covering the coastal city of Wenchang.v
2.In 1992, China’s government proposed a “three-step” strategy for aerospace engineering by first building a manned spacecraft, followed by building mini space stations (Tiangong-1 and -2) and then China’s own space station.

Homework

Introduce Tianhe and the space station to your partners.