Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.

Word Pretest

For each italicized word or expression, choose the best meaning below.

1. I gave him my pledge I would vote for him.
A. promise B. plead C. pleasure
2. Her words stung him bitterly.
A. bit B. hurt C. pushed
3. The federal budget must be approved by Congress.
A. financial plan B. defence plan C. education plan
4. They do not have enough money to sustain a strike.
A. start B. maintain C. suffer
5. We had a substantial tobacco crop this year .
A. important B. solid C. large
6. What does it feel like to be a civilian again after 20 years in the army?
A. civilized person B. private citizen C. uniformed person
7. The members were unanimous in approving the project.
A. in complete agreement
B. in partial agreement
C. in complete disagreement
8. World War Two has brought changes to the fabric of that country’s society.
A. people’s wear B. feature C. structure

Key: 1. A 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. C 6. B 7. A 8. C

Text A

1. Background Information 　　　
2. Text:

　　　　　　　　Has the Bright Promise of the Space Program Faded?
　　　　　　　　　　　　

A Symbol of the Brave Human Spirit
　　 Throughout the 1960s, an enduring development that gave America faith in both itself and the future of mankind was the program to successfully conquer space. It has almost been forgotten that the U.S. space effort was a catch-up operation all the way, ever since the rude shock of the (former) Soviet’s successful launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial earth satellites, in 1957, well ahead of any comparable U. S. effort. The Soviets had much more thrust power; they launched the first inhabited capsule with a dog in it, and then in 1961 made Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin the first human to orbit the earth.
After the U.S. had put Astronaut John Glenn into orbit three times around the earth, President Kennedy made a pledge that this country would be the first to land a man on the moon. This was not simply competitiveness. The Soviet success had stung many parts of the American consciousness. It made Americans question the adequacy of the American school system and our basic competence and progress in science and technology, in terms of both pure and applied research. The space program became a major symbol of our dedication to the pursuit of excellence.

A Dream That Seemed to Blow up Right Before Your Eyes
　　After the 1969 moon landing, the space program focused most of its efforts on the shuttle program, whose purpose was both to add to the growing application of satellites in space to commercial purposes and to satisfy the military’s need for development of space vehicles and operations. The missions seemed less dramatic and there were some who questioned whether in a time of budget crisis, sustaining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program was worth spending billions.
　　Yet when public opinion was tested in 1981, a substantial 63%-33% majority said that the space program was worth the money and should be continued. The original enthusiasm remained essentially unchanged, even though people did not watch the launches and follow the shuttle flights.
　　Then on a cold morning in Florida on January 28, 1986, after several delays, the Challenger was launched, apparently successfully at first, but suddenly blew apart in sight of those on the ground and millions more watching on television. Among those aboard was a civilian, Christa McAuliffe, the first schoolteacher to travel in space.
　　A nearly unanimous 92% of the American people reported that they had been personally upset at the tragedy, with 63% saying they were deeply upset, as though they had lost a member of their own family. A 75% majority felt that there should be o further shuttle flights “until they find out what went wrong.” A 66%-29% majority thought a hard look should be taken to “see if more flights can be taken which don’t require risking human life.” A 54%-41% majority preferred concentrating on orbiting unmanned craft such as Voyager, which were capable of conducing “important experiments and learning important facts without risking human life.” Significantly, however, a 56%-41% majority rejected abandoning the practice of putting civilians on board space flights.
　　When asked if they, as civilians, were selected to go up on a space shuttle, whether they would go on a flight, a 56%-43% majority said they now would not. However, the division was essentially along gender lines: a 60%-37% majority of men said they would still go, while a higher 72%-26% majority of women said they would not.
　　But the most important result came when the representative group was asked again if they thought the space program was worth all the billions spent on it. Immediately after the disaster, a 63%-32% majority said that the program was worth it all. Support was shaken, but in the end, held nearly identical with what it had been back in 1981. the question that remained was whether the inevitable inquiry would alter that immediate judgment of the American people.

The Long Inquiry and a “Go” or “No Go” for the Space Program
　　A blue-ribbon commission headed by former Secretary of State William Rogers held public and private hearings, trying to find out not only just what caused the blowup but also how the failure could be corrected, and what the future of the entire shuttle and space program should be.
　　The Rogers Commission report was critical of many of the procedures that had been followed, but it did conclude that NASA was making the necessary corrections and was now capable of getting the space program back on track, and that the program should be continued. A 72%-16% majority of the public was willing to agree with that basic finding.
　　However, as with the Warren Commission’s investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy, the public had doubts about just how forthcoming the final report was. By 51% to 40% , a majority expressed doubt that the “full story of what happened in the disaster of the Challenger had come out.” By 52% to 25% , another majority did not feel that “those to blame for the Challenger disaster have been identified and have been fired or their companies fired.” This meant that the delicate balance the Rogers Commission sought, between assigning responsibility and preserving the basic infrastructure and effectiveness of NASA, had not quite been accepted by the American people themselves.
　　Form the beginning of the Rogers inquiry, a key consideration for the future of the national space effort lay in the substantial $2.8 billion it would cost to build another shuttle, if that part of the program was to be continued. The question was whether or not this could be done without a fairly increase in the total NASA budget, at a time when such rises in spending for any program were almost impossible.
　　The Reagan administration avoids taking firm action on this issue. It advocated no change in the NASA budget ---- in effect, a freeze ---- but, at the same time, recommended that a new shuttle be built for $2.8 billion, saying that funding could be found without increasing the budget.
In the end, by 60% to 36%, the public agreed with the president’s recommendation to freeze the NASA budget, even though seven in ten were doubtful that the Moines for the new shuttle could be found in the current budget. At the same time, a 62%-35% majority still said the shuttle program was worth the billions that would have to be spent on it.

Observation
　　Basically, the American people do not want the space program to be either stopped or cut back to a point where it will lose its effectiveness. But they are not prepared to break the federal budget to build a shuttle that blows up in space.
　　In other word, the American people’s confidence in NASA was deeply shaken by the Challenger disaster, to the point where they are not sure they want to put additional precious funds into the program. At the same time, they are not willing to see the dream that became part of the fabric of American life abandoned. If NASA can really put its act together, they seem to be saying, then the faith of today can be turned into real dollar support later on.

Total Word: 1190 words
Total Reading Time _______
_______
This text is based on “Has the Bright Promise of the Space Program Faded?” in Inside America by Louis Harris.

Detailed Study of Text A

◆ Reading Skill ─ Scanning
Read each of the questions first, locate the relevant part of the text, and then find the correct answer.

1. The first human to orbit the earth was only _______ after the first artificial earth satellite had been launched into the sky.
A. 3 years B. 4 years C. 5 years
2. President Kennedy pledged that the U.S. would be the first to send ______onto the moon.
A. a dog B. a man C. a molecule
3. The first human landed on the moon took place in ______,
A. 1961 B. 1969 C. 1981
4. Among the victims of the Challenger disaster in 1986 was a schoolteacher whose name was ______.
A. Christie Macaulishe
B. Christina McAulay
C. Christa McAuliffe
5. After the disaster, the opinion poll showed that a ______ majority were for orbiting craft did not carry any man.
A. 66%-29% B. 56%-41% C. 54%-41%
6. When people asked if they were given a chance to choose to go up on a space craft, ______ of people said they would not at least at present.
A. 43% B. 56% C. 60%
7. After the disaster, a special commission was set up to investigate the real cause of the failure, whose name was _______.
A. the Warren Commission
B. The blue-ribbon Commission
C. The Rogers Commission
8. A _______ majority of the public doubted if the final report made by the commission would be full to the facts.
A. 72%-16% B. 51%-40% C. 52%-25%

Key:1. B 2. B 3. B 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. B 8. B

Vocabulary Building

I. Fill in each blank with one of the given words in its correct form.　
enormity 　delicate　 　behave　　 pursue
replace 　　adhere 　deduction　　 opt

1. According to the investigation, he _______ that the criminal had already left the city to other place.
2. You have to judge a person according not only to his words but also his _______
3. If you decide on a plan to accomplish the project, you should _______to it .
4. Your worn-out bike tyres need _______. Otherwise you’ll soon have on bike to ride.
5. Do I have any _______ on the job? Or must I do it?
6. Nowadays crabs have become rare _______ for many ordinary people.
7. He is rich; he has _______ amount of money.
8. He likes reading novels, so you can say reading novels is his _______.

Key: 1. deducted 2. behavior 3.adhere 4. replaced
5.options 6.delicacy 7.enormous 8.persuit

II. Fill in the blanks with words that are often confused.

1. inquire, require
a. She _______ of me most politely whether I wished to continue.
b. The situation _______ that I should be there.
c. We must _______ further into the matter.
d. I have done all that is _______ by law.
2. comparable, compatible
a. The couple separated because they were not _______.
b. The achievements of an athlete and a writer are _______.
c. This printer is _______ with most personal computers.
d. His work is _______ with the very best.

Key: 1. a. inquired b.required c. inquire d.required
2.a.compatible b.comparable c. compatible d. comparable

Ⅲ. Glossary
astronomy 　　astronomer　　 celestial body 　　　cosmos
meridian 　　　zenith 　　　　galaxy 　　　　　　solar system
the Milky Way 　black hole 　　constellation 　　　nebula
star cluster 　　asteroid 　　　meteor 　　　　　　shooting star
comet 　　　　Mercury　　　　 Venus 　　　　　　Mother Earth
Mars　　　　　Jupiter 　　　　Saturn　　　　　　 Uranus
Neptune 　　　Pluto 　　　　interplanetary flight 　　launch-pad
count-down 　aeronautics 　　spaceman 　　　　　touch-down

4. Cloze
Fill in each blank with one suitable word.

　　The space age began on October 4, 1957, when Sputnik I was launched. This first man-made _______ was followed by many others, _______ of which went around the sun. now the conquest of the _______ between the planets, and between the earth and the sun, continues at a rapid rate.
　　Each new satellite and space probe gives nscientists new information. As men explore outer space, some of the questions they have long _______ about will be answered at last.
　　The greatest question of all concerns life itself. Is there intelligent _______ outside the earth? Are there people, or creatures of some _______, living on Mars, Venus, or some other planet of the solar system? Are there planets _______ around stars other than our own sun?
　　The only kind of life we know about would _______ to be upon a planet. Only a planet would have the temperatures and gases that all _______ things seem to need. Until a short time ago, we thought there _______ only a few planets. Today, scientists _______ that many stars have planets going around them.
We know that there are nine planets in our _______ solar system Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Plato. If any other planets exist in our _______ system, or anywhere else, our telescopes are not powerful enough to pick up their feeble reflected light. But astronomers guess that one star in a hundred has at least one planet _______ life could exist.
　　We are quite sure that life could begin on a young planet. A new planet would be _______ to contain great seas, together with heavy clouds of water vapor and other gases. Electric storms would be common. It is possible that simple _______ cells might form when electricity passed through the clouds. An experiment made in 1952 at the university of Chicago seems to prove this. By passing electricity _______ nonliving materials, scientists made cells like those of living creatures.

Key: 1. satellite 2. all 3. space 4. asked 5. lives/creatures
7. others 7.going 8.come 9. living 10. exist 11. believe
12.existing/present 13. solar 14. where 15. found 16.electric
17.through