Page 129 - Grasp English C1+ (Student Book)

Cosmology 9

C. Read the text. Answer the questions.

1. Is the author optimistic about life on Mars soon becoming
a reality?
2. What factors are preventing humans from colonising Mars?

D. Discuss with a partner.
1. What were the names of the American astronauts on the
first lunar landing?
2. When were the first close-up pictures of Mars taken?
3. What have probes to the area between Mars and Jupiter
studied?
4. What is the average length of stay on the International
Space Station?
5. According to the text, when might non-astronauts be
exposed to cosmic radiation?

6. What plans does Elon Musk have for future space
exploration?

E. Complete the sentences with words and phrases from the
text.
1. The saw two major world powers competing
during the 20 century.
th
2. Unsuccessful outnumber successes, leading
many people to question the point of space exploration.
3. The International Space Station has been in
th
since the late 20 century.
4. The time it would take a to reach Mars
depends on factors such as the position of the two planets.
5. Because Mars is smaller than Earth, it has weaker
meaning things weigh comparatively less.

6. There are likely to be humans living on the Moon before we
put a single on Mars.
7. There are a number of dangers with space exploration. For
example, in 2010 it’s thought that caused a
significant malfunction in the Voyager 2 probe.
8. One difference between an and a comet
is that the former is made up of rock and mineral, whereas
comets tend to be comprised of dust and ice.

F. Discuss with a partner.
1. If you had the choice, would you prefer to be a colonist on
the moon or Mars? Why?
2. What type of people do you think would be accepted into
a colonisation programme?
3. Do you think governments should be spending money on
space exploration? Why/Why not?

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