Words & Phrases
[L104P1 & L104P2]

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Lesson [L104P1]

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Translation[L104P1]

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Lesson [L104P2]

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Translation[L104P2]

Index10

English USA
Lesson 104, Part 2

  音 L104P2J.MP3[634KB]

 

MARTIN:

There's a crowd already, Mel.

 

 

 

MEL:

The landing is always a popular event.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

What will actually happen?

 

 

 

MEL:

The shuttle will appear from that direction. It will land there. It's going to come to a stop right in front of us. The crew will get out and walk to that area.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Will someone greet the crew?

 

 

 

MEL:

Yes, there's always an official welcome. The radio and television people will also be there. They'll ask questions and take pictures.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Will you tell me something about the Space Shuttle? I've seen the smaller rockets and one of the big ones. Does the shuttle have the same kind of rockets?

 

 

 

MEL:

They are different in some ways. For one thing, they can be used again. In the old space flights, the rockets were dropped in the ocean. We couldn't recover them or use them again.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

How many rockets does the shuttle have?

 

 

 

MEL:

It has two booster rockets that help lift it into space. These drop off, and we recover them. It also has three engines of its own.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Is that all?

 

 

 

MEL:

It has other engines to help it slow down, turn, and so on.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Are rockets the same as engines?

 

 

 

MEL:

In this case they are. Some people call them rocket engines.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

What has this crew done in space?

 

 

 

MEL:

Several things. They've just repaired one of the satellites. Next trip they will repair another satellite.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

How will they do that?

 

 

 

MEL:

After the launch, they will go into orbit. Then they will catch up with the satellite. Next they will open the door and go out to the satellite.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Do they just go out?

 

 

 

MEL:

No, they have to be prepared. They will put on space suits. After they are outside the shuttle, they will fasten the satellite to the shuttle.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Has it been easy to make these repairs in the past?

 

 

 

MEL:

We've had good success on some things. It hasn't always been easy to find the problem.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

When was the first Space Shuttle? In the nineteen eighties?

 

 

 

MEL:

Yes, nineteen eighty-one to be exact. It was called the Columbia.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

One of the shuttles exploded.

 

 

 

MEL:

Yes, that was a terrible accident. It was in nineteen eighty-six. It took us a long time to get over that accident.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Will you send another man to the moon?

 

 

 

MEL:

Probably not. There will be other space exploration, I think.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

What project or exploration do you want?

 

 

 

MEL:

I want work on a space station. We can't go much further without a space station.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

It sounds very exciting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEL:

That was a perfect landing.

 

 

 

MARTIN:

Well done.

 

 

English USA L104P2J
Courtesy of Voice of America