The space exploration and Chinese legend 中国书写太空探索传奇

罗跃梅

几千年来，中国人民一直心怀探索太空的美好梦想。在过去的几十年间，中国在太空探索方面取得了举世瞩目的成就，这让中华民族的千年梦想一步步走向现实。

1 According to Chinese legend， there are many stories which reflect peoples dream to explore space. In ancient China， it was said that the gods lived in Heaven and were highly looked up to by people. This led to people dreaming of becoming a god that lived in Heaven. Luckily， with amazing achievements made in space exploration during the last few decades， China is taking a closer look into space.

·The Space Station Tiangong

2 The Chinese Space Station is named after the heavenly palace， Tiangong. According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office， the Chinese Space Station will be fully operational around 2022， and will have three main parts—the Tianhe capsule and two space labs， the Wentian and Mengtian experimental modules.

3 Tianhe means harmony of the heavens， standing for Chinas wish for open conversations and cooperation among international scientists as well as a peaceful world. Meanwhile， in Chinese， Wentian and Mengtian translate into “asking Heaven” and “dreaming of Heaven”. It symbolizes （象征） Chinese peoples dream to look into the mysteries of the universe.

4 On April 29， 2021， the Tianhe core module was successfully sent to space， marking the launch of the on⁃orbit construction of Chinas Space Station.

·The Manned Spacecraft Shenzhou

5 In Chinese， Shenzhou means the holy spaceship， and it symbolizes the pride of the Chinese nation. The Shenzhou?12 manned spacecraft was launched on June 17， 2021. Three taikonauts （宇航员）entered the Tianhe core module on the same day， marking the first time for Chinese taikonauts to enter their own space station.

·The Cargo Spacecraft Tianzhou

6 In Chinese， Tianzhou means the heavenly ship， a cargo ship carrying supplies for Chinas Space Station. It symbolizes a link between the Earth and outer space.

7 Tianzhou⁃2 cargo spacecraft was sent up and docked（对接） with the Tianhe core module on May 30， 2021， delivering （递送） fuel， space suits and experimental equipment.

8 From the first unmanned flight test to the first extravehicular（太空船外的） activity， China has now mastered the technology of automatic rendezvous （交会） and docking.

9 Soon， the first Chinese Space Station will be completed and the Chinese peoples dream of living in Heaven will come true.

[Reading][Check]

Ⅰ. Choose the best answers according to the text

Inference    1. Why does the author mention Chinese legend in paragraph 1？

A. To tell a story. B. To introduce the topic.

C. To reflect ancient life in China. D. To illustrate the authors opinion.

Detail 2. Which project is named after the heavenly palace according to the text？

A. The Space Station Tiangong.

B. The Manned Spacecraft Shenzhou.

C. The Cargo Spacecraft Tianzhou.

D. Change⁃4 lander.

Detail    3. What marked Chinese taikonauts entering their own space station for the first time？

A. The Space Station Tiangong was set up.

B. Tianzhou was docked with the Tianhe core module.

C. The Tianhe core module was successfully sent to space.

D. Three taikonauts entered the Tianhe core module on June 17， 2021.

Inference    4. What is the authors attitude towards Chinas future space exploration？

A. Uncertain.     B. Doubtful.     C. Hopeful.     D. Puzzled.

Ⅱ. Discussion

Among the three projects mentioned in the text， which one do you think is the greatest？ Why？

[Language][Study]

Memorize some text?centered chunks

explore space 探索太空

look up to 尊敬;仰慕

lead to 导致

dream of 梦想着……

take a close look into 密切关注

be named after 以……命名

stand for 代表

look into the mysteries of the universe 探索宇宙的奥秘

symbolize the pride of the Chinese nation 象征着中华民族的骄傲

on the same day 在同一天

a link between the Earth and outer space 地球和外太空之间的一种联系

send up 发射

come true 成为现实