Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 05 March 2013
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Married Couple Wanted For Mars Flyby
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- capsule: a small container; usually has a rounded oblong shape
- flyby: a flight that passes over something without touching down
- launch: to begin
- humanity: all of mankind
- living quarters: the space in which you live; your home
Comprehension Questions
- What is “Inspiration Mars”?
- Who is Dennis Tito?
- Why does the project team want a married couple to complete this mission?
Discussion Question: The crew selection process might be the most interesting part of this mission. What personality adjectives do you think interested couples should use in their applications?
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Married Couple Wanted For Mars Mission
“Inspiration Mars” is looking for one man and one woman to board a private space capsule for a Mars flyby. The 500-day mission is currently scheduled for January 5th, 2018, with a flyby of Mars on August 20th, and a return to earth set for May 21st the following year. The Inspiration Mars team says they want to send a man and a woman to represent humanity. They feel that the long journey in the tight living quarters would be most suitable to a married couple. The non-profit project was launched by Dennis Tito, the world’s first fee-paying space tourist. In 2001 the multimillionaire purchased a ride to the International Space Station with the Russian Federal Space Agency.
- Inspiration Mars is a non-profit project with the goal of sending a man and a woman on a mission to fly by Mars.
- Dennis Tito is a multimillionaire who was the first fee-paying space tourist.
- The team wants a married couple to complete the flyby because they want a man and woman to represent humanity. They think a married couple might be able to withstand the limited living quarters for this long journey.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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