IELTS Vocabulary 23

Space Travel

Put each of the following words and phrases in its correct space below.

orbit – splashdown – astronaut – mission – dock – countdown

launching pad – gravity – launch – spacecraft – lift-off – manned

The first rockets to go into space carried no living creatures, but later ones had mice or even dogs on them to see how ……… (a) ……… (or rather the lack of it) would affect them. The first ……… (b) ……… space-flight took place in 1962 and the first ……… (c) ……… was the American, Alan Shepherd. Everything at the ……… (d) ……… was checked and ready as he walked out to take his place in the rocket. Thousands of people had come to watch the ……… (e) ……… and they were silent as the final ……… (f) ……… began: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero – ……… (g) ……… ! The enormous object raised itself into the sky and began its historic journey, to ……… (h) ……… safely in the ocean four hours later. Since then great progress has been made. Alan Shepherd simply went up and came down again, but now ……… (i) ……… , can go into ……… (j) ……… and circle the earth for days or weeks, or two of them can ……… (k) ……… in space, enabling people to pass between them. Each ……… (l) ……… extends man’s knowledge of space.

Answers:

a) gravity b) manned c) astronaut d) launching pad e) launch f) countdown

g) lift-off h) splashdown i) spacecraft j) orbit k) dock I) mission

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