Want to take an out-of-this-world trip? Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible. Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to bee space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth. Branson has high hopes for his latest plans. It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind—one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility, he said.
At the start, though, the trip won’t be cheap. Seats aboard Virgin’s first craft—VSS Enterprise—will cost about $200,000. Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights. Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people—including celebrities(名人) Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal—have expressed interest in getting onboard.
People who don't have an extra $200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft. A puter game contest and a reality television show are in the works. Those who can’t afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat.
Virgin is expected to be the first mercial spacecraft. It will hold six passengers and two pilots. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints. The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction.
Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation. On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound. The journey will last about 2 1/2 hours. Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔). They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻) during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity. At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway.
【小题1】Virgin Galactic could be .A．the engineer of the first mercial spacecraftB．the name of a series of spacecrafts C．the pany of the first mercial spacecraftD．a passenger aboard the first mercial spacecraft【小题2】The space passengers will do all the following except that .A．they will receive a three-day training courseB．they will wear spacesuits and helmetsC．they will take about $200,000 with themD．they will experience weightlessness 【小题3】Which statement is true according to the passage?A．More than 30,000 people have got to travel in spacecraft.B．Many people signed up for space travel in spite of the high ticket cost.C．Those without much money could also go space travel without occupying the seats.D．The first mercial spacecraft will have six persons on board.【小题4】What is the text mainly about?A．The exciting moment of the spacecraft’s launching.B．The living condition of space tourists in the craft.C．Preparations for a space travel.D．Plans for the first mercial space flight.B
网友回答
(答案→)B
解析：
【小题1】根据短文中的几个关键词（第一段中的Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic；第二段中Virgin’s first craft；第四段中的Virgin）进行综合分析，Virgin Galactic (维珍银河)是系列宇宙飞船的名称，首次负担太空旅行的飞船叫VSS Enterprise。
【小题2】根据短文最后一段可知，太空旅行的乘客将要接受三天的飞前培训；他们将穿太空服、带头盔；将经历失重。短文中提到了进行这次旅行乘客要花$200,000，并不是说要带这笔钱。
【小题3】根据第二段最后一句可知：虽然票价昂贵，有3万多人有愿望进行这次旅行。
【小题4】短文以一个疑问句开头，作者马上回答了提出的问题，巧妙引出全文的中心主题。即Virgin Galactic (维珍银河宇宙飞船)计划使太空旅行成为可能。