Who Was Neil Armstrong - 尼尔·阿姆斯特朗 THE DANGERS OF SPACE FLIGHT

THE APOLLO PROGRAM CAME AFTER THE GEMINI PROGRAM. APOLLO SPACECRAFT WERE BIGGER AND BETTER. NASA THOUGHT A MOON LANDING MIGHT HAPPEN IN 1967.
THREE ASTRONAUTS WERE CHOSEN FOR THE FIRST APOLLO MISSION—ROGER CHAFFEE, GUS GRISSOM, AND ED WHITE, THE KIND NEIGHBOR WHO HELPED THE ARMSTRONGS DURING THE HOUSE FIRE.
AS ALWAYS, THERE WAS A DRESS REHEARSAL¹ A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE ACTUAL FLIGHT. THE THREE MEN WERE IN THEIR SPACE SUITS, STRAPPED² INTO THE CAPSULE THAT SAT ATOP A GIANT SATURN³ ROCKET. A FRAYED⁴ WIRE SENT OUT A SPARK. IN SECONDS, THE SMALL CABIN WAS ENGULFED⁵ IN FLAMES. ALL THREE ASTRONAUTS WERE KILLED ALMOST INSTANTLY.
NASA ALWAYS WORRIED THAT SOMETHING MIGHT GO WRONG DURING A SPACE MISSION AND ASTRONAUTS MIGHT DIE. BUT FOR A SMALL MISTAKE ON THE GROUND TO CAUSE SUCH A TRAGEDY SEEMED SENSELESS. FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS RETHOUGHT EVERY STEP OF THE MOON LANDING. THE CONCERN FOR SAFETY MEANT A DELAY, BUT A NECESSARY ONE.

1 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

2 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

4 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》