英语听力精选进阶版 7135

Background: 维珍集团总裁 Richard Branson 向公众展示了世界上第一艘商业载人宇宙飞船。等通过严格的试航测试以后，六名乘客将有机会登上这艘子弹型飞船，真正感受宇宙旅行的刺激。

It’s 60 feet (18.3 metres) long, made of lightweight, fuel-efficient material and can carry eight people out of this world and back.

The first commercial spaceship was unveiled by Sir Richard Branson, who hopes to start passenger trips within two years. The price tag¹: ￡130,000 (1.4 million yuan).

"In time we hope to get that price down and down and down so that, you know, one day, people can think: 'Shall I take my family on holiday to the Caribbean or maybe we should try space travel this year?' That’s our aim."

Those that can pay will get the ultimate² three-hour thrill ride. The spaceship rockets to 62 miles above the earth’s surface. Passengers will feel weightless for up to five minutes before heading down through the atmosphere and gliding³ back to earth.

Organisers say some 300 have already signed up. Space, as a tourist destination, may be one step closer.

Glossary⁴ 词汇表

feet 英尺 

fuel-efficient 省油的 

commercial 商业化的 

unveiled 揭幕，揭开 

the Caribbean 加勒比海地区 

ultimate 终极的 

thrill ride 刺激的航行 

spaceship 宇宙飞船 

rockets 用火箭运载 

gliding 滑行 

some 差不多 

signed up 登记了

Questions and Answers

How many people can the spaceship carry? 

Eight.

True or false: The spaceship costs ￡130,000. 

False. That's the price of a ticket on the spaceship.

How long will each trip last? 

Three hours.

True or false: Space is already a tourist destination. 

False. It is not yet a tourist destination, but it is "one step closer" to being one.

1 tag   

n.标签，附属物，名称，谚语；vt.附以签条，尾随，添饰，指责，连接；vi.紧随，尾随

参考例句：

• Please tag your baggage.请在你的行李上贴上标签了。
• The clerk attached a price tag to each article.店员给每一件商品系上标价签。

2 ultimate   

adj.最远的；最后的；终极的；根源的，基本的

参考例句：

• What was his ultimate goal?他的最终目标是什么？
• The sun is the ultimate store of power.太阳是能量之本。

3 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

4 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。