2007年VOA标准英语-Fifth American Space Tourist Prepares for Journ

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
06 April 2007
 
Watch video by Valer Gergely

American computer software entrepreneur Charles Simonyi is reportedly paying about $25 million to fulfill¹ his childhood dream of flying in space. He follows in the footsteps of Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen and Anousheh Ansari - all space tourists who traveled to the ISS aboard Russian rockets.

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, center, U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi, left, and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, right, gesture after a news conference at the training center in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, 6 Apr 2007

Simonyi's trip will afford him only a few days aboard the orbiting international space station, under an agreement between Russia's Federal Space Agency and the Virginia-based firm Space Adventures. But he says he has big plans to perform a series of experiments, including measuring radiation levels and studying biological organisms inside the space station.

In training for the mission at Star City outside Moscow since late last year, Simonyi says the hardest part has been spinning in a high-speed rotating chair to help train against dizziness in space.

Simonyi travels to the ISS with Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov of Russia's Federal Space Agency. In brief comments to reporters at the launch pad Friday, Kotov promised his American colleague a smooth first flight.

Kotov says the crew decided² to name their expedition after a polar star, which he says is one of the most stable, predictable things in space.

Before returning to Earth with the station's current crew (Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and American astronaut Miguel Lopez-Alegria), Simonyi plans to treat his colleagues to a gourmet³ dinner. The meal of roasted quail⁴, duck breast, and rice pudding is planned for April 12, when Russia celebrates Cosmonauts Day.

1 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

4 quail   

n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖

参考例句：

• Cowards always quail before the enemy.在敌人面前，胆小鬼们总是畏缩不前的。
• Quail eggs are very high in cholesterol.鹌鹑蛋胆固醇含量高。