P re -re ad in g Sp e ak in g
Ⅰ. Talking about th e p ictu res
Look at the pictures above and answer the following questions:
1. Can you recognize these Chinese astronauts?
2. Can you describe these pictures with the help of the clues?
3. China has reached a milestone in human history with the successful launch of its first and second manned spacecraft. And the international world has hailed the victorious launch of China??s manned spaceship.
As a Chinese，do you think it can help boost patriotism in China?
And is it possible that some day ordinary Chinese could travel in space?
In what way do you think this space glory contributes to China??s position in the world??s competition over outer space exploration?
Ⅱ. Pair wor k
Work with your partner and answer the following questions:
1. Can you guess where and when these photos were taken?
2. Do you know who was the first person to set foot on the moon?
3. We all know that we need prominent scientists to develop space technology，but can you guess what politicians can do in such scientific work?
4. Open questions:
In recent decades，there has been a lot of controversy over whether man really did land on the moon. Some even claim that the Apollo 11 Moon Landing was just a piece of cleverly stage-managed ( 幕后操纵的) science-fiction trickery ( 骗局) .
- What do you think of such claims?
- Do you think the successful first lunar ( moon ) landing was just a conspiracy ( 阴谋) conducted by NASA ( 美国国家航空航天局) ?
“One sma ll step for a man ，one giant lea p for ma nkind. ”
P o s t -re ad in g Sp e akin g
Ⅰ. Pair wor k
Manned outer -space exploration is full of risks and challenges. So far there have been 22 astronauts who lost their lives in the history of manned outer space exploration.
Work with your partner and answer the following questions.
1. If you are qualified both physically and intellectually to be an astronaut，are you willing to risk your life for such an unforeseeable career?
2. Do you think it is worthwhile to sacrifice your life for the cause of outer space exploration? And why?
Ⅱ. Grou p d iscu ssion
Discuss the following questions in groups.
1. What roles can politics play in space exploration?
2. What are the main purposes of exploring space?
3. Do you think it is justifiable for developed countries，such as，USA，Britain，Germany，and Japan to spend huge amounts of money on space exploration?
4. For developing countries，some critics argue that the government should spend more money on some urgent and practical problems，for instance，education，food shortages ，poverty，etc. ，and less money on space exploration. What do you think of this view? Consider the case in China. Which areas of research do you think should enjoy priority in government funding? Research on improving people??s lives and work on Earth or research on colonizing other planets?
Ⅱ. Role -playing
Work in groups of five to six to perform a TV talk show.
The disputable issue is“Should the government spend large sums of money on outer space exploration? ”
People??s views vary as their positions and interests vary. Talk about this issue from different perspectives. Here are the different roles:
Student A: the host / hostess
Student B: a chief engineer from NASA
Student C: a curious teenager
Student D: a conservative senior citizen
Student E: a member of International Green-Cross Organization ( a non-governmental organization devoted to environmental protection)
Student F: a governmental official
Ⅲ. Assignmen t