1、中考英语复习-九年级短文阅读61.Space Travel for Common PeopleOn the night of September 15, a group of four common people from the USA went into space. It was the first space mission with no professional astronauts. The trip lasted three days.The mission, called Inspiration4, was the idea of Jared Isaacman, who pa
2、id the company SpaceX for the trip. Isaacman has long been interested in flying. He is a businessman and pilot.Isaacman was joined by Dr. Sian Proctor, 51, a college professor who was nearly chosen to be a NASA astronaut in 2009. Another member was Hayley Arceneaux, 29, a cancer survivor. She is the
3、 youngest American to fly into space, and also the first person with a prosthetic body part to go into space. Also along with them was Chris Sembroski, 42, a lifelong space fan who joined the team as a raffle winner.The four members were carried into space in a Crew Dragon capsule. It had a huge win
4、dow that offered them 360 views outside the capsule. The capsule traveled about 360 miles above the earth. Thats about 90 miles higher than the International Space Station. Whats more, the whole mission was run automatically. The four members didnt need to do anything.The Inspiration4 mission is see
5、n as the beginning of space travel for common tourists. Though it costs far too much to fly into space now, many people are optimistic about the future price of space travel. Air travel used to be very expensive, but now its affordable for many people, isnt it?2.Isnt That How Great Things Are Done?P
6、lastic pollution has become a serious problem in Kenya. Instead of sitting around and waiting for the government to solve all the problems with plastic pollution, a woman decided to take action.Nzambi Matee, a materials engineer, started Gjenge Makers Ltd. in Nairobi, Kenya. The company collects pla
7、stic waste and uses it to create bricks that are seven times as strong as concrete but weigh half as much. Even better, the bricks are cheaper than traditional bricks, costing only about a tenth as much.These special bricks are being used to make driveways, sidewalks and roads, but Nzambis goal is t
8、o create some that can be used in buildings one day. In fact, her company is already making a huge difference. “We right now can produce 1,000 to 1,500 bricks a day,” Nzambi said. “So far we have recycled over 20 tons of plastic waste, and we are looking to push that to 50 tons by the end of 2022.”W
9、hile part of Gjenge Makers goal is to reduce plastic pollution first in Kenya and then in Africa as a whole, their long-term goal is greater. According to Nzambi, they want to encourage other people, especially the youth, to do similar things in different places.Achieving the goals wont be easy. In
10、fact, just starting a company with such great dreams was hard. But rather than waiting until she felt completely ready, Nzambi simply got started. “Isnt that how great things are done?” she said.3.The Phone of the WindIn the Japanese town of Otsuchi, a white telephone booth sits in a garden on top o
11、f a hill. The phone booth, which has been known as the Phone of the Wind, serves a surprising purpose it helps people deal with sadness.The Phone of the Wind was built by Itaru Sasaki, a garden designer. In 2010, Sasaki set up the phone in his garden as a way to speak to his cousin who had passed aw
12、ay from cancer. Although the phone inside the booth was disconnected, Sasaki felt as if it allowed him to connect with his cousin. “Because my thoughts couldnt be sent over a common phone line, I wanted them to be carried by the wind,” he said.In 2011, a tsunami hit northeastern Japan and killed ove
13、r 15,000 people, including about 10 percent of Otsuchis population. To help the many people who had lost family members or friends in the tsunami, Sasaki decided to open his telephone booth to the public. The phone gave people a chance to say all the things they never got a chance to say to their lo
14、ved ones. A notebook could also be found inside the booth in which people could write messages for their loved ones. Since then, the telephone booth has helped countless people deal with loss.Sasakis Phone of the Wind has inspired others around the world. In 2017, an artist in California, USA set up
15、 a phone after his friend and 35 others died in a fire. Earlier this year, a similar phone was set up on Colorados Aspen Mountain for people who lost loved ones in the COVID-19 pandemic.Loss is a natural part of the human experience. When we lose someone close to us, it weighs on us for the rest of
16、our lives. Creations like Sasakis Phone of the Wind help make it a little bit easier to carry that burden.4.She Is FantasticAs the saying goes, its never too old to learn. Peng Shengwu, a grandmother who is still learning English at 80 years old, is a good example.Peng was a math teacher at a middle
17、 school in Yueyang, Hunan Province before she retired. She knew little about English. She began to learn it because of her grandson Tang Kaifeng. Tang has hearing problems, so he had trouble learning languages. In order to help him with his English studies, Peng began to go to his English classes wi
18、th him when he was five years old.At first, Tang was too shy to speak. To encourage him, his grandmother would often make simple English dialogues with him at home. Slowly, the boy became confident. He and his grandmother often greeted each other in English. Peng helped Tang with his English till mi
19、ddle school. During this period of time, she developed a strong interest in English and kept learning it by herself. In 2015, she entered a local university for older people.According to her English teacher at the university, Peng is passionate about English. “She takes homework seriously and often
20、raises questions after class. She seldom asks for leave,” said the teacher. “Some students are shy about practicing English dialogues and Peng often offers to help.”Its not easy for people her age to learn a new language. In order to memorize new English words, Peng sticks cards with English words o
21、r sentences on the wall or carries them in her pocket when going out. In this way, she can memorize them while walking or riding a bus. She also likes to listen to English while cooking.Learning makes Peng happy. For her, learning English is a healthy exercise for the brain. She is a role model for us all!
