The Reading / Listening - Level 5

America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has inflated a special room for crew members to use. The inflatable pod is an extension to the International Space Station (ISS). It is four metres long and 3.2 metres wide. It took three days to fully inflate. ISS crew members must wait a week before entering it to check if it is airtight. The blow-up compartment is part of a test on the feasibility of inflatable accommodation in space, and of orbiting space hotels. The demo capsule cost $17.8 million. This initial test should lead to bigger inflatable capsules at the space station.

The inflatable is the world's first blow-up space capsule. It was designed and built by Bigelow Aerospace. The company's founder Robert Bigelow has spent many years investing in and building hotels on Earth. He is currently working on a project to build two private space stations. These could be used as hotels in space by the end of the decade. He said he could see inflatables as a big part of space travel and tourism in the future. They are small enough to transport into space as airless units, but big enough and sturdy enough to live in, once filled with air.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002980277
  • http://www.gizmag.com/beam-habitat-second-attempt-iss/43573/
  • http://www.dw.com/en/nasa-inflates-space-pod-for-iss-astronauts/a-19291301


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. National Aeronautics and Space
  2. crew
  3. It took three days to fully
  4. wait a week before
  5. check if it is
  6. part of a test
  7. This initial
  8. lead to bigger inflatable
  1. airtight
  2. inflate
  3. capsules
  4. members
  5. test
  6. Administration
  7. entering it
  8. on the feasibility

Paragraph 2

  1. the world's first blow-
  2. the company's
  3. He is currently working
  4. These could be used
  5. by the end
  6. space travel
  7. sturdy
  8. once filled
  1. enough to live in
  2. of the decade
  3. with air
  4. founder
  5. as hotels in space
  6. up space capsule
  7. on a project
  8. and tourism

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has (1) ___________________ room for crew members to use. The inflatable pod is (2) ___________________ International Space Station (ISS). It is four metres long and 3.2 metres wide. It took three (3) ___________________ inflate. ISS (4) ___________________ must wait a week before entering it to check if it is airtight. The blow-up compartment is part of a test (5) ___________________ of inflatable accommodation in space, and of orbiting space hotels. The demo capsule cost $17.8 million. This initial test should lead to bigger (6) ___________________ at the space station.

The inflatable is the world's (7) ___________________ space capsule. It was designed and built by Bigelow Aerospace. (8) ___________________ Robert Bigelow has spent many years (9) ___________________ building hotels on Earth. He is currently working (10) ___________________ build two private space stations. These could be used as hotels in space by the end of the decade. He said he could (11) ___________________ a big part of space travel and tourism in the future. They are small enough to transport into space as airless units, but big enough and (12) ___________________ live in, once filled with air.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

America'sNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)hasi
nflatedaspecialroomforcrewmemberstouse.Theinflatablepodisanex
tensiontotheInternationalSpaceStation(ISS).Itisfourmetreslongan
d3.2metreswide.Ittookthreedaystofullyinflate.ISScrewmembersm
ustwaitaweekbeforeenteringittocheckifitisairtight.Theblow-upcomp
artmentispartofatestonthefeasibilityofinflatableaccommodationins
pace,andoforbitingspacehotels.Thedemocapsulecost$17.8million.T
hisinitialtestshouldleadtobiggerinflatablecapsulesatthespacestation
.Theinflatableistheworld'sfirstblow-upspacecapsule.Itwasdesigne
dandbuiltbyBigelowAerospace.Thecompany'sfounderRobertBigelo
whasspentmanyyearsinvestinginandbuildinghotelsonEarth.Heiscur
rentlyworkingonaprojecttobuildtwoprivatespacestations.Thesecoul
dbeusedashotelsinspacebytheendofthedecade.Hesaidhecouldseein
flatablesasabigpartofspacetravelandtourisminthefuture.Theyaresm
allenoughtotransportintospaceasairlessunits,butbigenoughandstur
dyenoughtolivein,oncefilledwithair.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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