Breaking News English

Scientists are trying to get humans to Mars. Researchers from the U.S. space agency NASA are [current / currently] trying to find out what kind of plants could [grow / growing] in the red soil [in / on] Mars. They hope that astronauts will be able to start growing [their / the] own food on the Red Planet. The journey to Mars could take [up / over] to two-and-a-half years. The astronauts will need to take a lot of food with [each / them] just to last for the journey. They will never be able to return to Earth, which [mean / means] they will [need / needy] to grow their own fruit, vegetables and other plants from seeds. NASA said there could be a [problem / problems] because Mars doesn't have soil [what / that] is good for growing things. It just has red dust.

Humans may be on their [weigh / way] to Mars in the next 15 years. NASA has been testing [specially / special] "Martian gardens" to see what kind of things might [grow / growing] on Mars. They have used a special soil made up of crushed volcanic rock. It contains [no / not] nutrients or organic material, so it is [similar / similarly] to the soil on Mars. The scientists managed to grow lettuce in it. They said the lettuce tasted [normal / normality] , but it had weaker roots and [got / took] longer to grow. They will now try growing [another / other] vegetables. A NASA spokesman said: "Discoveries made in these Earth-based 'Martian gardens' will [pave / save] the way for future studies and technology development in terms of [reliability / reliable] , efficient food production a long way from Earth."