Match ONE name with a suitable picture.
GAGARIN
PHAM TUAN
BUZZ ALDRIN
NEIL ARMSTRONG
NEIL ARMSTRONG
GAGARIN
BUZZ ALDRIN
PHAM TUAN
Unit 15 Space conquest
Period 1: Reading
Before you read
Work with a partner. Ask and answer the following questions.
Who is the first human to fly into the space?
Can you name the first humans to set foot on the moon?
Who is the first Vietnamese to fly into space?







1. The first human to fly into space is Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.

















2. The first humans to set foot on the moon are Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.


Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin








Pham Tuan
Pham Tuan and Gorbotko





3. The first Vietnamese to fly into space is Pham Tuan.






New words:
Lift - off
orbit (n)
cosmonaut (n)
certainty (n)
uncertainty (n)
precisely (adv)
deal with
psychological (adj)
psychological tension
telegram (n)
astronaut (n)
venture (n)
honour (n)

While you read


1. Paragraph 1 A. The tragic accident
2. Paragraph 2 B. The lift-off
3. Paragraph 3 C. Congratulations
4. Paragraph 4 D. A view on earth
5. Paragraph 5 E. Uncertainties

4-C
2-D
5-A
1-B
3-E
Task 1. Match the headings to the paragraphs

Task 2. Read the passage again and answer the questions.
1. How old was Gagarin when he became the first human being in space?
A. When he was 25
B. When he was 26
C. When he was 27
2. How long was he in space?
A. 108 minutes B. 105 minutes C. 100 minutes
3. What question were raised before Gagarin’s space flight?
A. What would happen to a human being in space?
B. How would the body react to the extreme changes in temperature?
C. A, B and “ How would the mind deal with the psychological tension?”
4. What was the speed of his spacecraft in orbit around the Earth?
A. It was more than 17,000 miles per hour
B. It was 17,000 miles per hour
C. It was about 17,000 miles per hour
5. What couldn’t Gagarin make a new space flight?
A. Because of a car crash
B. Because of a tragic accident
C. Because there were a lot of astronauts
6. What was done after Gagarin’s death to honor this national hero?
A. After his death, his hometown of Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin.
B. After his death, the Cosmonaut Training Centre at Star City, Russia, was given the name Gagarin to honour this national hero.
B. Both A and B
C.
B.
c.
A.
C.
A.
AFTER YOU READ
Complete the summary of the reading passage by putting the words/phrases in the box into the blanks.
Impossible named after lasted
Gravity success view
in space cosmonaut

On 12th April, 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Russian (1)______ became the first human being (2)_______. Although his flight (3) _____ only 108 minutes, its (4) ______ made him a national hero. He also became the first person to eat and drink in zero (5)______, and he was able to (6)____The Earth in a way that no one had done before. Unfortunately, a plane crash in March 1968 made Gagarin’s desire of revisiting space (7) _________. After his death, his hometown and the Cosmonaut Training Centre at Star City, Russia were (8) ___________him.

cosmonaut
in space
lasted
success
gravity
view
impossible
named after