Topic “ Yuri Gagarin (09.03.1934 - 27.03.1968) – the first cosmonaut.
/ Skimming reading /
Vocabulary work.
ASTRONAUT
In 1961 on the 12th of April, a Russian man called Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to travel into outer space. Eight years later, a man called Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon and step onto another world away from the Earth.
Astronauts are trained to pilot, command or work as a crew member of a spacecraft. They can also perform scientific experiments, repair damaged satellites and collect information about other distant planets and stars.
Space is an extremely dangerous place for a human being. For this reason astronauts wear space suits which allow them to breathe. If an astronaut did not wear a space suit for protection, they would explode. This is because human body is not built to function without pressure of the Earth’s atmosphere.
1. Найдите в тексте ответы на вопросы:
1) Who was the first human being to travel into outer space?
2) In which year did this take place?
3) Who became the first man to walk on the moon?
4) What do astronauts wear for protection in space?
5) If an astronaut went to space without a space suit, what would happen?
2. Сопоставьте вопросы и ответы. (8 points) / one is extra /
1. Where was the first cosmonaut from? a) Because human body is not built to function without 2. When did the first man walk in the function without pressure of the Earth’s atmosphere,
moon? b) In 1969.
3. What do astronauts do in space? c) Neil Armstrong.
4. Why can’t a human being do without a d) Russia.
space suit in outer space? e) They perform scientific experiments, repair
damaged satellites and collect information about
other distant planets and stars.
outer [ˈaʊtə]
Выпишите из текста синонимы данных слов (слова в тексте выделены). (14 points)
carry out, cosmonaut, enable, far, fix, person, spaceship
carry out - perform,
cosmonaut - astronaut,
enable - allow,
far - distance,
fix - repair,
person – human being,
spaceship – spacecraft
Запишите слова в подходящую колонку таблицы. (15 points)
| PEOPLE | THINGS IN SPACE | VERBS |
astronaut, astronomer, construct, cosmonaut, engineer, galaxy, launch, orbit, perform, planet, repair, satellite, scientist, star, travel
V. Reading.
Yuri Gagarin (09.03.1934 - 27.03.1968) - Russian pilot and cosmonaut.
Early Life
Yuri Gagarin was born on 9 March 1934 in the village of Klushino. There were four children in the family and Yuri was the third. His father, Alexey, was an able carpenter. Both father and mother worked on a collective farm. It is also known that his mother, Anna, was a voracious reader. As parents worked their daughter helped them to bring up Yuri. In World War II the Gagarins underwent Nazi occupation and their dwelling was taken over. The family had to build a mud hut and they lived there for almost two years till the occupation ended.
Career in the Soviet Air Force
When Yuri was young he took an interest in planets and cosmos. Gagarin studied at a vocational technical school and then was chosen for training at a technical high school which was located in Saratov. Afterwards Yuri affiliated himself with the “AeroClub” and tried to fly a light aircraft.
From 1955 Gagarin studied at the Orenburg Pilot’s School. He made the acquaintance of Valentina Goryacheva there. Two years later Yuri married her. Post-graduation Gagarin served at Luostari airbase. Bad weather conditions of this region made flying perilous. On 5 November 1957 Gagarin became a Lieutenant. In 1959 his rank was Senior Lieutenant.
Career in the Soviet space program
In 1960 the 20 pilots including Gagarin were chosen for the Soviet space program. Subsequently he was chosen for an elite training group. All the pilots were tested for both psychological and physical staying power. At the end of the test program Gherman Titov and Yuri Gagarin were selected because their results were the best. Moreover, physical characteristics of these cosmonauts were the most appropriate. They both were not tall. Gagarin’s height was 1.57 metres.
Gagarin’s character was described as humble, attentive and persistent. He also had a good memory, vivid imagination, fast response and other mental faculties. An Air Force doctor considered that Gagarin understood life better than others. It should be noted that Yuri liked sports. He played ice hockey and was a basketball fan.
It is known that when the twenty pilots chose anonymously one of them for the first flight, all but three voted for Yuri Gagarin.
Space flight
On 12 April 1961 the first human travelled into cosmos. Gagarin was aboard the Vostok 1 and he orbited the earth. This great event made Yuri Gagarin famous and he received a lot of honours and medals. Gagarin became Hero of the Soviet Union.
Death
On 27 March 1968 Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seryogin died in a MiG-15 crash. The incident was near Kirzhach. The Cosmonaut Training Centre outside Moscow and the adjacent town of Gzhatsk were named in his honour.