Answer the questions in your own words.
1
How did the astronauts get back to Earth?
2
What does NASA believe about the mission?
3
Were the astronauts lucky or unlucky? Why?
4
The only solution was to
conserve
oxygen by moving from the command
module into the lunar module – the section
of the spacecraft that would have landed on
the Moon. Now though, they were using it
as a kind of lifeboat. With its own power
supply, oxygen and water, the three men
could survive in the lunar module and return
to Earth. There was another problem
though. In an enclosed space like a lunar
module, the carbon dioxide the crew was
breathing out was dangerous. The
equipment to clear the air of carbon dioxide
was only
built
for two people. Now it had to
cope with three. Amazingly, the crew
managed to put together an adapter that
reduced
the carbon dioxide to a safe level.
There was one final
obstacle
. The
lunar module wasn’t strong enough to re-
enter Earth’s atmosphere so the crew had to
transfer back into the damaged command
module. To everyone’s relief, the crew of
Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the South
Pacific Ocean on April 17th. It was a space
flight that would
go down in history
.
Although the crew didn’t land on the Moon,
NASA* still
considers
the mission a
success. The Apollo 13 disaster was proof
that their highly-trained astronauts could
deal with
anything that could go wrong.
* National Aeronautics and Space
Administration – the organisation
responsible for the US space programme
D
C
Match the words/phrases in bold in the text to their
synonyms:
•
Para A:
responsible for, believing in good/bad luck,
although, arranged
•
Para B:
disaster, relied, doing, blow up
•
Para C:
save, lowered, made
•
Para D:
difficulty, manage, regards, be remembered in
the future
5
23
2
a
Read the text and the questions below. For each
question, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1
What is the writer’s purpose?
A
to give advice to astronauts
B
to describe a mission to the Moon
C
to persuade people to travel in space
D
to explain how to travel to the Moon
2
What does the writer say about the mission?
A
There were some problems at the start
B
They had planned the lift-off for a Friday.
C
Scientists should believe in bad luck.
D
The lift-off had been delayed.
3
What was the astronauts’ attitude towards the explosion?
A
They didn’t think it was a problem.
B
They thought they would die.
C
They realised they had to do something.
D
They believed there was nothing they could do.
4
How did the astronauts survive?
A
They used the lunar module as a lifeboat.
B
They created a new oxygen supply.
C
They repaired the command module.
D
They adapted to less oxygen.
5
Which would be the most appropriate headline?
A
APOLLO 13 CREW LOST IN SPACE
B
LIFE AND DEATH DRAMA IN SPACE
C
METEOR STOPS MOON LANDING
D
ASTRONAUTS WALK ON MOON
3
Speaking
Imagine you were one of the scientists
at Houston. Narrate the event from
your point of view. Think about:
the
superstition
,
the problem
,
the success
story
.
Writing & Speaking
Imagine you are one of the crew of Apollo 13
safely back on Earth. Describe how you felt when
the accident happened. What did you think and how did you
react? In three minutes write a few sentences. Tell the class.
Think
sections
enhance students’
thinking skills and
foster social values.
Exam-style
reading tasks
1...,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,...80