Long, long ago Greek legend has it that Daedalus, a brilliant inventor, was imprisoned together with his son Icarus on an island in the Mediterranean. In order to escape, Daedalus devised a clever plan and sketched out his idea to his son. They would both fly away from the island like birds. It was risky, but both thought it worth a try. Using feathers attached together with wax and string, Daedalus made them both a pair of wonderful wings. Harnessed to these they were able to take to the air, leaving those on the ground who witnessed their flight amazed at their strange device. As they flew off over the sea their escape seemed certain. But Icarus, ignoring the warnings of his father, came too close to the sun. The wax holding his wings together melted and he plunged to his death in the ocean below. 4.2 Translation

1. How to harness the power of the rockets is the key to the successful launch of a spaceship.

2. The 20th century witnessed the growth of the aviation industry.

3. During World War II, the United States needed giant cargo planes for transportation of war materials.

4. The film The Aviator is based on the life of Howard Hughes.

5. The professor thinks that more money should be invested in/put into research in the field of energy efficiency. 6. They are carrying out a secret mission.

7. “Focus on the content of the article. Don’t worry about individual words,” said the teacher to the students.

8. Wan Hu’s plan was too risky and too primitive to be successful.

Reading & Comprehending

Reading 1

1. Comprehension Check for Reading 1

1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T 6. T 7. F 8. T 9. T 10. T

2. Translation

1. 他俩合起来的履历看上去令所有真正的飞行冒险家都羡慕不已。 2.“你必须有思想准备，真正能设想出所有的解决方案，”皮卡特说。“否则就非常非常难了。”

3. 如果说有人领教过几乎无法完成的困难任务的话，那就是皮卡特，他是家族中第三代冒险家。

4. 确实，太阳能驱动飞机首创者的动力，不仅仅是为创造新纪录，更多是为后人绘制一条可持续道路的愿望。

Reading 2

Comprehension Check for Reading 2

1. She is the first Chinese woman astronaut on a mission to develop China’s space station.

2. She felt honoured and grateful.

3. Women astronauts have their advantages and capabilities and can complement men in fulfilling their mission. 4. She will carry out medical experiments.

Integrated Skills Practicing

I. Viewing & Listening

Hughes: I mean, I put my money into the planes, senator. My money. See, the thing is, I care very much about aviation. It has been the great joy of my life. That’s why I put my own money into these planes. And I’ve lost millions, Senator Brewster. And I’ll go on losing millions. It’s just ... what I do. Now, I am supposed to be ... many things which are not complimentary. I am supposed to be capricious. I have been called a playboy. I have even been called an eccentric, but I do not believe that I have the reputation of being a liar. Now, needless to say, the Hercules was a monumental undertaking. It is the largest plane ever built. It is

over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field. That’s more than a city block. Now, I put the sweat of my life into this thing. I got my reputation all rolled up in it. And I have stated several times that if the Hercules fails to fly, I will leave this country and never come back. And I mean it.

III. Writing

Model paper for your reference

Howard Hughes was an American entrepreneur and an aviation pioneer. During WWII, he entered into a contract with the US government to make planes that would be able to transport troops and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. The prototype he finally produced was nicknamed the Spruce Goose. It was made entirely of wood, and it was the largest airplane ever built. On November 2, 1947, the Spruce Goose made its first and only flight, and after that it was put into storage and then on display for the public. Many think that the Spruce Goose was a failure and a waste of time and money. But if we think of the fact that many of its design features have been incorporated into the modern cargo plane, we will not be so quick to blame Howard Hughes. He was simply ahead of his time. (143 words)