高级英语视听说上册听力原文.docx

高级英语视听说上册听力原文.docx

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高级英语视听说上册听力原文

United2

Aplantobuildtheworld'sfirstairportforlaunchingcommercialspacecraftinNewMexicoisthelatestdevelopmentinthenewspacerace,araceamongprivatecompaniesandbillionaireentrepreneurstocarrypayingpassengersintospaceandtokick-startanewindustry,astrotourism.

Themanwhoisleadingtheracemaynotbefamiliartoyou,buttoastronauts,pilots,andaeronauticalengineers–basicallytoanyonewhoknowsanythingaboutaircraftdesign–BurtRutanisalegend,anaeronauticalengineerwhoselatestaircraftistheworld'sfirstprivatespaceship.Ashetold60MinutescorrespondentEdBradleywhenhefirstmethimalittleoverayearago,ifhisideaflies,somedayspacetravelmaybecheapenoughandsafeenoughforordinarypeopletogowhereonlyastronautshavegonebefore

TheWhiteKnightisaratherunusuallookingaircraft,builtjustforthepurposeofcarryingarocketplanecalledSpaceShipOne,thefirstspacecraftbuiltbyprivateenterprise.

WhiteKnightandSpaceShipOnearethelatestcreationsofBurtRutan.They'repartofhisdreamtodevelopacommercialtravelbusinessinspace.

"Therewillbeanewindustry.Andwearejustnowinabeginning.Iwillpredictthatin12or15years,therewillbetensofthousands,maybeevenhundredsofthousandsofpeoplethatfly,andseethatblacksky,"saysRutan.

OnJune21,2004,WhiteKnighttookofffromanairstripinMojave,Calif.,carryingRutan'sspaceship.Ittook63minutestoreachthelaunchaltitudeof47,000feet.Oncethere,theWhiteKnightcrewpreparedtoreleasethespaceship.

ThefierceaccelerationslammedMikeMelvill,thepilot,backinhisseat.HeputSpaceShipOneintoanearverticaltrajectory,until,asplanned,thefuelranout.

Stillclimbinglikeaspentbullet,Melvillhopedtogainasmuchaltitudeaspossibletoreachspacebeforetheshipbeganfallingbacktoearth.

Bythetimethespaceshipreachedtheendofitsclimb,itwas22milesoffcourse.Butithad,justbarely,reachedanaltitudeofjustover62miles—theinternationallyrecognizedboundaryofspace.

ItwasthenewsRutanhadbeenwaitingfor.FallingbacktoEarthfromanaltitudeof62miles,SpaceShipOne'stiltingwing,arevolutionaryinnovationcalledthefeather,causedtherocketplanetopositionitselfforarelativelybenignre-entryandturnedthespaceshipintoaglider.

SpaceShipOneglidedtoaflawlesslandingbeforeacrowdofthousands.

"AfterthatJuneflight,IfeltlikeIwasfloatingaroundandjustonceinawhiletouchingtheground,"remembersRutan."Wehadanoperablespaceplane."

Rutan's"operablespaceplane"wasbuiltbyacompanywithonly130employeesatacostofjust$25million.Hebelieveshissuccesshasendedthegovernment'smonopolyonspacetravel,andopenedituptotheordinarycitizen.

"Iconcludedthatforaffordabletraveltohappen,thelittleguyhadtodoitbecausehehadtheincentiveforabusiness,"saysRutan.

DoesRutanviewthisasabusinessventureoratechnologicalchallenge?

"It'satechnologicalchallengefirst.Andit'sadreamIhadwhenIwas12,"hesays.

Rutanstartedbuildingmodelairplaneswhenhewassevenyearsold,inDyenuba,

Calif.,wherehegrewup.

"Iwasfascinatedbyputtingbalsawoodtogetherandseehowitwouldfly,"heremembers."AndwhenIstartedhavingthecapabilitytodocontestsandactuallywinatrophybymakingabettermodel,thenIwashooked."

He'sbeenhookedeversince.Hedesignedhisfirstairplanein1968andflewitfouryearslater.Sincethenhisairplaneshavebecomeknownfortheirstunninglooks,innovativedesignandtechnologicalsophistication.

Rutanbegandesigningaspaceshipnearlyadecadeago,aftersettingupsetuphisownaeronauticalresearchanddesignfirm.Bytheyear2000,hehadturnedhisdesignsintomodelsandwastestingthemoutsidehisoffice.

WhenIgottothepointthatIknewthatIcouldmakeasafespaceshipthatwouldflyamannedspacemission--whenIsay,'I,'notthegovernment,ourlittleteam--ItoldPaulAllen,'Ithinkwecandothis.'Andheimmediatelysaid,'Gowithit.'"

PaulAllenco-foundedMicrosoftandisoneoftherichestmenintheworld.Hisdecisiontopump$25millionintoRutan'scompany,ScaledComposites,wasthevoteofconfidencethathisengineersneededtoproceed.

"Thatwasaheckofachallengetoputinfrontofsomepeoplelikeus,wherewe'retold,'Well,youcan'tdothat.Youwannasee?

Wecandothis,"saysPeteSebold.

WorkonWhiteKnightandSpaceShipOnestartedfouryearsagoinsecret.Bothaircraftwerecustommadefromscratchbyateamof12engineersusinglayersoftoughcarbonfabricgluedtogetherwithepoxy.Designedtobelight-weight,SpaceShipOnecanwithstandthestressofre-entrybecauseoftheradicalwayitcomesbackintotheatmosphere,likeabadmintonshuttlecockorabirdie.

Heshowed60Minuteshowitworks.

"Featheringthewingiskindofadramaticthing,inthatitchangesthewholeconfigurationoftheairplane,"heexplains."Andthisisdoneinspace,okay?

It'sdoneafteryouflyintospace."

"Wehavedonesixreentries.Threeofthemfromspaceandthreeofthemfromloweraltitudes.Andsomeofthemhaveevencomedownupsidedown.Andtheairplanebyitselfstraightensitselfrightup,"Rutanexplains.

BySeptember2004,Rutanwasreadyforhisnextchallenge:

anattempttowina$10millionprizetobethefirsttoflyaprivatelyfundedspacecraftintospace,anddoittwiceintwoweeks.

"AfterwehadflowntheJuneflight,andwehadreachedthegoalofourprogram,thenthemostimportantthingwastowinthatprize,"saysRutan.

ThatprizewastheAnsariXPrize–anextraordinarycompetitioncreatedin1996tostimulateprivateinvestmentinspace.

Thefirstofthetwoflightswaspiloted,onceagain,byMikeMelvill.

September'sflightputMelville'sskillandtrainingtothetest.Ashewasclimbingoutoftheatmosphere,thespacecraftsuddenlywentintoaseriesofrolls.

Howconcernedwashe?

"Well,IthoughtIcouldworkitout.I'mveryconfidentwhenI'mflyingaplanewhenI'vegotthecontrolsinmyhand.IalwaysbelievedIcanfixthisnomatterhowbaditgets,"saysMelville.

SpaceShipOnerolled29timesbeforeheregainedcontrol.Theremainderoftheflightwaswithoutincident,andMelvillmadethe20-minuteglidebacktotheMojaveairport.ThelandingonthatSeptemberafternoonwasflawless.

BecauseRutanwantedtoattemptthesecondrequiredflightjustfourdayslater,theengineershadlittletimetofindoutwhathadgonewrong.Working12-hourshifts,theydiscoveredtheydidn'tneedtofixthespacecraft,justthewayinwhichthepilotsflewit.

Forthesecondflight,itwastestpilotBrianBinnie'sturntoflySpaceShipOne.

Thespaceshipflewupwardonaperfecttrajectory,breakingthroughtospace.

Rutan'sSpaceShipOnehadflowntospacetwiceintwoweeks,capturedtheXPrizeworth$10million,andwonbraggingrightsoverthespaceestablishment.

"YouknowIwaswonderingwhattheyarefeeling,'They'beingthatotherspaceagency,"Rutansayslaughing."Youknow,quitefrankly,Ithinkthebigguys,theBoeings,theLockheeds,thenay-saypeopleatHouston,Ithinkthey'relookingateachothernowandsaying'We'rescrewed!

'Because,I'lltellyousomething,Ihaveahellofalotbiggergoalthantheydo!

"

"Theastronautssaythatthemostexcitingexperienceisfloatingaroundinaspacesuit,"saysRutan,showingoffhisownplans."ButIdon'tagree.Aspacesuitisanawfulthing.Itconstrainsyouandithasnoisyfansrunning.Nowlookoverhere.It'squiet.Andyou'reoutherewatchingtheworldgobyinwhatyoumightcalla'spiritualdome.'Well,that,tome,isbetterthanaspacesuitbecauseyou'renotconstrained."

Healsohasavisionforaresorthotelinspace,andsaysitallcouldbeaccomplishedintheforeseeablefuture.Rutanbelievesitisthedawnofanewera.

Heexplains,"Ithinkwe'veprovennowthatthesmallguyscanbuildaspaceshipandgotospace.Andnotonlythat,we'veconvincedarichguy,averyrichguy,tocometothiscountryandbuildaspaceprogramtotakeeverydaypeopletospace."

That"richguy"isRichardBranson,theEnglishbillionairewhoownsVirginAtlanticAirlines.Bransonhassigneda$120milliondealwithRutantobuildfivespaceshipsforpayingcustomers.Named"VirginGalactic,"itwillbetheworld'sfirst"spaceline."Flightsareexpectedtobeginin2008.

"Webelievebyflyingtensofthousandsofpeopletospace,andmakingthataprofitablebusiness,thatthatwillleadintoaffordableorbitaltravel,"saysRutan.

Rutanthinksthere"absolutely"isamarketforthis.

Withticketsinitiallygoingfor$200,000,themarketislimited.Nevertheless,VirginGalacticsays38,000peoplehaveputdownadepositforaseat,and90ofthosehavepaidthefull$200,000.

ButRutanhasanothervision."Thegoalisaffordabletravelabovelow-Earthorbit.Inotherwords,affordabletravelforustogotothemoon.Affordabletravel.ThatmeansnotjustNASAastronauts,butthousandsofpeoplebeingabletogotothemoon,"hesays."I'dliketogo.Wouldn'tyou?

"

ByHarryRadliffe

United3

For300years,theseahasbeenclosinginonNewOrleans.Asthecoastalerosioncontinues,itisestimatedthecitywillbeoffshorein90years.Eveningoodweather,NewOrleansissinking.AsthecitybeginswhatislikelytobethebiggestdemolitionprojectinU.S.history,thequestionis,canweorshouldweputNewOrleansbacktogetheragain?

LifehasbeenreturningtohighanddrylandonBourbonStreet,buttofindthemonumentalchallengefacingthecityyouhavetovisitneighborhoodsyouhaveneverheardof.OnLizardiStreet,60Min