Russians unveil space hotel

PRE-READING:

Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: What features does the Russian Space Hotel have?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs in your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

RUSSIANS UNVEIL SPACE HOTEL

"Getting away from it all" may be a travel marketing cliché, but the phrase might take on a whole new meaning come 2016.

Russian firm Orbital Technologies plans to open the first space hotel in history in five year's time.

The space hotel, or "Commercial Space Station," as it's officially called, will float 250 miles above Earth.

The hotel can accommodate a maximum of seven people at a time.

To check in, tourists will have to undergo special training that can take up to three months, depending on the type of spacecraft they fly to the hotel.

The firm says that stays can range from three days to six months.

Spending your vacation in space will no doubt inspire travel stories like no other, but what's there to do once you're sealed in up there?

Not much, it turns out, apart from going online and watching TV.

"Most likely, there will be access to the Internet and other communications on the ground," says Sergey Kostenko, CEO of Orbital Technologies, the company constructing the station.

"Menus will be chosen before the clients are launched," Kostenko adds. "Food is prepared on the ground and shipped to space, dehydrated." No impulsive late-night snacking then.

There will be no shower, but you can clean yourself with wet wipes. Fun!

You can't seek solace in alcohol either, because it’s banned on board.

However, Kostenko says he hopes that the station can be a stopover for manned circumlunar flights, so making day trips to the far side of the moon and back may be a day-trip option.

Orbital Technologies plans to use Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecrafts to transport passengers and workers to the "great gig in the sky," although it does not rule out using other manned spacecraft made in the United States, Europe and China.

The firm is tight-lipped about how much it will cost to stay at the hotel, although the Russian government is hoping that the project can be a cash cow for its space exploration program.

"We consider the Commercial Space Station a very interesting project, encouraging private participation," says Vitaly Davydov, Deputy Head of the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation. "It will attract private investment for the Russian space industry."

Orbital Technologies will not confirm whether it has taken any reservations from customers yet, but says there are "many interested parties."

Word count: 397 words

Source: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/russians-unveil-space-hotel-678591

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING: 

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• A travel marketing cliché: an overused expression or idea about travel marketing (Câu quảng cáo/ tiếp thị du lịch rập khuôn/ sáo rỗng)

• To accommodate (v.): to meet the need for room, board or lodging (Có sức chứa, đủ chỗ cho)

• To undergo (v.): to experience; to go through (Trải qua)

• Impulsive late-night snacking: to uncontrollably eat very late in the evening (Ăn quà vặt đêm khuya một cách ngẫu hứng)

• Wet wipes: tissues that are soaked in sterilized watery solution usually used in cases where there is no soap and water (Khăn giấy ướt tiệt trùng)

• To seek solace in alcohol: to find peace or contentment in drinking alcohol (Tìm vui trong bia rượu)

• A manned circumlunar flight: a trip to and around the moon (Chuyến du hành vòng quanh mặt trăng)

• A great gig: a wonderful, planned event (Sự kiện tuyệt vời)

• To rule out (v.): to exclude or take away; to not give consideration to (Loại trừ)

• To be tight-lipped: to be secretive, not giving others information (Kín tiếng, kín miệng)

• A cash cow: a great source of money (Nguồn kinh phí dồi dào)

• Private participation: non-government companies or groups of people (Các nhóm/ tổ chức phi chính phủ)

• Many interested parties: several to numerous interested people or individuals (Nhiều bên có quan tâm/ liên quan)

Cultural note: “The great gig in the sky” is the name of a song by British rock supergroup Pink Floyd from their hit album “Dark Side of the Moon”.

Grammar:

Read through the text again. Match the endings of the sentences to their beginning counterparts. Notice the different ways future plans and intentions are expressed in each sentence.

A

1. Orbital Technologies plans to…

2. The Commercial Space Station will…

3. The space hotel’s guests will…

4. In the space hotel, there will be…

5. Food for the guests will be…

6. Guests won’t be…

7. The CEO of Orbital Technologies hopes that…

8. The Deputy Head of the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation thinks that it will…

B

a. …have to do special training before going to the space hotel.

b. …chosen before the trip, prepared on Earth and sent in dehydrated form.

c. …able to take a shower.

d. …attract private investment.

e. …open the first space hotel in 2016.

f. …access to the Internet and other communications.

g. …the station can be a stopover for manned trips round the moon.

h. …float 250 miles above the Earth.

Discussion:

Ask and answer these questions with a study partner. Share your opinions about:

1. What do you think will be the good and bad points of vacationing in a space hotel?

2. If you had the money and time, would you try spending a holiday at Commercial Space Station? Why or why not?

3. What other inventions of the future do you think will change our lives?

ANSWERS:

1. e

2. h

3. a

4. f

5. b

6. c

7. g

8. d

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).