时间:2019-01-07 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(十二月)


英语课

By Deepak Dobhal
Washington, DC
07 December 2006
 
watch New Space Station Astronaut



When the space shuttle Discovery rockets into space on Thursday, onboard will be a new crewmember for the International Space Station -- Sunita Williams. The 41 year old astronaut of Indian and Yugoslavian descent 1 will spend six months conducting experiments onboard the orbiting outpost, fulfilling a childhood dream. For producer Deepak Dobhal, VOA's Jim Bertel introduces us to this second generation American. 






Astronaut Sunita Williams


Astronaut Sunita Williams



Sunita Williams says she is "very lucky" to be going into space. The rookie astronaut and her six crewmates on the space shuttle Discovery will be making the first night launch of a shuttle since the Columbia disaster three years ago. The 12-day mission is considered one of the most challenging flights yet as spacewalking astronauts rewire the power system on the international space station. For Williams, the flight marks the beginning of a six-month stay on the space station.


Williams is only the second woman of Indian descent to fly in space. She follows Kalpana Chawla who died along with her six crewmates when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated 2 during its return to Earth in 2003. Williams is proud of her roots.


"I am half Indian and I have got a, I am sure a group of Indian people who are looking forward to seeing a second Indian, person of Indian origin, flying into space.  So, it's nice to know that everybody brings along with them a group of people from all over the world that get interested in space."


A letter written in Hindi by her father will be among the few personal items Williams will take into space. She considers her father Deepak Pandya, an immigrant, as her role model.


"He is an amazing role model because I think my accomplishments 3 are relatively 4 easy. When I think about someone leaving their home country and starting all over and becoming a success, it is amazing"


Williams' father came to the U.S. in 1958 after completing his bachelor's degree in medicine from India.  Her mother Bonnie's family moved to the U.S. from the former Yugoslavia. Williams believes her journey follows that tradition. 


"People for centuries have risked their (lives) to try to give us one step forward. I am just honored that I am in a position that I can do that too."


Williams underwent 8 years of rigorous 5 mental and physical training at the U.S. space agency, NASA, in preparation for this flight.


"I am in the pool a couple of times in a week where we do our spacewalk training.  I am in simulators, hands-on."


Despite all of the training, things can still go wrong. Since the Columbia accident, many people have voiced concerns about the shuttle's safety. But Williams' parents are not worried.


Her father says, "I am just going to pray that she goes up, and comes back safe. She is so close to God and to go towards God's land, which is space, is so admirable"




n.下降,下倾,斜坡,坡道,血统,世系
  • We watched anxiously during her descent from the tree.我们焦急地看着她从树上爬下来。
  • Many Americans are of English descent.许多美国人的祖籍是英国。
v.(使)破裂[分裂,粉碎],(使)崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 )
  • The plane disintegrated as it fell into the sea. 飞机坠入大海时解体了。
  • The box was so old;it just disintegrated when I picked it up. 那箱子太破旧了,我刚一提就散了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
  • It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
  • Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
adv.比较...地,相对地
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
adj.严密的,缜密的,严格的,严厉的
  • The arms trade should be subject to rigorous controls.对军火贸易应该严加限制。
  • The planes have to undergo rigorous safety checks.飞机必须经过严密的安全检查。
学英语单词
adsorption chromatography
Aguas Zarcas
Aimargues
air feeder
Alleppey
Almen extreme pressure lubricant testing machine
annuniciator
ASCB
barley sugar
beddy-bye(s)
Bethnal Green
blueing process
body-snatcher
broad-brim
Bulbophyllum reptans
carcelle
celery leaf spot
certificate of bank balances
charge position
Computing Surface
curriculums
Dali City
dress-coated
eight-year study
Eun.
extramaster
follow ... inclinations
free-electron laser
fringe setae
frontierlands
gauze kerchief
girals
graverobbers
griddlecakes
higher-ranked
index of scanning helix
keel clearance
Korean Strait
Lented
LF reject
lienomycin
llano
low potential metal
lumped parameter circulator
macroamylasemic
melting speed ratio
mode of deformation
mother-of-thousands
Mount's Bay
non riparian
nonrefugee
north-easterners
Old Pretender
oligodotia
Oloiserri
organouranium compound
passive incontinence
ping-pong buffer
plain module board
planimetric line
plate cylinder
poker coordinates
prefacive
pulpitis
rairoad engineering
range span
record-collector
Rhododendron hukwangense
salween r.
segled card
Selma chalk
shock position
sounding device
stauntonin
stores fund
supernutrition
surirella voigtii
surplus
Suzuka-tōge
swr indicator
syndrome of stagnated gallbladder qi with disturbing phlegm
Sāngla
tetrahedral angle
thermoperiodicity
transverse occipital sulcus
trond
tub-fast
tummy crunch
Turbellaria
two-pence piece
ultra-high-speed lift
unhele
unobservable quantity
unsety
variable quadri-correlator
vicchio
wavefront advance
wet-bulbs
Wohlhynian fever
wtnh
Xuan Duong
zonary placentation