Space Tourism
Space Tourism
Space Tourism
Space tourism
Lesson code: VQ66-D49K-3IS INTERMEDIATE
1 Warm-up
Would you like to travel into space? Why/why not?
2 Key words
Match the following words with their correct definition:
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Space tourism
A A A A BUSINESS ISSUES
1 In a few years, we could be using spaceships as by the British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in
we use passenger airplanes, according to 2004. Another is Blue Origin, started by Amazon
independent space agency analysts. Commercial creator Jeff Bezos.
operators are now competing to operate
scheduled services to the outer limits of the 6 Another company, Space Adentures arranged for
Earth's atmosphere. Hundreds of wealthy seven multi-millionaires to live on the Russian
entrepreneurs, celebrities and scientists have Soyuz space station for up to 15 days, paying
already booked tickets for the first flights by Sir $20m each.
Richard Branson's VirginGalactic space tourism 7 According to VirginGalactic, 380 people have
business, which will probably take off in the next booked tickets on its VSS Enterprise at $200,000
two years. Its new runway in New Mexico (USA) each. They include several well-known scientists,
opened at the weekend. celebrities and businessmen. Virgin said space
2 Professor Richard Crowther, Technical Adviser to tourism had allowed scientific advances to take
the UK Space Agency, predicted that in the future place without state funding.
space trips would become a lot more regular and
8 Will Whitehorn, Virgin Galactic's president, said
a lot cheaper. "It will be very expensive at first, but
there was a very low environmental impact. "We
the technology that will then develop will open up
will, in a 10 year programme, fly tens of
space to everybody," he said.
thousands of people into space with less impact
3 "In the early days of aviation, very few people than one NASA Space Shuttle."
went on aircraft, but now it's mass market. A
9 The flights will also be much cheaper: around
mass market for taking people into space will be a
¿1m per flight, compared with ¿1bn for a US
long way away, but the costs should fall with new
space shuttle flight. The reason is that the Virgin
technology."
Galactic spaceships are much lighter than NASA
4 Fewer than 500 people have flown into space on spaceships and can be re-used.
spaceships operated by Russia, the US and
China. With the Cold War over, the US and Russia 10 Mr Whitehorn denied reports that the price would
have lost the incentive to invest billions into space fall to $20,000. "I don't think it will ever get that
programmes. low," he said, but he added that it would become
much cheaper than $200,000.
5 Instead, commercial enterprises have become
interested. One of them is Virgin Galactic, founded Tuesday, 26 October 2010 by Martin Hickman
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Space tourism
A A A A BUSINESS ISSUES
4 Checking understanding
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the text. Correct the
statements that are false.
a. "Space trips will become a lot more regular and a lot cheaper."
b. "Space tourism has allowed scientific advances to take place without state funding."
c. "There is a very low environmental impact."
d. "The price will not fall to $20,000."
Compare the direct statements above with the reported statements in the article. Answer the following
questions:
1. What verbs are used in the article to report the statements above?
2. What tense changes take place when the direct statements become reported statements?
will ⇒
present perfect ⇒
present simple ⇒
3. What do you think happens to the present continuous and `can' in reported statements?
present continuous ⇒
can ⇒
4. Find another reported statement in the last paragraph of the article. What is the direct statement?
. ......................................................................................
5. Find a direct statement in Paragraph 8 and report it.
Will Whitehorn said that Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Space tourism
A A A A BUSINESS ISSUES
6 Grammar practice
Complete the reported statements below:
Direct question: "When will the first space flights take off?"
Reported question: The reporter asked the company president when the first space flights would
take off.
Direct question: "Have many people have flown into space?"
Reported question: The pupil wanted to know if many people had flown into space.
1. What differences do you notice in the word order between direct questions and reported questions?
2. In the second direct question, there is no question word (when, who, what, how, etc.) What word is
used in the reported question?
3. What are the direct questions for the following reported questions?
The customer wanted to know when the company had been founded.
. ......................................................................................
The interviewer asked the candidate why she wanted to work for his company.
. ......................................................................................
The manager asked his employee if he had completed the report the day before.
. ......................................................................................
The secretary asked her boss if she could take a day off the next day.
. ......................................................................................
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Space tourism
A A A A BUSINESS ISSUES
8 Grammar practice
Write reported questions for the following direct questions:
1. The student asked the teacher, "Can you explain the use of the present perfect?"
. ......................................................................................
2. Teresa asked Mr Andrews, "How long have you been working for your company?"
. ......................................................................................
3. The new employee asked, "Where is the office canteen?"
. ......................................................................................
4. The interviewer asked the businesswoman, "Have you ever thought of becoming a politician?"
. ......................................................................................
5. James asked, "When is the new delivery arriving?"
. ......................................................................................
6. Duncan asked his boss, "Do you think we will receive additional funding for the project?"
. ......................................................................................
9 Talking point
Do you think space tourism could become mass market?
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