《2025年金版新学案高中英语必修第三册》

The Call of the Challenger
By the early 1980s, the great rockets previously used in the American space programme had been replaced by the space shuttle¹. When the Challenger space shuttle took off on 28 January 1986, the world seemed to have lost its wonder at the amazing achievements of the astronauts involved. But this was going to be no ordinary excursion², and millions of people tuned in to witness the take-off on TV. It was special because Christa McAuliffe aged 37, an ordinary teacher and mother, was about to become the first civilian³ in space. She planned to give two 15-minute lessons from orbit⁴: the first to demonstrate⁵ the controls of the spacecraft and explain how gravity worked, and the second to describe the objectives of the Challenger programme.
Tragically⁶, she never returned to her classroom as the shuttle exploded just over a minute after taking off in Florida, and all seven astronauts on board were killed. It was the most disastrous space accident ever, and it cast⁷ a shadow on people's hearts.
Following the shock of the Challenger disaster, space shuttle flights were suspended⁸ for nearly three years. But there was never any doubt that manned flights would continue, and on 29 September 1988, the space shuttle programme resumed⁹ with the successful launch of Discovery.
It has now been over 30 years since the loss of Challenger and although the lives of its crew were cut tragically short, they take their place alongside the other heroes of space exploration. The sacrifice of the Challenger calls to us, reminding us that we must continue to reach for the stars, no matter how distant they might seem.
（改编自外研版新教材选择性必修第四册 Unit 6）
[词海拾贝]
1. shuttle n. 航天飞机
2. excursion n. 短途出行
3. civilian n. 平民
4. orbit n. 轨道
5. demonstrate v. 证明；论证
6. tragically adv. 悲惨地，不幸地
7. cast vt. 投射（光、影子等）；投，抛
8. suspend v. 暂停，中止
9. resume v. 重新开始
[阅读问答]
阅读文本，回答以下问题
1. Who was going to become the first civilian in space aboard the Challenger space shuttle?
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2. What happened to the Challenger space shuttle shortly after take-off?
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3. How long were space shuttle flights suspended following the Challenger disaster?
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答案： 1.Christa McAuliffe,a 37-year-old teacher and mother,was going to become the first civilian in space aboard the Challenger space shuttle. 2.The Challenger space shuttle exploded just over a minute after taking off in Florida,killing all seven astronauts on board. 3.Space shuttle flights were suspended for nearly three years following the Challenger disaster.