长征十一号运载火箭再传佳音 | TEENS好文精选
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今天的精选文章“Launch of Long March 11长征十一号运载火箭再传佳音。”来自《21世纪学生英文报·高二》第796期第6版。
Launch of Long March 11
长征十一号运载火箭再传佳音。
Among all the Long March rockets, Long March 11 is, without question, the star. It’s the first and only solid-fuel rocket in the Long March family. It’s also the first rocket in China that has completed a seaborne (海上的) mission – from the Yellow Sea in June 2019. And now its successful launch on May 30 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province has, again, set new records.
It was the first time that the Long March 11 had been launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Among its previous eight launches, seven were from Gansu’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and one from the sea. The latest success “has proven its adaptability (适应性) to different launch sites”, Peng Kunya, the chief designer of the rocket, told Xinhua News Agency.
A new launch platform was also used in the mission, which helped the rocket better adapt to the new environment. According to Guangming News, the new platform is highly integrated (集成的) and intelligent, allowing the preparation time of the launch to be significantly reduced. China’s capability (能力) to launch rockets in a short time has “reached a new level”, Jin Xin, deputy commander-in-chief of the Long March 11 mission, said in a press conference (新闻发布会).
The mission also marked the first use of a 2-meter-diameter fairing (整流罩) on the Long March 11. A fairing is the structure outside of a rocket that is able to streamline (使……呈流线型) the rocket and reduce drag (阻力). It’s also what “wraps (掩护)” satellites, protecting them from the increasing pressure and heat when a rocket travels through the atmosphere. A 1.6-meter-diameter fairing was previously used on Long March 11. But this time, two satellites – tasked with conducting inter-satellite data link and Earth observation tests – were onboard the rocket, requiring a wider fairing.
“A fairing measuring 2 meters in diameter leaves more space for satellites,” added Jin.
Long March 11 has indeed proven itself as “the most adaptable carrier rocket in China”, according to Xinhua. But designers didn’t stop there. In fact, they have begun to develop an upgraded version of the Long March 11 – called the Long March 11A – which will be even wider, taller and have greater thrust (推进力). The new model is expected to make its maiden (初次的) flight around 2022.
Long March 2D
On May 31, one day after the successful launch of Long March 11, the Long March 2D carrier rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu. It carried two satellites – the Gaofen 9-02 optical (光学的) remote-sensing satellite for city planning and natural disaster monitoring and the Head Aerospace 4 for traffic data collection.
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Quiz:
Choose the best answer
01
Which of the following shows Long March 11’s adaptability?
A. It uses the latest solid energy.
B.It has taken many seaborne missions.
C.It was launched at different launch sites.
D.It is the first rocket launched from Xichang.
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C
02
What is the advantage of the new launch platform?
A. It can suit different rockets.
B.It can shorten the preparation time of the launch.
C.It can collect data of the launch intelligently.
D.It can protect the structure of the rocket.
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B
03
What is a benefit of using a 2-meter-diameter fairing?
A.The drag and pressure are reduced.
B.The rocket can better adapt to the environment.
C.It allows more space for satellites.
D.The structure of a rocket changes.
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C
04
What does the underlined word “upgraded” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. Lightened.
B. Simplified.
C. Qualified.
D. Advanced.
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D
