Japanese billionaire seeks 8 volunteers to join him on Moon voyage

admin 2021年3月10日

Expert

science & technology, science & technology - expert

gqGPGYuD

© Yusaku Maezawa

Vocabulary:

I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.

aboard /uh-BOHRD/

[adverb] – on or onto a ship, aircraft, bus, or train
Welcome aboard flight ML345 to Manila!

all-expense /AWL-ik-SPENSE/

[adjective] – including all necessary or usual expenses, as the full cost of a trip, tour, or the like
The newlyweds went on a two-week all-expense tour in Mexico.

criterion /krahy-TEER-ee-uhn/

[noun] – a standard by which you judge, decide about, or deal with something
These are the criteria for judging: content, fluency, performance, and timing.

entrepreneur /ahn-truh-pruh-NOOR/

[noun] – someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves seeing a new opportunity
Jeff Bezos is an entrepreneur who made his money in e-commerce.

hefty /HEF-tee/

[adjective] – large in amount, size, force, etc.
All the employees’ salary will go up by a hefty 14 percent.

Article reading:

Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is looking for eight people to join him on the first-ever private commercial space voyage. The journey named “dearMoon” was first disclosed in 2018 and is scheduled to fly in 2023. The dearMoon project is a lunar tourism mission and art project funded by Maezawa. The passengers will be aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy Rocket. Maezawa said that the journey is all-expense-paid, so those who will participate will fly for free. He said that applicants should meet two criteria: one, for the applicant to advance their chosen fields to help the greater society, and two, to support other crew members in their common goal.

Yusaku Maezawa is a Japanese billionaire entrepreneur and art collector. He said that he had originally specified that applicants should be artists but the plan has since “evolved”. Maezawa was announced as the first private passenger to be flown around the moon by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, in 2018. The price for the ticket has not been revealed but it was “a hefty amount of money” according to Musk. The mission, which is set to launch in 2023, will be the first human mission to the moon since 1972.

True or False:

Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.

Yusaku Maezawa is looking for eight people to accompany him on the world’s first private commercial space flight.
The project called “dearMoon” was announced two years ago.
All applicants who will participate will fly for free.
The applicants should meet two criteria to join.
The ticket cost was disclosed last month by Elon Musk.

Situational question:

I will read the situation. Then, please answer based on the question. Make sure to use the given keywords in your answer.

Situation: You are an astronaut who will discuss the importance of space explorations to highschool students.
Question: Why are space explorations important?

Human space exploration
opportunity to discover
learn

Express Your Opinion:

I will read each sentence. Then, please tell me if you agree or disagree, and why.

”That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Niel Armstrong
“Across the sea of space, the stars are other suns.”
Carl Sagan
“The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don’t have a space program, it’ll serve us right!”
Larry Niven