Spacecraft set to explore Apophis, an asteroid named after the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness

admin 2023年11月8日

Beginner

science & technology, science & technology - beginner

Pre-reading questions:

I will read each question. Then, please answer them.

講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。

Have you heard of the word ‘asteroid’ before?
Do you know if asteroids are big or small objects in space?

Vocabulary:

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

単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。

ancient /EYN-shuhnt /

[adjective] – of or from a long time ago, having lasted for a very long time
The archaeologists discovered ancient artifacts in the ruins of the old city.

explore /ik-SPLAWR/

[verb] – to search a place and discover things about it
They decided to explore the dense jungle to study its unique plant and animal life.

protect /pruh-TEKT/

[verb] – to keep someone or something safe from injury, damage, or loss
It’s essential to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays.

dust /duhst /

[noun] – dry dirt in the form of powder that covers surfaces inside a building, or very small dry pieces of soil, sand, or other substances
She wiped the dust from the bookshelves to make the room clean and tidy.

compare /kuhm-PAIR/

[verb] – to examine or look for the difference between two or more things
He liked to compare different models of cars to find the one that best suited his needs.

Article reading:

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

記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, now OSIRIS-APEX, will study Apophis, named after an ancient Egyptian god of chaos. In about 5 ½ years, around April 13, 2029, Apophis will come very close to Earth, just 20,000 miles away. OSIRIS-APEX will orbit Apophis for 18 months, aided by Earth’s gravity. Its mission is to explore and protect Earth from asteroids. Unlike before, it won’t collect Apophis samples but will use gas thrusters to study dust and rocks. Comparing Apophis to the asteroid Bennu helps us understand stony asteroids and their Earth impact risks, boosting our safety.

The person in charge of OSIRIS-APEX, Dani DellaGiustina, says that Apophis is a famous asteroid. We used to worry it might hit Earth in 2029, but now we know it won’t. Still, it will come very close—closer than any asteroid like it in recent times. In 2029, people in Europe and Africa will see Apophis without any special tools. We’ll watch Apophis closely to learn more about where it goes, what it looks like, and how it moves, all to keep Earth safe from asteroids in the future.

True or False:

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

文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。

Apophis is named after an ancient Egyptian god of chaos.
Apophis will come within 20,000 miles of Earth in approximately 5 ½ years.
OSIRIS-APEX will collect samples from Apophis during its mission.
The mission aims to explore and protect Earth from asteroids.
People in Europe and Africa will need special tools to see Apophis during the 2029 encounter.

Fill in the blanks:

Choose the correct word from the table then fill in the blanks.

適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。

ancient

explore

protect

dust

compare

After the construction work, the room was covered in a layer of fine ___________.
In literature, studying ___________ texts allows us to delve into the stories of ancient civilizations.
When you ___________ the cost of living in different cities, you may discover significant variations.
A team of scientists embarked on an expedition to ___________ the uncharted depths of the ocean.
The primary function of a firewall is to ___________ computer systems from cyberattacks.