Learning English

Are you a space expert?

satellite
a machine that is sent into space and moves around Earth or another planet

launch
(here) the act of shooting something into the sky

to launch
(here) to shoot something into the sky

rocket
long tube powered by gases that can be fired into the sky

space
the region beyond Earth where stars and planets are found

orbit
path around Earth or another planet

to orbit
to travel around Earth or another planet

astronaut
someone who travels to space

solar system
the Sun and the planets that move around it

planet
large round object in space such as Earth

the planets
(from nearest the Sun) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

spacecraft
a vehicle that travels in space

exploration
the act of travelling through a place to find out about it

to explore
to travel through a place in order to find out about it

rover
wheeled vehicle used to travel over and study the surface of the moon or a planet

space shuttle
spacecraft that can be used to leave and return to Earth more than once

space station
structure in space that is used by people working and travelling in space

6 Minute Vocabulary

Noun - Example

a honk - I heard a honk, then a car came around the corner.

a buzz - There was a buzz of conversation in the audience

a bleep - That bleep means that my battery is dying.

a hum - There's a problem with my TV. It's making a loud hum.

a rumble - We saw the lightning, then we heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

a rustle - There was a rustle in the bushes, then the fox appeared.

Verb - Example

to zoom - The motorbike zoomed down the road.

to honk - Don't honk at me! I'm driving safely!

to blare - I can't sleep because of the music blaring next door.

to buzz - There was a mosquito buzzing around the room.

to bleep - My phone bleeps whenever I get a text message.

to hum - I can hear something humming in the kitchen. Did you leave the dishwasher on?

to rumble - The train rumbled down the track.

to rustle - He rustled the pages of the newspaper.

Getting passive

NASA
the American space agency

space shuttle
vehicle which NASA uses to make repeated journeys into space

launch
to propel upwards, or away from the ground

astronaut
person who travels into space on a mission

rockets
tube-shaped devices powered by huge amounts of explosive gas (used to transport people into space) rockets

NASA's last shuttle flight

exploration
a journey to search and find out about new things

Space Shuttle 
vehicle which NASA used to make repeated journeys into space

the end of an era 
the end of a significant or historic period of time

rockets
tube-shaped devices which are powered by huge amounts of explosive gas and which are used to transport people and things into space

mission
(here) flight into space

to launch 
(here) to lift upwards and away from the ground very powerfully

orbit 
(here) move round and round a planet - here, the Earth

to herald
to announce that something new or important is happening

commonplace
something that happens or that people see regularly

astronaut
person who travels into space on a mission

Can science fiction save the day?

envisage
picture the future in your mind

scary
frightening

bleak
dark and cold, without hope

dystopia
an imagined place, often in the future, that is full of problems and everything is unpleasant or bad

utopia
an imagined place where everything is perfect and there are no problems

depressing
making people feel sad and hopeless

inspired
made to want to do something

feel-good
causing you to feel happy

challenge
difficult task(s); problem(s) to solve

promising
showing signs of future success

environmentalists
people who work to protect the natural world

scenario
(here) setting, particularly in film or literature

conflict
serious disagreement or argument

rally around
get together in support of something or someone, often a good cause

invisibility
the state of not being able to be seen

cloaks
loose coats with no sleeves

News Report - Comets

a probe
a device which is used to collect information

rendezvous
meeting

didn't go entirely to plan
went a little bit wrong

data
information

impacts
hits, collisions

our solar system
our sun and the planets that go around it

formed
made

distinctive
easy to recognise

fascinated
been of great interest to

with the naked eye
without needing to use equipment such as telescopes

is visible
can be seen

Bayeux Tapestry
a famous decorated cloth showing scenes from English history in the 11th Century

Drama: Alice in Wonderland

curious
if you describe things as curious you mean they are strange; if you describe a person as curious, it means they're interested in everything

ceiling
the top part of a room

tears
the water that comes from your eyes when you cry

fan
an object made of material or paper that you move up and down, or from side to side to make cold air

shrinking (verb: shrink)
getting smaller

escape
to get away from a difficult or dangerous situation or place