Lesson Fifteen

Pre-class Work

Read the text a third time. Learn the new words and expressions listed below.

Glossary

aborted
adj. stopped because it would be difficult and dangerous to continue 中途失败的；流产的

accumulation
n. the gradual increase in amount until there is a large quantity in one place 积累；累计

alert
v. to make sb. notice sth. important or dangerous

apparently
adv. obviously; evidently (Note: It usually implies that you are not completely sure.)
arc
v. to move in a curved shape

assemble
v. to put all the parts of sth. together in order

astronaut
n. sb. who travels and works in a spaceship

autopilot
n. 自动驾驶

bang
v. ～ out: (infml) to write sth. in a hurry, esp. on a typewriter

bathed
adj. 沐浴在（某种光线中）

bay
n. at ～: under fierce attack, which is impossible to escape from

blink
n. an act of shutting and opening your eyes quickly
v. shut and open your eyes quickly

booster
n. a rocket used to provide additional power to help to get a spacecraft off the ground（火箭的）助推器；运载火箭

catastrophic
adj. terrible, causing great suffering or many deaths

clarify
v. to make sure about the facts

chatter
n. friendly informal conversation

check in with sb.
向某人核实

clatter
v. ～ out: to come out quickly and noisily (said of the typewritten message)

closeup
n. (infml) photo taken very near 特写镜头

coherent
adj. (of speeches, thought, ideas, etc.) being naturally and reasonably presented in their proper order 连贯的

commentator
n. a person who gives opinions or descriptions during an event on radio or television

confirm
v. to show or find out sth. is definitely true; to make certain 确定；确认

corkscrew
v. 螺旋式坠落

countdown
n. 倒计时

crackling
adj. making a repeated short sharp sound like sth. burning in a fire

crew
n. all the people working on a ship, plane, or spacecraft

debris
n. all the pieces that are left after sth. has been destroyed in an accident or explosion

dictate
v. to say words for sb. else to write down 口述

drafty
adj. with currents of air blowing through it 通风的；有穿堂风的

enormity
n. extreme seriousness

excess
adj. additional and not wanted or needed because there is already enough of sth.

exhaust
n. the gas or steam produced when an engine is working

external
adj. of the outside; coming from outside

fatal
adj. extremely serious, often resulting in sb.'s death

file
v. to keep papers with information on them in a particular place (on the computer in this case) so that you can find it easily

flame
n. hot and bright burning gas

flare
v. to suddenly begin to burn with a bright flame

flaw
n. a very important weakness that makes sth. certain to fail

fleeting
adj. (of time or periods) short; passing quickly

fuel
v. to put in fuel

futile
adj. having no effect; useless; having no chance of being successful

gallon
n. 加仑（液量单位）

header
n. the top of a page, esp. on a computer

heater
n. a machine for making air or water hotter

heartbeat
n. the action of your heart as it pumps the blood through your body

hydrogen
n. 氢

ignite
v. to cause or start to burn

incredible
adj. too strange to be believed; unbelievable

indicate
v. to suggest; to show

journalist
n. a news reporter; sb. who writes for newspapers, magazines, TV or radio

keyboard
n. 键盘

liftoff
n. the start of the flight of a space vehicle 升空

lull
n. a short period of time in which there is less activity or noise than usual

majestically
adv. beautifully and impressively

minus
prep. 减去

momentary
adj. lasting a very short time

monitor
v. to listen, to keep track of, to check 监听；监测