Gui Haichao—the first Chinese payload expert in space

四川 蔣建平

桂海潮對科學有著濃厚的興趣，特別是看到“中國航天之父”錢學森致力于航天報國的感人事跡后，崇拜不已，也在心里埋下了航天的種子。

主題語境：職業 篇幅：356詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1The vocation of astronauts had for a long time seemed “sacred (神圣的) and distant”to Gui Haichao until the researcher became a member of the Astronaut Center of China.The 36-year-old from Yunnan Province became the first Chinese payload expert to fly in space in May 30, 2023.

2“When Jing Haipeng was flying onboard the Shenzhou Ⅶ spaceship in September 2008, I was still a university student.I just couldn't even imagine at that time that I would become a colleague of his and we would train and live in the same place.And now I am an astronaut in his crew and we will fly together to the space station,” said Gui, now a professor and doctoral supervisor at Beihang University.

3In the following years, Gui continued his study at Beihang and graduated in the summer of 2014 with a doctor's degree in spacecraft design.In the spring of2018,Gui and his colleagues were told by the school's president that China's manned space authorities had decided to select the third batch of astronauts,including the first spaceflight engineers and science payload specialists.He said this was a very precious opportunity and encouraged those interested to apply.

4“I have been a fan of space exploration for many years and sometimes dreamed about doing my research in space, so I was excited hearing this news and immediately came to the school's administrative office to fill in the application form,” the academic recalled.After rounds of physical checks and professional tests, Gui earned a place in the elite (精英) club and started training at the Astronaut Center of China.

5Thanks to his perseverance and diligence, Gui progressed rapidly in every training course and was chosen for the Shenzhou XVImission.He became the scientist in this country to travel in orbit.The professor said he feels fortunate and honored to become the first Chinese science payload specialist to fly in space.“I am sure that with mission commander Jing's guidance and the crew members' close cooperation, we will successfully perform our duties.We will use our efforts to contribute to the great ‘New Era’ and meet the expectations of the Party and the people,” Gui said.

Reading Check

Detail 1.What do we know about Gui Haichao?

A.He became an astronaut in 2018.

B.He was the first Chinese to fly in space.

C.He feels proud to be a colleague of Jing Haipeng.

D.He has been a fan of space exploration from childhood.

Inference 2.Which of the following made Gui Haichao achieve his dream?

A.Faith.B.Ambition.C.Modesty.D.Dedication.

Inference3.What can we learn from Gui Haichao's story?

A.All roads lead to Rome.

B.Behind bad luck comes good luck.

C.A good beginning is half the battle.

D.Where there's a will, there's a way.

Language Study

Difficult sentence in the text

In the spring of 2018, Gui and his colleagues were told by the school's president that China's manned space authorities had decided to select the third batch of astronauts,including the first spaceflight engineers and science payload specialists.2018 年春天，學校校長告訴桂海潮和他的同事們，中國載人航天部門已經決定選拔第三批宇航員，包括第一批航天飛行工程師和科學載荷專家。

【點石成金】本句中，Gui and his colleagues...president是句子的主干，that引導的是賓語從句，including...specialists是介詞短語作狀語。