Vocabulary:

1. constellation – созвездие;

2. imaginary– воображаемый, нереальный, мнимый;

3. manageable- поддающийся управлению, легко управляемый;

4. bit– кусочек, частица, небольшое количество;

5. tospot– отметить, наметить точку;

6. to break up – разбивать, ломать;

7. row– ряд, линия;

8. to declare- заявлять, объявлять;

9. crop - сельскохозяйственная культура;

10. torecognize- узнавать, опознавать, распознавать;

11. hemisphere– полушарие;

12. to suspect – подозревать, сомневаться;

13. toreap- жать, пожинать, собирать урожай;

14. to redefine – переопределить;

15. boundary - граница, край;

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why are constellations considered to be imaginary things?

2. What are the constellations used for?

3. How did the constellations help the farmers?

4. Why do you think people want to tell stories about the constellations?

5. How many official constellations are defined nowadays?

II. Make up the sentences with the following phrases:

• nothing more

• visible at different times

• not much differentiation between…….

• the myths associated with……

• helpful for remembering…….

III. Find the odd word:

1. a) constellations b) stars c) galaxies d) planet

2. a) sky b) Galaxy c) Milky Way d) Alpha Centauri

3. a) Scorpio b) Orion c) Venus d) Aquarius

4. a) astronomer b) observer c) astronaut d) explorer

5. a) to observe b) to define c) to determine d) search

6. a) exploration b) investigation c) observation d) explanation

7. a) solar b) nebular c) terrestrial d) celestial

8. a) launch b) take-off c) to fly d) touchdown

Exploration of the Moon

Detailed photographs of the Moon have made possible a nearly complete map, including the hidden far side. Soft-landing vehicles have televised views of the surface by remotely controlled cameras, determined the physical and load-bearing characteristics of the soil, and performed chemical analysis by isotope backscatter technique. Seismometers, laser reflectors, solar wind and ion detectors, charged particle measuring devices, magnetometers, and other instruments have been set up. Six Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms of selected lunar rocks and soil for study.

The physical nature of the Moon has been revealed by space exploration in a way impossible before. The list of discoveries is long and detailed. Perhaps the most significant is that the age of the surface material studied has been determined to be 4,600,000,000 years. For much of that time the Moon has not drastically changed, but lunar history appears to have been complex. Because it has changed so little, a record of the Sun can be traced on the lunar surface. This type of data has many implications for Earth history.

Other findings about the Moon are: there is no life or water; lunar rocks are similar to Earth rocks but have different compositions; seismometers have recorded numerous “moonquakes” about the time the Moon is closest to the Earth each month; there is a lunar magnetic field, but it is much weaker than the Earth's; the solar wind is not disturbed as it approaches the Moon, signifying that there is no layer of charged particles similar to the Earth's ionosphere; laser reflection makes it possible to measure Earth–Moon distance to within about 23 centimeters.

Essential vocabulary :

1. exploration– исследование;

2. complete– полный, законченный;

3. map– карта;

4. hidden– скрытый, спрятанный;

5. surface– поверхность;

6. soil– почва;

7. toscatter- разбрасывать;

8. chargedparticle– заряженная частица;

9. tomeasure– измерять;

10. toreveal– показывать, обнаруживать;

11. significant– значимый, основной;

12. to determine – устанавливать, обнаруживать;

13. implication– причастность, подтекст, смысл;

14. composition– композиция, состав;

15. solar– солнечный;

16. todisturb– мешать, беспокоить;

17. to approach – достигать, приближаться;

18. drastically – резко;

19. to trace – прослеживать;

20. tosignify– значить;

21. layer– слой, уровень;

22. similar– похожий;

23. reflection– отражение;