In 1969, I was five years old in Lynchburg, Virginia, a skinny black kid of somewhat poor village. At that time, what my villagers were watching was “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind — Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were walking on the Moon.” I always joined them with great interest.
My father was a farmer who worked from dawn until dark, struggling to feed my family. But he always took pains to do all the things to make money for his children to experience different adventures and encourage us to run after our own dreams. After Neil Armstrong’s moon landing, all the kids in the neighborhood thought I would be an astronaut one day. But I didn’t see an astronaut like me, because family background did matter.
I went on with this dream through a high school, and even a college. After graduation, I went to work for NASA. A friend of mine handed me an application and believed that I would be a great astronaut. Although I was lucky enough to be chosen, I didn’t know what it meant to be a real astronaut. In 2007, I was in Space Shuttle “Atlantis,” careening off the planet, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, and eight and a half minutes later, the main engines cut off, and we were floating in space.
My job on this mission was to install(安装) a laboratory for materials and human research, which the European team have been waiting for 10 year. I grabbed out the big module, using the robotic arm and attaching it to the space station. So, this moment happened. It was done and I had a big sigh of relief.
In the space station, I could communicate with different people from all around the world. We had these people living and working together. Whether Russian or French, all these different people coexisted in harmony as one family. And so, when I looked up to space, I thought we all had to hold onto something until we finally came to the fantastic space.
4. Why did the author think it impossible to be an astronaut at first?
A.He was a farmer. | B.His family was poor. |
C.He was too young. | D.His father was too tired. |
5. What does the underlined phrase “careening off’ probably mean in paragraph 3?
A.Thinking back to. | B.Looking out of. |
C.Taking pictures of. | D.Flying away from. |
6. What can the author’s job be described as according to paragraph 4?
A.Demanding and challenging. | B.Rewarding and boring. |
C.Satisfying and motivating. | D.Promising and amazing. |
7. What message does the author want to express?
A.Everyone is likely to become an astronaut. |
B.Parents are the best examples of their children. |
C.Different people can coexist in harmony as one family. |
D.Everyone should hold onto his dream, whether rich or poor. |