Science flying in the face of gravity

It looked just like another aircraft from the outside. The pilot told his young passengers that it was built in 1964, a Boeing KC-135 refuelling tanker, based on the 707. But appearances were deceptive, and the 13 students from Europe and the USA who boarded the aircraft were in for the flight of their lives.

Inside, the area that normally had seats had become a long white tunnel. Heavily padded from floor to ceiling, it looked a bit like a lunatic asylum. There were almost no windows, but lights along the padded walls eerily illuminated it. Most of the seats had been taken out, apart from a few at the back, where the young scientists quickly took their places with a look of apprehension.

For 12 months, science students from across the continents had competed to win a place on the flight at the invitation of the European Space Agency. The challenge had been to suggest imaginative experiments to be conducted in weightless conditions.

For the next two hours the Boeing's flight resembled that of an enormous bird which had lost its reason, shooting upwards towards the heavens before hurtling towards Earth. The intention was to achieve weightlessness for a few seconds.

The aircraft took off smoothly enough, but any feelings that I and the young scientists had that we were on anything like a scheduled passenger service were quickly dismissed when the pilot put the plane into a 45-degree climb which lasted around 20 seconds. Then the engines cut out and we became weightless. Everything became confused, and left or right, up or down no longer had any meaning. After ten seconds of free-fall descent the pilot pulled the aircraft out of its nosedive. The return of gravity was less immediate than its loss, but was still sudden enough to ensure that some students came down with a bump.

Each time the pilot cut the engines and we became weightless, a new team conducted its experiment. First it was the Dutch, who wanted to discover why cats always land on their feet. Then it was the German team, who conducted a successful experiment on a traditional building method to see if it could be used for building a future space station. The Americans had an idea to create solar sails that could be used by satellites.

After two hours of going up and down in the plane doing experiments, the predominant feeling was one of exhilaration rather than nausea. Most of the students thought it was an unforgettable experience and one they would be keen to repeat.

 

1. What does the writer say about the plane?

A. It had no seats.

B. The inside was painted white.

C. It had no windows.

D. The outside was misleading.

2. What does 'eerily' in paragraph 2 mean?

A. clearly B. badly C. strangely D. brightly

3. According to the writer, how did the young scientists feel at the beginning of the flight?

A. sick B. nervous C. keen D. impatient

4. What did the pilot do with the plane?

A. He quickly climbed and then stopped the engines.

B. He climbed and then made the plane fall slowly.

C. He took off normally and then cut the engines for 20 seconds.

D. He climbed and then made the plane turn over.

5. What was the point of being weightless?

A. To see what conditions are like in space.

B. To prepare the young scientists for future work in space.

C. To show the judges of the competition what they could do.

D. To allow the teams to try out their ideas.

6. What does 'it' in paragraph 7 refer to?

A. the exhilaration B. the trip C. the plane D. the opportunity

7. Why was this text written?

A. To encourage young people to take up science.

B. To show scientists what young people can do.

C. To report on a new scientific technique.

D. To describe the outcome of a scientific competition.

Exercise 2.You are going to read a newspaper article about how dancing can be good for your health. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

An Apple Day

Flo Marsden, aged 71, is learning how to belly dance thanks to a local dance scheme in the UK.

Dance is increasingly being introduced to anyone who is interested for both health and recreational reasons. The National Lottery is funding courses and training, as are local authorities and regional arts associations. In addition, family doctors are prescribing dance to patients, and young footballers are learning about rhythm and balance through hip-hop lessons. There is barely a hall in the country that does not shudder with the sound of stamping feet every week.

The Yorkshire Dance Centre runs Flo's classes. Simon Dove, the dance centre's organiser and promoter, says that attendance has doubled in the last three years. He attributes this to more choice and easier access. And what a choice there is! There are 35 different lessons every week - everything from Arabic dancing to Egyptian, American tap, Asian and South African Township dance. 'Aerobics and fitness regimes can be an introspective and solitary way of keeping fit,' Simon explains. 'People like coming here because it helps you stay fit and engages your mind, enabling you to interact with others.' Steve Johnson, 28, is one of the company's teachers. He goes into schools and introduces kids to jazz, street dance and hip-hop. He thinks that for the less academic, it gives them something to focus on. 'Several school teachers have reported back to me that normally difficult and disruptive children have become more manageable because of the lessons. I think it is because they have found something at school that they excel at, making them more confident. The lessons also make them more aware of their bodies and how they work.'

For Flo, who already keeps fit by doing aerobics, her weekly dance lessons play a more social role in her life. It's the togetherness of dancing that is the best. A keep fit class doesn't get you so involved with others. When I go out shopping I see people from the lessons and say hello, jt makes you feel you are part of a community.'

Dance is one of the five activities the Health Education Authority is promoting in its current Active for Life campaign, and this summer saw one of the first health and dance conferences in the UK. John Dunbar, one of the speakers, says that on a fitness level, dance can be just as effective as going on a running programme: There were tests done in the US where two previously sedentary 30-year-olds were put on fitness programmes, one using dance, the other running and the results were the same. People are far more likely to keep up dancing rather than a running programme, so in that way it can be more suitable.'

So, if you're lucky enough to have dance classes near where you live, my advice to you would be to have a go!

1. The dance classes are being paid for by

A. the participants themselves. C. family health centres.

B. a variety of public bodies. D. local sports centres.

2. What does Simon say about the dance classes in the second paragraph?

A. Some are more popular than others. C. They are a very sociable way to exercise.

B. They are the quickest way to make friends. D. There is no limit to the number you can take.

3. Steve Johnson believes that dance

A. is suitable for the less active type of child.

B. has grown in popularity in less academic schools.

C. can be taught by ordinary school teachers.

D. helps children who have low self-esteem.

 

4. Flo enjoys going to dance classes because

A. they make her feel more relaxed than other classes.

B. they provide her with a sense of belonging.

C. they allow her to meet people from outside the area.

D. they have enabled her to get over her shyness.

5 What does 'It' refer to in paragraph 4?

A. dancing B. a community C. keeping fit D. the social role

6 According to John Dunbar, dancing

A. is much better for you than running.

B. needs to be done regularly to be effective.

C. has most effect on the health of older people.

D. motivates people more than running.

 

Exercise 3.You are going to read a newspaper article. For questions 1-7,choose the answer (А, В, С or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

The dog

When they first saw the dog, they weren't sure, in fact, that it was a dog. A small pile of rubbish by the side of the litter bin began to move. Verity and Sally, walking past on their way to the beach, both jumped back, expecting a rat to emerge from the litter. What they saw instead was the back end of a small brown dog, which seemed to be connected to a plastic bag. They both let out shrieks of delight.

'Oh, it's a puppy!' cried Verity, and bent down to release the dog's head from the plastic bag. The dog looked up at them with ketchup on its face. Now that they could see the whole animal, it was clear that it was not quite as young as Verity had thought at first sight. It carried one or two scars of life on the streets - it had a cut below one eye and one ear seemed to be permanently at an angle - but on the whole it was not in bad health for a stray dog. Its coat was shiny and you couldn't see its ribs under the skin, like you could with many dogs in a similar position. Judging by the litter bin, visitors to the beach were a good source of chips, hot dogs and hamburgers without knowing it. The dog sat, looking up at the girls with its tongue hanging out as it panted.

'Come on,' said Verity. 'Let's take him down to the beach!' Sally hesitated a moment before agreeing. She could see where it was leading. Her father always told her to walk away from a stray animal because there was a danger you would want to keep it. Then it would be harder when you actually did have to walk away. However, she couldn't deny that the dog was cute, so she was pleased when it trotted along behind them on the way to the beach.

They spread their towels on the beach and got sun cream out of their bags. When they turned round, the dog had settled on one of the towels as if he owned the place. He seemed glad of the opportunity to rest and Verity could imagine the constant battle he faced each day to survive. Apart from the search for food and shelter, which perhaps were less of a problem here than they would have been in the city centre, there was the competition from other dogs. This dog must be pretty smart, she decided, to survive against the others because he certainly wouldn't win too many fights, even if his injuries showed that he didn't give up easily.

They spent the day lazing in the sun, swimming and playing beach tennis. The dog joined in after resting for a while. To the casual observer, it would have looked like two girls and their dog playing together. Sally knew, however, that that wasn't the case and she was dreading the moment when they would have to leave. Eventually, the sun began to set and it got cooler. Verity stared at the sun, as if willing it to stay in the sky for another hour. She avoided looking at Sally and didn't seem to notice Sally looking at her watch. Verity stroked the dog, which was lying on the towel next to her. Sally knew that they couldn't put it off any longer.

'It's probably time we were getting back,' she said at last. Verity turned round and Sally saw tears running down her face. The dog looked from one of them to the other and waited.

 

1. Verity and Sally's first reaction is

a) amusement at the dog's appearance. c) fright at what might be under the rubbish.

b) worry about the dog's condition. d) curiosity at the dog's behaviour.

 

2. The dog seems to be

a) in good condition despite its injuries. c) rather overweight for its size.

b) in a worse state than most stray dogs. d) in urgent need of medical attention.

3. It seems that people who go to this beach

a) enjoy feeding the stray dogs. c) throw a lot of food away.

b) are careless with their rubbish. d) don't know they are harming the dogs.

4. Sally doesn't immediately agree to take the dog to the beach because

a) they don't have a lead to put on the dog to control it.

b) her father stops her from doing what she wants to do.

c) she thinks the dog might be dangerous., in spite of his appearance.

d) she doesn't want to form a relationship with the dog.

5. Verity thinks that the dog

a) needs their help to avoid the other dogs.

b) is a coward when it comes to fighting other dogs.

c) is more attractive than the other dogs.

d) uses his brains to beat the other dogs.

6. The girls don't want to leave the beach because

a) they think the dog will be attacked. c) they want people to think it's their dog.

b) they want to sunbathe for another hour. d) they are trying to delay leaving the dog.

7. Sally feels uncomfortable because

a) she and Verity have argued about the dog.

b) she thinks that someone is watching them.

c) she knows that leaving the dog will be hard.

d) she wants to get rid of the dog without Verity knowing.

Exercise 4.You are going to read an article from a website. For questions 1-7,choose the answer (А, В, С or D) which you think fits best according to the text.