VOA常速英语2008年-South Korea's First Woman Astronaut Lifts Off I

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
08 April 2008

South Koreans are celebrating the launch of their country's first space traveler.   Yi So-yeon has become the first South Korean woman to blast into orbit on her way to a research mission on the International Space Station.  VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul the space mission is doubling as a major source of Korean national pride.

A gala party atmosphere prevailed in the South Korean capital, where about 5,000 people gathered in a downtown plaza¹ to watch a broadcast of astronaut Yi So-yeon's liftoff aboard a Russian rocket launched from Baikonur, Kazahstan.

South Korea's SBS network also brought the event live to television viewers around the country.  With minutes to go before the launch, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak addressed the Seoul crowd on the event's importance.

Mr. Lee calls the launch "another miracle of the Han River," referring to the large waterway that runs through Seoul.  He says Korea is now joining the space generation, and that Yi So-yeon is giving hope to young Koreans everywhere.

Then, the crowd of thousands joined in for the final seconds of the countdown, and exploded in cheers as they watched live images of the Soyuz rocket launch.

Astronaut Yi is the 49th woman in space, and only the second Asian woman.  South Korean authorities selected her from more than 30,000 applicants². 

Until last month, Yi was the backup astronaut for the mission, before male astronaut Ko San was stripped of his first-in-line status in a controversy³ over security regulations.

She is scheduled to spend 10 days aboard the International Space Station conducting a series of experiments related to her specialty⁴ in bioengineering.  She is also expected to take detailed⁵ photographs of the Korean peninsula, in order to observe the movements of yellow dust storms from China and Mongolia that cake South Korea each spring.

In a pre-launch interview, Yi said she would approach her mission like building a house - step-by-step, starting with a strong foundation.

Yi says she is excited rather than afraid, and says she will try to remain as calm as she did during her months of training exercises.

Astronaut Yi has said she hopes her launch will also be inspirational to North Korea, which remains⁶ technically⁷ at war with the South.  She is expected to spend two days aboard the Soyuz capsule with two Russian cosmonauts before it docks Thursday with the International Space Station.

1 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

2 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

5 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。