At 9 a.m. on October 15, 2003, our country launched (發(fā)射) its first manned (有人的) space-ship, Shenzhou V, into space at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. It took Yang Liwei and his spaceship about 21 hours to circle the earth 14 times. Yang Liwei is China’s first astronaut. He comes from Liaoning Province, and he has been an air force pilot(飛行員) since 1983. He was chosen from 14 pilots after many difficult tests.
The life of an astronaut is hard to imagine for many people. To put on a space suit takes 15 minutes with the help of others. Sleeping in space is not easy, either. He has to sleep in a special sleeping bag on the wall because there is no gravity. Yang can eat chicken and rice. It’s especially made to eat in space but it doesn’t taste nice.
“I’m feeling very good in space, and it looks wonderful here,” said Yang, “I have looked at our beautiful earth and I have recorded all that I have seen here.”
China has become the third country in the world to send a person into space after the former Soviet Union(前蘇聯(lián)) and the United States. China is now planning its next launch. Shenzhou VI will be into space within(在……之內(nèi)) the next years, it may take three astronauts. We are all proud of our motherland.
【小題1】Shenzhou V was launched into space _____.

     Canada 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Canada is a big country with six time zones. In the west, it is four a.m., and everyone is asleep,

but in Halifax on the east coast it is eight o'clock and people are having breakfast. It is a cold Friday morning in November, and the temperature is ten degrees below zero Centigrade.

     Argentina 9:00 a.m.

In Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, it is nine a.m. on a warm summer morning, and people are starting work or school. November is a summer month in Argentina because it is in the southern hemisphere (南半球) .

     Scotland 12:00 noon

Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, and the capital of the UK is London. It is twelve noon, or midday, in Edinburgh. Children are having lessons, but they are looking forward to the weekend because there is no school on Saturday and Sunday.

      Egypt 2:00 p.m.

Friday is already the weekend in Egypt. Friday is a special day for Muslims, so schools, offices and shops are closed in all Arab countries. So now, at two p.m., most people in Egypt are having lunch with their families.

      Japan 9:00 p.m.

Japan is seven hours ahead of Egypt, so it is already Friday evening there. The weekend is beginning. Most people are out with friends or watching television or playing computer games.

      New Zealand 12:00 midnight

It is late on Friday night, so most people are asleep. Now Saturday morning is arriving. It is morning in Canada too, but that is Friday morning!

(   ) 1. In eastern Canada, the time is_________that in western Canada.

  A. four and a half hours behind      

B. four hours ahead of

  C. three hours ahead of           

D. the same as

(   ) 2. While Canadian children in Halifax are having breakfast, Argentinean children are_________

   A. sleeping     B. going home    C. at school      D. having supper

(   ) 3. It's midday in the capital of______when it's 9:00 a.m. in the capital of Argentina.

   A. Japan      B. Canada     C. New Zealand     D. Scotland

(   ) 4. Two p.m. in Egypt is not a good time to telephone people in New Zealand, because in New Zealand________.

A. it's midnight and most people are asleep  

B. it's noon and many people are having lunch

   C. it's the morning and many people are working

   D. it's the afternoon and most people are playing computer games

(   ) 5. What time is it in New Zealand if it's 11:15 p.m. in Japan?

   A. 1:15 p.m.       B. 2:15 p.m.        C. 1:15 a.m.        D. 2:15 a.m.