Listening & Speaking

Qian Xuesen is one of the best-kno

wn scientists in China. His work h

as been very important for the dev

elopment of China.

1

Qian XueSen (1911-)

“Father of China's Aerospace” & “King of Rockets”

Qian Xuesen (1911- ), a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, went to the United States to study in 1935. In 1955 he returned to China, and in 1958 he joined the Communist Party.

He served successively as Director of the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice-Minister of the No. 7 Ministry of the Machine-building Industry, Vice-Minister of the State Commission on Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology.

He was also elected alternate member of the Ninth through Twelfth CPC Central Committees. Qian played a leading role in the research, manufacture and testing of carrier rockets, guided missiles and satellites, thus making outstanding contributions to the development of China's aerospace industry.

Look at the pictures and predict the

content of the listening.

1

神舟 5 号

神舟 6 号

神舟 7 号

It’s about the role of Qian Xuesen in

the development of space technolo

gy in China.

Listening and speaking

2. Listen to Parts 1 and 2 of the tape for the first time and write down the main idea.

1. What did Qian study first?

3. Listen to Part 1 again and answer these questions.

2. What experience did he get in America that was useful for China?

In America he began to work on space rockets so that he was able to develop a space program when he came back to China.

3. What was Qian Xuesen’s main achievement when he returned to China?

Qian Xuesen first studied to be an engineer.

When Qian Xuesen returned to China he set up a Space Institute to begin training people in how to design and build rockets.

4. Listen to Part 2 and fill in the chart below.

China’s achievements in space

Steve Smith’s ambitious

1. Chinese

astronauts in

space

2. Chinese satellites

in space

1. Become a rocket scie

ntist

2. Be the first to land on

Mars and put Qian Xu

esen’s pictures there

A GREAT CHINESE SCIENTIST

Father of the Chinese space programme

Yu Ping is talking to her friend Steve Smit

h about Qian Xuesen and his work

as a rocket scientist.

Listening text

YP: What do you want to be when you

grow up?

SS: I want to be an astronomer and visit

stars. I wish to visit Mars one day.

YP: I think I'd like to work in the space

industry too. I'd like to be a rocket

scientist like Qian Xuesen.

SS: What did he have to do to become a

rocket scientist?

YP: Well, he first studied at university to

be an engineer. Then he was lucky

enough to go to America to study for

his doctor's degree. It was then he

began to work on rockets there.

SS: So it was lucky for our space

programme that he came back to

China.

YP: Very lucky. There was no work on

space rockets before he began his

institute in China to design and

build rockets to go into space.

SS: Do you think he wanted to travel

into space in one of his rockets?

YP: I have no idea but I believe he

looked forward to the first space

flight by a Chinese astronaut.

SS: Yes. China, has already sent

satellites into space. I hope that

we’ll be the first to land on Mars.

That would really be something

special and if I were that astronaut I

would put Qian Xuesen's picture on

Mars to show how much we admire

his work.

YP: Indeed. He is called the father

of the Chinese space

programme. He is my hero

and he is why I want to be a

rocket scientist.

SS: Well, we'd better get on with our

homework. We need good grades

to get into university.

YP: Right you are. See you, then.

SS: See you.

In groups discuss a scientific job you might choose in the future.

What job do you want to do?

What education will you need?

What personality will be needed?

How long will the training take?

What work experience would be useful?

How will you prepare for this career?

These questions may help you:

I always wanted to … because …

The experience I will need is…

I need to practise …

I think I’m good at … so …

I’ll need some training in …

I might find it difficult to …

My greatest problem will be to…

These expressions may help you:

MIKE: What do you want to do when

you grow up?

LI RU: I want to build robots. I will have

to do a physics and mathematics

degree in China.

Sample conversation:

After that I hope to go abroad

to Reading University in

England where you can study

all about robots. There is a

special cybernetics( 控制论 )

department there.

MIKE: Why personality will be needed

for that job?

LI RU: They have a lot of uses: for

example, in making cars on

a production line or doing

other repetitive jobs.

MIKE: What personality will be

needed for that job?

LI RU: I think I need to be patient

for my ideas will take a long

time to develop. I also need

to be creative enough to

have good ideas.

MIKE: What experience will be

most useful to you?

LI RU: I think technology and

engineering projects. I hope

to work in a factory in my

holidays.

MIKE: What kind of person makes a

good inventor?

LI RU: I think someone who is happy to

persevere at something and

learns from his mistakes.

MIKE: Thank you. I think designing

robots sounds fun.