Question

Glenn was born on July 18,1921, in Cambridge and grew up in nearby New Concord, Ohio. He started his flying career as a fighter pilot(飞行员). Later, Glenn took a dangerous job as a test pilot, flying new planes to see if they were safe.

In the late 1950s, a “space race” began between the U. S. and the Soviet Union. Both countries wanted to be the first to send a human into space, including to the moon. In 1961, a Russian astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, orbited Earth. But the space race was not over yet. Glenn’s chance to go into space came on February 20, 1962. By that time, another American, Alan B. Shepard, had flown in space, but he had not orbited Earth. Glenn’s flight was aired live on television and radio. Americans everywhere stopped to watch.

Glenn’s Friendship 7 capsule circled the planet three times. A faulty equipment led Glenn to believe the capsule might burn up on its return to Earth, but in the end it splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. He became the first American to orbit Earth in a spaceship.

In 1984, Glenn ran for president, but he did not get enough support and dropped out of the race. Glenn returned to space on October 29, 1998, when he was 77. He spent nine days on the space shuttle Discovery. Glenn went so that scientists could the effects of space travel on older people. He holds the record for being the oldest person in space. Glenn died Thursday, Dec, 8,2016, at the age of 95.

Glenn refused to see himself as a hero. He preferred to focus on his work, saying. “If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest people I’ve known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more meaningful than merely their own self-interest.”

1.What do we know about John Glenn?

A. He worked as a fighter pilot in all his life

B. He succeeded in the race for president in 1984

C. He competed with another pilot Alan B in space race

D. He was the first American to circle Earth successfully

2.What happened during Glenn’s return to Earth?

A. The capsule opened while circling Earth

B. One part of the equipment went wrong

C. The capsule was on fire all of a sudden

D. The spaceship stopped working halfway

3.Why did Glenn return to space in 1998?

A. To prove the safety of new space shuttles

B. To get support for his running for president

C. To test how space travel affected the elderly

D. To become the oldest person in space by orbiting Earth

4.What can we learn from Glenn’s words in the last paragraph?

A. Selfish people care for their own interest

B. Happy people are likely to succeed easily

C. He has known most of the successful people

D. The people who work for others are the happiest

Answer 1