Space Tourism
If you are like most people, you probably dream of spending your next vacation sightseeing or relaxing in a tropical spot. But pretty soon, you may have the option of blasting into space and exploring the universe. It appears that space tourism may start to experience a boom that is sure to be out of this world.
Since ancient times, humans have surely dreamed about visiting space. However, it was just a fantasy until 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into space. Yet in the years following, only a few highly-trained Soviet and American astronauts managed to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. In the mid-1980s, the US began to relax some of its restrictions. In 1986, an engineer named Charles Walker became the first non-government employee to fly into space. A year later, an American teacher named Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher in space. Unfortunately, the Space Shuttle she was on, The Challenger, crashed during takeoff, killing everyone on board. Space tourism got an unexpected boost from the collapse of the Soviet Union. With Russia’s space programme in dire need of money, it became open to offers for space tourism. In 1990, a Japanese reporter was allowed to fly with a Russian crew into space, but the trip would cost his employer $28 million. In the late 1990s, a private company, MirCorp, started organizing trips to space for wealthy individuals. Now, many other companies are trying to do the same.
Still, most people who want to become space tourists face a major barrier: the price. Early space tourists have paid dozens of millions of dollars for a seven-to- ten-day stay outside the Earth. However, there are some indications that the price will come down in the near future. Some corporations are gearing up for this with big plans to make space a more hospitable place. The luxurious hotel chain Hilton has expressed interest in opening a space hotel in the next 15 to 20 years. Meanwhile, some experts believe that flights to and from the moon could become a common occurrence within a few decades. Hopefully someday soon we will all have the chance to get to know our solar system a little bit better.
1: What happened in 1961?
A: The first space tourist traveled into space.  B: An American astronaut landed on the moon.
C: The first human traveled into space. D: The first Soviet space tourism company opened.
2: Who was Christa McAuliffe?
A: The first American space tourist   B: A businesswoman who supported space tourism
C: A Soviet official who banned space tourism D: An American teacher who wanted to travel into space
3: What effect did the end of the Soviet Union have on space tourism?
A: It made space tourism more expensive. 
B: It made space tourism become a reality.
C: It delayed the start of space tourism for many years.
D: It prevented people from flying into space for a decade.
4: The word “dire” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A: necessary  B: sufficient  C: important  D: serious
5: What is MirCorp?
A: A company that develops equipment for space tourism
B: A company that fights against bringing people into space
C: A Russian government agency that trains astronauts
D: An organization that plans trips for people who want to visit space
6: Why aren’t more people taking vacation in space?
A: Space tourism hasn’t proven to be safe just yet.
B: Most governments have made it illegal to travel in space.
C: Many are waiting for the cost to come down.
D: Many have stated that there is not much to see in space.
7: What does the passage imply about the future of space tourism?
A: Eventually, space tourism will become cheaper.
B: It seems very unlikely that space tourism will ever be popular.
C: There will be few space tourists until more hotels are developed.
D: It really isn’t worth it for common people to journey.
8: It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A: Christa McAuliffe has been the first teacher to come back from space
B: the Japanese reporter spent two weeks in space in 1990
C: Charles Walker had never been a pilot before joining the NASA’s training programme
D: the US began to relax some restrictions because of the disaster of The Challenger.

`1. C:` The first human traveled into space. 

`2. D: `An American teacher who wanted to travel into space

`3. B: `It made space tourism become a reality.

`4. D: `serious

`5. D:` An organization that plans trips for people who want to visit space

`6. C:` Many are waiting for the cost to come down.

`7. A:` Eventually, space tourism will become cheaper.

`8. C:` Charles Walker had never been a pilot before joining the NASA’s training programme