Page 143 - Think 4. Teacher's Book B2

Student’s Book Audioscript

Interviewer So who writes your Unit 11 at supersonic speeds to a height of
stories? Are they all young people like 80,500 meters where the rules of space
yourself? 11.04 take over and you become weightless.
Presenter 1 Hello and welcome to So, after a bit of floating about the
Diana Most of them are. Most of them
are pupils from our school but actually ‘Science Today’. Well, believe it or not, spaceship and admiring the wonderful
anyone can get in touch and send in it’s been nearly twenty years since views of our planet, passengers will
a story. They can do it just once or American businessman Denis Tito be returned to Earth where the VSS
they can contribute regularly. And paid an incredible $20 million dollars Unity will land on a runway, a bit like a
they don’t have to write the story. I’m for a journey into space and a six-day regular aeroplane.
happy to do that if I have all the facts. stay on board the International Space Presenter 2 And that’s it. It’s not
The only thing we ask any potential Station. exactly rocket science.
th
contributor is that their story should Presenter 2 That’s right. On April 28 Presenter 1 Except that it is.
be either current or about something 2001 Mr Tito took a trip on a Russian Presenter 2 You know what I mean.
that’s only just happened. And of Soyuz spaceship that was quite literally So, if you’re interested and have the
course it has to be uplifting. out of this world and became the first
ever space tourist. money, here’s the bad news. The
Interviewer Has doing this project first flight, whenever it takes place, is
changed your opinion of the news in Presenter 1 Back then it seemed like already sold out.
any way? that was going to be the start of a mad
rush of space tourism but things didn’t Presenter 1 Indeed. In fact, there are
Diana Oh, definitely. Before I always around 700 people who have already
saw the world as a dangerous place quite move as quickly as everyone had bought tickets into space with one or
and I felt powerless to do anything imagined. Between 2001 and 2009 other company who are waiting to get
about all the problems the world there were only a total of eight tourism onto a flight. Some of them have been
is facing. I try not to think about flights and then in 2009 these flights waiting for nearly 20 years.
those and instead I focus on things were stopped altogether. Presenter 2 So, if you’re in a hurry for
individuals can do. I know there are Presenter 2 But don’t worry all you an exotic holiday then you might be
things that people like me can do to starry-eyed space travellers, there better off going for something a little
make the world a better place. are a few companies that have plans more down to earth for now. A trip to
Interviewer That’s good to hear. to put anyone who has the money up Antarctica perhaps?
And finally – can you give us some into space. One of those companies
examples of your favourite types of leading the way is Virgin Galactic, part Unit 12
stories. of the massive Virgin Group created
by the British entrepreneur Richard
Diana Oh my goodness. Where do Branson. 12.02
I start? Animals always make good Well, good morning everyone. My
stories. Animals doing silly things, Presenter 1 The Virgin Galactic’s name’s Maggie Wilson and I’m from an
people finding their lost cats, that sort spaceship, known as the SpaceShipTwo organisation called The Species Finders.
of thing. We also have lots of stories VSS Unity, will carry six tourists along I’m here today to talk to you about a few
about people doing amazing things to with its two pilots into outer space and of the new species of animals and insects
raise money for people in our area – rather than the $20 million that Tito we’ve only recently discovered.
like building a skatepark, for example. paid, the cost of this journey is a mere Now, I don’t know about you, but a lot of
I like those the most because everyone $250,000. people think that we already know about
can get involved. Sport is also a good Presenter 2 But we should add that all the animals, birds, fish and insects on
topic. We had an inspiring story the you won’t be getting six days full this planet. But in fact that’s simply not
other day about an 82-year-old man board on the ISS for that money and true. We’re finding new species all the
who still plays football every week. neither will you be going quite so far time.
or spending quite so long in space. In
Interviewer Diana, it’s been a pleasure. So the first species I’d like to tell you
Thank you so much for telling us all fact, the whole trip on VSS Unity, from about today is the American Pocket
about the Good News Project and Earth to space and back again, will last shark. It’s very cute! It was discovered in
good luck for the future. just over two hours. the Gulf of Mexico. It was caught in 2010
Diana You’re welcome and thanks for Presenter 1 Let me explain how it but it wasn’t described as a new species
having me. works. The VSS Unity is attached to until 2015. Now, it’s very rare, only one
another ship, the WhiteKnightTwo or two of these sharks have ever been
carrier aircraft. This blasts off from seen. Why do you think it’s called a
Earth and carries the VSS Unity to pocket shark? It’s not in fact because it’s
a height of around 14,000 metres tiny and only 14cm in length. It’s because
above the Earth. At this height the it has a pocket-like feature just near the
two spaceships separate and the fins below its head. Isn’t that adorable?
Unity will fire up its engines and travel

T128 Student’s Book Audioscript