Learning English

China rocket lands in ocean

The remains of a Chinese rocket that was travelling back towards Earth at great speed have crashed into the Indian Ocean. Most of the rocket was destroyed as it re-entered the atmosphere, but Chinese state media reported that parts of it landed just west of the Maldives on Sunday. People have been wondering for days where the rocket might land. US officials and other experts warned its return could have caused injuries. But China insisted the risk was low. Neil and Catherine give you the vocabulary to talk about this news story.

รับชมวิดีโอพร้อมทำแบบฝีกหัด

NEWS REVIEW PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE - SUBSCRIBE HERE

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like that? Why not try these? 

• SpaceX splash down
• Harry and Meghan's interview
• Differences between formal and informal English
  _____________________________________________________________

The story

Weighing 18 tonnes and travelling at over 17,000 miles per hour, identifying exactly where the Long March-5b rocket would make landfall proved almost impossible until the last minute.

Amid accusations of negligence, Chinese experts had asserted that the debris would likely land in the ocean. And ultimately, they were proved right.

Key words and phrases

debris
broken pieces of something larger

• After the storm there was debris all over the streets.
• Rescuers looking for a lost ship have found some debris.

heats up
becomes more extreme

• The rivalry between the teams heated up when one accused the other of cheating.
• The situation between Carlos and Jitka is really heating up. They’ll start shouting at each other before long.

gamble
a plan that has both a risk of failure and chance of success

• Changing careers in your 40s is a gamble, but it might pay off.
• Some people think the best politicians are gamblers.

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

Downloads

You can download the audio and PDF document for this episode.

More

We hope you enjoyed News Review. You can find more episodes here.