Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

William Anders, astronaut

Your teacher gave you a short biography to help you decide who to nominate for an
Incredible Person Award at your school. Read the biography and answer the questions.
Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple choice questions, choose the best
answer and blacken the circle next to the corresponding letter.

William Anders, astronaut SA

NA

1 Many children want to become

astronauts when they grow up, but
William ‘Bill’ Anders is one of a small
5 group of people who managed to turn
himself from an ambitious youngster
into a real-life space traveller. In
1968, as a member of the Apollo 8
mission, Anders and his two
10 crewmates became the first three
humans to travel beyond Earth’s
orbit* to the moon — nearly a year
before astronauts landed on the
surface. To this day, Anders is one of
15 only twenty-four people to fly to the
moon.

2 Anders was born in Hong Kong

on 17th October 1933. His father was
a lieutenant in the United States
20 Navy. Anders’ parents later settled in La Mesa, California. As a boy, Anders was
very determined, a characteristic that helped him to achieve the second-highest
Boy Scouts rank — Life Scout — faster than anyone else in the organisation’s
history. At Saint Martin’s Academy and Grossmont High School, he was
passionate about everything he took on, allowing him to achieve success as
25 both a student and an athlete.

3 In 1955, Anders earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the US Naval

Academy. Despite his formal education, he considered himself to be more of an
adventurer than a scientist, which was why he became a fighter pilot in the US
Air Force shortly after graduation. He flew jets the most skilfully of all the
30 trainees in his class, so his career ‘took off’ quickly. In 1962, Anders went back to
school to complete a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the US Air
Force Institute of Technology.

Please turn over.

4 The next year, Anders was recruited by NASA for its ‘Group 3’ — the third
group of astronauts the agency ever trained. Because he could fly better and
35 learn faster than most of his peers, he soon rose to the top of his class. In 1966,

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Sozaijiten
his hard work earned him the backup
pilot position for the Gemini 11 mission,
which involved a spacecraft orbiting the
earth for three days. Watching the
40 mission from the ground, he promised
himself that his time would soon come.

5 Anders kept his promise to

himself. In 1968, he was the pilot on
45 the
Apollo 8 mission. He and his crewmates, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, became
the first humans to travel beyond Earth’s orbit into space. They reached the
moon three days later — on Christmas Eve. They orbited the moon ten times in
twenty hours. Anders took one of the most famous photos in history — ‘Earthrise’
— during their flight. He and his crewmates returned to Earth on 27th December,
50 and became Time magazine’s ‘Men of the Year’ for 1968. Their achievement set
the stage for the first walk on the moon the following year.

*The word ‘orbit’ refers to ‘the curved path travelled by an object that is moving around another much larger
object, such as the earth, the sun, etc.’

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 Who is the subject of the biography?

2 How many astronauts were aboard Apollo 8?

3 How many people have flown to the moon?

4 Which of the following is NOT true about Anders?

 A He flew to the moon in 1968.
 B He grew up in Hong Kong.
 C He had academic and athletic success.
 D He was a member of the Boy Scouts.

5 What is the second-highest Boy Scouts rank?

6 Complete the note sheet.

Name: William Anders

Nickname:
Date of birth:
Place of birth:
Schools attended:
Colleges attended:

7 Why do you think the phrase ‘took off’ (line 30) is in inverted commas?

8 What is ‘the agency’ (lines 35–36)?

9 According to paragraph 4, Anders _____.

 A excelled at his NASA training
 B joined NASA’s Group 3 in 1966
 C orbited the earth aboard Gemini 11
 D was the third astronaut that NASA trained

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

10 What is the tone of the statement, ‘he promised himself that his time would soon come’
(lines 44–45)?
 A angry
 B determined
 C doubtful
 D unhappy

11 How long did it take Anders and his crew to travel once around the moon?

12 In line 50, why do you think Anders named his photo ‘Earthrise’?

13 In lines 52–53, the phrase ‘set the stage’ is used to say that the Apollo 8 achievement
_____ the first moon landing.
 A helped people to remember
 B helped to make possible
 C was a direct result of
 D was more important than

14 Number the following events in the correct order. Write 1–6 on the lines provided.
One has been done for you.
Anders joined NASA’s Group 3.
Anders was chosen as the backup pilot for the Gemini 11 mission.
Anders became a fighter pilot. 1

Anders earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering.

Anders was named one of Time magazine’s ‘Men of the Year’.
Anders took part in the Apollo 8 mission.

15 Would you like to become an astronaut? Why or why not?

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

mission n (line 9) /ˈmɪʃən/ an important job that involves going somewhere,
done by soldiers, secret agents, astronauts, etc.
crewmates n (line 10) /ˈkruːmeɪts/ people who belong to the same crew as you;
‘crewmates’ is the plural form of ‘crewmate’
surface n (line 14) /ˈsɜːfəs/ the top layer of an area of water or land

lieutenant n (line 19) /ˈluːtenənt/ an officer with a low to middle rank in the armed
forces
settled v (line 20) /ˈsetld/ went to live in a new place, and stayed there for a
long time; ‘settled’ is the simple past of ‘settle’
characteristic n /ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/ a quality or feature of something or someone that
(line 21) is typical of them and easy to recognise
fighter pilot n phr /ˈfaɪtə ˌpaɪlət/ someone who flies a small, fast military plane that
(line 28) can destroy other planes
trainees n (line 30) /ˌtreɪˈniːz/ people who are being trained for a job; ‘trainees’
is the plural form of ‘trainee’
recruited v (line 34) /rɪˈkruːtɪd/ chosen to work in a company, join a group, etc.;
‘recruited’ is the past participle of ‘recruit’
backup n (line 40) /ˈbækʌp/ someone who will replace another person to do a
job, fill a position, etc. if the first person gets
injured or ill
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

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 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

AK William Anders, astronaut

Your teacher gave you a short biography to help you decide who to nominate for an
Incredible Person Award at your school. Read the biography and answer the questions.
Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple choice questions, choose the best
answer and blacken the circle next to the corresponding letter.

William Anders, astronaut SA

NA

1 Many children want to become

astronauts when they grow up, but
William ‘Bill’ Anders is one of a small
5 group of people who managed to turn
himself from an ambitious youngster
into a real-life space traveller. In
1968, as a member of the Apollo 8
mission, Anders and his two
10 crewmates became the first three
humans to travel beyond Earth’s
orbit* to the moon — nearly a year
before astronauts landed on the
surface. To this day, Anders is one of
15 only twenty-four people to fly to the
moon.

2 Anders was born in Hong Kong

on 17th October 1933. His father was
a lieutenant in the United States
20 Navy. Anders’ parents later settled in La Mesa, California. As a boy, Anders was
very determined, a characteristic that helped him to achieve the second-highest
Boy Scouts rank — Life Scout — faster than anyone else in the organisation’s
history. At Saint Martin’s Academy and Grossmont High School, he was
passionate about everything he took on, allowing him to achieve success as
25 both a student and an athlete.

3 In 1955, Anders earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the US Naval

Academy. Despite his formal education, he considered himself to be more of an
adventurer than a scientist, which was why he became a fighter pilot in the US
Air Force shortly after graduation. He flew jets the most skilfully of all the
30 trainees in his class, so his career ‘took off’ quickly. In 1962, Anders went back to
school to complete a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the US Air
Force Institute of Technology.

Please turn over.

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 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

4 The next year, Anders was

recruited by NASA for its ‘Group 3’ —
35 the third group of astronauts the Sozaijiten
agency ever trained. Because he could
fly better and learn faster than most of
his peers, he soon rose to the top of his
class. In 1966, his hard work earned
40 him the backup pilot position for the
Gemini 11 mission, which involved a
spacecraft orbiting the earth for three
days. Watching the mission from the
ground, he promised himself that his
45 time would soon come.

5 Anders kept his promise to himself. In 1968, he was the pilot on the
Apollo 8 mission. He and his crewmates, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, became
the first humans to travel beyond Earth’s orbit into space. They reached the
moon three days later — on Christmas Eve. They orbited the moon ten times in
50 twenty hours. Anders took one of the most famous photos in history — ‘Earthrise’
— during their flight. He and his crewmates returned to Earth on 27th December,
and became Time magazine’s ‘Men of the Year’ for 1968. Their achievement set
the stage for the first walk on the moon the following year.

*The word ‘orbit’ refers to ‘the curved path travelled by an object that is moving around another much larger
object, such as the earth, the sun, etc.’

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 Who is the subject of the biography?

William Anders

2 How many astronauts were aboard Apollo 8?

three

3 How many people have flown to the moon?

twenty-four

4 Which of the following is NOT true about Anders?

 A He flew to the moon in 1968.
 B He grew up in Hong Kong.
 C He had academic and athletic success.
 D He was a member of the Boy Scouts.

5 What is the second-highest Boy Scouts rank?

Life Scout

6 Complete the note sheet.

Name: William Anders

Nickname: Bill
Date of birth: 17th October 1933
Place of birth: Hong Kong
Schools attended: Saint Martin’s Academy, Grossmont High School
Colleges attended: US Naval Academy, US Air Force Institute of Technology

7 Why do you think the phrase ‘took off’ (line 30) is in inverted commas?
I think the phrase ‘took off’ is in inverted commas because it is being used to describe
both Anders’ career success and what he did whenever he flew jets / because it is a pun /
play on words / example of humorous writing. (Accept any reasonable answer.)

8 What is ‘the agency’ (lines 35–36)?

NASA

9 According to paragraph 4, Anders _____.

 A excelled at his NASA training
 B joined NASA’s Group 3 in 1966
 C orbited the earth aboard Gemini 11
 D was the third astronaut that NASA trained

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

10 What is the tone of the statement, ‘he promised himself that his time would soon come’
(lines 44–45)?
 A angry
 B determined
 C doubtful
 D unhappy

11 How long did it take Anders and his crew to travel once around the moon?
two hours

12 In line 50, why do you think Anders named his photo ‘Earthrise’?
I think Anders named his photo ‘Earthrise’ because it shows the earth rising above the
horizon of the moon like the sun rises above the horizon of the earth / seeing the earth
from the moon reminded him of a sunrise. (Accept any reasonable answer.)

13 In lines 52–53, the phrase ‘set the stage’ is used to say that the Apollo 8 achievement
_____ the first moon landing.
 A helped people to remember
 B helped to make possible
 C was a direct result of
 D was more important than

14 Number the following events in the correct order. Write 1–6 on the lines provided.
One has been done for you.
Anders joined NASA’s Group 3. 3

Anders was chosen as the backup pilot for the Gemini 11 mission. 4

Anders became a fighter pilot. 1

Anders earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering. 2

Anders was named one of Time magazine’s ‘Men of the Year’. 6

Anders took part in the Apollo 8 mission. 5

15 Would you like to become an astronaut? Why or why not?

(Student’s own answers)

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Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

mission n (line 9) /ˈmɪʃən/ an important job that involves going somewhere,
done by soldiers, secret agents, astronauts, etc.
crewmates n (line 10) /ˈkruːmeɪts/ people who belong to the same crew as you;
‘crewmates’ is the plural form of ‘crewmate’
surface n (line 14) /ˈsɜːfəs/ the top layer of an area of water or land

lieutenant n (line 19) /ˈluːtenənt/ an officer with a low to middle rank in the armed
forces
settled v (line 20) /ˈsetld/ went to live in a new place, and stayed there for a
long time; ‘settled’ is the simple past of ‘settle’
characteristic n /ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/ a quality or feature of something or someone that
(line 21) is typical of them and easy to recognise
fighter pilot n phr /ˈfaɪtə ˌpaɪlət/ someone who flies a small, fast military plane that
(line 28) can destroy other planes
trainees n (line 30) /ˌtreɪˈniːz/ people who are being trained for a job; ‘trainees’
is the plural form of ‘trainee’
recruited v (line 34) /rɪˈkruːtɪd/ chosen to work in a company, join a group, etc.;
‘recruited’ is the past participle of ‘recruit’
backup n (line 40) /ˈbækʌp/ someone who will replace another person to do a
job, fill a position, etc. if the first person gets
injured or ill
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5