2025.11.03 青少年新闻速递
First up, let’s blast off into space! China has launched its Shenzhou XXI mission, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station (which means Heavenly Palace in Chinese). But they aren’t the only ones on board! For the first time, China is also sending four tiny “mouse-tronauts”—two males and two females—into orbit. These four furry friends are flying to the final frontier! Scientists are very excited to see how these mice behave in a weightless, enclosed environment. After their journey, the mice will return to Earth with the astronauts for more observations. Researchers want to understand how space travel affects them, from their stress levels to changes in their bodies. This important experiment will help us learn more about life in space.
Imagine you are one of those tiny mice. You feel yourself floating inside a special container. Outside your little window, you can see the giant blue and white Earth spinning slowly below. Everything around you is quiet and peaceful. What do you think you would see and feel?
The Tiangong space station is an amazing place. It orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. That’s like stacking more than 4,500 soccer fields on top of each other, reaching straight up into the sky! The whole station has a weight of about 100 metric tons. To understand how heavy that is, picture 20 huge adult elephants all floating together in space! The Shenzhou XXI crew is tasked with maintaining this incredible structure during their six-month stay. After the spaceship enters orbit, it will perform a rapid rendezvous (meet up/join) with the station, a process that takes about three-and-a-half hours.
The human crew is just as fascinating. The mission commander is Senior Colonel Zhang Lu. This is his second trip to space! He is joined by two teammates who are on their debut mission. One of them is Major Wu Fei, who at 32 years old, has become the youngest Chinese astronaut to participate in a spaceflight. Before becoming an astronaut, he was an engineer who specialized in keeping spacecraft at the right temperature. The third crew member is Zhang Hongzhang, a scientist and the first astronaut chosen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is the country’s top research institution. He’s an expert in materials for advanced batteries.
During their stay, the astronauts will be very busy. They have 27 new scientific projects to work on. They will also perform spacewalks to install new equipment, like shields to protect the station from space debris. They will even host science lectures for students back on Earth. If you could send any animal to space for an experiment, which one would you choose and what would you want to learn?
Now, let’s fly back to Earth for our second story. We are landing at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China, which has just opened its brand-new Terminal 3! This huge expansion cements (strengthens/secures) the airport’s position as one of the world’s busiest travel hubs. With three terminals and five runways, the airport can now handle 140 million passengers every year. That’s like the entire population of Russia passing through one airport in a year!
The new fifth runway is a massive piece of engineering. It is 3,600 meters long. That’s long enough to line up nearly 40 soccer fields from end to end! This allows it to handle the world’s largest airplanes, like the Boeing 777. The first flight from the new terminal was a very special one, using a domestically developed C919 aircraft that flew to Beijing. The pilot said everyone on board was very excited to witness this historic moment.
Picture this: you have just walked into a giant, sparkling building that evokes (suggests/brings to mind) the image of a blooming flower. This design is a tribute to Guangzhou’s nickname, “city of flowers.” But this is not just a building; it’s a living space. You can see a real indoor garden with ancient trees and a botanical garden—a first for any airport in China! You feel the warmth from the colorful decorations and see art everywhere. It feels more like a futuristic park than a place to catch a plane.
This terminal isn’t just beautiful; it’s also incredibly smart. It uses intelligent technology to make traveling easier and more comfortable for everyone. The lights and air conditioning automatically adjust based on how many people are in the terminal. There are also many self-service facilities to help you check in and get through security smoothly. One passenger on the first flight was very impressed, saying the facilities in the waiting rooms were better than he expected. He was especially surprised by the beautiful window designs and the garden in the departure hall. Airport officials describe Terminal 3 as a perfect blend of Chinese style, southern charm, and modern technology. If you were designing a new airport terminal, what cool and fun things would you add to make it the best in the world?
中文版本 新闻探索时间！今天我们要一起飞速探索……Bang! Pop! Wow! ……几位非常特殊的太空旅行家，还有一个超级酷炫的新机场！
首先，让我们发射升空，冲向太空！中国已经成功发射了神舟二十一号飞船，将三名航天员送往天宫空间站。但他们可不是船上唯一的乘客哦！这一次，中国首次将四只小小的“鼠航天员”——两只雄性和两只雌性——送入了轨道。这四位毛茸茸的朋友正在飞向最后的边疆！科学家们都特别激动，想要看看这些小老鼠在失重、封闭的环境里会有什么样的表现。旅行结束后，它们会和航天员一起返回地球，接受更多的观察。研究人员想了解太空旅行是怎样影响它们的，从压力水平到身体上的变化，简直太细致了！这个重要的实验将帮助我们更多地了解太空中的生命。
想象一下，你就是其中一只小老鼠。你感觉自己在一个特殊的容器里轻轻地漂浮着。从你的小窗户往外看，可以看到巨大又美丽的蓝白色地球正在缓缓旋转。你周围的一切都那么安静祥和。你觉得你会看到和感受到什么呢？
天宫空间站是一个超厉害的地方。它在距离地球大约400公里的高空轨道上运行。这高度，就像把4500多个足球场一个接一个地叠起来，笔直地伸向天空一样！整个空间站重约100公吨。为了让你明白这有多重，想象一下20头巨大的成年大象一起在太空中漂浮的样子！神舟二十一号的宇航员们，任务就是在接下来六个月的驻留期间，维护这个不可思议的大家伙。飞船进入轨道后，会快速地与空间站进行对接（duìjiē），这个过程大约需要三个半小时。
这次的航天员团队也同样引人注目。指令长是张陆大校，这已经是他第二次进入太空了！他的两位队友都是首次执行飞行任务。其中一位是32岁的吴飞少校，他成为了参与太空飞行的最年轻的中国航天员。在成为航天员之前，他是一名工程师，专门负责让航天器保持合适的温度。第三位成员是张洪璋，他是一位科学家，也是第一位从中国最高研究机构——中国科学院选拔出来的航天员。他是先进电池材料领域的专家。
在空间站停留期间，航天员们会非常忙碌。他们有27个新的科学项目等着去完成。他们还要进行太空行走，安装新设备，比如用来保护空间站免受太空碎片撞击的防护罩。他们甚至还会为地球上的同学们举办太空科学课。如果是你，可以送任何一种动物去太空做实验，你会选择哪种动物，又想了解些什么呢？
现在，让我们飞回地球，来看第二条新闻。我们降落在中国南方的广州白云国际机场，这里崭新的T3航站楼刚刚启用啦！这次大规模的扩建，巩固了它作为世界上最繁忙航空枢纽之一的地位。现在机场拥有三座航站楼和五条跑道，每年可以接待1.4亿人次的旅客。这差不多相当于俄罗斯的全部人口在一年内都从这个机场经过一次！
新建的第五条跑道是一项巨大的工程。它有3600米长，这长度，足够把将近40个标准足球场首尾相连地排成一排！这使得它能够起降世界上最大的飞机，比如波音777。从新航站楼出发的第一个航班非常特别，它是由国产C919飞机执飞，飞往北京。机长说，机上所有人都为能见证这个历史性时刻感到无比兴奋。
想象一下这个场景：你刚刚走进一座巨大、闪闪发光的建筑，它的外形让人联想到一朵盛开的鲜花。这个设计是为了向广州“花城”的美誉致敬。但这不仅仅是一座建筑，更是一个充满生机的地方。你能看到一个真正的室内园林，里面有古树和植物园——这在中国所有机场里可是头一回！你从五彩缤纷的装饰中感受到温暖，艺术品随处可见。这感觉更像是一个未来的公园，而不是一个赶飞机的地方，简直不要太厉害！
这座航站楼不仅漂亮，还特别“聪明”。它运用了智能技术，让每个人的旅行都变得更轻松、更舒适。航站楼里的灯光和空调会根据人流量自动调节。还有很多自助服务设备，可以帮你顺利地办理登机和通过安检。一位乘坐首航航班的乘客就对此赞不绝口，他说候机室的设施超出了他的预期，特别是商业区的窗户设计和出发大厅里的花园，真是让他大开眼界。机场方面形容T3航站楼完美融合了中国风、岭南神韵和现代科技感。如果你来设计一座新的机场航站楼，你会添加哪些又酷又好玩的东西，让它成为世界第一呢？
听力问题（中英文）
- What is special about the mice on the Shenzhou XXI mission? 神舟二十一号任务中的小老鼠有什么特别之处？
- Who is the youngest Chinese astronaut to participate in a spaceflight, as mentioned in the news? 根据新闻，参与太空飞行的最年轻的中国航天员是谁？
- What does the design of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport’s Terminal 3 look like? 广州白云国际机场T3航站楼的设计看起来像什么？
- How long is the new fifth runway at the airport? 机场新建的第五条跑道有多长？
参考答案（中英文)
- They are the first rodents (mice) China has sent into orbit for in-orbit experimentation. Scientists will study their behavior in a weightless environment. 它们是中国首次送入轨道进行在轨实验的啮齿动物（老鼠）。科学家将研究它们在失重环境下的行为。
- Major Wu Fei, at 32 years old, is the youngest Chinese astronaut mentioned to have participated in a spaceflight. 32岁的吴飞少校，是新闻中提到的参与太空飞行的最年轻的中国航天员。
- The design of Terminal 3 looks like a blooming flower, which is a tribute to Guangzhou’s nickname, “city of flowers.” T3航站楼的设计看起来像一朵盛开的鲜花，这是为了向广州“花城”的美誉致敬。
- The new fifth runway is 3,600 meters long. 新建的第五条跑道长3600米。