Page 85 - READING COMPANION TO ENGLISH EXAMS

5.1 TYPES OF TOURISM

A Trip beyond the Earth

With the advances in space technology and the increasing association of private companies, there has been
a growing interest in commercial space travel. Some private companies have declared their intentions to
offer opportunities to visit space, beginning with the Moon. As announced, lunar tourism will cover sending
individuals or small groups to the Moon, where they will have the chance to observe the lunar environment and
the Earth from a unique perspective and engage in moonwalks or other exploratory activities. While the exact
time of lunar tourism is still uncertain, there have been several announcements regarding potential initiatives.
For example, a project organised by Yusaku Maezawa plans to take off with a group of artists on a journey
around the Moon soon. Another one, led by Elon Musk, has also set out a plan to fly private individuals around
the Moon and has already accepted reservations from those interested in such trips. His company’s spacecraft
is envisaged to make trips to space, including the prospective ones to the Moon. It is under development
to serve as a vehicle compatible with various space missions. While lunar tourism is an exciting prospect,
it is crucial to recognise that it remains a future possibility rather than a supposedly available option. The
increasing involvement of private companies may eventually make it a reality, offering unique and extraordinary
experiences for those seeking to travel beyond the Earth.

a Match the highlighted words and phrases in the passage to the definitions below.
1. : to begin a job, task, etc. with a particular aim or goal
2. : according to what is generally assumed or believed
3. : an official group of people who have joined together for a particular purpose
4. : a new plan or process to achieve something or solve a problem
5. : done in order to discover more about something
6. : able to work successfully with a particular type of machine, device, etc.
7. : to say something officially or publicly
8. : to leave the ground and begin to fly
9. : at the end of a period of time or a series of events
10. : to imagine what will happen in the future

b Complete the following table with the correct forms of the words.

verb noun adjective adverb

association

declare X

exploratory X
initiative

X compatible

supposedly
eventually

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