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READING 4 Sally Ride
Sally Ride
Read the conversation between two friends. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 7.6
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A: I watched an interesting documentary1 about Sally Ride last night. She was amazing. B: Who was Sally Ride? A: She was the first female American astronaut to travel into outer space. B: Is she alive now?
A: No. She was born in 1951 and died in 2012.
B: Did she always want to be an astronaut? A: Actually, no, she didn’t. As a child, she wanted to be a professional2 tennis player. B: What changed her mind? A: She became very interested in math and science in college, at Stanford University. After getting her bachelor’s degree in physics3, she went on to get her Ph.D. in physics as well. B: How did she become an astronaut?
A: That’s an amazing story. In 1977 NASA put an ad in a newspaper. They wanted people to apply to become astronauts. B: How many people applied? A: Over 8,000. B: How many did NASA hire?
1 documentary: a movie or television program that tells the facts about actual people and events 2 professional: paid to participate in a sport or activity 3 physics: a science that focuses on matter and energy 4 inducted: officially made a member of a group
