astronauts from 32 countries. In total, these astronauts have spent more than 26,000 days in space. Many countries sent massages of congratulations. Sean O'Keefe from NASA thought the flight was "an important historical achievement and NASA wished China continuing success with its space flight program.

IV. Background knowledge

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words.

Follow, include, select, raise, reach, proud, man, trust , return , orbit Yang Liwei --- China's first space man

　China launched (发射) its first manned space flight on Wednesday. The Shenshou mission(任务), if successful, will make china the third nation to send a man into outer space, following the former soviet Union and the United states.

　With the application of 55 breakthrough technologies, including fault- detection and escape systems, the spacecraft(太空舱) and rocket both have reached advanced international levels.

　Liwei, a lieutenant colonel in the PLA selected from a pool of 14, is the son of a teacher and an official at an agricultural firm. He was raised in Suizhong County in the northeast province of Liaoning.

　"We are proud of him," his brother-in-law said just minutes before the launch. "We don't worry about his safety because we trust the nation's advanced technology."

　The rocket was to orbit the Earth 14 times before returning after about 21 hours.

w.w.gkstk