Aleksei Arkhipovich Leonov

1. You are going to read a text about A. A. Leonov. Before you start reading say what you know about him.

Mankind always dreamed of overcoming gravitation and reaching other planets but only in the 20^th century the dream became reality.

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin on board Vostok made the first flight in outer space. It lasted 108 minutes. This flight proved that a man can survive in conditions of weightlessness. The day of the first flight became a great holiday for people. Since that time the 12^th of April has been celebrated as the International Day of Cosmonauts.

Significant contribution to cosmos exploration was made by famous pilot and cosmonaut Aleksey Arkhipovich Leonov.

Aleksey Leonov was born on May 30, 1934 in the small village of Listvyanka 600 kilometers north of Kemerovo. The ninth child in the family, Aleksey showed a great interest in aviation at an early age. He spent his childhood in Kemerovo. In 1948 the Leonovs moved to Kaliningrad. In 1953 Aleksey finished a secondary school. By that time he had achieved good results in his studies. In addition, he had made achievements in sports and knew much about aircraft. Thanks to his elder brother, who was an aviation technician, Aleksey Leonov learnt about aero-engines, aircraft construction and even flight theories. That was enough to enter the Kremenchug Air Force school, the school Leonov had dreamt of since childhood. In 1955-1957 Aleksey studied at the higher specialized school for fighter pilots in the Ukraine. Then he joined the Air Force of the Soviet Army. In 1960 Aleksey Leonov with the first group of Soviet cosmonauts began to train for space flights.

On March 18, 1965 Leonov made a space flight in Voskhod-2 spacecraft. On that flight he became the first man to walk in space. He was outside the spacecraft for twenty minutes, connected to the craft by a five-foot tether. Leonov's spacesuit was inflated so much that he was unable to reenter the spaceship. The cosmonaut had to release some air. After overcoming a few other problems, the spaceship made a landing in the Urals Mountains. They waited for a rescue team surrounded by wolves. Aleksey Leonov made the shortest and the most optimistic report in the history of cosmonautics: "It is possible to survive and work in space." These words opened a new chapter in the history of space exploration.

In July 1975 Aleksey Leonov took his second trip to outer space. Before the flight he had trained in Houston, learning English and impressing everyone with his quick wit, humor and charm. It was the first joint mission between the USSR and the US. Leonov was the commander of the Soviet spaceship "Soyuz-19." The so-called "Apollo-Soyuz space project" was both a scientific and a symbolic mission. It was successful and lasted for 5 days.

For his work in space Leonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union twice as well as the Order of Lenin. He is a true hero in the history of space flight.

Leonov is a many-sided man. He has written some books. He is one of the best known space artists in the world. He is also keen in filming, hunting, water skiing.

Aleksey Leonov is an honorary citizen of many towns. Several streets and schools in Russia are named in his honour. The monuments to the cosmonaut have been erected in Moscow and in Kemerovo.

2. Match the words from the text on the left with their translation on the right.

1) flight	a) посадка
2) weightlessness	b) исследование
3) exploration	c) невесомость
4) aircraft	d) полет
5) aero-engine	e) космический костюм
6) fighter pilot	f) авиационный
7) spacecraft	g) наполнять воздухом
8) tether	h) привязь
9) spacesuit	i) космический корабль
10) to inflate	j) летчик-истребитель
11) landing	k) спасательный
12) rescue	l) стыковка
13) joint	m) авиационный двигатель

 Key: 1-d, 2-c, 3-b, 4-f, 5-m, 6-j, 7-I,8-h, 9-e, 10-g, 11-a, 12-k, 13-l.

3. The word in brackets can be used to form a word that fits suitably in the blank space.

1). Significant (contribute):: to cosmos (explore) :: was made by famous cosmonaut A. A. Leonov.

2). He (show) :: a great interest in aviation at an early age.

3). He spent his (child) :: in Kemerovo.

4). Leonov's (one) :: space flight was on March 18, 1965.

5). On that (fly) :: Leonov became the first man to walk in space.

6). In 1975 he took his (two) :: trip to (out) ::space.

7). He was the (command) :: of the Soviet spaceship "Soyuz-19".

8). The cosmonaut is the author of several (book)::.on cosmos.

9). He is one of the (good) :: known space (art) ::in the world.

10). The monuments to A. A. Leonov have been (erect) :: in Moscow and in Kemerovo.

Key: 1- contribution, exploration; 2 - showed; 3 - childhood; 4 - first; 5 - flight; 6 - second, outer; 7 - commander; 8 - books; 9 - best, artists; 10- erected.

4. Speak about the most important facts of A. A. Leonov's biography.

• 1934 - he was born.
• 1948 - :: .
• 1953 - :: .
• 1957 - :: .
• 1960 - :: .
• 1965 - :: .
• 1975 - :: .

5. Fill in the table.

6. Answer the questions.

1). Do you think A. Leonov is an outstanding person? Why?

2). Is there anything in the text that surprised you? What?

3). Did you learn anything from the text? What?