牛津译林版《英语》九年级下册Unit 2
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong was born on 5 August 1930 in Ohio, the USA. He became interested in flying when he took his first flight at the age of six. He received his student pilot's licence when he was 16.
Armstrong joined the navy in 1949 and served as a pilot for three years. In 1955, he became a test pilot. He flew over 1,100 hours and tested all types of aircraft.
In 1962, he was chosen to become an astronaut. In 1966, he went into space as command pilot of Germini 8. He and David Scott managed to join two spacecraft together for the first time in space. However, on their way back to the Earth, the spacecraft began spinning out of control. Armstrong received the order to cut the flight short. He successfully brought the spacecraft down into the western Pacific Ocean.
On 20 July 1969, Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. Together with Buzz Aldrin, he landed the spacecraft Apollo 11 on the Moon. He said the famous words “one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” as he stepped out onto the Moon's surface
Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon for about two and a half hours. They collected Moon rocks to take back to the Earth for further research. When Apollo 11 returned, the whole world was waiting to greet them. They were heroes.
Because of his excellent service, Neil Armstrong was presented with the Medal of Freedom, the highest award that a US citizen can receive. He was the pride of the whole world.