What is NASA?

      Would you like to be an explorer? Would you like to help with future missions to other planets and outer space? Then maybe you should work for NASA. NASA is an (1) ………………. It is a word formed from the (2) ………………. letters of other words. N.A.S.A. stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is in charge (3) ………………. exploring space. This U.S. agency was started in 1958. At that time, the United States and the Soviet Union were in a space (4) ………………. Each country wanted to be the first to explore space and to (5) ……………….a man on the moon. The Soviet Union won a victory (6) ………………. September 13, 1959. Its Luna 2 was the first man-made (7) ………………. to land on the moon. NASA won the final victory on July 20, 1969, when the astronauts from Apollo 11 were the first people to (8) ………………. on the moon.

      1.   A. word                      B. phrase                    C. shortcut                 D. acronym

      2.   A. first                        B. beginning              C. initial                     D. all are correct

      3.   A. in                            B. of                            C. with                        D. on

      4.   A. tournament           B. contest                   C. competition          D. race

      5.   A. take                        B. give                        C. put                          D. make

      6.   A. in                            B. on                           C. at                            D. both B & C

      7.   A. object                    B. machine                C. thing                      D. stuff

      8.   A. run                         B. walk                       C. touch                     D. drive