For space lovers, 2019 started with a bang: NASA’s New Horizons mission arrived at Ultima Thule on 1 January 2019. Ultima Thule is the oldest rock in space ever explored by humans. It is more than 4 billion miles away from earth. Brian May is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. He is also an astrophysicist. He spent some time with the science team of the New Horizons mission. Brian released a single to celebrate the New Horizons’ success.
Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.
- horizon - the limit of what is possible in a particular field or activity
- limitless - very great or large; without limit
- never-ending - endless; having or seeming to have no end
- it takes your breath away - it is extremely beautiful or exciting
- man - the human race
- to throw light on something - to help to explain something
- point of view - a way of looking at or thinking about something
1. With which number does the countdown begin?
2. While you watch the video again, fill in the missing words of the lyrics:
New horizons ........... ...........
New horizons no one's ever seen before
Limitless wonders in a never-ending sky
We may never, never reach them
That's why we have ........... ...........
New horizons to take our breath away
New horizons getting ........... every day
Somewhere in the distance, ........... ........... will appear
One day New Horizons will be very, very near
That's why we're here
Tonight the hand of man reaches out
To throw light on how ........... came about
Computer is reckoning an all-time high
The future is beckoning onward and onward we ...........
New horizons a dream coming ...........
New horizons that will change our point of view
The fruits of wishful thinking we taste them for real
We're off to new horizons so hold on to the wheel
That's how we ...........
New horizons every day
New horizons
New horizons every day
3. For the more advanced: Explain or discuss the meaning of the underlined phrases.
