Crew members of Shenzhou XVII—China’s 12th manned spaceflight (航天器)—arrived at the Tiangong Space Station on the evening of October 26, 2023.

A Long March 2F rocket, carrying the spaceship with three astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengije and Jiang Xinlin on board, lifted off at 11:14 a.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

After a six-and-a-half-hour flight, the She Shenzhou XVII spaceship docked (对接) with the front port of the Tianhe core module (天和核心舱), the main body of Tiangong. This is the first spaceflight of Tang Shengie and Jiang Xinlin, who are from China’s third generation of astronauts.

Following the docking process, the Shenzhou XVII crew spent nearly two hours on preparatory work to nter the space station. At the same time, the Shenzhou XVI crew Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao waited inside the connection cabin (连接舱). After all preparations were finished, Jing’s team opened a hatch (舱门) in the connection cabin at 7:34 p.m. to welcome the new team of astronauts. The first to step out of the Shenzhou XVII spaceship was Tang Hongbo, who is one of the natton’s second-generation astronauts.

“The meeting of the two teams is meaningful because it marks the first space-based gathering (聚会) of crew members from China’s first, second and third generations of astronauts,” said Jing Haipeng, who is from China’s first generation of astronauts. “With the arrival of the Shenzhou XVII crew, 20 Chinese astronauts have made it to the Earth’s orbit (轨道),” he added.

Now, the Shenzhou XVI crew has returned to Earth on October 31. The Shenzhou XVII crew will man the space station for about six months and return in April 2024. They will perform experimental repair works during spacewalks, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

【小题1】How many astronauts went to space by Shenzhou XVII?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.

【小题2】When did the Shenzhou XVII spaceship dock with the Tianhe core module?

A．At 11:14 a.m.

B．At 5:14p.m.

C．At 5:44 p.m.

D．At 7:34 p.m.

【小题3】Who is one of the nation’s first-generation astronauts?

A．Tang Hongbo.

B．Tang Shengjie.

C．Jiang Xinlin.

D．Jing Haipeng.

【小题4】Which of the following best explains the underlined word “man”?

A．Get into.

B．Be in charge of.

C．Catch up with.

D．Get away from.

【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Return of Shenzhou XVI	B．The Team of Chinese Astronauts
C．Astronauts’ Life in the Space Station	D．The Historic Gathering of Astronauts