Sir Richard Branson has vowed to carry on with his attempt to reach space following the disastrous explosion of his £350 million aircraft on a test flight.

The billionaire is due to arrive in California’s Mojave desert on Saturday to see the wreckage of the experimental plane he hoped would take him, his family, and paying customers, beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Writing on his website while en route, Sir Richard said it was “one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make”. He said: “Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together. All our thoughts are with the families of everyone affected by this tragic event, and we are doing everything we can to support them.”

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two came apart at an altitude of 45,000ft and crashed in three pieces 25 miles north of Mojave Air and SpacePort, from where it had taken off on Friday. One pilot was found dead inside the wreckage. A second parachuted out and is in hospital with what have been described as “major injuries”.

The ship had been released from its carrier aircraft White Knight Two at 10.10am. Two minutes later controllers became aware of what they initially described as an “anomaly”.

Doug Messier, a magazine editor, said SpaceShip Two’s engine sputtered after it was released by White Knight Two, “It looked like the engine didn’t perform properly. Normally it would burn and it would burn for a certain period of time. It looked like it may have started and then stopped and then started again,” he said, “We drove out and found one of the debris areas, it had hit the edge of the road. There were pieces of the wreckage and pieces of debris on the road, and also in the brush all around.”

In May Virgin Galactic announced it was switching to a polymide-based fuel - a type of thermoplastic - from a type of rubber called HTPB. More than 500 people have already reserved seats on Virgin Galactic, which is selling tickets at $250,000 each for a suborbital flight.

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1.Why did Sir Richard Branson go to California’s Mojave desert?

A He wanted to see the SpaceShip Two released.

B He wanted to see the wreckage of SpaceShip Two.

C He wanted to board SpaceShip Two to have a space trip.

D He wanted to pay a visit to the people affected by the tragic event.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第二段…to see the wreckage of the experimental plane he hoped…可知，他到加州发射中心来的目的是看一看试飞失败后的飞船残骸。

2.What can we infer from Sir Richard’s writing on his website?

A The crash of the experimental plane was worth the effort.

B He vowed to carry on his space plan regardless of difficulties.

C He would do everything for those affected by the tragic event.

D He had made one of the most difficult trips in his life.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据文章第三段We will persevere and move forward together可以判断，Branson不惧困难和试飞失败，将继续努力，直至飞天成功。

3.What was the anomaly of SpaceShip Two after it was released?

A Its engine started and stopped.

B Its engine didn’t burn as is usually seen.

C Its engine sputtered, sounding improper.

D Its engine was out of control.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第六段SpaceShip Two’s engine sputtered after it was released…可知，飞船引擎发出噼啪声，这种声音很异常，预示着飞行实验的失败。

4.What do we know from the last paragraph?

A More than 500 people came to see the experimental flight.

B The new fuel proved successful on the experimental flight.

C The price for a ticket of space travel is too high.

D Virgin Galactic has gained great popularity.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段More than 500 people have already reserved seats on Virgin Galactic可知，已经有超过500人预定了Virgin Galactic飞船的座位，由此判断，尽管票价不菲，该商务飞船的太空之旅仍受人们的追捧。

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A Branson Vowed to Continue Space Plan Despite of Failure.

B Branson Expresses Support for People Affected by Tragic Event.

C Travelers Expected to Board Virgin Galactic to Space.

D Branson’s SpaceShip Two Exploded After Release.

解析：选A。A 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文的主要内容是：“太空船2号”试飞失败，但是主办方Richard Branson爵士表示，并不会因为失败和困难而退缩。