Mission to Mars - Test 1

C2 Proficiency · Open Cloze · Cambridge English Proficiency 2, Cambridge University Press

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space.

Wanted: a middle-aged, married couple (0) ___ a 501-day round trip to Mars. Applicants must be physically and emotionally robust. This will be the profile of the very first Martian astronauts if multi-millionaire Dennis Tito's plans to launch a capsule on 5 January 2018 actually (1) ___ to fruition. The capsule will take the crew to about 160 km above Mars. The spacecraft will use the gravity of Mars to allow it to return to Earth without burning any more fuel, for fuel efficiency is a priority – the 2018 deadline has been fixed (2) ___ the next launch window when Mars and Earth align again isn't (3) ___ 2031. It's a (4) ___ order, but the race is on to develop systems involving totally new technologies. (5) ___ that these can be put in place soon enough, the spacecraft might just (6) ___ it. But even if it (7) ___ leaves Earth, the efforts to achieve these ambitious goals will not be in (8) ___ , as they will lead to valuable advances for future missions.

Mission to Mars

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