【原】Giant Leap Day（July 20：美国历史上的今天）

内容提要：“我的一小步，人类的一大步。”这是宇航员阿姆斯特朗登月后的第一句话。本文讲述了当年宇航员们乘坐阿波罗11号登月及着陆的情景。

On July 20, 1969, millions of people around the world were glued to their TVs. They watched in fear and amazement as Neil Armstrong took his first step onto the surface of the moon. His words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" announced one of the greatest events in history. 

Until that moment, no one knew if the landing would be a success. Four days earlier, Apollo 11 had taken off from the Kennedy Space Center. Three astronauts were on board. They were Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins. They would travel 240,000 miles in 76 hours. On July 19, the spacecraft entered into an orbit轨道 around the moon. 

The next day, the landing module独立舱, called Eagle, separated from the spacecraft. Armstrong and Aldrin were in it. Collins piloted the command module, Columbia, above the moon's surface. 

The Eagle landed safely. First Armstrong and then Aldrin climbed down a ladder to the moon's surface. People watching at home saw them leaping around on the ground. They planted a U.S. flag. They took pictures. They did a few scientific tests. They slept on the moon inside the Eagle. 

On July 21, they lifted off the moon and returned to Columbia. On July 22, Apollo 11 began its journey back to Earth. It arrived on July 24 with a safe splashdown (溅落）into Pacific Ocean. Ships standing by brought men on board. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were truly space heroes.

本文内容选自上海外语教育出版社引进出版的《听读美国小故事》第7册（7月）。如需购买，可到当当、亚马逊、京东等网上书城去看看。