HSK 3 · Article · 238 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-chinas-space-station-tiangong

天上的“宫”

What is China’s space station Tiangong?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

“天宫tiāngōng”是shì中国zhōngguó的de空间站kōngjiānzhàn。“宫gōng”是shì很hěn大dà很hěn漂亮piàoliang的de房子fángzi，所以suóyǐ“天宫tiāngōng”就是jiùshì天上tiānshàng的de房子fángzi。二零二二年èrlíng’èr’èrnián，天宫tiāngōng建jiàn好hǎo了le。

天宫tiāngōng有yǒu三sān个gè大dà“房间fángjiān”，它们tāmen连lián在zài一起yìqǐ，在zài离lí地球dìqiú差不多chàbuduō四百sìbǎi公里gōnglǐ的de地方dìfang飞fēi。

谁shéi住zhù在zài里面lǐmiàn？一般yìbān是shì三sān个gè航天员hángtiānyuán。他们tāmen每次měicì在zài天宫tiāngōng住zhù差不多chàbuduō六liù个gè月yuè，然后ránhòu回到huídào地上dìshang的de家jiā，再zài换huàn三sān个gè人rén上去shàngqu。他们tāmen在zài天宫tiāngōng里吃饭chīfàn、看书kànshū、锻炼duànliàn身体shēntǐ，也yě和hé家人jiārén打电话dǎdiànhuà。

在zài天宫tiāngōng上shàng，一yì天tiān很hěn不bù一样yíyàng。天宫tiāngōng差不多chàbuduō九十jiǔshí分钟fēnzhōng就jiù能néng飞fēi地球dìqiú一yì圈quān，所以suóyǐ航天员hángtiānyuán一yì天tiān能néng看到kàndào十几shíjǐ次cì太阳tàiyáng出来chūlái。他们tāmen睡觉shuìjiào的de时候shíhou，要yào睡shuì在zài一个yígè大dà包bāo里，这样zhèyàng才cái不会búhuì飞来飞去fēilái-fēiqù。

航天员hángtiānyuán在zài那里nàlǐ做zuò很hěn多duō实验shíyàn，也yě会huì给gěi地上dìshang的de学生xuéshēng讲课jiǎngkè。如果rúguǒ你nǐ能néng去qù天宫tiāngōng住zhù六liù个gè月yuè，你nǐ想xiǎng带dài什么shénme东西dōngxī？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
一起	yìqǐ	together
离	lí	to leave; to part from
飞	fēi	to fly
里面	lǐmiàn	inside; interior
上去	shàngqu	to go up
身体	shēntǐ	body
次	cì	next; second (as in 次日)
包	bāo	bag; sack
这样	zhèyàng	like this; this way
房子	fángzi	house; building
地方	dìfang	place
换	huàn	to change; to replace

English (for the teacher)

“Tiangong” is China’s space station. “Gong” means a big, beautiful building, so “Tiangong” is a house in the sky. In 2022, Tiangong was finished.

Tiangong has three big “rooms”, joined together and flying about four hundred kilometres above the Earth.

Who lives inside? Usually three astronauts. Each time they stay on Tiangong for about six months, then return to their homes on the ground, and three more people go up. On Tiangong they eat, read, exercise, and phone their families too.

On Tiangong, a day is very different. Tiangong can fly round the Earth in about ninety minutes, so the astronauts see the sun come up a dozen or more times a day. When they sleep, they have to sleep inside a big bag, so that they don’t float all over the place.

The astronauts do lots of experiments there, and they also give classes to students on the ground. If you could live on Tiangong for six months, what would you take?