Reading Passage​

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In the coming decades, young travellers may look far beyond Earth and dream not only of visiting another country but of setting out on interstellar adventures across the stars. Once upon a time, this idea was nothing more than a fairy tale told in science fiction, but today scientists are beginning to take it seriously. As technology develops, the thought of stepping into a spaceship and heading towards another star is no longer completely impossible. For the children growing up now, the dream of seeing a new sunrise in a sky filled with unfamiliar colours might one day be as real as boarding a plane for a summer holiday.

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To make such journeys possible, scientists are working on powerful new propulsion systems. At the moment, rockets burn fuel very quickly and cannot carry people far without enormous costs. But in the future, ships may use engines powered by nuclear fusion or even antimatter, giving them incredible strength to fly faster than we ever thought possible. Journeys that once would have taken a lifetime could be completed in weeks. Imagine leaving Earth at the start of the school holidays and arriving at the moons of Jupiter before the new term begins. It sounds like a fantasy, but with the right technology it could become part of everyday life.

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Yet arriving at distant planets is only the first step. These worlds are not ready for us to live on, so humans might have to terraform them, changing their landscapes until they feel more like Earth. On Mars, machines could thicken the air, melt frozen water and release oxygen, slowly turning deserts into green forests and empty craters into lakes. One day children might go camping under the red Martian sky, roast marshmallows by a fire, and then row across a river that humans themselves had created. The idea of transforming a lifeless world into somewhere alive and full of colour is both exciting and daunting, but it could allow space tourism to grow into something truly spectacular.

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Not all space experiences will be permanent. Some may be short-lived and ephemeral, existing just long enough to amaze visitors before disappearing. Imagine a floating hotel above Saturn’s rings where guests could stay for a single season, or balloons rising into Jupiter’s stormy skies so travellers could watch lightning flash beneath them. Picture shimmering ice palaces on the Moon, built to sparkle in the sunlight and then melt away when the temperature changes. These wonders would not last forever, but that would be part of their magic. Knowing that something cannot be repeated makes it even more special, and tourists would treasure the memory for the rest of their lives.

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Ideas like these completely change the paradigm of travel. For centuries, people thought of exploration as climbing mountains, crossing oceans or discovering hidden valleys on Earth. Now space tourism challenges us to think differently. Exploration might soon mean stepping onto an alien world, breathing air that has been made by machines, or watching the sunrise from orbit around a gas giant. Travel would no longer be about moving to new places on our planet, but about expanding into the universe itself. This shift in perspective is thrilling because it shows how small Earth is in comparison to the endless sky above.

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But even the most exciting dreams must face reality, and space tourism stands at the precipice of danger. Unlike ordinary holidays, a mistake in space could be disastrous. Travellers must face the risk of radiation, the possibility of broken machinery, and the challenge of living far away from help. Every journey must be carefully planned and every ship tested to perfection. Tourists who board these spacecraft are not simply going on a relaxing trip, but are stepping into one of the most dangerous adventures humans have ever attempted. Safety must come first, because without it the dream could collapse in an instant.

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Humanity, however, has always shown itself to be resilient. Long ago, sailors crossed oceans even though they did not know what lay beyond the horizon. Later, pilots learned to fly in machines made of cloth and wood, even though the skies seemed impossible to conquer. Each challenge seemed terrifying at first, but people faced it with courage and determination. Space tourism will demand the same spirit. Children reading stories about astronauts today may one day be the travellers themselves, carrying with them the bravery of past explorers. Our ability to face hardship and keep going is what has always taken us forward, and it will surely guide us again among the stars.

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When we juxtapose the dazzling dreams of space tourism with the enigmatic mysteries of the universe, we are reminded how much we still have to learn. Black holes and dark matter remain unfathomable, yet people continue to make audacious plans to travel further and further from home. These bold ideas will bring both triumph and challenge, and the repercussions will be felt everywhere. Space tourism could inspire new inventions, bring nations together and spark discoveries that change the future. But it could also create problems we do not expect, from pollution to accidents. However it unfolds, the adventure of travelling into space will shape the destiny of humankind, pushing us to dream, to explore, and to imagine futures beyond anything we know today.