The story
Scientists at the American space agency NASA say they are beginning to gather data from Mars after successfully landing a probe on the surface of the red planet.
The InSight spacecraft survived a perilous descent on Monday and has already sent back its first picture.
Key words and phrases
probe
a tool or piece of equipment used for finding information
• NASA’s probe will send soil samples back from Mars.
• An internal probe by the police department found evidence of corruption in the force.
touched down
landed
• The rocket touched down at six o’clock in the evening.
• The plane is scheduled to touch down in New York before continuing to Miami.
beating the odds
succeeding in a situation in which success is unlikely
• The oldest horse in the race is beating the odds! He’s going to win!
• Despite losing their first few games, they beat the odds and won the league.
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Scientists at the American space agency NASA say they are beginning to gather data from Mars after successfully landing a probe on the surface of the red planet.
The InSight spacecraft survived a perilous descent on Monday and has already sent back its first picture.
Key words and phrases
probe
a tool or piece of equipment used for finding information
• NASA’s probe will send soil samples back from Mars.
• An internal probe by the police department found evidence of corruption in the force.
touched down
landed
• The rocket touched down at six o’clock in the evening.
• The plane is scheduled to touch down in New York before continuing to Miami.
beating the odds
succeeding in a situation in which success is unlikely
• The oldest horse in the race is beating the odds! He’s going to win!
• Despite losing their first few games, they beat the odds and won the league.
Take our News Review test and download the audio here
Learn English with BBC Learning English. Every day we help you to learn English with our brilliant mix of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, news and inspiring English programmes. We also produce regular 'extra' videos across the week so come back every day to see what's new.
Regular content
MONDAY: The English We Speak
MONDAY: English in a Minute
TUESDAY: News Review
TUESDAY: English At Work
WEDNESDAY: LingoHack
THURSDAY: 6 Minute English
FRIDAY: Editor's Choice
We like receiving and reading your comments - please use English when you comment.
For more videos and content that will help you learn English, visit our website:
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