99. Greeting from Space

Wilson had always wanted to be an astronaut. His kindergarten teacher had told him that was impossible. "That's nice," she said.

"But you'll probably never make it." Wilson thought she was very mean. Still, he never gave up his dream. Twenty years later, Wilson proved her wrong. He was on space mission to the moon. While looking down on Earth, Wilson thought of his old teacher. He wished she could see him now. 

He grabbed his camera and took a picture of himself in his spacesuit. A million stars were in the background. As soon as he landed back on Earth he ran to the post office. He mailed the picture to the mean teacher.

✅ Vocabulary Words

                                                           

No.	Word	Definition	Example Sentence
01	astronaut	a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft	Wilson had always wanted to be an astronaut.
02	kindergarten	a school or class for children aged four to six years old	His kindergarten teacher had told him that was impossible.
03	impossible	not able to occur, exist, or be done	His teacher had told him that was impossible.
04	probably	almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell	"But you'll probably never make it."
05	make it	succeed in reaching or achieving something	"But you'll probably never make it."
06	mean	unkind or unpleasant	Wilson thought she was very mean.
07	never gave up	persisted; did not abandon an attempt or effort	Still, he never gave up his dream.
08	dream	a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal	He never gave up his dream.
09	proved her wrong	showed that someone's previous statement or belief was incorrect	Twenty years later, Wilson proved her wrong.
10	space mission	a journey or flight by a spacecraft to achieve an objective	He was on a space mission to the moon.
11	moon	the natural satellite of the earth	He was on a space mission to the moon.
12	looking down on	viewing from a superior height	While looking down on Earth, Wilson thought of his old teacher.
13	old teacher	a former instructor or educator	Wilson thought of his old teacher.
14	see him now	a phrase expressing a desire for someone to witness a present success or achievement	He wished she could see him now.
15	spacesuit	a garment worn to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space	He took a picture of himself in his spacesuit.
16	background	the part of a view or picture furthest from the observer	A million stars were in the background.
17	landed back on Earth	returned to the ground after a flight	As soon as he landed back on Earth...
18	post office	a public department or agency responsible for mail delivery	...he ran to the post office.
19	mailed	sent (a letter or package) using the postal system	He mailed the picture to the mean teacher.
20	ran	moved at a speed faster than a walk	As soon as he landed back on Earth he ran to the post office.

❓ Comprehension Questions & Answers

                                             

No.	Question	Answer
01	What did Wilson always want to be?	An **astronaut**.
02	Who told Wilson his dream was impossible?	His **kindergarten teacher**.
03	What phrase did the teacher use to discourage him?	"But you'll **probably never make it**."
04	How did Wilson feel about his teacher?	He thought she was very **mean**.
05	How long did it take for Wilson to prove his teacher wrong?	**Twenty years** later.
06	Where was Wilson going on his space mission?	To the **moon**.
07	What did Wilson think about while looking down on Earth?	He thought of his **old teacher** and wished she could see him now.
08	What did Wilson grab to take a picture?	His **camera**.
09	What was Wilson wearing in the picture?	His **spacesuit**.
10	What was in the background of the picture?	A **million stars**.
11	What did Wilson do as soon as he landed back on Earth?	He **ran to the post office**.
12	What did Wilson mail to his old teacher?	The **picture** of himself in his spacesuit.
13	What does the action of running to the post office imply?	He was **eager and urgent** to send the picture to the teacher.
14	What word describes the type of teacher who told Wilson his dream was impossible?	**Mean** (unkind/discouraging).
15	What is the main theme of this short story?	**Never giving up** on your dreams, despite what others may say.