Experts: North Korea Lacks Missile Technology to Reach Mainland US

Please refresh the page to get the latest updates.

Materials Daily News

Advanced

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

intercontinental

Adjective

ˌɪntərˌkɑːntɪˈnentl

able to travel from one continent to another

A new generation of intercontinental missiles is being developed by Russia.

altitude

Noun

ˈæltɪˌtuːd

the height of something above the level of the sea

Planes fly at an altitude of around 20,000 feet.

For example, it tells altitude, outside air temperature, ground speed and estimated arrival time aside from the present position.

Athletes often train at high altitudes before important competitions.

astrophysicist

Noun

ˌæstroʊˈfɪzɪsɪst

someone who studies the physical and chemical properties and structures of celestial bodies

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most famous astrophysicists.

milestone

Noun

ˈmaɪlˌstoʊn

an important stage in the progress or development of something

This product is an important milestone in our company's history.

The plan includes project milestones with approximate completion dates.

Our company passed a significant milestone today by becoming profitable for the first time ever.

steep

Adjective

stiːp

rising or falling very sharply

The steep path twisted its way up the mountainside to the castle.

These steps are very steep.

This road is very steep.

The sudden increase in costs was represented by a steep line on the graph.

It's a steep climb from the bottom of the tower to the top.

In Japan, many homes are built on or near steep slopes.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Experts: North Korea Lacks Missile Technology to Reach Mainland US

North Korea still lacks the necessary technology to send a nuclear weapon all the way to the United States mainland, say experts.

But the same experts admit that North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, marked an improvement in its military program. The ICBM that North Korea tested recently was the second long-distance rocket it launched in the month of July. The missile tested is called the Hwasong-14.

The missile traveled a distance of about 1,000 kilometers. But it reached an altitude of about 3,700 kilometers. It was in flight for about 45 minutes before falling into the sea. The missile crashed into the waters 175 kilometers from Hokkaido, Japan’s second largest island.

Jonathan McDowell is an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He told VOA’s Korean service that it appears North Korea has a fully operational ICBM. He said, “It seems to have worked as designed, and so that is a milestone in their missile development.”

McDowell noted that the military did not launch the rocket into the atmosphere in a normal way in order to travel the greatest distance. If it had, the rocket’s weapons system could have traveled further.

Experts continue to debate how North Korea was able to improve the missile’s performance. McDowell suggests that higher-powered engines driving the rocket during its second stage could have given it “a bit more push.”

The technology that directs missiles back to earth after launching has been one of the biggest problems for North Korea. And many experts doubt that North Korea’s military has perfected that technology.

There are additional doubts about North Korea's missile technology. They come from video by the Japanese public news agency NHK. The video showed the Hwasong-14 possibly falling apart as it landed in the waters off Hokkaido.

Some experts have suggested that the missile breaking apart may have been due to the steep angle of its flight path. The steep angle would have increased its speed and also its surface heat.

Exercise 3

Questions

What is the missile that North Korea recently tested called?

How long was the missile in flight for before falling into the sea?

How has North Korea managed to improve its missile’s performance according to McDowell?

What do some experts believe to have caused the missile to malfunction?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What do you think about North Korea’s missile program?

Why do you think North Korea still lacks the necessary technology to send a nuclear weapon all the way to the U.S. mainland?

How do you imagine the U.S. would respond if North Korea were to attack American mainland? Why?

Do you think that Japan and South Korea should be concerned about North Korea's missile program? Why? Why not?

What do you think can be done to diffuse the tension between North Korea and the U.S.?

Exercise 5

Further Discussion

Why do you think North Korea sees the U.S. as its enemy?

Do you believe that North Korea poses a major threat to other countries as well? Why? Why not?

Do you think that the international community can do something about North Korea? Why? Why not?

Would you say that the U.S. plays an essential role in ensuring global security? Why? Why not?

Would you say that diplomacy is the only way to deal with North Korea? Why? Why not?

Under Obama-Clinton, our ballistic missile defense capability has been degraded […] and we are facing the strongest, most heightened missile threat that we have ever, ever had. - Donald Trump. Do you believe that the U.S. is really this vulnerable? Why? Why not?

Threats alone are the weapons of the threatened man. - Leonardo da Vinci. Do you think that there is a possibility that North Korea will follow up on its threats and attack the U.S.? Why? Why not?

Exercises for Further Self-Study

These self-study exercises are optional and should be carried out after the lesson has finished.

Exercise 6

Sentence Building

Write at least one sentence for each of the words in Exercise 1: Vocabulary. Begin by making sure you understand the definition of each word. Use the example sentences as a guide if you are unable to think of a sentence. Practice reading your sentences out loud.

Exercise 7

Summary

Make a brief summary of the article. Focus on the main topic and consider which pieces of information are most important. Make sure you include details such as what the article is about, who is mentioned in it, where and when the events took place, and also how and why they happened.

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.