完形填空
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is on the 【A1】______ of becoming the oldest woman to travel in space. Whitson will be 56 【A2】______ she rockets off the planet Thursday. She’ll celebrate her 57th 【A3】______ in February on the International Space Station. That’s a 【A4】______ cry from John Glenn’s space shuttle flight at【A5】______ 77, and it’s a 【A6】______ years shy of the male runners-up over the years. But it’s enough to【A7】______ Barbara Morgan’s record as the world’s oldest spacewoman. Morgan was selected for NASA’s teacher-in-space program in 1985【A8】______ didn’t get a chance to fly until 2007, when she was 55. This will be the third space station mission for Whitson, a biochemist, and her second stint 【A9】______ commander. She’ll launch from Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, 【A10】______ two younger men, one Russian and the 【A11】______ French. I love working at NASA, but the part that has been the【A12】______ satisfying on a day-to-day【A13】______ has been working on board the space station,” Whitson【A14】______ reporters over the summer. “It doesn’t【A15】______ if I’m cleaning the filters. I feel like I’m helping personally push 【A16】______ exploration... that’s【A17】______ I want to go again.” Whitson already has【A18】______ 377 days in space and has performed multiple space walks. Her upcoming six-month mission should push her【A19】______ 534 days in space, the U.S. record【A20】______ in September by 53-year-old astronaut Jeffrey Williams.
问答题
【A1】
【正确答案】verge
【答案解析】on the verge of 为固定搭配， 表示“临近， 将近”， 此处表示该宇航员几乎是太空飞行中年龄最大的女航天员。 故填verge。