Chapter 1 of Solomon's Orbit is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Solomon's Orbit is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space. But not like this...! "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America. From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people. And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
Chapter 1 of Solomon's Orbit is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
throw away as refuse
From this reading “There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.”
the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
From this reading “There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.”
a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
From this reading “And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.”
(astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere
From this reading “And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.”
plural of “problem” — a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.”
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.”
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading “"Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.”
someone whose occupation involves training in a specific technical process
From this reading “"Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But not like this...!
rid of obstructions
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
plural of “comrade” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
throw away as refuse
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But not like this...!
(astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But not like this...!
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
plural of “problem” — a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
precisely, exactly
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
someone whose occupation involves training in a specific technical process
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But not like this...!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
the topmost one of two
From this reading And see, our upper lens shows the dark spot of a meteor in space.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading "Comrades," said the senior technician, "notice the clear view of North America.
look attentively
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading From here we watch everything; rivers, towns, almost the people.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading There will, sooner or later, be problems of "space junk," and the right to dump in space.
Chapter 1 of Solomon's Orbit by William Carroll holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 248 sentences of Solomon's Orbit, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Solomon's Orbit by William Carroll exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Solomon's Orbit by William Carroll on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23160 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23160, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 20 minutes of reading across 50 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Solomon's Orbit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Solomon's Orbit to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Solomon's Orbit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
