Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

PART 1 Expressions

1. Shotwell promised that more parking, more bathrooms, and more of the freebies that technology start-ups in Silicon Valley offer their employees would be on the way.

[ˈfri:bi] something that you are given free, usually by a company

freebie holiday/ hotel/ flight etc

on a freebie

A waiter was handing round freebie glasses of wine.

The company paid for the minister to fly out to Australia on a freebie.

2. We’ve been to the moon, sent research vehicles to Mars, and explored the solar system, but all of these things are still immensely expensive one-off projects.

(a./ n. ) happening or done only once, not as part of a regular series  SYN one-shot

It's yours for a one-off payment of only $200.

The deal was a one-off.

This is a one-shot deal. If it doesn't work, it is over.

3. ULA has leaned on decades of work around the Delta (Boeing) and Atlas (Lockheed) launch vehicles and has flown many dozens of rockets successfully, making it a model of reliability.

lean on: depend on; ride on

The couple lean on each other for support.

lean towards sth: to tend to support a particular set of opinions, beliefs etc

Canada, the UK and Japan leant towards the US view.

4. Gass had no real retort.

(n./v.) 反驳 (to make) a short angry or humorous reply

He was about to make a sharp retort.

"It's all your fault!" he retorted. 

5. He said this with a straight face.

straight: (a.) honest and truthful

I'd like a straight answer please.

Just give me a straight yes or no.

I think it's time for some straight talk now.

straight face: not laughing or smiling even though you would like to 

How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.

be straight with sb

I wish you'd just be straight with me.

(ad.) straight/ straight out

I just told him straight that I wouldn't do it.

She came straight out with it and said she was leaving.

I hope you're playing it straight.

6. The March hearing in which Shelby made these statements would turn out to be something of a sham.

(n.) someone or something that is not what they are claimed to be, used to show disapproval

The elections were a complete sham.

(a.) false   a sham marriage

(v.) feign  She's not ill, she's only shamming.

7. Over the next couple of hours, workers streamed into the SpaceX factory to soak up the elation of the moment.

1. take liquid  eg. He used a towel to soak up the blood.

2. to enjoy a place by watching it or becoming involved in it

Go to a sidewalk café, order coffee, and soak up the atmosphere.

3. to learn sth very quickly and easily

Children soak up language incredibly quickly.

elation: a feeling of great happiness and excitement

8. He chided us for not valuing the stock,” Drew Eldeen, a former engineer, said.

chide: SYN scold, to tell sb that you do not approve of something that they have done or said

chide sb for (doing) sth

He swiftly chided himself for such thoughts.

相似表达： lay into sb, berate sb, lambaste sb

PART 2 Thoughts

Musk undoubtedly bore more fault in his marriage split with Justine. In fairness, nonetheless, Musk did not intend to be an irresponsible husband aloof to his spouse. Rather, he was just so obsessed with his work that he cringed to relish the coziness and leisure time. He cut himself loose from the constraint of family life so that he could pursue his dreams to the bitter end. It’s a kind of quid pro quo for Musk and persons of his ilk who are married to work.

It used to be a deeply-entrenched tenet of mine to study extremely hard. I buried myself in books and kept my nose to the grind stone until I could tick my goals off. Skipping meals and getting up groggy in the mornings were par for the course. I ended up being an overachiever in school. On the flip side, I stifled my puppy love, relentlessly breaking the heart of a boy. However, with time elapsing, my tenet began to topple over.

I made a trip to Germany this July. Every evening around 7 to 8, a family of four that live cross the street were having dinner in their backyard, clinking glasses with each other, chatting, laughing and emanating happiness. For some inexplicable reason, I fell under the spell of this tranquil scene. I couldn’t help watching this family through my dormitory windows and couldn’t move off until they finished dinner and scattered. Upon reflection, it struck me that life per se is worth pursuing.

Elon Musk, albeit adorable, is not the sort I yearn to become. I have stopped pushing myself too hard and by doing so, I am now in good terms with myself.

PART 3 Summary

Tesla and SpaceX chewed through Musk's fortune, but accomplished bupkis. While Musk was struggling to dig his companies out of the financial fiasco, Justine  bore resentment towards him as he turned a blind eye to their family. Musk filed divorce unilaterally. Split up with Justine, Musk met with Talulah Riley during his trip to London, who was then a twenty-two-year-old budding actress. He proposed to Riley a couple of weeks later.

The fourth launch of Falcon 1 finally got off the ground on Sept.28th, 2008. Albeit with this mammoth victory, SpaceX still struggled to make its payroll. VantagePoint Capital Partners stiffed Musk on the investment, wishing to benefit from Tesla's bankruptcy. The companies weathered the crisis after SpaceX struck a big-ticket contract with NASA.

The success of SpaxeX made U.S. a card-carrying member once again in the worldwide commercial launch market. SpaceX is a hotbed of innovations and game-changing ideas and thereby attracts hotshot brains. Employees of SpaceX worshipped Musk as a hero or a deity. Unlike typical airspace companies, SpaceX cuts its umbilical cord from third-party suppliers, fabricating as many equipment as possible and hence leapfrogs its competitors, A contraption used for friction stir welding is a case in point.

Musk is notorious for setting and missing his aggressive time schedules. He goads his employees to work day and night and gets the most out of them. The efficient culture of SpaceX and the blunt character of Musk rub against the bureaucratic culture of NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the like. Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX would then be on the spot to clear up the resulting mess.

Among other claims to fame, Shotwell has a knack for reinforcing SpaceX culture and coaxing interns into working in an uneasy environment. Outside SpaceX, the prospects American commercial launch market are dim. SpaceX, a Jonny-come-lately in this market, albeit way ahead of the curve, was in an unfairly disadvantageous position and struggled to compete. The past five years have seen SpaceX's burgeoning growth. It set an precedent as the only private company to dock with the ISS and unveiled Dragon V2 which was supposed to be able to land anywhere on Earth. Furthermore, the flight of the Falcon Heavy, which is designed to be the world's most powerful rocket is in the pipeline.