The Final Frontier

BBC Learning EnglishPeople and PlacesThe Final FrontierCallum: Hello, I’m Callum Robertson and this is People andPlaces. Today I’m going tobe talking about the actor James Doohan.
　　James Doohan was most well known as the engineer Scotty inthe iconic science fiction programme Star Trek¹. InitiallyStar Trek was a television series in the 1960s but since 1979there have been 10 films and four further television series.
　　The series began at a time when space exploration was in itsinfancy, man had yet to walk on the moon and the idea oftravelling in space was catching² on in the publicimagination.
　　The television series referred to space as ‘the finalfrontier’, the last unexplored area. And in the series, theexploration took place in a spaceship called the Enterprise.
　　Such was the impact of the series that in the 1970s NASAcalledone of their real space shuttles by the same name,Enterprise.
　　James Doohan played the chief engineer of the fictional³ starship Enterprise. It was his job to get the most out of theengines as the vessel⁴ flew through space. Of course it was afictional vessel and during his life James Doohan never didget to fly in space.
　　He died in 2005 but his dream to go into space was realisedlast month when his ashes were flown in a rocket into orbit.
　　It was something he had asked forin his will.
　　BBC correspondent Peter Willis attended the rocket launch andexplains a littlemore about what is called Post Cremation⁵ Memorial SpaceFlight. How many people have used the service so far?
　　Peter WillisPost Cremation Memorial Space Flight, as it’s known, is agrowth industry here in the United States. Star Trek creator,Gene⁶ Rodenberry, was one of the first to have his remainsfired into orbit. That was ten years ago and since then morethan 100 others have made the final frontier their finaljourney.
　　Callum: Peter described these space flights as a ‘growthindustry’. It’s a new business which is getting bigger. Hesaid that more than 100 people have made the final frontiertheir final journey. He mentioned Gene Rodenberry as anotherindividual who had his ashes flown into space. When was thisand what was Rodenberry’s connection to Star Trek? Listenagain.
　　Peter WillisPost Cremation Memorial Space Flight, as it’s known, is agrowth industry here in the United States. Star Trek creator,Gene Rodenberry, was one of the first to have his remainsfired into orbit. That was ten years ago and since then morethan 100 others have made the final frontier their finaljourney.
　　Callum: Gene Rodenberry was the creator of Star Trek and hisashes made the trip into the final frontier 10 years ago.
　　What is perhaps interesting about these space flights is thatthe ashes don’t stay up in space. They are fired up in asmall unmanned rocket from the desert and then come back downto earth. Peter Willis describes what happened when JamesDoohan’s rocket was launched. Who else’s ashes made thetrip as well?
　　Peter WillisThere were tears and whoops⁷ of joy from relatives on theground as the rocket took off from a tiny launch pad here inthe middle of the desert. Scotty’s ashes were accompanied bythose of the former American astronaut Gordon Cooper and 200other people. Scotty’s widow, Wendy Doohan, says he wantedto follow the example of Star Trek’s creator GeneRodenberry. Today’s launch is seen as a considerable boostfor the commercial space effort. The company behind itpredicts that more people will now be looking to have theirashes beamed to the‘final frontier’.
　　Callum: James Doohan was accompanied on this final trip bythe ashes of former astronaut Gordon Cooper and 200 otherpeople. Peter Willis suggests that the publicity⁸ surroundingthis launch will encourage more people to have their ashesblasted into space. Listen again.
　　Peter WillisThere were tears and whoops of joy from relatives on theground as the rocket took off from a tiny launch pad here inthe middle of the desert. Scotty’s ashes were accompanied bythose of the former American astronaut Gordon Cooper and 200other people. Scotty’s widow, Wendy Doohan, says he wantedto follow the example of Star Trek’s creator GeneRodenberry. Today’s launch is seen as a considerable boostfor the commercial space effort. The company behind itpredicts that more people will now be looking to have theirashes beamed to the‘final frontier’.
　　Callum: That’s all from this edition of People and Places.

1 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

4 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

5 cremation   

n.火葬，火化

参考例句：

• Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网

6 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

7 whoops   

int.呼喊声

参考例句：

• Whoops! Careful, you almost spilt coffee everywhere. 哎哟！小心点，你差点把咖啡洒得到处都是。
• We were awakened by the whoops of the sick baby. 生病婴儿的喘息声把我们弄醒了。

8 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。