Alien Neighbors 寻访外星人 8

(NASA Administrator¹ Dan) Golden accepts that the search for life on Mars is not over.

"If we wanna find out what Mars is like, what its weather patterns are like, what its geology is like, where there's potential sources of water and other resources can we generate, the substance of life, breathing gases, water, nutrition on the surface, you must send spacecraft."

In 1996, NASA launched Mars Pathfinder on a seven-month journey to Mars. Twenty years had passed since the first Mars landing. Pathfinder has been designed to test a variety of new technologies for 21st century space exploration. The most challenging aspect of the mission is the landing on the Martian surface. Instead of fuel-guzzling braking engines, Pathfinder uses the planet's own atmosphere to slow it down from 17,000 miles per hour to around 1,000 miles per hour. A parachute slows the vehicle further to about 135 miles per hour. Seconds before impact, computers trigger the firing of small solid rockets and the inflation of a giant collection of airbags to soften² the impact which takes place at about 40 miles per hour.

In the light of a Martian day, a solar-powered robot explorer roams an ancient flood plain, collecting samples in the continued search for past or present life.

"When we go to a place like Mars and we ask the question , you know, if we were gonna look for evidence of an ancient biosphere³ on Mars where would we go to look? Well, it'll be an environment like this. So by studying these places and understanding the processes by which this biological information is captured, we are in a much better position to address those issues on Mars. We know what, first of all, what kind of targets to look for, so that when we send landed missions there, we'll know where to go. Secondly⁵, we know better how to interpret the information contained in those rocks when we bring samples back from Mars. So this is really a good training ground, really, for sample return mission from Mars."

If Mars has ancient salt deposits, scientists might be able to revive some sleeping Martians. Boulby Salt Mine, in the North of England, provides an example of how it might work. Microbiologist, William Grant, is about to tour a saline cemetery⁶ for microorganisms.

Boulby Mine is all that remains⁷ of an ancient lake. It's one of the deepest mines in the world, also, one of the hottest.

"I'm about a mile below the surface and it's baking hot. I'm standing⁴ in part of what, 260 million years ago used to be a vast salt lake, a bit like the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake... but much much bigger. And 260 million years ago, this lake teemed with life."

Professor Grant seeks to revive dormant⁹ microbial life that might exist in the mine's salt deposits.

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Words in this passage

Pathfinder:探险者, 开创者

guzzle: to eat or drink quickly, eagerly and usually in large amounts:狂饮, 暴食(这里用了拟人化的手法）

roam：to move about or travel, especially without a clear idea of what you are going to do:漫游, 闲逛, 徜徉

salt deposit：盐层

saline：containing or consisting of salt:盐的； 与盐有关的；含盐的

teem with sth：o contain large numbers of sth:充满

1 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

2 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

3 biosphere   

n.生命层，生物圈

参考例句：

• The entire biosphere was becoming more transparent.整个生物圈越来越透明。
• The impact of modern technology on the biosphere is evident worldwide.现代技术对生物圈的影响在全世界是明显的。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 teemed   

v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ideas of new plays and short stories teemed in his head. 他的脑海里装满了有关新的剧本和短篇小说的构思。 来自辞典例句

9 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。