英语听力：自然百科 金星和水星旅行指南 Venus and Mercury-15

 One of the really exciting and high-level scientific interests is whether Venus is geological active today, because there are reasons to think of the clouds on Venus only exist, because there is ongoing¹ geological activity, so this is one of the biggest secrets of Venus, something that we want to find out.

In recent years, finding the source of Venus’ thick atmosphere has become surprisingly relevant for all of us down here on earth.

 

Half a million tons of sulfur² dioxide are spewed into/ the atmosphere every year.

 

The whole greenhouse effect was not really recognized as a significant effect to influence/ planetary climates until we went to Venus and found that’s said to be in 90 degrees Fahrenheit³ to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 

And we said, wow, what's wrong with this. Learned about this and it taught us about the greenhouse effect.

 

Ever wonder how alien a planet could be, how bad a climate can get? Try the planet next door. The best way to experience Venus is to hitch⁴ an imaginary ride on the Soviet⁵ Venera Probe.

 

Well, it would be a wild drive. The clouds started about 40 miles up, some 5 times higher than the earth.

 

What were those clouds made out of? They may be made out of water, they may be made out of completely different substance, and made out of sulfurous gas. Everywhere we go, then the atmosphere can try in eager way. As you get deeper, things heat up. The thickening atmosphere allows the sun's heat in but not out, it's also getting dense⁶, so dense your probe drops like a coin in water.

 

As we descended，we would gradually, on surface that gradually had appeared to us as if we were approaching the bottom of the ocean.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

3 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

4 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。