跟外星人说Hello会终结人类文明？

 　　Are we alone in the universe? It’s a question astronomers¹ have pondered ever since we discovered Earth was not the only planet in the cosmos².我们是宇宙中唯一的智慧生命吗？自发现地球并非宇宙中唯一的星球以来，这个问题就一直盘桓在天文学家们的脑海之中。

　　But, while we conduct searches for habitable planets and even signals from an intelligent race, some experts have warned making first contact could be disastrous³.

　　但是，当我们寻找可居住星球以及其他智慧生命时，一些专家警告道，尝试进行第一次接触可能引发灾难。

　　They say that if we were to broadcast our position, it could invite a hostile alien race to our doorstep - and ultimately spell the end of civilisation⁴.

　　他们认为，如果我们公开了所处位置，就有可能把有敌意的外星生物引到家门口，最后导致人类文明的终结。

　　跟外星人说Hello会终结人类文明？

　　The latest data collected by Nasa and other space agencies suggests there could be as many as 40 billion potentially habitable planets in our galaxy⁵, the Milky⁶ Way.

　　据美国国家航空航天局（Nasa）和其他宇航机构最新收集的数据表明，在银河系，有多达400亿个潜在的可居住星球。

　　Proponents⁷ of Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) have said we should consider Active Seti - sending out messages, rather than just listening, in the hope someone is out there.

　　搜寻地外文明计划（Seti）的支持者说，我们应该启动搜寻地外文明计划，发出讯息，而不仅仅是接收，希望能够在浩瀚宇宙中找到其他智慧生命。

　　However, physicist⁸ and author Dr David Brin, was one leading the call for caution rather than contact.

　　然而，物理学家、作家大卫·布林博士是主张谨慎而非联络的代表之一。

　　‘Is there a chance, however small, that in making itself known to aliens, humanity could be about to make a colossal⁹ mistake?’ he said, according to The Times.

　　据《泰晤士报》报到，他说：“有没有这样的可能，哪怕可能性很小，人类让未知的外星生命得知自己的存在而犯下极大的错误？”

　　‘We live in this jungle neighbourhood where it’s quiet, and if you are a toddler, it’s best to talk it over with the other toddlers before screaming yoo-hoo!’

　　“我们生活在危险而安静的环境中，作为一个蹒跚学步的孩子，在跟成年人打招呼前，最好还是跟其他蹒跚学步的孩子多沟通沟通。”

　　His views follow similar cautionary tales from esteemed¹⁰ scientists such as Professor Stephen Hawking¹¹.

　　他的观点符合一些伟大科学家的警言，比如史蒂夫·霍金教授。

　　Last year, Professor Hawking warned against inviting¹² an unwelcome visit from aliens, pointing out: 'The outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.'

　　去年，霍金教授警告不应该贸然邀请外星生物来访，他说：“外星生物的到来很可能跟哥伦布踏上美洲大陆时的情形一样，对美洲原住民来说并不是什么好事。”

1 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

3 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

4 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

5 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

6 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

7 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

8 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

9 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

10 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

12 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。