VOA慢速英语2019 卫星发射致UFO目击报告激增

Launch of Satellites Leads to Rise in UFO Reports

The launch of 60 small satellites last week led to many people reporting they had seen unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.

上周发射的60颗卫星让很多人报告他们看到了不明飞行物。

The American technology company SpaceX launched a rocket carrying the satellites last Thursday from Florida’s Cape¹ Canaveral Air Force Station.

美国SpaceX科技公司上周四从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角空军基地发生一枚火箭携带这些卫星升空。

The company said all 60 satellites were successfully deployed² into low-Earth orbit. The satellites are designed to produce high-speed internet signals from space to people across the world. Internet users would pay for the service.

这家公司表示，所有60颗卫星都已经成功部署到地球低轨道。这些卫星旨在为世界各地人们提供来自太空的高速互联网信号。互联网用户将会支付服务费用。

Each satellite weighs 227 kilograms and has solar equipment and a small engine to position itself in space.

每颗卫星重227公斤，配备了太阳能设备和小型发动机，可以将自己定位在太空中。

SpaceX chief Elon Musk³ says his orbiting internet service, called Starlink, will launch in the coming years. Twelve launches of 60 satellites each would provide internet coverage⁴ for people throughout the United States, Musk said. He added that 1,800 Starlink satellites could provide coverage for the whole world.

SpaceX公司首席执行官马斯克表示，他的“星链”轨道互联网服务将会在未来几年内推出。马斯克 表示，通过12次发射，每次发射60颗卫星就能为美国各地的人们提供互联网覆盖。他还说，1800颗星链卫星即可覆盖全球。

Musk recently told reporters he believes there is “a fundamental goodness” to giving people in all parts of the world the chance to receive high-speed internet service. His project especially aims to reach areas with no current coverage or where services are costly⁵.

马斯克最近对记者表示，他认为让世界各地的人们有机会获得高速互联网服务是“根本的好处”。他的项目尤其旨在为目前没有互联网覆盖或是成本高昂的地区提供覆盖。

The line of satellites could be seen passing over skies in the Netherlands early Saturday. This led to a rise in reports to a Dutch website set up to record UFO sightings.

周六早晨在荷兰可以看到这串卫星从天空中划过。这导致一家为记录UFO目击事件而设立的荷兰网站的报告剧增。

The Dutch website was flooded with more than 150 sighting reports, the French press agency AFP reported. Many people reported seeing a train of stars or lights moving across the skies at the same time.

法新社报道称，这家荷兰网站上出现了超过150份目击报告。许多人报告称，他们看到一连串星星或是灯光同一时间在天空中移动。

"There's a long line of lights. Faster than a plane. Huh?" said one report. Another person described seeing a "star caravan⁶" in the sky, and someone else wrote, "I have it on film."

一份目击报告称：“这里有很长一串灯，运动速度比飞机还快。嗯？” 还有人称看到了天空中的“星星车队”，还有人写道：“我在电影中看过这种画面。”

One unnamed witness told Dutch broadcaster NOS he had no idea what he was seeing in the sky. "Is it Russia attacking the US? Are they UFOs? Seriously, I didn't know," the witness said.

一位未透露姓名的目击者对荷兰NOS广播公司表示，他不知道天空中看到的是什么。这位目击者说：“这是俄罗斯在攻打美国？还是不明飞行物？说真的，我真不知道。”

One Dutchman who knew about the satellite launch plans shared his excitement after capturing the sighting with his camera. "I cheered them on, the moment they appeared," he told NOS.

一位了解这次卫星发射计划的荷兰人在用相机拍下这一幕之后分享了他的兴奋之情。他对荷兰NOS广播公司表示：“它们出现了那一刻我为它们欢呼。”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

fundamental – n. relating to the most important or main part of something

caravan – n. a group of people with animals or vehicles who travel together

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。