英语听力—环球英语 1263 Curiosity: Going to Mars

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Dianna Anderson.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It was early in the morning on August 6th, 2012. A room full of scientists were gathered together.  They were watching their computers screens and waiting for news. Just after twelve in the morning, the scientists began cheering. They were celebrating.  They had done it! They had landed a large piece of scientific equipment – or a rover - on the planet² Mars³.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The scientists named this Mars Rover, “Curiosity⁴.”  Curiosity is a desire to learn or know about something. And this is exactly what the rover “Curiosity” represents. Curiosity will explore the surface of Mars. It will study its rocks. It will take clear, high quality pictures of the planet. And it will help scientists learn more than ever about Mars. Today’s Spotlight is on the Mars Rover, “Curiosity.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　People have long been curious about the planet Mars. Interest in the possibility of life on Mars has filled our imaginations. For over a century, people have written hundreds of stories and created many films about this far away planet.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, in the 1960s, our understanding about Mars changed forever.  During this time, the United States and Soviet⁵ space programs began sending small space ships or probes⁶ to orbit⁷ Mars. For the first time, people around the world saw pictures of Mars from orbit.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the 1970s, our understanding of Mars changed again. China and the United States landed the first ever space ships on the surface of Mars.  These were great achievements in science and exploration.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, after the 1970s, human exploration of Mars slowed. For the next 25 years, no one tried to land another rover on Mars.  But in 1997, the United States’ National Aeronautics⁸ and Space Administration⁹ or NASA tried to land on Mars again. During that year, they landed a rover but lost it three months later.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Since that time, both the United States and the United Kingdom have tried to land on Mars. The United States has landed two rovers since 2003 - the Spirit and the Opportunity.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But the Mars Rover “Curiosity” is the most complex Mars Rover yet. It is about the size of a car.  This is much larger than the other rovers. It also has the most complex scientific equipment ever made.  NASA began building the “Curiosity” rover in 2008. It took almost five years to complete. And the Curiosity Rover cost $2,500,000,000. Now that it is on Mars, the Curiosity rover will spend almost two years collecting information.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It took “Curiosity” over six months to travel from Earth to Mars.  Once it reached Mars, it completed a complex series of movements to land on the surface. First, it moved out of orbit around Mars.  It fell from the sky to the surface of the planet using a parachute - a large piece of cloth designed to catch air and slow the fall. Then, the spacecraft separated into two parts. One part is the rover. The other part is a large machine that held the rover in place until it safely landed. After landing¹⁰, this part separated completely from the rover - landing kilometers away on the surface of Mars.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When “Curiosity” landed, it was a great day of celebration.  However, it was only the beginning of a long process of work.  Now, the scientists at NASA will spend the next 23 months guiding the rover. They will direct its path on the surface, and examine the information it collects.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　“Curiosity” is the first rover with high quality cameras. It can take pictures from the surface of Mars and send them to Earth quickly. It only takes 14 minutes for the image to travel millions of kilometers from Mars to Earth. These detailed¹¹ images will help scientists learn more about the planet than ever before.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　One of the things the rover is looking for is information about possible life on Mars. Neil DeGrasse-Tyson is a scientist and space expert from the United States. He talked with the National Public Radio news organization about “Curiosity” and its search for life.  He said:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“It has everything.  It is very ambitious¹² - it hopes to achieve much. It is not going to look for life as we know it on Earth. But it is able to look for the early signs of life - elements that would tell us something about the conditions on the surface.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　To do this, “Curiosity” looks at layers in the planet’s rocks. It examines these layers using a new technology called “ChemCam” or chemical camera.  The ChemCam has a laser¹³ that breaks the rock into smaller pieces - using small bursts of energy. As the lasers¹⁴ breaks open the rock, the scientists can look at how it breaks and what it looks like inside.  Each rock has different layers with different elements. This information will help scientists discover if there was ever life on Mars.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　“Curiosity” will continue to work for many months.  And so will the NASA scientists.  This project will be a lot of work for the scientists. They have to work long hours - sometimes even through the night.  Monte Martin is a science writer for the Los Angeles Times newspaper. He explains,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“They must sacrifice some of their time on Earth and live on Mars time. Mars time is always changing.  Working on this time schedule is more difficult than just always working at night. For months, the scientists will be away from family and friends. They will concentrate only on Mars. While the rover’s work is only supposed to last 23 months, it could go much longer.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It will be a long and difficult time for the scientists working on the Mars Rover. But, many people think it is worth the work.  They believe it is important to keep learning¹⁵ - and that includes learning even more about Mars. As Neil DeGrasse-Tyson told The Atlantic magazine:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“We can make the future we dream real. To do so, we need creative scientists, engineers, and technology inventors to make it happen. If the people around you are not dreaming about tomorrow…then we will all move back into the ancient stone age.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it on the Internet at http://www.radioenglish.net You c.an also find a link on the script¹⁶ page of this program to a video that shows the landing of “Curiosity”. This program is called, “Curiosity: Going to Mars.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

3 Mars   

n.火星，战争

参考例句：

• As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
• He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。

4 curiosity   

n.好奇心，新奇的事物，珍品

参考例句：

• He gave in to curiosity and opened my letter.他抑制不住好奇心，拆开了我的信。
• The children are dying of curiosity to see what's in the parcel.孩子们出于好奇，迫不及待地想看看包裹中是什么东西。

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 probes   

n.探针( probe的名词复数 )；探索；探头；探测仪v.探索，用探针（或探测器等）探查，探测( probe的第三人称单数 )；盘问；（用试探性袭击等）侦察（敌情）；用尖物刺穿（物件）

参考例句：

• Several different types of sampling probes are shown in Fig. 1-图1-1示出几种取样管。 来自辞典例句
• An array of wave probes can be used as a directional antenna. 排成阵列的测波仪，可作为波浪传播方向的感触器。 来自辞典例句

7 orbit   

n.轨道；vt.使沿轨道运行；使进入轨道运行；vi.沿轨道运行，环行

参考例句：

• The space rocket was launched and went into orbit.宇宙火箭发射后进入轨道。
• We can draw the earth's orbit round the sun.我们可以画出地球绕太阳运行的轨迹。

8 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

9 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

10 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

11 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

12 ambitious   

adj.有雄心的，劲头十足的，有野心的

参考例句：

• One may be poor but never ceases to be ambitious.人穷志不穷。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

13 laser   

n.激光

参考例句：

• We keep a laser record.我们保存激光唱片。
• Laser beams are also used in surgery.激光束还可用于外科手术。

14 lasers   

n.激光( laser的名词复数 )；激光器，镭射器

参考例句：

• One example is the use of lasers to separate isotopes. 用激光分离同位素就是一个例子。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Lasers promise to change this by making isotope separation easier, and cheaper. 激光可以改变这种局面，从而使同位素分离变得比较容易、比较廉价一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

15 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

16 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。