Horizon - Life On Mars 火星生命 - 2

I think it is exciting. Because it would imply that if life arose independently on Mars. The implication is that life is pervasive¹ throughout the universe.

This is why Mars has so obsessed² scientists. If life has arisen independently on the planet just next to us, then the chances / must be that life be everywhere, in which case, we are not alone.

The idea of life on Mars was first popularized by an American astronomer³ called Percival Lowell in the 1890s. He claimed he could see evidence of a civilization on Mars. The lines crisscrossing its surface he believed were not geological accidents, but canals linking Martian cities.

Gee⁴, hwish!

Lowell's vision inspired a global obsession⁵ with aliens, and spawned⁶ thousands of movies about little green men.

But in July 1965, reality intruded⁷. Mariner⁸ 4 became the first probe to fly by Mars and photographe it. At last, the world would see what the land of the little green men really look like.

"When Mariner 4 flew by Mars, it just took a few pictures with a very coarse-grained television camera. And what it showed was a surface that could've been the moon. Clearly there was no civilizations, no canals, probably not even trees and insects. It was really a bleak⁹ landscape that was being photographed there. It really gave the impression that Mars was dead, and has always been dead since its early history. And they really dashed the hopes of dreamers thinking that maybe there was life there.


crisscross: to move back and forth¹⁰ through or over
Percival Lowel: American astronomer. He founded the Lowell Observatory in Arizona (1894), where his studies of Mars led him to believe that the planet was inhabited
dash: To destroy or wreck

1 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

2 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

3 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

4 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

5 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

6 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

7 intruded   

n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于

参考例句：

• One could believe that human creatures had never intruded there before. 你简直会以为那是从来没有人到过的地方。 来自辞典例句
• The speaker intruded a thin smile into his seriousness. 演说人严肃的脸上掠过一丝笑影。 来自辞典例句

8 mariner   

n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者

参考例句：

• A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
• A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星，还要注意暗礁和险滩。

9 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。