新奇事件簿 男子进行火箭旅行证明地球是平的

An American scientist is going to try and prove his belief that the Earth is flat. The man's name is Mike Hughes and he is 61 years old. He is a flat-Earther – someone who believes that the Earth is flat and not round. He has been interested in science for many years and taught himself how to make a rocket. He will get into his rocket on Saturday and fire it hundreds of meters in the air. The rocket cost Mr Hughes $20,000 to make. Hughes said it is powered by steam and can fly at 800 kmh. He told reporters why he made his rocket. He said: "I like to do extraordinary things that no one else can do. No one in the history of mankind has designed, built and launched¹ himself in his own rocket."

Mr Hughes says when he flies above Earth, he will take photos to prove that the Earth is flat and disc-shaped. He believes that the Earth is just a mass of land surrounded by large walls of ice at the edges². He said: "I don't believe in science." He added³ that his project will "shut the door on this ball-Earth" idea. He is a little worried about the flight. He said: "It's as scary⁴ as hell⁵, but none of us are getting out of this world alive." Hughes said he wants to run for Governor⁶ of California⁷ after his rocket tests. He hopes his flat-Earth discovery will help him do this. People can see Mr Hughes' flight this weekend live on his website. He said he has put out enough food for his four cats just in case something goes wrong.

1 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

2 edges   

n.边( edge的名词复数 )；优势；（悬崖、峭壁的）边缘；锋利

参考例句：

• Blood began to coagulate around the edges of the wound. 血液开始在伤口的边缘凝固。
• a surface with rounded edges 带圆边的面

3 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

4 scary   

a.引起惊慌的；害怕的

参考例句：

• What animal do you think is the most scary?你认为什么动物最可怕？
• Are you afraid of scary movies?你害怕恐怖电影吗？

5 hell   

n.地狱，阴间；用以咒骂或表示愤怒，不满

参考例句：

• It's a hell of a hike from Sydney to Perth.从悉尼到珀斯的徒步旅行简直苦死了。
• The boss really gave me hell today.老板今天着实数落了我一通。

6 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

7 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。