VOA标准英语2011--Artist Inspired by Final Space Shuttle L

Artist Inspired by Final Space Shuttle Launch

Standing¹ on the grounds of Kennedy Space Center, facing the launch pad as a space shuttle lifts off, is an experience that defies words. Friday's historic launch of Atlantis marks the beginning of the end for NASA's space shuttle fleet.
It is an almost impossible experience to describe. Upon liftoff, there is a bright blaze from the engines, a flaming trail that cuts the sky vertically², the cloud plume³ that begins in silence, going up, and then the thunder that mounts and rolls into a noise that seems to make both the sky and your stomach shudder⁴.
Stephen Bach, a landscape painter from Orlando, Florida, watched the launch from the Kennedy Space Center, two paintings in progress on an easel before him, both of the shuttle. He gazed directly across the water at Atlantis on the launch pad, and then, Atlantis in flight.
"It's just a really amazing sight, and I don't think you can describe it until you see it, you know," said Bach. "I've seen it 30 times, I'm sure, through the years from Orlando or from some place off the Cape⁵. But this is just another level."
But Bach is a painter, a man well versed⁶ in images and details, and he describes the seconds after Atlantis disappeared above the clouds.
"The plume is amazing, and it's cast a shadow across the bottom of the cloud layer which is just astounding," Bach added. "It's almost as impressive as the launch, but in a different way. You can see the yellow coming through the inside of the plume. It's just a very remarkable⁷ sight. It's nothing like you picture it when you watch it on TV. It's just tenfold better, you know. Amazing."
As Bach still gazed at the plume, barely able to look away, his painting of Atlantis taking flight garnered⁸ another shuttle watcher's attention. The landscape painter who turned his talents to the sky had an offer to buy, before the plume had even vanished.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

3 plume   

n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰

参考例句：

• Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
• He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。

4 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

5 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。

6 versed   

adj. 精通，熟练

参考例句：

• He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
• He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句