【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
When will it be possible for us to think seriously about colonising Mars?
The Moon is likely to become the industrial hub of the Solar System, supplying the rocket fuels for its ships, easily obtainable form the lunar rocks in the from of liquid oxygen. The reason lies in its gravity. Because the Moon has only an eightieth of the Earth's mass, it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel the quarter of a million miles from the Moon to Earth-orbit than the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit!
This may sound fantastic, but it is easily calculated. To escape from the Earth in a rocket, one must travel at seven miles per second. The comparable speed from the Moon is only 1.5 miles per second. Because the gravity on the Moon's surface is only a sixth of Earth's (remember how easily the Apollo astronauts bounded along), it takes much less energy to accelerate to that 1.5 miles per second than it does on Earth. Moon-dwellers will be able to fly in space at only three per cent of the cost of similar journeys by their terrestrial dwellers will be able to fly in space at only three per cent of the cost of similar journeys by their terrestrial cousins.
Arthur C. Clark once suggested a revolutionary idea passes through three phases:
1 'It's impossible -- don't waste my time.'
2 'It's possible, but not worth doing.'
3 'I said it was a good idea all along.'
The idea of colonising Mars -- a world 160 times more distant time the Moon -- will move decisively from the second phase to the third, when a significant number of people are living permanently in space. Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers. America, Russia and Europe are filled with enthusiasts -- many of them serious and senior scientists -- who dream of sending people to it. Their aim is understandable. It is the one world in the Solar System that is most like the Earth. It is a world of red sandy deserts (hence its name -- the Red Planet), cloudless skies, savage sandstorms, chasms wider than the Grand Canyon and at least one mountain more than twice as tall as Everest. It seems ideal for settlement.
7 DAYS, February 19, 1989
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
hub n. (活動的)中心
lunar adj. 月球的
oxygen n. 氧氣
Apollo n. 阿波羅
accelerate v. 加速
terrestrial adj. 地球的
permanently adv. 永遠地
fascination n. 魅力
senior adj. 資歷深的，年長的
chasm n. 斷層，裂口
canyon n. 峽谷
【課文注釋】
1.obtainable adj. 能獲得的， 可得到的， 能達到的
例句：Are his records still obtainable?
他的唱片還能買到嗎?
The timetable is obtainable post-free from the airline office.
航班時刻表可以向航空公司免費索取。
2.the comparable speed from the Moon 從月球出發(fā)相應的速度，這里是指擺脫月球引力所需達到的速度。
3.the Apollo astronauts 指1969年7月20日美國“阿波羅11號”宇宙飛船第載人登月球。
4.accelerate v. 加速
例句：Our present task is to accelerate economic growth.
加速經濟發(fā)展是我們當前的任務。
We will accelerate the reform of the financial system under these circumstances.
在這一背景情況下，我們將加快金融體制改革。
【詞義辨析】
quicken, accelerate, hasten, hurry, rush, speed 這些動詞均含“加快，使加快”之意。
quicken : 普通用詞，指增加速度、速率。
accelerate : 著重指頻率或速率運轉加快。
hasten : 指由于事的緊迫性或突然性而加速。
hurry : 指趕緊或匆忙地做某事或催促別人做某事，隱含草率或混亂意味。
rush : 含義與hurry相近，但顯得更倉促更慌亂。
speed : 側重實際的快速行動，常用詞組是speed up。
5.at the cost of 以……為代價
例句：He saved the girl from drowning at the cost of his own life.
他舍身把溺水的姑娘救出來。
6.revolutionary adj. 革命的
例句：His heart glows with revolutionary enthusiasm.
他心中充滿著革命的熱情。
We shall carry forward the revolutionary tradition.
我們應該發(fā)揚革命傳統(tǒng)。
7.the idea of colonising Mars 征服火星計劃
8.decisively adv. 決然地，果斷地
例句：We had no choice but to act decisively.
這次不果斷處理不行。
9.would-be voyagers 未來的星際旅客
10.senior scientists 資深科學家
senior adj.
① 地位較高的
例句：He is senior to me, though he is younger.
他地位比我高，雖然他比我年輕。
?、诟呒壍? 例句：She was unfit for such a senior position.
她不能勝任這樣的高級職位。
?、勰觊L的
例句：Although he is senior to his wife, he is inferior to her in salary.
雖然他年長于他的妻子，但他妻子的收入比他高。
?、苜Y深的
例句：A senior member of the committee is authorized to act for the chairman during his absence.
主席不在時，授權委員會中的一位資深委員代理他的職務。
11.the Grand Canyon 指位于美國亞利桑那州西北部的科羅拉多河的大峽谷。
【參考譯文】
月球很可能成為太陽系的工業(yè)中心。從月球上的巖石中很容易提煉出液態(tài)氧，作為航天飛船的燃料。其原因在于月球的重力。因為月球的重只有地球的1/8，因此，從月球到地球的25萬英里所消耗的能量要比從地球表面進入地球軌道的200英里所耗能量少97%。
這點聽起來令人難以置信，但卻很容易計算出來。要乘坐一枚火箭飛離地球，火箭的速度要達到每秒7英里，而從月球出發(fā)的相應速度是每秒1.5英里。由于月球表面的重力僅是地球表面的1/6 -- 還記得阿波羅飛船中的宇航員輕松地跳躍 -- 在月球上加速到每秒1.5英里比在地球上所用能源要少得多。月球居民在太空遨游的費用僅是地球上朋友飛越同樣路所需費用的3%。
亞瑟.C.克拉克曾提議，一種創(chuàng)新的想法要經過以下3個階段：
1 “根本不可能，不要浪費我的時間?！? 2 “可能，但不值得做?！? 3 “我一直說這是個好想法?！? 如果有相當數(shù)量的人永久性地住在太空，征服火星的計劃 -- 一個比月球遠160倍的星球 -- 就可以明確地從第2階段進入第3階段?；鹦菍ξ磥淼男请H旅客來說有著特殊的魅力。美國、俄羅斯和歐洲都有許多熱心此項事業(yè)的人 -- 其中的不少是認真和資深的科學家，他們一直夢想著把人送上火星。他們的目標是可以理解的?；鹦鞘翘栂道锱c地球接近的一顆行星。這是一個紅色沙漠的世界(因而得名：紅色行星)，無云的天空，兇猛的沙暴，比大峽谷還寬的裂縫，起碼有一座山有珠穆朗瑪峰的近兩倍高?？雌饋?，它很合適居住。