(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
For generations, people have dreamed of traveling to Mars to explore Earth's closest planetary neighbor. NASA and other space agencies have announced plans to send people to the Red Planet. But such a manned mission is years away.
In the United States, some volunteers are learning how people will react to months of separation from other humans on a Mars base.
What would it be like to live on the planet Mars? Volunteers are spending eight months in an area that looks much like the surface of Mars. But actually, they are living in Hawaii.
Six people are isolated high on top of Mauna Loa, a volcanic mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii. They are living on a simulated, or make-believe, Mars Base. The American Space Agency, NASA, has provided financial support for the work. The project is called HI-SEAS, or Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation.
Kim Binsted of the University of Hawaii is supervising the project.
She walks across red lava rock from the volcano, 2,500 meters above sea level. Because it is so high, the land is not warm or rich with plants, like the rest of Hawaii. Ms. Binsted says this stark environment is as close to Mars as you can find here on Earth.
"Visually, it is very similar to what you see on Mars. You will see that there is really no visible plant life, there is no visible animal life. And you have got this wonderful volcanic material. We are on a cinder cone here on Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is geologically very similar to Olympus Mons on Mars."
Mauna Loa is almost as tall as that Martian mountain. When measured from its base, deep in the ocean, Mauna Loa is the second largest mountain in our solar system, after the one on Mars.
The six member HI-SEAS crew is mostly self-sufficient. They take care of themselves. Food and supplies are brought to them. But the individuals bringing those supplies cannot communicate with volunteers inside the habitat, or base.
Kim Binsted says this experiment looks at how the astronauts interact, or get along with each other.
"We study how well they work together, how we can keep them happy and supported, and not wanting to kill each other over these long durations."
The current crew has been living in the habitat since October, and will stay until June. Two earlier crews lived there before them. Crew members communicate with the outside world through e-mail and blogs. They also produce videos on the YouTube website, like this one from mission commander Martha Lenio:
"Hi Mission Support. This is Commander Martha from the HI-SEAS Crew Three...."
Crew members also are using a smartphone app, or program, that creates a 20-minute delay for communications. That would be the same as if you were communicating from Mars.
"I am really enjoying this opportunity to live in this dome and pretend that I'm on Mars and get to learn all sorts of new skills."
This is not the only group of volunteers with sights set on Mars. A group called Mars One has appealed for would-be Mars astronauts from around the world. Mars One is a private, non-government project based in The Netherlands.
Others believe the American or European space agencies are the most likely to put people on Mars, maybe in the 2030s, or later.
Whoever gets there first, the trip will not be easy, says Kim Binsted.
"It is going to be challenging."
For now, on a mountaintop in Hawaii, volunteers are getting a taste of life on a future Mars base.
I'm Anne Ball.
词汇解释
1.simulate vt. 模仿；假装；冒充 adj. 模仿的；假装的
The scientist developed one model to simulate a full year of the globe's climate.
这位科学家研制出一个模型，能模拟全年地球的气候。
2.lava n. 火山岩浆；火山所喷出的熔岩
Mexico's Mount Colima began spewing lava and ash last night.
墨西哥科利马山昨晚开始喷发熔岩和火山灰。
3.stark adj. 完全的；荒凉的；刻板的；光秃秃的；朴实的 adv. 完全；明显地；突出地；质朴地
Companies face a stark choice if they want to stay competitive.
各公司要想保持竞争力就要面临一个严酷的选择。
内容解析
1.A group called Mars One has appealed for would-be Mars astronauts from around the world.
appeal for 恳求，请求；要求
His remarks amounted to an indirect appeal for economic aid.
他的话相当于拐弯抹角地请求经济援助。
This is not another appeal for famine relief.
这不是为赈济饥荒的又一次募捐。
参考译文
人类世代都在梦想火星旅行，去探索这个距离地球最近的行星邻居。美国航天局等航天机构宣布计划将人送到这颗红色的行星上，但此类载人航天任务还需多年努力。
在美国，一些志愿者在一个火星基地学习人们如何应对数月与其他人分离的生活。
在火星上生活是怎样的？志愿者们在一个看起来很像火星表面的地面生活了8个月，但事实上他们是在夏威夷。
6个人被隔离在莫纳罗亚山的山顶上，这是夏威夷大岛上的一个火山。他们生活在一个模拟火星基地，美国航天局为这项活动提供了资金支持，该项目名叫HI-SEAS，即夏威夷太空探索仿真模拟项目。
来自夏威夷大学的金·宾斯泰德负责管理该项目。
她步行穿过这座海拔2500米火山的红色熔岩，因为山很高，这里不像夏威夷其他地方那样温暖或植被丰富。宾斯泰德说这种裸露的环境是在地球上可以找到的与火星最相近的地方。
“事实上这里和火星上的情景很类似，你会看到这里没有任何可见的植物，没有可见的动物。这里有奇妙的火山材料，我们正处在莫纳罗亚山的火山灰锥上，莫纳罗亚山同火星上的奥林帕斯山在地质上非常类似。”
莫纳罗亚山和火星上的山差不多高，从它深入海底的底部开始量起，莫纳罗亚山是太阳系最大的山，仅次于火星上的这座山。
HI-SEAS项目的6个工作人员都是自给自足，他们自己照顾自己。会有人给他们提供粮食和物资，但提供物资的人不能和基地里的志愿者沟通。
金·宾斯泰德说这种实验会观察宇航员们如何相处。
“我们研究他们如何一起工作，如何让他们感到开心和有支持，而不是在这漫长的时间里相互杀死。”
目前的人员从去年10月份开始就在这里工作，将一直呆到6月份。在他们之前有两位人员在这里住着，成员们通过电子邮件和博客与外界保持联系，他们还在YouTube上制作了视频，就像这个任务指挥官玛莎·雷尼奥制作的视频：
“嗨，我是来自夏威夷太空探索仿真模拟项目第三组成员的玛莎。”
成员们还使用一种能制造延时20分钟沟通的智能手机应用，这和在火星上沟通是一样的。
“我很享受能有机会生活在这个穹顶基地里，假装我在火星上，能学到各种新技能。”
这个不是唯一将目光投向火星的志愿者群体，一个名叫火星一号的组织向全世界各地希望成为火星宇航员的人发出呼吁，火星一号是一个总部在荷兰的私人、非政府项目。
还有人认为美国宇航局或欧洲宇航局最可能将人送上火星，可能是在21世纪30年代或之后。
金·宾斯泰德说不管是谁捷足先登，这场旅行都不会容易。
“那将非常具有挑战性。”
就目前来说，在夏威夷的一个山顶上，志愿者们在未来的火星基地上体验生活。
我是安妮·鲍尔。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
