(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
We turned to the United States.
A decade after landing on Mars, the rover Opportunity is still chugging along.
It sure has some wear and tear. One of its six wheels and two instruments stopped working long ago. It has an arthritic joint. Its flash memory occasionally suffers a senior moment.
But these problems are considered minor for a journey that was supposed to be just a three-month adventure.
A project manager says no one ever expected this — that after 10 years, a Mars exploration rover would continue to operate and operate productively.
NASA, the US National Aeronautics and Space Agency, has scrutinized Earth's planetary neighbor for decades, starting with quick flybys and later with orbiters, landers and rovers.
Opportunity touched down on Jan. 24, 2004, several weeks after its twin Spirit. Both rovers outlasted their warranty by years, but Spirit stopped phoning home in 2010 after getting stuck in sand.
Meanwhile, Opportunity has logged 24 miles crater-hopping. The solar-powered rover is now in a sunny spot on the rim of Endeavour Crater where it's spending its sixth winter poking into rocks and dirt.
Its power levels have unexpectedly improved. A recent "selfie" showed dust on its solar panels was later wiped away by blowing winds.
Early discoveries by the two rovers pointed to a planet that was once tropical and moist. However, the signs of water suggested an acidic environment that would have been too harsh for microbes.
More recently, Opportunity uncovered geologic evidence of water at Endeavour Crater that's more suited for drinking — a boon for scientists searching for extraterrestrial places where primitive life could have thrived. The crater is the largest of five craters examined by Opportunity.
中文翻译
现在将视线转向美国
“机遇”号火星探测器已在火星上服役十年,现在仍在继续工作 。
当然“机遇”号肯定有一些磨损 。它一共有6个轮子,而其中1个轮子和2个工具很长时间以前就已经停止工作了 。
但是对为期3个月的探测工作来说这些只是小问题 。
一名项目经理表示,没有人会想到火星探测器在10年后仍然在运行,而且是富有成效地运行 。
美国国家国家航空和航天局数十年前就开始对地球的行星邻居火星进行探测,从最早的快速飞越到之后的发射轨道飞行器、着陆器和火星车 。
“机遇”号探测器于2004年1月24日登陆火星,几周前“机遇”号的双胞胎“勇气”号刚刚登陆火星 。两枚探测器的工作时间均与预期寿命长,不过“勇气”号在2010年陷进沙子里后已经无法再向地球传输信号 。
同时“机遇”号记录了24英里的陨石坑 。现在太阳能火星车“机遇”号停在了“奋进”陨石坑边缘的阳光地带,它将在那里度过第6个冬天,并收集岩石和尘土样本 。
“机遇”号的能量水平出人意料得到了改善 。近期的一份“自拍”显示,“机遇”号太阳板上的尘土已经被火星风吹掉了 。
此前两架火星车的发现显示,火星曾炎热潮湿 。但是,酸性水的环境可能不太利于微生物生存 。
而不久前“机遇”号发现的地质学证据则表明“奋进”陨石坑的水源更适合饮用——这对于寻找地球外可能曾有原始生命生存的科学家来说是个福音 。“奋进”陨石坑是“机遇”号考察过的五个陨石坑中最大的 。
译文属可可英语原创,未经允许,不得转载
重点讲解
重点讲解:
1. wear and tear
(正常的)磨损,损耗;
eg. The truck shows scarcely any sign of wear and tear.
这辆卡车基本上没有什么磨损 。
eg. These products can stand wear and tear.
这些产品能经久耐用 。
2. touch down
降落;着陆;
eg. The plane should touch down at two o'clock.
这架飞机应在两点钟降落 。
eg. The spacecraft touched down on schedule.
太空船按照预定计划登陆 。
3. wipe away
擦去;擦掉;揩干;
eg. He wiped away the blood with a paper napkin.
他用纸巾将血迹擦去 。
eg. She applied a little lipstick, wiped it off, but it left a pink tinge.
她抹了一点口红,又擦掉了,但却留下了一丝粉红色 。