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Mysteries of the Universe: Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman 《摩根费里曼之穿越虫洞》

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From years of research and experiments, scientists have discovered many incredible things about our universe. However, we have only just scratched the surface when it comes to many of life’s greatest mysteries. Discovery’s show Through the Wormhole, hosted by Morgan Freeman, explores many perplexing questions that humans have pondered throughout the ages.

经过多年的研究与实验，科学家发现了宇宙中很多令人难以置信的事。然而，对于生命最大的秘密我们只知道皮毛而已。Discovery频道由摩根费里曼主持的《穿越虫洞》探讨了几世纪以来人类不断思索的难解问题。

One question which fascinates many people is whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. Unfortunately, at this juncture, the subject is extremely difficult to investigate because, in the grand scheme of things, humans have barely left Earth. However, occasionally a bit of evidence falls right into our lap. In 1969, a 220-pound meteor came crashing down in Murchison, Australia. After examination, scientists determined it was as old as our solar system. Furthermore, it contained amino acids and other chemicals which are essential to our own bodies, as well as every other living creature on Earth. This demonstrates that the building blocks for life exist in other places in the galaxy.

一个让很多人深深着迷的问题就是宇宙中是否存在高智能的生物。不幸地是，此时难以调查，因为就事情的整体看来，人类几乎没有离开过地球。然而，有时证据就这么凭空而降。在1969年，一颗220磅的陨石坠落在澳洲的默奇森河。经过检验后，科学家认定这颗陨石就跟我们的太阳系一样古老。再者，此颗陨石还含有对于人体与地球上的生物都极其重要的胺基酸与其他化学物质。这显示了银河系的其他地方也存在构成生命的要素。

Meanwhile, other researchers are keeping an eye out for any messages transmitted in space. The SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project has used a large radio telescope to comb the cosmic radio dial for 50 years. For the most part, there isn’t a whole lot going on. But in 1977, SETI picked up a strong signal coming from the constellation Sagittarius, which lasted a full 72 seconds. Although this signal was just a one-time event, it has created some speculation that an alien race might be trying to contact us.

同时，其他的研究者也持续关注传自外层空间的任何讯息。SETI（搜寻外地文明计划）利用一种大型无线电望远镜搜寻宇宙的电波讯号50年了。虽然大部份时间没有什么进展，但在1977年，SETI侦测到一个来自射手座长达72秒的强烈讯号。虽然此讯号只出现一次，但透过此次事件，人类推论外星人也许一直试着与我们连络。

Vocabulary

单词发音

wormhole [ˋwɝm͵hol] n. 虫孔

perplexing [pɚˋplɛksɪŋ] adj. 使人困惑的；令人费解的

ponder [ˋpɑndɚ] v. 仔细考虑; 反思

juncture [ˋdʒʌŋktʃɚ] n. 时刻；重要关头

meteor [ˋmitɪɚ] n. 流星；陨星

amino acid [əˈmino ˈæsɪd]  n. 氨基酸

extra-terrestrial [ˋɛkstrə͵təˋrɛstrɪəl]  adj. 地球外的；大气圈外的

comb [kom] v. 彻底搜查

constellation [͵kɑnstəˋleʃən] n. 星座

speculation [͵spɛkjəˋleʃən] n. 思索；沉思；推测

Idiom

片语发音

scratch the surface 略懂皮毛, 不够介入研究 to just begin to find out about something; to examine only the superficial aspects of something

when it comes to 当涉及...时, 谈到...时   as for something; speaking about something

(in the) grand scheme of things 就事情的整体看来 if you say that in the grand scheme of things something is not important, you mean that it is not important when compared to much more serious things

fall into one's lap 合某人的意 to come to us without we making any effort

crash down 哗啦一声[咔嚓]倒下 to collapse on someone or something

building block 基础材料 a basic element or part of something

keep an eye out for someone or something 密切注意; 提防 to watch carefully for someone or something to appear

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The biggest hurdle for astronomers who are trying to establish a communication channel with aliens is the vast, and possibly infinite, scope of the universe. If life is out there, locating it may prove to be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. So, in northern California, SETI has launched a new project to build hundreds of small telescopes. By expanding its reach, SETI hopes to find evidence of alien life by wiretapping E.T. With this new and improved setup, researchers can now monitor hundreds of millions of radio channels all at once. And in the near future, this number will be in the billions.

对于试着与外星人建立沟通管道的天文学而言，最大的障碍就是那片范围广大无边的宇宙。如果外层空间有生命，要找出它们的位置可能比海底捞针还困难。所以，在加州北部，SETI已展开一项新的计划，他们要建造数百座小型望远镜。藉由扩展搜索范围，SETI希望藉由窃听外星人找到外星人存在的证据。透过这项先进的新计划，研究者现在一次可以监听到数亿个无线频道。在不远的未来，数目可能会增加到数十亿个频道。

In another ambitious attempt to unravel the mysteries of the universe, NASA launched the Kepler Space Telescope on March 6th, 2009. It is the first-ever satellite that is specifically devoted to hunting for planets outside our solar system. It works by detecting minute differences in light out in space. Scientists can then use these data to figure out precisely where these planets are located. Researchers have their fingers crossed that Kepler will discover some planets that are approximately the same size as Earth and have a similar atmosphere, because it would be likely that life would exist there.

另一项试图揭开宇宙谜团的计划，是美国太空总署在2009年3月6日发射了开普勒太空望远镜。这是首座用来专门寻找太阳系外星的人造卫星。这卫星主要用来侦测外层空间中光线的细微差异。科学家可以使用这些资料确切地了解这些行星的所在地。研究者期望开普勒太空望远镜可以发现一些跟地球差不多大小并有类似大气层结构的行星，因为这样的行星可能会有生命存在。

In the next decade or so, astronomers hope to build a terrestrial planet finder that can take relatively detailed photographs of foreign planets. Scientists could then examine these pictures and attempt to determine if these planets could potentially contain alien life, or if they’re just pieces of vacant real estate in space.

太空学家希望再过几十年可以建造一座地面上寻找外层空间行星并可以拍下细部照片的机器。这样，科学家就可以检视这些照片并决定这些星球是否可能存在的外层空间生物，或者只是太空中另一片荒芜之地。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音 

hurdle [ˋhɝd!] n. 障碍，困难

astronomer [əˋstrɑnəmɚ] n. 天文学家

infinite [ˋɪnfənɪt] adj. 无限的；无边的

scope [skop] n. 范围，领域

haystack [ˋhe͵stæk] n. 干草堆

wiretap [ˋwaɪr͵tæp] v. 窃听

unravel [ʌnˋræv!] v. 阐明；弄清；解决

minute [maɪtˋnjut]] adj. 详细的；微小的

precisely [prɪˋsaɪslɪ] adv. 精确地，准确地

vacant [ˋvekənt] adj. 空着的

Idiom

figure out 想出, 理解, 明白 to understand something by thinking about it

have/keep one’s fingers crossed 祈求好运 to hope for a good outcome (for someone or something)

Reading Questions

1.    What can we assume about alien life at this time?

(A)  It most certainly does not exist in other places.

(B)  There is some proof that aliens are living on Earth.

(C)  Scientists haven’t determined whether life exists on other planets.

(D)  It is somewhat ridiculous to assume that aliens exist in our galaxy.

2.    In which of the following situations would SETI be useful?

(A)  Scientists need to take pictures of a faraway planet.

(B)  A large meteor suddenly lands in the Pacific Ocean.

(C)  A signal is sent to space from the center of the Earth.

(D)  Radio waves are detected coming from outside of Earth’s orbit.

3.    What do scientists hope that the Kepler telescope will achieve?

(A)  It will help them discover new planets in space.

(B)  It will help them to determine how far Earth is from the Sun.

(C)  It will provide data to help researchers study the Earth’s atmosphere.

(D)  All of the above.

4.    What does the passage suggest scientists will be able to do in the future?

(A)  Locate every possible form of alien life in the universe.

(B)  Examine faraway planets to determine if they might contain living things.

(C)  Transport organisms from Earth to other galaxies to spread life.

(D)  Claim empty real estate in the cosmos for the people of Earth.

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