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Mars: Our Future Home? 移民火星可能吗？

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It’s a great day for flying a kite – the wind is blowing at a moderate 90 km/hr. Wear a sweater though, because it’s a little chilly out there at -80 degree Celsius. Don’t do anything too physical either, since the air is a hundred times thinner than the human body can handle. It’s an average day on Mars, and maybe you should just stay indoors.

今天的天气很适合放风筝－风速每小时90公里。但要穿上毛衣，因为室外温度为摄氏零下80度，有点冷；也别从事太激烈的活动，因为空气比人类能忍受的还稀薄一百倍。这种日子在火星上很常见，或许你最好待在室内。

At present, the environment on Mars would kill us in seconds. Yet, looking at the rest of the solar system, it’s still our best bet for a second Earth. We’re just got to make a few adjustments to make it habitable for humans. Here is how it might take place on Mars:

目前火星环境会瞬间致人于死，但相较于太阳系的其他行星，火星仍是作为第二个地球的最佳选择，只是必须略做调整，才能让它适合人类居住，以下是可能在火星上采取的步骤：

Phase 1: Warming it up. Scientists are thinking of dropping off machines that suck up dust and air and convert them into greenhouse gases. The gases would eventually heat the atmosphere enough to melt the polar ice caps, creating necessary water.

第一阶段：提升温度。科学家考虑空降机器来抽取灰尘及空气，再将其转变为温室气体，以提高气温，进而融化极地冰帽，产生不可或缺的水。

Phase 2: Oxygenating the air. We would send over hardy microorganisms, followed by plants and trees. They would inhale the CO₂ and exhale precious O_2, making the air suitable for humans to breathe.

第二阶段：将氧注入空气。先将强健的微生物送过去，再送植物、树木过去。它们会吸入二氧化碳，吐出珍贵的氧气，使空气适合人类呼吸。

Phase 3: Populating the planet. We would first send a construction crew to start building a colony. Once it’s operational, the first group of future Martians would move in.

第三阶段：殖民火星。我们会先把营建人员送过去，开始成立殖民地，一旦可以运作，首批火星居民便会迁入。

Don’t start packing your bags yet. It will probably take a couple hundred years. Until then, we’ll just have to make do with Mother Earth. If we treat her right, we will have a choice between two planets.

先别打包行李，大概还需几百年，此一愿景才能实现。在那之前，我们仍得住在地球上。如果我们能够善待地球，便能在两个行星之间作选择。

−by Murray Walker

Vocabulary

单词发音

moderate [ˋmɑdərɪt] adj. 适度的

adjustment [əˋdʒʌstmənt] n. 调节；调整

convert [kənˋvɝt] v. 转变，变换[（+to/into）]

operational [͵ɑpəˋreʃən!] adj. 可运作的﹐可操作上的

make do with 凑合着用; 设法应付  to manage to get along with the means available

More Information

单词发音

Celsius [ˋsɛlsɪəs] adj. 摄氏的

best bet 最佳抉择, 最稳妥的办法 the thing someone should do which is most likely to achieve the result they want

habitable [ˋhæbɪtəb!] adj. 可居住的；适于居住的

greenhouse [ˋgrin͵haʊs] n. 温室，暖房

atmosphere [ˋætməs͵fɪr] n. 大气

ice cap【地】（高山上常年不化的）冰帽，冰盖，冰冠

oxygenate [ˋɑksədʒən͵et] v. 为……充氧

hardy [ˋhɑrdɪ] adj. 能吃苦耐劳的；强壮的

microorganism [͵maɪkroˋɔrgən͵ɪzəm] n. 微生物

exhale [ɛksˋhel] v. 呼出; 排出

populate [ˋpɑpjə͵let] v. 移民于；殖民于

Martian [ˋmɑrʃɪən] n. 火星人

Reading Questions

1.   What is one way to make Mars habitable?

A.  Create greenhouse gases by planting trees and heating up the air.

B.  Raise the temperature, plant some trees, and melt the polar caps.

C.  Be sure to wear a warm sweater and stay indoors most of the time.

D.  Make the air thinner, keep the polar ice caps, and vacuum up the dust.

2.   According to the article, which of the following is true?

A.  Mars will be able to support human life in a hundred years.

B.  If we move to Mars, we will have to stay inside to avoid dust storms.

C.  Real estate will be very inexpensive on Mars in the future.

D.  If Earth stays healthy, we will be able to decide which planet we want to live on.

3.   What would be another good title for this article?

A.  Moving to Mars

B.  The Future of Earth

C.  Lost In Space

D.  Up, Up, and Away!

Answer