Time capsules: Preserving the Past 时间胶囊的故事
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2008年9月10日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年3月05日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：222
课文朗读
课文讲解
Imagine that you wanted to send a message to the people of the future. What would you want them to know about you and the time in which you lived? What common items would best represent the culture you grew up in? The answers are being preserved in time capsules.
假设你想传递讯息给未来的人们，你会希望他们对你及你的时代有何了解？哪些常见的物品最能代表孕育你的文化？这些答案正被保存于时间胶囊内。
The modern idea of the time capsules was made popular during the preparations for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Created by Westinghouse as part of their exhibit, the capsule was made of an ultra-durable metal alloy so that it could withstand the tests of time and nature. Its contents included crop seeds, pieces of industrial machinery, and even the Holly Bible, as well as everyday items such as a watch, a fountain pen and a lady’s hat. This was a serious attempt to provide a clear description of civilization in 1939.
时间胶囊的现代概念可追溯到1939年纽约世界博览会。西屋公司展览了一枚时间胶囊，由极耐用的合金制成，希望能经得起时间及大自然的考验。除了手表、钢笔、女帽等日用品，胶囊内还有农作物种子、产业机器，甚至圣经。这是一个认真的尝试，盼能提供明确的1939年文化的样貌。
The time capsule was buried 50 feet below Flushing Meadows Park. One can only imagine the awe and wonderment the people of the future will experience when the capsule is opened approximately 5,000 years from now, in the year 6939.
这枚时间胶囊被埋在法拉盛草原公园地下50英尺处。大约五千年后的公元6939年，未来的人们将打开胶囊，我们可以想象他们将体验的敬畏与惊奇。
Vocabulary
单词发音
preserve [prɪˋzɝv] v. 保存
withstand [wɪðˋstænd] v. 抵挡；禁得起
civilization [͵sɪv!əˋzeʃən] n. 文明
awe [ɔ] n. 敬畏；畏怯
approximately [əˋprɑksəmɪtlɪ] adv. 大概；近乎
More Information
单词发音
alloy [əˋlɔɪ] n. 合金
content [ˋkɑntənt] n. 内容
meadow [ˋmɛdo] n. 草地; 牧草地
wonderment [ˋwʌndɚmənt] n. 惊奇
课文朗读
课文讲解
One future project will literally rise above all the time capsules that are currently on Earth. The KEO satellite space time capsule is due to be launched in either 2009 or 2010. The satellite, a hollow sphere 80 centimeters in diameter, will carry messages from the people of today to the people of the future. It has the capacity to carry a four-page letter from every person on Earth to their distant descendants. Once it is launched, the satellite will orbit the Earth for 50,000 years before returning with its messages from the past.
对地球上目前所有时间胶囊而言，有一项未来的计划绝对是「高高在上」。KEO卫星太空时间胶囊订于公元2009或2010年发射。该卫星是直径八十公分的中空球体，将把当今人们的讯息传递给未来的人。它可为地球上每个人携带一封四页长的信给后代子孙。该卫星一旦发射，将绕行地球五万年，然后带着过去的讯息重返地球。
In addition to the messages, the satellite will also carry a diamond that encases a drop of human blood. Photos of people from all cultures and encyclopedias of all human knowledge will be included on DVDs. It’s amazing to think that tens of thousands of years from now people might be reading our words and learning about our lives.
除了这些讯息，这枚卫星也将携带一颗内含一滴人血的钻石。DVD还会储存各种族的相片，以及记载所有人类知识的百科全书。想到几万年后的人们可能阅读我们的文字，了解我们的生活，令人觉得不可思议。
Who knows who will unearth the time capsules we leave behind? One thing is for sure, whatever happens in the future, we will be remembered.
谁知道什么人会挖出我们的时间胶囊呢？但有件事却是肯定的：无论未来发生什么事，我们都不会被遗忘。
−by Joe Henley
Vocabulary
单词发音
literally [ˋlɪtərəlɪ] adv. 照字面地
launch [lɔntʃ] v. 发射
capacity [kəˋpæsətɪ] n. 容量
descendant [dɪˋsɛndənt] n. 子孙，后裔
orbit [ˋɔrbɪt] v. 环绕（天体等）的轨道运行
encyclopedia [ɪn͵saɪkləˋpidɪə] n. 百科全书
More Information
单词发音
satellite [ˋsæt!͵aɪt] n. 人造卫星
due [dju] adj. 预定﹐预期
hollow [ˋhɑlo] adj. 中空的
sphere [sfɪr] n. 球；球体
diameter [daɪˋæmətɚ] n. 直径
encase [ɪnˋkes] v. 将……装进容器
unearth [ʌnˋɝθ] v.（从地下）发掘; 发现；揭露
Reading Questions
1. What is the purpose of time capsules?
A. To keep objects typical of a period for future generations to observe.
B. To allow the people of the present to view objects of historical significance.
C. To bury treasures in the ground for the people of the future to find.
D. To shoot expensive items into space to preserve them.
2. The Westinghouse time capsule was made of a special metal so that _____.
A. it would look like a work of art
B. it could hold lots of heavy objects
C. it would not be damaged easily
D. it could never be opened
3. Which of the following is NOT true of the KEO space time capsule?
A. It will contain a drop of human blood and may be sent into space in 2009.
B. It will stay in space for 50,000 years.
C. It will carry messages from the people of the future to the people of today.
D. It will be less than a meter in diameter.
4. What can we infer based on the article?
A. Few people are interested in the contents of time capsules.
B. Time capsules will become a bridge between people from different countries.
C. Time capsules are of no benefit to historical studies.
D. There is almost no limit as to what can be placed inside a time capsule.
Leave a message for people 50,000 years in the future
Answer
|
1. ( A ) |
2. ( C ) |
3. ( C ) |
4. ( D ) |