Step by Step 3000 第2册 Unit11:Space(3)

 　　Part 3. Compton Gamma Ray Observatory¹.

　　Keywords. ailing² observatory, orbit, gamma rays.

　　Vocabulary. debris³, thruster, gyroscope, bathe, stream from, Compton Gamma Observatory, Goddard Space Flight Center.

　　Now listen to a news report, complete the news summary and briefly⁴ answer the questions you hear.

　　Space Agency NASA forced an ailing observatory to fall from orbit and crash into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

　　NASA engineers picked a remote spot to avoid deaths and injures from the falling debris.

　　NASA says the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory has made a fiery⁵ plunge⁶ through the atmosphere into an isolated⁷ area of the Pacific.

　　Most of the nine-year-old satellite was to have burned up in the dive,

　　but about six tons of hot metal were expected to have showered onto an isolated area about 4,000 kilometers southeast of Hawaii.

　　NASA had estimated that the debris would scatter⁸ over a long, narrow path, 4,100 kilometers long and 26 kilometers wide.

　　The deliberate crash came after Goddard Space Flight Center technicians directed the observatory early Sunday to fire its thrusters twice to dive into the atmosphere.

　　NASA felt this was necessary because one of the Compton's three stabilizing⁹ gyroscopes had failed in December.

　　The Space Agency decided¹⁰ to bring the 16-metric-ton back now in a controlled manner

　　to prevent possible further system failures from causing it to drop on a populated area.

　　The Compton's path took it over many populated areas, including Mexico City, Bangkok and Miami.

　　Compton exceed its original 5-year mission by 4 years, resulting in about 2,000 scientific papers.

　　The observatory changed astronomers¹¹' view of the heavens after showing that the entire universe is based in the invisible gamma rays, but the highest energy form of light.

　　It discovered hundreds of previously¹² unknown sources of gamma rays, some streaming from black holes, exploding stars and the Sun.

　　Questions.

　　1. How old is the Compton?

　　2. How heavy is the Compton?

　　3. How many tons of hot metal were expected to plunge into the Pacific?

　　4. What is the place that has been chosen for the crash of the Compton?

　　5. How big is the path that debris of the Compton would scatter over?

　　6. Why is it necessary to force the Compton to fall from its orbit?

　　7. What's the significance of the Compton?

1 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

2 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

3 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

5 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

6 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

9 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。