英语听力：自然百科 行星旅行指南：火星 Mars—12

 Try the red planet for sight-seeing on an enormous scale. Thanks to our sharp-eyed spacecraft, Mars is opening up like never before. These are real landscapes that humans will one day marvel¹ at in person. 

 

“You know, if you’re going to Mars, you’re going to go for the scenery, right? I mean you’re not going for the culture, you’re not going for the climate. So you’re definitely going for the scenery.”

 

One thing that people forget is that when’ve landed on Mars, we have to go to places that are safe and safe equals, pretty smooth and flat. Here’s a bit of Mars that’s anything but smooth and flat, the magnificent Valles Marineris. This titanic² canyon³ system, over 2,500 miles long and six miles deep, is probably the grandest geological feature in the solar system. It’s clearly the red planet’s must-see destination. 

 

“As a human being, it’s the sheer gigantism of Mars that is amazing. The Valles Marineris is bits the Grand Canyon all over, and if you’ve ever seen the Grand Canyon, you will never forget it.”

 

It’s so colossal⁴. The Grand Canyon would be easily swallowed by one of the smaller side branches.

 

“We’re talking about something here that’s the width of the United States or Australia crossed here.”

 

“Something to Valles Marineries would be a place to go, and build a large radar⁵ on the room you can look in.”

 

The attraction goes beyond sheer scenic⁶ splendor⁷. Deeper than the canyon itself, is the mystery surrounding its formation. This giant fissure⁸ once filled by mighty⁹ lakes has been scoured¹⁰ by floods of biblical proportions.

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

3 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

4 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

5 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

6 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

7 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

8 fissure   

n.裂缝；裂伤

参考例句：

• Though we all got out to examine the fissure,he remained in the car.我们纷纷下车察看那个大裂缝，他却呆在车上。
• Ground fissure is the main geological disaster in Xi'an city construction.地裂缝是西安市主要的工程地质灾害问题。

9 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

10 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。