VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-04-08 International Space Station Puts on a Saturday Night Show 周六晚上人们抬头就可以看到国际空间站

 

AS IT IS 2014-04-08 International Space Station Puts on a Saturday Night Show 周六晚上人们抬头就可以看到国际空间站

Hello and welcome!  I’m Jim Tedder¹ in Washington with the program that helps you learn and improve your American English.  Today we have something special for you.  We will meet with some friends not far from the VOA studios and …all together …look up at the night sky in search of a wonderful machine, far above us.

Listen carefully.  There is some important information near the end that you can use.  You are listening to VOA. 

Americans often watch television or go to movies or parties on weekends.  But on a recent Saturday night, a few people met for an unusual activity at a public park in Bethesda, Maryland.  A neighbor had invited them to watch the International Space Station pass overhead².

The park had few lights to compete with stars and other objects in the sky.  That helped make it possible to find the International Space Station just by looking up.  No special equipment was needed. 

At the time, the space station was carrying six crew members.  They represented the space programs in Russia, Japan and the United States.  Three of the men returned safely to Earth not long after the sighting in Maryland.

Oleg Kotov commanded the return trip to Kazakhstan.  He is a pilot, an officer in the Russian Air Force and a medical doctor who was born in Crimea.  With him were Russian cosmonaut Sergei Ryazanskiy and American astronaut Mike Hopkins.

Three other men stayed on the ISS.  Three others joined them after leaving the Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 25th.

Back in Maryland, the space station watchers gathered among children’s swings and toy cars.  They sought to identify the stars and planets³ in the clear night sky.  One woman repeatedly⁴ looked at her wristwatch.

“Hey, there it is,” called a man.  He pointed⁵ at yellow, red and blue lights sailing through the night.  But no, that was an airplane.

“Isn’t that it,” cried another watcher?  She caught sight of a lighted object as it moved through the skies.  No, that also was a plane.  The woman worried that perhaps they had missed the sighting.

Luckily, help was available.  Retired television engineer Paul Monte-Bovi served as a kind of guide and host for the Saturday night event.  He has belonged for many years to one of America’s largest amateur⁶ astronomy⁷ clubs.

Mr. Monte-Bovi owns three telescopes.  He noted⁸ that the space station might look as if it were on the same level with airplanes.  But he said it is really more than 300 kilometers up in the sky.  And its light looks bright white.  The ISS does not show up as the yellowish color of the stars and other objects in the sky.

“It does look like an airplane, the difference being that the space station does not have flashing lights.” 

The Maryland sky watchers found the ISS by looking to the northwest and watching it move southeast.  NASA, the American space agency⁹, says that it not usually the case.  But the space station’s trajectories¹⁰, the curved¹¹ paths, differ.

As promised, the station appeared at the predicted time.  That night, it was first observed at 7:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and seen for about four minutes.

“It is way high, and it’s traveling in a continuous¹² move.”  

Paul Monte-Bovi said what the people were seeing was the reflection¹³ of the sunlight on the station’s solar panels¹⁴.  This equipment produce the many kilowatts¹⁵ of power required to keep the space station operating.  And it seems that bright dot in the sky is huge.  The panels alone cover four tenths of one hectare.

One of the sky watchers asked the others to predict what the crew members were doing overhead.  That question remained unanswered.  But people could find out what the space station would do in the coming week.

For example, on the following Tuesday and Thursday, the station deployed¹⁶ micro-satellites known as NanoRacksCubeSats.  These devices¹⁷ are supposed to increase scientific observation of the Earth.  Another goal for the ISS is to learn the effects of space on human bodies.  Crew members tested those effects on their mental abilities and organs including the heart and bones.

Another experiment is meant to increase our understanding of protein structure and how proteins operate.  Improved understanding of proteins might someday provide treatment for several currently¹⁸ incurable¹⁹ conditions.

It was a comet²⁰, not a space station, that got Paul Monte-Bovi interested in amateur astronomy in 1997.  The comet Hale-Bopp had been discovered just two years earlier.  Some people say it was the brightest comet in history.  He remembered the event.

“I heard about comets but never thought I would be able to see one.  And a neighbor came by and said ‘Let’s go see the comet. I hear it’s out tonight.’ And I had a breathtaking view. “

That experience led him to join the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club.  Recently, another club member told him that NASA provides information about the times and places when people can see the ISS.

Mr. Monte-Bovi is among about 85,000 people who have asked for that information.  Now he asks neighbors to join him for sightings when he thinks the ISS would be easiest to see.

“We have neighbors who have some young children who are real space cadets ((fans)).  They love anything to do with the night sky….  I thought it would be fun to have the rest of the neighborhood become aware of it…” 

NASA’s Mission²¹ Control provides the details about where it is possible to see the International Space Station in 4,600 places around the world.  You can ask to receive an e-mail telling when you can expect to see the ISS near home.  If your community is not on the list, choose a place that is close.  For more information, go to spotthestation.nasa.gov.

When we are not looking up at the night sky, we Americans often spend our free time by reading books.  According to the New York Times newspaper, the most popular fiction book in the United States is “Missing You.”  It was written by Harlan Coben. It is the story of Kat Donovan, a New York police detective who searches for the lover²² who left her years before.

 

The number one non-fiction book is “Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup. The story was first published in 1853.  It tells of a freeman who was kidnapped and sold into slavery, and spent 12 years in bondage²³ before escaping. The book was made into an award-winning movie.

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 overhead   

adj.在头顶上的，悬空的；n.间接开支

参考例句：

• A number of birds are circling overhead.很多鸟在头顶上空盘旋。
• Many stars overhead are invisible to the naked eye.天上的许多星星是肉眼看不到的。

3 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星

4 repeatedly   

adv.重复地，再三地

参考例句：

• The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
• He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 amateur   

adj.业余的，非专业的；n.业余爱好者

参考例句：

• He made an amateur attempt to build a cupboard.他很外行地试做了一个碗柜。
• Although Tom's only an amateur he's a first-class player.虽然汤姆只是个业余爱好者，但却是一流的高手。

7 astronomy   

n.天文学

参考例句：

• Mathematics is connected with astronomy.数学与天文学有联系。
• Astronomy is an abstract subject.天文学是一门深奥的学科。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

10 trajectories   

n.弹道( trajectory的名词复数 )；轨道；轨线；常角轨道

参考例句：

• To answer this question, we need to plot trajectories of principal stresses. 为了回答这个问题，我们尚须画出主应力迹线图。 来自辞典例句
• In the space program the theory is used to determine spaceship trajectories. 在空间计划中，这个理论用于确定飞船的轨道。 来自辞典例句

11 curved   

a.弯曲的

参考例句：

• His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. 他的嘴角弯了弯，露出一丝几乎察觉不到的笑容。
• The missile curved gracefully towards its target. 导弹呈优美的曲线状飞向目标。

12 continuous   

adj.继续的，连续的，持续的，延伸的

参考例句：

• She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后，她终于当选了。
• We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。

13 reflection   

n.映象，倒影；反射；反映；非议；深思

参考例句：

• The reflection of the sun on the glass wall was blinding.玻璃墙上反射的太阳光令人目眩。
• One can see the reflection of the tower in the water.塔的影子倒映在水中。

14 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

15 kilowatts   

千瓦( kilowatt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's about 500 kilowatts per hour on average. 年用电量平均为每小时500千瓦。 来自商贸英语会话
• We have an emergency-standby electric generator with a capacity of 300 kilowatts. 我们有一台三百千瓦的事故备用发电机。

16 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

17 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

18 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

19 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

20 comet   

n.慧星

参考例句：

• Recently they have discovered a comet.最近他们发现了一颗彗星。
• Halley's Comet is going to come back in 2061.哈雷彗星将于2061年回归。

21 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

22 lover   

n.情人，恋人；爱好者

参考例句：

• Every lover sees a thousand graces in the beloved object.情人眼里出西施。
• Mr.Smith was a lover of poetry.史密斯先生是一名诗歌爱好者。

23 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。