VOA常速英语2007年-Global Warming Tops Science Stories of 2007

By Paul Sisco
Washington
17 December 2007
 

2007 was a year notable for further evidence about global warming, terrestrial and extraterrestrial discovery and scientific breakthroughs. VOA's Paul Sisco takes a look back at some of the top science stories of the year.

Global warming tops our list of science stories in 2007. Scientists say there is new evidence that the polar ice caps are melting at a faster pace. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says it is 90 percent certain that human activity is linked to rising temperatures.

Panel Chairman Rajendra Pachauri explains, "...what you have is solid scientific evidence."

Pachauri's U.N. panel shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice¹ President Al Gore², who said, "I'm going to speak an inconvenient³ truth, My own country is principally responsible for obstructing⁴ progress here in Bali. We all know that."

Gore's Academy Awarding winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, documents the effects of climate change.

In other news, scientists uncovered a previously⁵ unknown, human settlement around Stonehenge, announced a new theory on the building of the Pyramids, and put King Tut on public display for the first time in 3,000 years.

Scientists also had a remarkable⁶ discovery in Kenya - a 10 million year old jaw⁷ bone that may link mankind to the great apes.

 

And in the fossil of a T-Rex, American researchers decoded⁸ soft tissue proteins linking the monstrous⁹ reptile¹⁰ to birds.

Japan and China jumped into the space race in 2007, both launching their first lunar probes. NASA shared 3-D (three dimensional) images of the sun, and with three shuttle missions, stepped up construction of the International Space Station. Mechanical problems halted a fourth shuttle launch in December, but station construction resumes in 2008.

 

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

3 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

4 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

5 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。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

8 decoded   

v.译（码），解（码）( decode的过去式和过去分词 )；分析及译解电子信号

参考例句：

• The control unit decoded the 18 bits. 控制器对这18位字进行了译码。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Scientists have decoded the dog genome. 科学家已经译解了狗的基因组。 来自辞典例句

9 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

10 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。