# 第四册 Lesson 35 Space odyssey 太空探索

## 一、课文原文

The Moon is likely to become the industrial hub of the Solar System, supplying the rocket fuels for its ships, easily obtainable from the lunar rocks in the form of liquid oxygen. The reason lies in its gravity. Because the Moon has only an eightieth of the Earth's mass, it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel the quarter of a million miles from the Moon to Earth-orbit than the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit!

This may sound fantastic, but it is easily calculated. To escape from the Earth in a rocket, one must travel at seven miles per second. The comparable speed from the Moon is only 1.5 miles per second. Because the gravity on the Moon's surface is only a sixth of Earth's (remember how easily the Apollo astronauts bounded along), it takes much less energy to accelerate to that 1.5 miles per second than it does on Earth. Moon-dwellers will be able to fly in space at only three per cent of the cost of similar journeys by their terrestrial cousins.

Arthur C. Clark once suggested a revolutionary idea passes through three phases:
1. 'It's impossible — don't waste my time.'
2. 'It's possible, but not worth doing.'
3. 'I said it was a good idea all along.'

The idea of colonising Mars — a world 160 times more distant than the Moon — will move decisively from the second phase to the third, when a significant number of people are living permanently in space. Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers. America, Russia and Europe are filled with enthusiasts — many of them serious and senior scientists — who dream of sending people to it. Their aim is understandable. It is the one world in the Solar System that is most like the Earth. It is a world of red sandy deserts (hence its name — the Red Planet), cloudless skies, savage sandstorms, chasms wider than the Grand Canyon and at least one mountain more than twice as tall as Everest. It seems ideal for settlement.

— *7 DAYS*, February 19, 1989

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| hub | /hʌb/ | n. | 中心，枢纽 | industrial hub 工业中心 |
| obtainable | /əbˈteɪnəbl/ | adj. | 可获得的 | easily obtainable 容易获得的 |
| lunar | /ˈluːnə/ | adj. | 月球的 | lunar rocks 月球岩石；lunar 月亮的 |
| gravity | /ˈɡrævəti/ | n. | 重力，引力 | escape gravity 摆脱引力 |
| mass | /mæs/ | n. | 质量 | an eightieth of the Earth's mass 地球质量的八十分之一 |
| orbit | /ˈɔːbɪt/ | n./v. | 轨道；绕轨道运行 | Earth-orbit 地球轨道 |
| fantastic | /fænˈtæstɪk/ | adj. | 难以置信的 | sound fantastic 听起来不可思议 |
| accelerate | /əkˈseləreɪt/ | v. | 加速 | acceleration n. 加速度 |
| terrestrial | /təˈrestriəl/ | adj. | 地球的，陆地的 | terrestrial cousins 地球上的表亲 |
| colonise | /ˈkɒlənaɪz/ | v. | 殖民，移居 | colonise Mars 殖民火星 |
| fascination | /ˌfæsɪˈneɪʃn/ | n. | 魅力，迷恋 | have a fascination for 对……有魅力 |
| chasm | /ˈkæzəm/ | n. | 峡谷，深渊 | chasms wider than the Grand Canyon |

**专有名词：**
- **Arthur C. Clarke**：阿瑟·克拉克（英国科幻作家）
- **Mars**：火星
- **the Red Planet**：红色星球（火星别称）
- **Grand Canyon**：大峡谷
- **Everest**：珠穆朗玛峰

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 现在分词作伴随状语

> The Moon is likely to become the industrial hub of the Solar System, **supplying** the rocket fuels for its ships

现在分词 supplying 表示伴随状态，补充说明月球的作用。

### 2. 比较结构

> it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel...**than** the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit

less...than 比较结构，less 修饰 energy。

### 3. it takes...to do sth.

> **it takes** much less energy to accelerate to that 1.5 miles per second **than** it does on Earth

it 为形式主语，真正主语为 to accelerate... 不定式短语。

| 结构 | 例句 |
|------|------|
| It takes time to do sth. | It takes 3 hours to get there. |
| It takes energy to do sth. | It takes less energy to accelerate. |

### 4. when 引导的时间状语从句

> the idea will move decisively from the second phase to the third, **when** a significant number of people are living permanently in space

when = at the time when，表示"当……的时候"。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 句型1：数据论证

> Because the Moon has only an eightieth of the Earth's mass, it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel the quarter of a million miles from the Moon to Earth-orbit than the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit!

- 用精确数据支撑论点
- 对比：月球→地球轨道 vs 地球表面→轨道

### 句型2：三阶段理论（排比）

> 1. 'It's impossible — don't waste my time.'
> 2. 'It's possible, but not worth doing.'
> 3. 'I said it was a good idea all along.'

- Arthur C. Clarke 的革命性想法三阶段论
- 从否定→半否定→全盘接受

### 句型3：描述性排比

> a world of red sandy deserts, cloudless skies, savage sandstorms, chasms wider than the Grand Canyon and at least one mountain more than twice as tall as Everest

- 五个并列短语描述火星
- 由浅入深，由一般到壮观

## 五、课文翻译

月球很可能成为太阳系的工业中心，为它的飞船提供火箭燃料，这种燃料可以很容易地从月球岩石中以液氧的形式获得。原因在于它的引力。因为月球只有地球质量的八十分之一，所以从月球到地球轨道25万英里的旅程所需的能量比从地球表面进入轨道200英里的旅程少97%！

这听起来可能不可思议，但很容易计算出来。要乘坐火箭逃离地球，速度必须达到每秒7英里。而从月球上相应的速度仅为每秒1.5英里。因为月球表面的引力只有地球的六分之一（记得阿波罗宇航员跳跃起来多么轻松），加速到每秒1.5英里比在地球上所需的能量少得多。月球居民将能以地球上同类旅程3%的费用在太空飞行。

阿瑟·克拉克曾提出，一个革命性的想法要经历三个阶段：
1. "不可能——别浪费我的时间。"
2. "可能，但不值得做。"
3. "我一直说这是个好主意。"

殖民火星——一个比月球远160倍的世界——的想法，当相当数量的人永久生活在太空时，将果断地从第二阶段进入第三阶段。火星对未来的旅行者有着非凡的魅力。美国、俄罗斯和欧洲充满了热情者——其中许多是严肃的资深科学家——他们梦想把人送上火星。他们的目标是可理解的。它是太阳系中最像地球的星球。它是一个红色沙漠（因此得名——红色星球）、无云的天空、猛烈的沙暴、比大峡谷还宽的峡谷、以及至少一座比珠穆朗玛峰还高两倍多的山的世界。它似乎是定居的理想之地。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 写作手法：数据论证与引用权威

- 精确数据（97%、八十分之一、1.5英里/秒）
- 引用 Arthur C. Clarke（科幻大师）的三阶段论

### 2. 逻辑结构

| 段落 | 主题 | 论证方式 |
|------|------|----------|
| 第一段 | 月球的工业潜力 | 数据+因果分析 |
| 第二段 | 月球引力优势 | 计算验证 |
| 第三段 | 革命性想法的规律 | 引用权威 |
| 第四段 | 殖民火星的前景 | 描述+展望 |

### 3. 文化背景

- Arthur C. Clarke（1917-2008）：英国科幻作家，2001太空漫游作者
- 阿波罗计划（1961-1972）：人类登月计划
- 火星殖民是当代太空探索的热门话题

### 4. 修辞分析

- 三阶段论——排比，层层递进
- "terrestrial cousins"——拟人，幽默
- "savage sandstorms"——拟人，增强画面感

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **词汇练习**：掌握 hub、lunar、gravity、accelerate、colonise、chasm 等核心词
2. **语法练习**：比较结构；it takes...to do 句型；现在分词作状语
3. **翻译练习**：注意科学数据的准确翻译；排比结构的处理
4. **写作练习**：模仿用数据论证的写法，讨论一项科技发展前景

## 八、本课小结

本课展望太空探索的未来。核心观点：**月球因引力小将成为太阳系的工业中心，殖民火星的想法将从"可能但值得商榷"进入"理所当然"的阶段**。文章用精确数据论证月球的优势，引用克拉克的三阶段论说明新思想被接受的过程，最后以对火星的生动描述展望未来。语法重点为比较结构和 it takes...to do 句型。