Queqiao relay satellite launched ahead of Chang'e-4 lunar mission

精彩導讀

中國成功地發射了嫦娥四號月球任務的中繼衛星，該衛星原定于今年晚些時候發射。這顆名為鵲橋(喜鵲橋)的衛星由一枚長征-4C火箭搭載，于5月21日凌晨5點28分從中國西南西昌衛星發射中心發射升空。

China successfully launched（發射）a relay satellite for theChang'e-4lunar mission（任務）on May 21,whichis scheduled forlater this year.The satellite,namedQueqiao,was carried by a Long March-4C rocket that blasted off at 5:28 am from southwest China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

This is also the world's first communication satellite which is expected to operate in the orbit of the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L2.It will be able to observe both the Earth and the far side of the Moon.

Queqiao can be literallytranslated intoMagpie（喜鵲）Bridge.In a Chinese folktale,magpies formed a bridge by spreading their wings on the seventh night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar to enable Zhi Nu,the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven,to cross and meet her beloved husband,whowas separated fromher by the Milky Way.

So it is a symbolic bridge.The Chang'e-4 lunar probe（探測器）,which is scheduled to be launched later this year,will undertake the firstever soft landing on the far side of the Moon.However,directcommunication withthe far side of the Moon is not possible and is one of the many challenges of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission.That is why the relay satellite is needed,and it will be responsible for transmitting signals between the Earth station and the Chang'e-4 lander and rover.

Queqiao willalso carry an astronomy experiment called the Netherlands-China Low-Frequency Explorer,which willsearch forradio signals from the universe's very early days and characterize the solar winds near the Moon,among other tasks.

TheChang'e-4rover and lander were originally built as backups for the Chang'e-3 mission,which landed two spacecrafts on the Moon in 2013.Another 2019 mission,Chang'e-5,aims to bring back the first rocks from the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

This is the Long March Rocket's 275th launch,but also the Long March-4C rocket's maiden（首次的） launch at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Reading check

Read the text carefully and find the right answers.

1.What do we know about The Chang'e-4 lunar probe?

A.It blasted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

B.It was carried by a Long March-4C rocket.

C.It can make direct communication with the far side of the Moon.

D.It will land on the far side of the moon later this year.

2.Whatdoestheunderlinedword “it”(Para.4)most probably refer to?

A.The Chang'e-4 rover.

B.The Earth station.

C.The Chang'e-4 lander.

D.The satellite named Queqiao.

Language study

Vocabulary

be scheduled for定于……

translate...into把……翻譯成……

be separated from與……分開

communicate with與……交流

be responsible for負責……

search for尋找；搜索

Difficult sentence

why引導的表語從句

That is____________the relay satellite is needed,and it will be responsible for transmitting signalsbetween the Earth station and the Chang'e-4 lander and rover.

【點石成金】該空所缺少的部分引導的是表語從句，并在表語從句中作原因狀語，意為“那就是……的原因”。