美國發布3D人造火星家園

山東 孫啟祿

主題語境：科技 篇幅：373詞 關鍵詞：habitat,volunteers

1Four small rooms,a gym and a lot of red sand——NASA revealed its new Mars-simulation habitat,in which volunteers will live for a year at a time to test what life will be like on future missions to Earth's neighbor.

2Four volunteers will begin the first trial this summer, during which NASA plans to monitor their physical and mental health to have a better understanding of humans' courage for such a long isolation.With that data,NASA will have a better understanding of astronauts'“resource use”on Mars.

3“We can really start to understand how we're supporting them with what we're providing them,and that's going to be really important information to making those critical resource decisions,”said Grace Douglas,an expert,on a press tour of the habitat.“Such a distant mission comes with‘very strict mass limitations’,”she added.

4The 160-square-meter habitat is also designed to recreate environmental pressures that future visitors to Mars could face.Examples of this will be carrying out activities with limited resources,being isolated and experiencing equipment failures.

5Several pieces of equipment astronauts would likely use are scattered around the red sand-covered floor,including a weather station,a brick-making machine and a small greenhouse.There is also a treadmill (跑步機) on which the make-believe astronauts will walk suspended from straps to simulate the red planet's lesser gravity.

6Four volunteers will use the treadmill to simulate long trips outside to explore Mars,collecting samples,gathering data or building infrastructure (基礎設施).The volunteers who will take part in the first experiment have not yet been named.NASA says the process of choosing the individuals will follow the same guidelines that are used to choose astronauts.The team members will be expected to have rich backgrounds in science,technology,engineering and math.

7The habitat has another special feature:it was 3D-printed.

8“That is one of the technologies that NASA is looking at as a potential to build habitat on other planetary or lunar surfaces,”Douglas said.

9NASA is in the early stages of preparation for a mission to Mars,though most of the agency's focus is on the upcoming Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon for the first time in half a century.

Reading

Check

1.What does NASA want to do with the data to be collected at present?

A.To send volunteers to Mars to have the first trial.

B.To monitor volunteers'physical and mental health.

C.To better understand how astronauts use the resources on Mars.

D.To ensure that volunteers can adapt to the environment on Mars.

2.What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A.Exercise of the volunteers. B.Equipment in the habitat.

C.Proper use of the treadmill. D.Lesser gravity of Mars.

3.What can we learn about the would-be volunteers?

A.They will be strictly chosen.

B.They each must have a degree.

C.They must be fond of running.

D.They must know the guidelines.

4.What can we infer about the mission to Mars?

A.It has a long way to go.

B.Habitats have been printed on it.

C.Volunteers need to be chosen now.

D.Full preparations have been made.

?語篇解碼

本文是一篇新聞報道，主題語境是人與社會，話題是太空探索。美國國家航空航天局發布了一個新的3D 模擬空間，為未來的火星任務做準備，以更好地了解長期隔離對人類健康的影響。

?語言學習

Ⅰ.語料薈萃

Ⅱ.語句分析

1.Four volunteers will begin the first trial this summer,during which NASA plans to monitor their physical and mental health to have a better understanding of humans'courage for such a long isolation.四名志愿者將于今年夏天開始第一次試驗，在此期間，美國國家航空航天局計劃監測他們的身心健康，以更好地了解人類在如此長時間的隔離中的勇氣。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。Four volunteers will begin the first trial this summer是主句，during which NASA plans...health 是“介詞+關系代詞”引導的非限制性定語從句，to have a better understanding of...isolation是動詞不定式短語作目的狀語。

2.NASA is in the early stages of preparation for a mission to Mars,though most of the agency's focus is on the upcoming Artemis missions,which aim to return humans to the Moon for the first time in half a century.美國國家航空航天局正處于火星任務的早期準備階段，盡管該機構的大部分重心是即將到來的阿爾忒彌斯任務，該任務旨在讓人類半個世紀以來首次重返月球。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句。NASA is in the early stages of...Mars是主句，though most of the agency's focus is...missions 是讓步狀語從句，which aim to return humans to...century是非限制性定語從句。

?語言運用

Ⅰ.例句仿寫

雖然我們對火星有一定的了解，但是我們依然缺乏關于它的足夠的知識。

________________,we still lack enough knowledge about it.

Ⅱ.寫作實踐

假定你是李華，學校英文網站邀請你寫一篇有關火星探索的文章。要點如下：

1.人類渴望探索火星；

2.火星上的氣候狀況；

3.人類應該做的準備。注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Exploring Mars