《時代經(jīng)典用詞》科技篇 天文學(xué)、地質(zhì)學(xué)
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asteroid
小行星
Astronomers believe these mysterious objects are rubble left over from the formation of the solar system and that they've occasionally smashed into Earth.
天文學(xué)家相信這些神秘的物體是太陽系在形成過程中所遺留下來的碎片，而且曾偶爾撞向地球，
it may well have been a wayward asteroid,for example,that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
在6500萬年前將恐龍一舉消滅的，可能就是一顆行徑無常的小行星。
astronaut,cosmonaut
太空人、宇航員
NASA administrator Daniel Goldin calls the joint venture"the most challenging project in [the space agency's] history"
美國航空暨太空總署的主管高丁稱這次的合作探險是“太空總署有史以來最具挑戰(zhàn)性的任務(wù)。”
a claim that the astronauts who walked on the moon might want to dispute
對于那些曾在月球上漫步的太空人來說，這個講法可能會引起爭議。
The cosmonauts have occasionally run low on spare parts and even food
太空人在備用材料甚至食物方面偶爾會面臨短缺的現(xiàn)象。
because planned launches of supply rockets have been delayed or canceled.
這是因為負(fù)責(zé)運(yùn)送給養(yǎng)的火箭發(fā)射計劃被延誤或取消。
Big Bang
大霹靂理論
We hear them in sound bites trampling our sensibilities by comparing the Big Bang or some subatomic particle to God.
我們聽到他們在媒體上以寥寥數(shù)語，把大霹靂理論或是某種次原子粒子拿來與上帝相比擬，讓我們無法理解。
No other moment in time.
在歷史上的任何時刻，
aside from the Big Bang that began the universe,could be more central to the understanding of nature than the instant that life began.
除了開啟宇宙的大霹靂，沒有比生命開始的那一剎那，更能直指了解自然這個問題的核心。
black hole
黑洞
Engaged in high-wire act between the proponents of radical therapy and those who wish to dismantle it
在那些勵志改革的支持者及反對者之間，
he has emerged as a Prime Minister some revere but others fear may be steering his nation perilously close to the black hole of hyperimflation.
他小心翼翼不得罪任何一方，使他這個總理既讓某些人推崇，又教其他人恐懼，害怕他會將國家?guī)虺ㄘ浥蛎浀暮诙催吘墶?br />
When prices dropped instead,
當(dāng)價格下滑
reducing the collateral value of the bonds,the traders were forced to dump their holdings for whatever they could get to raise cash to pay off the loans
使得作為擔(dān)保品的債券價值降低，交易人就被迫將所持債券大量賣出，以籌措現(xiàn)金去支付貸款。
Their selling "just opened a black hole under the bond markey,"says Charles Clough,chied investment strategist for Merrill Lyncy
美林證券的首席投資顧問克勞說，他們這種賣同債券的方式“在債券市場中開了個黑洞。”
fault
斷層
By applying pressure along ethnic fault lines and playing rival political factions against one anoter,Moscow has succeeded in making its presence count among its former vasals.
莫斯科方面沿著種族問題的斷線層上施加壓力，并且利用敵對派系間的矛盾，已經(jīng)成功地增加了它在這些過支的屬內(nèi)的影響力。
geothermal energy
地?zé)?br />
Others see a mix of solar,ethermal ,tidal and wind power.
其他人則認(rèn)為混合太陽能、地?zé)?、潮汐，以及風(fēng)力發(fā)電是可能選擇的。
pulsar
脈沖星
Confirming what was long believed but never proved
天文學(xué)家終于證實了一個長久以來大家都這么認(rèn)為，卻從未證明的說法。
astronomers now have "irrefutable"evidence of the existence of the first planets outside our own solar system.
現(xiàn)在有了“無法反駁”的證據(jù)指出在我們的太陽系之外有別的行星存在。
Alexander Wolszczan of Pennsylvania State University has identified two planets
賓州大學(xué)的沃尚教授已經(jīng)找到了兩顆行星，
both of which have more than twice the mass of our own,in orbit around a pulsar 1200 light-years from Earth.
這兩個行星的質(zhì)量均是我們地球質(zhì)量的兩倍以上，環(huán)繞一個距地球1200光年的脈沖星在運(yùn)行。
quasar
類星體
But that theory received a jolt from another astronomical discovery announced this week.
但是，在本周，那個理論因一項新的天文發(fā)現(xiàn)而受到抨擊。
Scientists from Caltech,Princeton,and the Institute for Advanced Study have detected the most distant quasar(an exceptionally bright starlike object)everspotted.
那就是加州理工學(xué)院、普林斯頓大學(xué)以及高等研究學(xué)院的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)一個截至目前為止最遠(yuǎn)的類星體
Since the light arriving from the quasars began its journey billions of years ago.
來自類星體的光從數(shù)十億年前就開始了它們的旅程，所以在宇宙誕生初期，
there must have been more iron when the universe was young than there is now
一定比現(xiàn)在擁有更多的鐵
an astonishing conclusion,since iron is manufactured in stars and should have been scarce in the early universe.
這是一項驚人的結(jié)論，因為鐵是在星球內(nèi)部制造產(chǎn)生的，在宇宙初期應(yīng)該比較稀少才對
Bolton's major achievement was his 1984 identification of certain radio waves as emanating from other galaxies.
波頓的主要成就，是在1948年辨識出某些無線電波系發(fā)自其他星系。
He also played a crucial role on the team that first identified quasars
他同時也在埋首發(fā)現(xiàn)類星體的研究小組中扮演著重要的角色，
the distant radiant bodies believed to be the cores of young galaxies.
類星體是一些遙遠(yuǎn)的發(fā)光體，都認(rèn)為是早期星系的核心。
SETI
探索宇宙生命智慧計劃
While some astronomers searched for planets
當(dāng)某些天文學(xué)家在找尋行星的時候，
others tried to detect intelligent alien life directly
有些人卻試圖直接探索宇宙具有智慧的生命。
In 1960,astronomer Frank Drake started Project Ozma,an attempt to look seriously for radio signals from alien civilization.
在1960年，天文學(xué)家德雷克開始進(jìn)行Ozma計劃，企圖仔細(xì)找尋宇宙文明所發(fā)出的無線電信號。
It was the first in what became a series of experiments in SETI,the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.
這是后來一連串探索宇宙生命智慧計劃當(dāng)中的第一個，
Several are still going on,but so far without success.
有幾個計劃尚在進(jìn)行當(dāng)中，但到目前為止尚無所獲。。
Supernova
超新星
While computer tricks have helped the Hubble get a good look at a distant supernova and storms on Saturn,
盡管電腦技術(shù)已給幫助哈伯觀測衛(wèi)星看清楚了遠(yuǎn)處的超新星及土星的暴風(fēng)團(tuán)，
the telescope's accomplishments have fallen fas short of expectations,and its crppled condition has grown progressively worse.
但是這個太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡的成績比原先預(yù)期的要差得多，而且它的故障問題越來越嚴(yán)重。
Not that PSR2224+65 is in any sense an ordinary star.
這并不表示PSR2224+65是一顆普通的星球。
It is a pulsar,the superdense ash left behind when a star exploded-about a million years ago in the phenomenon known as a supernova.
實際上它是個脈沖星，是大約100萬年前，在所謂的超新星現(xiàn)象中發(fā)生星球爆炸后遺留下來的超級緊密的灰渣
Said Simon & Schuster publisher Jack McKeown
西蒙·舒斯特出版公司的麥克寇恩說：
Booksellers are telling us it's the fastest-selling book they've ever experienced
書商告訴我們，這是他們所經(jīng)歷售最快的書籍，
Enthused Matthew Goldberg,merchandise manager for the Doubleday chain
而雙日連鎖書局的經(jīng)理高柏格很興奮扭虧為盈托運(yùn)費(fèi)說
It's not only hot it's supernova hot."
這不只是熱門，根本是超級熱門。
white dwarf
白矮星
Not only was NASA's Hubble repair mission an unqualified success
美國航空暨太空總署的哈伯衛(wèi)星修復(fù)計劃完全成功
(boosting the agency's chances of getting funding for its next big project,the space station.)
but astronomers now have a scientific tool of unprecedented power
不僅如此，天文學(xué)家也有了一項前所未有的觀測利器。
Discoveries black holes white dwarfs,new solar systems could pour in for years to come.
有關(guān)黑洞、白矮星及新太陽系的發(fā)現(xiàn)在未來將紛至沓來。
A Shot Across the Earth's Bow
地球小心
1.At the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory,
在亞利桑那大學(xué)史都華天文臺中，
Timothy Spahr,26,peered through a stereoscopic microscope,shook his head and looked again.
26歲的史巴爾向立體影像顯微鏡里瞄了一眼，搖搖頭，再重看一次。
In the combined image of two telescopic photos he had shot 30minutes apart a few nights earlier
那是前幾天晚上他用望遠(yuǎn)鏡間隔30分鐘拍下的兩張照片的合成影像
a bright dot with a small tail stood out starkly against the background of fixed stars
在繁多的恒星襯托這下，有一個拖著小尾巴的大光點(diǎn)，相當(dāng)突出。
"I was extremely excited,heart pounding and all that stuff,"saysSpahr,
“我非常興奮、心砰砰跳……等等感覺全涌上心頭，”史巴爾說。
a graduate student from the University of Florida who was wurveying the skies for undiscovered asteroies.
他是佛羅里達(dá)大學(xué)的研究生，來這里掃瞄天空，尋找新的小行星。
He immediately shot and developed a second set of photos,and was shocked to see that in just two days the dot had doubled in size and speed.
他立即再拍了一組照片，沖洗出來后大吃一驚：僅僅兩天的功夫，光點(diǎn)的大小和速度都增加了一倍。
To Spahr,it seemed apparent that a large asteroid was barreling toward Earth.
史巴爾立即人定有顆大體積的小行星正向地球沖來。
2."My own feelings went from disbelief to excitement to downrightfear,"
我自已的感覺先是不相信，然后是興奮，最后就完全是恐懼，
says Spahr's survey partner,Carl Hergenrother,23,
史巴爾的研究伙伴，23歲的赫根若瑟說
an Arizona undergraduate who verified the find with a 230cm telescope atop nearby Kitt Peak,
他是亞利難能可貴那大學(xué)的大學(xué)生，在附近的凱特峰頂上用一具230厘米直徑的望遠(yuǎn)鏡證實了這項發(fā)現(xiàn)。
"It was scary,because there was the possibility that we were confirming the demise of some city somewhere,or some state or small country."
“很嚇人，因為我們有可能正在證實某處有個城市，甚至一個州或者一個小國家，即將毀滅。
3.Well,not quite.Early last week,four days after Spahr spotted it ,
還好不盡屬實。上個禮拜初，在史巴爾發(fā)現(xiàn)之后的第四天。
his celestial interloper whizzed by Earth,missing the planet by 450620km
這個星際入侵者在地球左近呼嘯而過，只差450620公里就擊中
a hairbreadth in astronomical terms.
這在天文學(xué)上算是間不容發(fā)的距離。
Perhaps half a kilometer across,it was the largest object ever observed to pass that close to Earth.
它直徑約半公里，是目前觀測以的以如此相近距離通過地球的最大物體。
4.Duncan Steel,an Australian astronomer,has calculated that
澳大利亞天文學(xué)家斯蒂爾計算過
if the asteroid had struck Earth,it would have hit at some 93450km/h
如果這個小行星撞上地球，速度大約是每小時93450公里。
The resulting explosion,scientists estimate,would have been in the 3000-to-12000-megaton range.
科學(xué)家估計產(chǎn)生的爆炸威力大約在3000到1200個兆噸級之間。。
That,says astronomer Eugene Shoemaker,a pioneer asteroid and comet hunter
尋找小行星與慧星的前輩天文學(xué)家舒梅克說：
"is like taking all of the U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons,putting them in one pile and blowing them all up."
“威力相當(dāng)于把美、蘇的核武器通通放在一堆引爆。
5.For many astronomers,last week's near-miss of asteroid 1996JAI,as it has been officially designated,was a kind of warning shot across Earth's bow.
許多天文學(xué)家認(rèn)為，上周這顆正式命名為1996JAI的小行星險些命中地球，無異是一枚飛越船頭的警示性炮擊
They have been trying to convince the would-with only modest success-that asteroids like this one represent a clear and present danger.
他們一直想說服世人，像這樣的小行星代表明確而且是當(dāng)前的危機(jī)
To meet that threat,they have proposed a network of computer-monitored telescopes
為了應(yīng)付這個威脅，他們提議設(shè)立一套由電腦監(jiān)控的望遠(yuǎn)鏡網(wǎng)
that would seek out threatening asteroids or comets in plenty of time to fend them off with appropriately designed long-range missiles.
以及早找出有威脅性的小行星或彗星，然后用特別設(shè)計的遠(yuǎn)程導(dǎo)彈把它們擋開。
6.As astronomer Steel dryly noted in an E-mail message sent to colleagues around the world
天文學(xué)家斯蒂爾發(fā)了一封電子郵件信息給世界各地的同行在其中他以就事論事的口吻說：
"It might be a useful point to make that this object was discovered only...days before closest approach
“有一點(diǎn)或許應(yīng)該提出：這個物體僅在最接近地球之前數(shù)天發(fā)現(xiàn)，
so that if it had been on a collision course with Earth,we would not have had time to do anything much about it.
如果它的路線是和地球相撞，我們也不會有多少時間來應(yīng)付。”
7.It's also worth pointing out that
還有一點(diǎn)也應(yīng)該提出
1996JAl is hardly unique.
1996JAl絕非獨(dú)一無二的。
Neighboring space teems with many more so-called Near Earth Objects,asteroids and comets with orbits that pass close to Earth's path around the sun.
在附近的太空中充斥著所謂的“近地體”（NEO），也就是小行星與彗星，其軌道和地球環(huán)繞太陽的軌道有接近之處。
More than 100NEOS big enough to cause the kind of worldwide disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs(a kilometer across or larger)have already been identified and charted.
已經(jīng)有100多個龐大的NEO被辨認(rèn)出來，繪入圖表。這些NEO的大?。ㄖ睆?公里以上）足以造成像從前消滅掉恐龍的那種世界大災(zāi)難。
But Eleanor Helin,an astronomer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,California,notes that an estimated 2000 more of these mountain-size hulks may be luking undetected out there,
加州帕薩迪那市噴氣推進(jìn)實驗室的天文學(xué)家海琳則表示，估計另處還有2000個像座小山大小的龐然巨物可能潛伏在太空中尚未探測出來。
to say nothing of a few hundred thousand smaller but still worricome boulder-size objects.
至于說體積較小，但仍有巨石規(guī)模，很令人擔(dān)心的物體，那就更不用提了，有幾十萬個。
8.By identifying most of these asteroids and plotting their orbits asronomers insist
天文學(xué)家堅稱，只要把這些小行星大部分辨識出來，測繪其軌跡，
they could predict many years in advance if any were destined to strike Earth.
就可預(yù)測多年后哪一些會撞上地球。
Most of the large ones,they say,could be cataloged within a decade,given the necessary funding,
他們表示，比較大的差不多都可以在10年內(nèi)編列成目錄，只要經(jīng)費(fèi)不缺。
But budgets are tight in the U.S.,congressional support is lacking,
可是美國的預(yù)算很緊，國會并不支持，
and NASA has opted to continue only its relatively modest $1 million annual support for three independent groups with telescopes specifically dedicated to NEO hunting.
航太總署也決定只繼續(xù)供應(yīng)相當(dāng)有限有一年100萬美元的援助給三個獨(dú)立的團(tuán)體這些團(tuán)體的望遠(yuǎn)鏡是專門用來尋找NEO的。
These teams are headed by Tom Gehrels at the University of Arizona,Helin at J.P.L. and Shoemaker at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff,Arizona.
分別是葛羅斯主持的亞利桑那大學(xué)小姐，海琳在噴氣推進(jìn)實驗室的小組，以及舒梅克在亞利桑那州旗竿市羅威爾天文臺的小組。
9.Even with NASA's support,the NEO hunters have had to scrounge from industry and other donors for much of their equipment
雖然有航太總署援助這些搜尋NEO的團(tuán)體還是得向工業(yè)界與捐贈者多方尋求贊助，大部分的設(shè)備都是這樣來的。
"Times have been very lean in this past year,"says Helin."There've been times when I was receiving no salary at all."
海琳說：“這一年來實在很不景氣，有時候我完全領(lǐng)不到薪水。”
Despite the travails,however,Shoemaker is confident that
雖然困難重重，舒梅克卻有信心，
improving technology will enable astronomers,even at the current level of funding,to identify perhaps 50% of the NEOs in the next decade.
技術(shù)的改良會讓天文學(xué)家即使以目前的經(jīng)費(fèi)水平也能在10年內(nèi)辨認(rèn)出大約50%的NEO
10.And what if one of them is found to be on a collision course with Earth?
如果發(fā)現(xiàn)有一顆小行星會和地球相撞該怎么辦？
Scientists at the national laboratories at Livermore,California,and Los Alamos,New Mexico,have devised a number of ingenious plans that given enough warning time,could protect Earth from a threatening NEO.
加州利物摩市與新墨西哥阿拉莫市兩處國家實驗室的科學(xué)家設(shè)計了幾種巧妙的計劃。只要有足夠的預(yù)警時間，就能保護(hù)地球免于NEO的威脅。
Their defensive weapons of choice include long-distance missiles with conventional or,more likely,nuclear warheads that could be used either to nudge an asteroid into a safe orbit or blast it to smithereens.
他們精選的防衛(wèi)武器包括遠(yuǎn)程導(dǎo)彈配上傳統(tǒng)彈頭，可以把小行星推上安全的軌道，或者炸得粉碎。
11.Many people-including some astronomers-are understandably nervous about putting a standby squadron of nucleartipped missiles in place
要部署一個大隊的核彈頭導(dǎo)彈備用，當(dāng)然會讓許多人很緊張——包括一些天文學(xué)家在內(nèi)。
Hence the latest strategy,which in some cases would obviate the need for a nuclear defense
所以才提出了最新的策略，在有些狀況可以不必動用核武器，
propelling a fusillade of cannonball-size steel spheres at an approaching asteroid.
發(fā)射一連串如炮彈大小的鋼球去撞擊來襲的小行星。
In a high-velocity encounter with a speeding NEO,explains Gregory Canavan,a senior scientist at Los Alamos,
阿拉莫市的資深科學(xué)家卡納凡解釋說：他飛馳的小行星高速撞擊之下
"the kinetic energy of the balls would change into heat energy and blow the thing apart."
鋼球的動能會轉(zhuǎn)變成熱能，把小行星炸開來
12.Some astronomers oppose any immediate defensive preparations
有些天文學(xué)家不贊成立即展開防御準(zhǔn)備，
citing the high costs and low odds of a large object's striking Earth in the coming decades.
表示成本太高，而且在往后的幾十年有大型物體撞上地球的機(jī)率甚低。
But at the very least,Shoemaker contends,NEO detection should be accelerated
舒梅克則辨稱，最低限度也得加快NEO的探測的腳步。
"There's this thing called the 'iggle factor'in Congress,"he says.
他說：“國會中有所謂的笑料存在。
"people in Congress and also at the top level in NASA still don't take it seriously.
國會議員和航空暨航天總署高層官員還是不盒正視這個問題。
But we should move ahead.It's a matter of prudence."
可是我們應(yīng)該未雨綢繆，這才是審慎的作法。”
13.The world,however,still seems largely unconcerned with the danger posed by large bodies hurtling in from space
可是世人好像還是漠不關(guān)心，對從宇宙飛來的巨大物體造成的危險不甚在意
despite the spectacle two years ago of Comet Shoemaker-levy 9 riddling the planet Jupiter with mammoth explosions
盡管兩年前曾發(fā)生舒梅克-李維9號彗星掃射木星，造成大爆炸的奇觀。
It remains to be seen whether last week's record nearmiss has changed any minds.
上周破記錄的近距離擦肩而過，是不是能改變一些人的想法，還有待觀察。
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