從月球汲取經驗 ⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。

Hello,

你好，

this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

這裡是 BBC Learning English 的 6 Minute English。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Georgie.

我是 Georgie。

That's one small step for man, 文化背景

這是個人的一小步，

one giant leap for mankind.

卻是人類的一大步。

Famous words,

非常著名的話，

but do you know who said them?

但你知道是誰說的嗎？

Of course,

當然，

that was Neil Armstrong,

那是 Neil Armstrong（尼爾·阿姆斯壯），

the first person to land on the moon. 文法

第一個登上月球的人。

Right.

沒錯。

The Apollo 11 spacecraft landed Neil Armstrong on the moon 用詞

阿波羅11號太空船搭載著 Neil Armstrong 登上了月球，

on the 20th of July, 1969.

在1969年7月20日。

But in decades after that famous event,

但在那個著名事件之後的幾十年裡，

interest in returning to the moon faded away, 講解

重返月球的興趣逐漸消退了，

until now.

直到現在。

Summer 2023 saw the start of a new race for the moon 講解

2023年夏天開啟了一場新的探月競賽，

between Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft

在俄羅斯的 Luna-25 探測器

and India's Chandrayaan-3.

和印度的 Chandrayaan-3（月船3號）之間展開。

Russia's rocket crashed on landing, 片語搭配

俄羅斯的火箭在著陸時墜毀，

but Chandrayaan-3 successfully touched down on the 23rd of August, 片語動詞

但 Chandrayaan-3 在8月23日成功著陸，

making India only the fourth country 文法

使印度成為僅僅第四個

to successfully land on the moon.

成功登陸月球的國家。

But why this sudden interest in going back to the moon?

但為什麼會突然對重返月球產生興趣呢？

That's what we'll be discussing in this program. 表達脈絡

這就是我們要在本節目中討論的內容。

And as usual,

像往常一樣，

we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

我們也會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

But before we blast off, 慣用語

但在我們起飛之前，

I have a question for you, Georgie.

我有個問題想問你，Georgie。

Everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon

大家都知道 Neil Armstrong 是第一個登上月球的人，

and was followed by a second astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. 文法

緊隨其後的是第二位太空人 Buzz Aldrin（伯茲·艾德林）。

But who was the third Apollo astronaut

但是第三位阿波羅太空人是誰，

who flew the command module 文化背景

負責駕駛指揮艙，

while his crewmates walked on the moon? 文法

當他的兩名隊友在月球漫步時？

Was it A, Yuri Gagarin,

是A，Yuri Gagarin（尤里·加加林），

B, Michael Collins,

B，Michael Collins（麥可·柯林斯），

or C, Alan Shepard?

還是C，Alan Shepard（艾倫·雪帕德）？

Hmm,

嗯，

I think it was Michael Collins.

我覺得是 Michael Collins。

Okay, Georgie,

好的，Georgie，

we'll find out the answer at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

我們將在節目結束時揭曉答案。

In some ways, 表達脈絡

在某些方面，

the current interest in the moon is really more about the origins of Earth. 表達脈絡

目前對月球的興趣實際上更多地是關於地球的起源。

One theory is that during the early days of the solar system, 講解

有一種理論認為，在太陽系形成早期，

around 4 billion years ago,

大約40億年前，

another planet crashed into Earth, 片語搭配

另一顆行星撞擊了地球，

breaking off a part, which then formed the Moon. 片語動詞

撞下來了一部分，隨後形成了月球。

Unlike the Earth's surface, which is constantly moving, 文法

不同於不斷運動的地球表面，

the Moon is completely still,

月球是完全靜止的，

frozen in time to create a perfectly preserved record 講解

被時間凍結，從而創造了一個完美保存的記錄，

of what happened at the birth of the solar system. 慣用語

記錄了太陽系誕生時發生的事情。

Here's astronomer Dr. Becky Smethurst

這裡是天文學家 Becky Smethurst 博士

explaining more to BBC Radio 4 program Inside Science.

在 BBC Radio 4 的 Inside Science（科學探秘）節目中做出的更多解釋。

Whereas on the Moon, it's just this inert rock. 講解

而在月球上，它只是這種惰性岩石。

There's no atmosphere.

沒有大氣層。

So every single thing that's happened to the Moon

所以對月球發生過的每一件事

in its 4 and 1/2 billion years' worth of history 片語搭配

在其45億年的歷史中

is still recorded there on it.

仍然記錄在它上面。

And so if anyone's ever seen an image of the far side of the Moon, 文化背景

所以如果有人看過月球背面的圖像，

so the side of the Moon that we cannot see from Earth,

就是我們在地球上看不到的月球的那一面，

is incredibly pockmarked. 用詞

它坑坑窪窪得令人難以置信。

There are craters all over that thing.

上面到處都是隕石坑。

And so this is a really big deal 慣用語

因此這是一件極其重要的事情，

when we're thinking about what happened to the early Earth as well,

當我們也在思考早期地球發生的事情時，

because we think all of the Earth's water

因為我們認為地球上所有的水

came from impacts with comets and asteroids 文化背景

都來自彗星和小行星的撞擊

in the very early days of the solar system.

在太陽系的極早期。

The rock which makes up the Moon is inert. 片語動詞

構成月球的岩石是惰性的（inert）。

It doesn't move.

它不移動。

It's also full of craters, 片語搭配

它上面也佈滿了隕石坑（craters），

large holes in the ground caused by something hitting it. 文法

也就是由物體撞擊地面形成的大坑。

The Moon has so many of these craters,

月球上有非常多這樣的隕石坑，

it's described as pockmarked, 片語搭配

所以被描述為坑坑窪窪的（pockmarked），

having a surface that's covered in small marks and scars. 片語搭配

指表面佈滿小坑和疤痕。

These craters play an important part in the story. 片語搭配

這些隕石坑在整個故事中扮演著重要角色。

Because the Moon's surface does not change, 表達脈絡

因為月球表面是不變的，

finding water there would explain a lot 文法

在那裡發現水將會解釋很多

about how water and therefore life started on Earth.

關於水以及由此誕生的生命是如何在地球上開始的。

That's why Dr. Smethhurst calls the Moon mission a big deal, 文法

這就是為什麼 Smethurst 博士稱這次探月任務為一件大事（a big deal），

meaning important or significant.

意思是重要的或意義重大的。

That's right.

沒錯。

Astronomers know that comets are full of ice 片語搭配

天文學家知道彗星上充滿了冰，

and think comets brought water to Earth

並認為彗星在撞擊地球時

when they crashed into it.

把水帶到了地球。

Evidence of those crashes has been erased 文法

這些撞擊的痕跡已經被抹去了

by the constantly moving surfaces on Earth,

因為地球表面在不斷移動，

but not on the Moon. 表達脈絡

但在月球上並沒有。

So comparing water from the Moon with water on Earth 片語搭配

因此將月球上的水與地球上的水進行比較

could provide scientists with vital information, 片語搭配

可以為科學家提供至關重要的資訊，

as Dr. Smethurst explained to BBC Radio 4's Inside Science.

正如 Smethurst 博士向 BBC Radio 4 的 Inside Science 所解釋的那樣。

Yeah, so they'll be looking essentially

是的，所以他們基本上會去尋找

to see if it has the same characteristics 片語搭配

看看它是否具有相同的特徵

as water here on Earth.

與地球上的水相比。

And then we can sort of trace that back 片語動詞

然後我們可以可以說是去追根溯源

from sort of the crater history as well

也從某種隕石坑的歷史中

to working out what actually happened, 片語動詞

找出到底發生了什麼，

how long has it been there for as well.

以及它在那裡存在了多長時間。

Also various other minerals that might be there,

還有可能在那裡存在的其他各種礦物質，

these very heavy minerals that we know come from comets and asteroids. 用詞

這些我們知道來自彗星和小行星的非常重的礦物質。

Again, that would be this sort of smoking gun 慣用語

同樣，那就像是確鑿的證據（smoking gun）

to be like, 用詞

會讓人覺得，

"Yes, that's where this water came from."

"是的，這就是水的來源。"

And it's likely that Earth's water came from there as well. 文法

而且很可能地球上的水也是從那裡來的。

Scientists can trace the existence of water on the Moon back

科學家可以追溯月球上水的存在

to find out what happened on Earth.

從而找出地球上發生了什麼。

If you trace something back,

如果你追根溯源（trace something back），

you discover the causes of something

你就能發現某事的原因

by investigating how it developed.

通過調查它是如何發展的。

For this reason, 表達脈絡

出於這個原因，

Dr. Smethurst says finding water on the Moon

Smethurst 博士說在月球上發現水

would be finding a smoking gun,

就等同於找到了確鑿證據（smoking gun），

a modern idiom meaning indisputable evidence or proof. 用詞

一個現代習語，意思是無可爭辯的證據或證明。

We've learned a lot about the Moon,

我們已經了解了很多關於月球的知識，

but we still don't know the answer to your question,

但我們仍然不知道你那個問題的答案，

Neil.

Neil。

Who was the third Apollo astronaut

第三位阿波羅太空人是誰

on that famous first landing in 1969?

在1969年那次著名的首次登月行動中？

I said it was Michael Collins.

我說是 Michael Collins。

Which was the correct answer.

這正是正確答案。

Michael Collins never set foot on the Moon himself, 慣用語

Michael Collins 本人從未踏上過月球，

but afterwards said the experience of looking back at Earth

但後來他說，這種回望地球的經歷

from the Apollo spacecraft changed his life forever. 片語搭配

從阿波羅太空船上，永遠改變了他的一生。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary 表達脈絡

好了，讓我們來複習一下詞彙

we've learned from our trip to the Moon,

我們從這次月球之旅中學到的，

starting with inert,

首先是 inert，

not moving or unable to move.

意思是靜止的或無法移動的。

A crater is a very large hole in the ground.

crater（隕石坑）是指地面上的一個大洞。

Pockmarked means marked by small holes and scars.

pockmarked（坑坑窪窪）指佈滿小坑和疤痕。

If you say something is a big deal,

如果你說某件事是 a big deal，

it's important or significant in some way.

它在某種程度上就是重要的或意義重大的。

To trace something back means to discover its causes

trace something back 意思是發現其原因

by examining how it developed.

通過檢查它是如何演變的。

And finally,

最後，

the idiom a smoking gun refers to indisputable evidence

習語 a smoking gun 指的是無可爭辯的證據

or conclusive proof of something.

或是某事的確鑿證明。

Once again,

再一次，

our 6 minutes are up. 片語動詞

我們的6分鐘時間到了。

Join us next time for more scintillating science 講解

歡迎下次繼續收聽更多妙趣橫生的科學內容

and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.

以及這裡 6 Minute English 的實用詞彙。

Goodbye for now.

暫時再見。

Goodbye.

再見。

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 Minute English。