太陽系——我們在太空中的家：英語精讀講義

The solar system,

太陽系，

our home in space.

我們在太空中的家園。

We live in a peaceful part of the Milky Way.

我們生活在銀河系中一個寧靜的角落。

Our home is the solar system,

我們的家園就是太陽系，

a 4.5 billion year old formation

這是一個有著45億年歷史的星系，

that races around the galactic center

繞著銀河系中心飛馳，

at 200,000 km per hour

速度高達每小時20萬公里，

and circles it

繞行一圈

once every 250 million years. 文法

需要2.5億年。

Our star,

我們的恆星，

the sun,

太陽，

is at the center of the solar system.

位於太陽系的中心。

It's orbited by eight planets,

有八大行星繞其運行，

trillions of asteroids and comets,

還有數以兆計的小行星和彗星，

and a few dwarf planets.

以及幾顆矮行星。

The eight planets are divided into

這八大行星被分為

four planets like ours.

四顆像地球一樣的類地行星：

Mercury,

水星、

Venus,

金星、

Earth, and Mars,

地球和火星，

and four gas giants, 文化背景

以及四顆氣態巨行星：

Jupiter,

木星、

Saturn,

土星、

Uranus, and Neptune.

天王星和海王星。

Mercury is the smallest

水星是最小

and lightest of all the planets.

也是最輕的行星。

A Mercury year is shorter than a Mercury day,

水星上的一年比水星上的一天還要短，

which leads to enormous fluctuations 文法

這導致了極大的溫度

in temperature.

波動。

Mercury does not have an atmosphere

水星沒有大氣層，

or a moon.

也沒有衛星。

Venus is one of the brightest objects 文法

金星是最明亮的天體之一，

in the solar system

在太陽系中，

and by far the hottest planet 片語搭配

也是目前為止最熱的行星，

with atmospheric pressure that is 92 times higher 文法

其大氣壓是地球的92倍

than on Earth.

以上。

An out of control greenhouse effect 講解

失控的溫室效應

means that Venus never cools below

意味著金星的溫度永遠不會低於

437 degrees Celsius.

攝氏437度。

Venus also doesn't have a moon.

金星也沒有衛星。

Earth is our home

地球是我們的家園，

and the only planet

也是唯一一顆行星，

with temperatures that are moderate enough 文法

擁有足夠適宜的溫度，

to allow for a surplus of liquid water.

允許大量液態水存在。

Furthermore,

此外，

it's so far the only place 片語搭配

它是迄今為止已知唯一

where life is known to exist. 文法

存在生命的地方。

The Earth has one moon.

地球有一顆衛星。

Mars is the second smallest planet

火星是第二小的行星，

in the solar system

在太陽系中，

and hardly massive enough to keep 文法

其質量勉強足以維持

a very thin atmosphere.

一層非常稀薄的大氣。

Its Olympus Mons is the largest mountain 文化背景

其上的奧林帕斯山是最大的山脈，

in the solar system,

在太陽系中，

more than three times as high as Mount Everest. 文法

高度是聖母峰的三倍多。

Mars has two small moons.

火星有兩顆小衛星。

Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet

木星是最大、質量最重的行星，

in the solar system.

在太陽系中。

It consists largely of hydrogen and helium 片語搭配

它主要由氫和氦組成，

and is the theater for the largest and most powerful storms 慣用語

也是已知最大、最強風暴

we know.

發生的舞台。

Its largest storm,

其最大的風暴，

the Great Red Spot, 文化背景

大紅斑，

is three times as large as Earth.

面積是地球的三倍。

Jupiter has 67 moons.

木星有67顆衛星。

Saturn is the second largest planet

土星是第二大行星，

and possesses the smallest density of all the planets.

是所有行星中密度最小的。

If you had a sufficiently large bathtub, 文法

如果你有一個足夠大的浴缸，

Saturn would swim in it.

土星可以漂浮在裡面。

Saturn is also known for its extended,

土星也因其寬廣、

very visible ring system.

極其顯眼的星環系統而聞名。

It has 62 moons.

它有62顆衛星。

Uranus is the third largest planet

天王星是第三大行星，

and one of the coldest.

也是最冷的行星之一。

Of all the gas giants,

在所有的氣態巨行星中，

it's also the smallest.

它也是最小的。

The special thing about Uranus is that its axis of rotation 講解

天王星的特別之處在於其自轉軸

is tilted sideways,

是側傾的，

in contrast to the seven other planets. 表達脈絡

與其他七顆行星不同。

It has 27 moons.

它有27顆衛星。

Neptune is the last planet in the solar system

海王星是太陽系中的最後一顆行星，

and is similar to Uranus.

與天王星相似。

It's so far removed from the sun 文法

它距離太陽非常遙遠，

that a Neptune year is 164 Earth years long.

以至於海王星的一年相當於164個地球年。

The highest wind speed ever measured 文法

有史以來測量到的最高風速

was in a storm on Neptune

發生在一場海王星的風暴中，

at just under 2,100 km/h.

接近每小時2100公里。

Neptune has 14 moons.

海王星有14顆衛星。

If we compare the sizes of the planets, 表達脈絡

如果比較各個行星的大小，

the differences between them become even clearer.

它們之間的差異就更加明顯。

Jupiter is the leader in terms of size 片語搭配

木星在體積

and weight.

和重量上都是第一。

Small Mercury,

而小巧的水星，

on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，

is even smaller than one of Jupiter's moons,

甚至比木星的其中一顆衛星還要小，

Ganymede.

那就是木衛三。

Jupiter is so massive

木星極其龐大，

that alone it contains roughly 70% of the mass

僅它自己就包含了所有其他行星

of all the other planets

大約70%的質量，

and has a massive impact on its surroundings.

並對其周圍環境產生了巨大的影響。

That's a blessing for Earth,

這對地球來說是個福音，

since Jupiter draws most of the dangerously large asteroids

因為木星吸引了大部分可能摧毀地球生命的

that could wipe out life on Earth. 片語動詞

危險的巨型小行星。

But even Jupiter is a dwarf 慣用語

但即使是木星也只是一顆矮星，

in comparison to our star,

與我們的恆星相比，

the sun.

那就是太陽。

Calling it massive

稱它為龐大

does not do justice to the sun. 慣用語

都不足以形容太陽。

It makes up 99.86% 片語動詞

它佔了99.86%

of the mass in our solar system.

我們太陽系的總質量。

For the most part,

絕大部分

it consists of hydrogen and helium.

由氫和氦組成。

Only less than 2% is made up of 片語動詞

只有不到2%是由

heavy elements like oxygen or iron.

氧或鐵等重元素組成的。

At its core,

在其核心，

the sun fuses 620 million tons of hydrogen each second

太陽每秒聚變6.2億噸的氫，

and generates enough energy

並產生足夠的能量

to satisfy mankind's needs for years.

滿足人類多年的需求。

But not only the eight planets orbit our sun, 文法

但不僅僅是八大行星圍繞著我們的太陽運行，

trillions of asteroids and comets also circle it.

數以兆計的小行星和彗星也在繞其旋轉。

Most of them are concentrated into two belts,

它們大多集中在兩個帶狀區域，

the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

位於火星和木星之間的小行星帶，

and the Kuiper belt at the edge of the solar system. 文化背景

以及太陽系邊緣的柯伊伯帶。

These belts are home to countless objects, 慣用語

這些小行星帶是無數天體的家園，

some as large as a dust particle, 文法

有的只有塵埃顆粒那麼大，

others the size of dwarf planets.

有的則像矮行星一般大。

The most well-known object in the asteroid belt is Ceres.

小行星帶中最著名的天體是穀神星。

The most well-known objects in the Kuiper belt

柯伊伯帶中最著名的天體

are Pluto,

是冥王星、

Makemake,

鳥神星，

and Haumea.

和妊神星。

Usually,

通常，

we describe the asteroid belt 文法

我們將小行星帶描述為

as a dense collection of bodies

密集的天體集合，

that constantly collide.

不斷地發生碰撞。

But in fact, 表達脈絡

但事實上，

the asteroids are distributed across an area

這些小行星分佈在一個區域內，

that is so indescribably large

空間大得難以形容，

that it's even difficult to see two asteroids at once.

以至於很難一次看到兩顆小行星。

Despite the billions of objects in them, 文法

儘管其中有數十億個天體，

the asteroid belts are fairly empty places.

小行星帶卻相當空曠。

And nonetheless,

儘管如此，

there are collisions over and over again. 片語搭配

碰撞還是會一次又一次地發生。

The mass of both belts is also unimpressive.

這兩個帶的質量也不算起眼。

The asteroid belt has a little less than

小行星帶的質量略低於

4% of our moon's mass.

月球質量的4%。

And the Kuiper belt is only

而柯伊伯帶的質量僅在

between 1/25 and 1/10 of Earth's mass.

地球質量的1/25到1/10之間。

One day the solar system will cease to exist. 用詞

有一天太陽系將會不復存在。

The sun will die

太陽將會死亡，

and Mercury,

水星、

Venus,

金星，

and maybe Earth too

也許還有地球

will be destroyed.

也會被毀滅。

In 500 million years,

在5億年後，

it will become hotter and hotter 文法

溫度會變得越來越高，

until at some point

直到某個時刻，

it will melt Earth's crust.

它將融化地球的地殼。

Then the sun will grow and grow

然後太陽會不斷變大，

and either swallow Earth 文法

要麼吞噬地球，

or at least turn it 片語動詞

要麼至少將它變成

into a sea of lava.

一片熔岩之海。

When it has burnt up all its fuel 講解

當它耗盡所有的燃料

and lost most of its mass,

並失去了大部分質量時，

it will shrink to a white dwarf 文化背景

它將收縮成一顆白矮星，

and burn gently for a few billion more years

並安靜地燃燒幾十億年，

before it goes out entirely. 片語動詞

直至完全熄滅。

Then at the latest,

到那個時候，

life in the solar system

太陽系中的生命

will no longer be possible.

將再也不可能存在。

The Milky Way will not even notice it.

銀河系甚至不會察覺到這一點。

A small part of it

只是在它其中一條懸臂裡的

in one of its arms

一個小區域，

will become just a tiny bit darker.

會變得稍微暗淡那麼一點點。

And mankind will cease to exist.

人類也將不復存在。

Or leave the solar system

或者已經離開太陽系

in search of a new home. 片語搭配

去尋找新的家園了。