如果太陽消失一個月會發生什麼事？：英語精讀講義

This episode was sponsored by Google Science Fair.

本集影片由 Google Science Fair 贊助播出。

A near-perfect sphere of hot plasma with a core that's more than 15 million degrees Celsius,

一個由熾熱電漿構成、核心溫度超過攝氏 1,500 萬度的近乎完美球體——

the sun is the most important source of energy for life on Earth.

太陽，是地球生命最重要的能量來源。

But what if it suddenly disappeared for a month? 文法

但如果太陽突然消失一個月，會發生什麼事？

We were actually inspired to think about this question by the Google Science Fair,

其實，我們是在 Google Science Fair 的啟發下開始思考這個問題的。

which is an online global competition for sharing your best ideas using science,

這是一項全球性的線上競賽，參賽者可以運用科學、

technology, engineering, or math.

科技、工程或數學，分享自己最棒的創意。

I mean, without the sun,

我的意思是，沒有太陽的話，

we'd be requiring some pretty extreme innovations to survive. 用詞

我們得靠一些極具突破性的創新才能活下去。

If you're between the ages of 13 to 18 and have an idea that you think could help shape our world,

如果你介於 13 到 18 歲，並且有一個你認為能幫助塑造我們的世界的創意，

no matter how big or small, 文法

無論這個創意是大是小，

unique or improving on an existing idea, 片語動詞

是獨一無二，還是對現有想法的改良，

you could win an educational scholarship,

你都有機會贏得教育獎學金、

travel experiences, or tons of other prizes.

旅遊體驗或許多其他獎品。

So stick around at the end of this video for more details. 片語動詞

所以記得看到影片最後，了解更多詳細資訊。

Now, after the sun disappears,

現在，太陽消失之後，

for the first 8 minutes and 20 seconds,

在最初的 8 分 20 秒內，

we'd all be completely oblivious, 用詞

我們所有人都不會察覺，

as that's how long it takes the sun's light to hit Earth. 文法

因為陽光抵達地球正好需要這麼久。

Of course, if it was nighttime where you live,

當然，如果你所在的地方當時是夜晚，

the moon would suddenly disappear,

月亮會突然消失，

as its brightness is simply a reflection of the sun's light.

因為它的光亮其實只是太陽光的反射。

All that's left is the natural light from stars. 文法

剩下的自然光就只有星光了。

Luckily, right now we can still support our electrical systems

幸好，目前我們仍能維持供電系統運作，

because 83% of our world's energy comes from oil, coal, and natural gas.

因為全球 83% 的能源來自石油、煤炭和天然氣。

Now, because gravity travels at the speed of light too,

此外，由於引力也以光速傳播，

it would also take 8 minutes and 20 seconds for Earth to feel the effects of the sun's disappearance.

地球也要過 8 分 20 秒，才會感受到太陽消失帶來的影響。

Without the sun's gravitational pull, 文法

少了太陽的引力牽引，

we'd fly out of orbit and into space.

我們會隨著地球飛離軌道，衝入太空。

But without the light of the sun,

但沒有陽光，

all plant photosynthesis would stop immediately.

所有植物的光合作用都會立刻停止。

This is a big deal, 慣用語

這可是一大問題，

as we need plants for food and oxygen.

因為我們需要植物提供食物和氧氣。

In order to survive,

為了生存，

plants need light energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. 片語動詞

植物需要利用光能，把二氧化碳和水轉化成葡萄糖和氧氣。

Without the sun,

沒有太陽，

plants could still photosynthesize with artificial light,

植物仍能靠人造光進行光合作用，

allowing us to grow food, 文法

讓我們得以種植糧食，

but these artificial lights could only cover a fraction of the food produced by the sun.

但這些人造光所能維持的糧食產量，只相當於陽光下產量的一小部分。

Currently, indoor farming accounts for 0.07% of agriculture, 片語動詞

目前，室內農業只占整體農業的 0.07%，

meaning food production would go into crisis.

這表示糧食生產會陷入危機。

After a week,

一週後，

natural plant life would start decomposing,

自然生長的植物會開始腐爛，

bringing on the collapse of our entire food web. 片語動詞

進而造成整個食物網崩潰。

But another concern is CO2. 表達脈絡

但另一個隱憂是二氧化碳。

Decomposition of organic carbon,

有機碳的分解，

like plants and animals,

例如動植物的分解，

accounts for 90% of carbon dioxide already.

原本就占二氧化碳排放量的 90%。

Without living plants to uptake that CO2,

沒有活的植物吸收這些二氧化碳，

the atmospheric concentration would skyrocket. 慣用語

大氣中的二氧化碳濃度就會急遽飆升。

CO2 in low concentrations is a physiologically important gas, 表達脈絡

低濃度的二氧化碳是一種對生理機能很重要的氣體，

but at high concentrations is toxic.

但濃度過高就會有毒。

At 1% of our air,

當它占空氣的 1% 時，

you'd become drowsy,

你會變得昏昏欲睡，

but greater than 10% would lead to convulsions, coma, and death. 片語搭配

但超過 10% 就會導致痙攣、昏迷和死亡。

As for oxygen, 表達脈絡

至於氧氣，

although the brain can only survive 6 minutes without it,

雖然大腦在沒有氧氣的情況下只能存活 6 分鐘，

our atmosphere carries about 1 quintillion kilograms of oxygen,

但大氣中約有 10^18 公斤的氧氣，

which researchers approximate could last us at least a thousand years. 用詞

研究人員估計，這至少夠我們使用一千年。

But within the same week,

不過就在同一週內，

the planet's surface temperature would drop to around minus 18 degrees Celsius,

地表溫度會降到攝氏零下 18 度左右，

which is survivable for now.

目前人類還能在這樣的溫度下生存。

Some Inuit communities already survive Arctic winters that are minus 25 degrees C at the warmest point of the day,

有些因紐特人社群已經能熬過北極嚴冬，即使一天中最暖時也只有攝氏零下 25 度，

and some animals can survive minus 60 degrees Celsius.

有些動物甚至能在攝氏零下 60 度的環境中存活。

But the universe is a large and cold place,

但宇宙既浩瀚又寒冷，

where the ambient temperature of space is around minus 273 degrees Celsius,

太空的環境溫度大約是攝氏零下 273 度，

meaning it's only going to get colder and colder. 文法

這表示溫度只會愈來愈低。

After a month,

一個月後，

assuming the same speed as our current orbit, 文法

假設地球仍以目前的公轉速度前進，

we'll have traveled 78 million kilometers,

我們就已經移動了 7,800 萬公里，

putting us past Mars, but not as far as Jupiter. 文法

這會讓我們越過火星，但還沒到木星那麼遠。

This may leave us still within what is known as the circumstellar habitable zone, 講解

這可能讓我們仍位於所謂的「環恆星適居帶」內，

the orbital range around a star that allows for enough light and heat to support liquid water. 片語動詞

也就是恆星周圍光和熱足以讓液態水存在的軌道範圍。

So, what would happen if after a month the sun suddenly switched back on? 片語動詞

那麼，如果一個月後太陽突然重新亮起，會發生什麼事？

Assuming we haven't crashed into any other planets or had their own gravity impact our trajectory,

假設我們沒有撞上其他行星，它們的引力也沒有影響我們的運行軌跡，

we're now roughly 170 million kilometers from the sun,

此時我們距離太陽大約 1.7 億公里，

and it turns out our velocity isn't quite fast enough to escape the sun's gravity at this distance, 講解

結果發現，在這個距離上，我們的速度還不足以逃離太陽的引力，

so we'd be pulled back into an elliptical orbit,

所以我們會被重新拉入一條橢圓軌道，

though a much wider one than before. 文法

不過這條軌道會比原本大得多。

By most scientific estimates, 表達脈絡

根據多數科學估算，

we're still within the habitable zone,

我們仍在適居帶內，

and by congregating around areas that are volcanically and geologically active, 文法

只要聚居在火山活躍、地質活動頻繁的地區，

like Iceland and Yellowstone,

例如冰島和黃石公園，

we could harness the power of our molten core 片語搭配

我們就能利用地球熔融地核的能量，

to make up for the increased distance from the sun to keep us warm. 片語動詞

彌補與太陽距離增加造成的熱量損失，讓自己保持溫暖。

But if the sun had taken a few more months to turn on, 文法

但如果太陽再晚幾個月才重新亮起，

we'd be too far to be pulled back into orbit and would become a rogue planet. 講解

我們就會離得太遠，無法被拉回軌道，最後變成一顆流浪行星。

Though most planets are tethered to the star that created them,

雖然大多數行星都受到孕育它們的恆星束縛，

studies estimate that within the Milky Way,

但研究估計，在銀河系中，

there are 100 billion planets that wander the galaxy as rogue planets.

有 1,000 億顆行星以流浪行星的身分四處遊蕩。

Whichever the case for Earth,

無論地球最後是哪種情況，

we'd require a lot of human innovation to survive.

我們都得仰賴人類大量的創新才能生存下去。

Thanks again to Google Science Fair for sponsoring this video.

再次感謝 Google Science Fair 贊助本影片。

If you are between 13 and 18 and you have an idea that could impact the world,

如果你介於 13 到 18 歲，並且有一個可能影響世界的創意，

make sure you go to googlesciencefair.com.

一定要前往 googlesciencefair.com。

Maybe you have the idea for alternative energy sources

也許你對替代能源有了新點子，

or thought of a way to reduce waste

或是想到了減少浪費的方法，

or just even ask the question,

又或者只是提出了這樣一個問題：

couldn't an alarm clock wake you up without making sound?

難道鬧鐘不能不發出聲音就把你叫醒嗎？

The deadline to submit your project is December 12th, 2018.

提交作品的截止日期是 2018 年 12 月 12 日。

Maybe you're independent

也許你想獨立參賽，

you can submit on your own,

你可以自行提交，

or you can submit as a group of up to three people,

也可以組隊提交，每組最多三人，

okay?

好嗎？

So check it out,

所以去看看吧，

and also make sure you subscribe to this channel for new science videos every Thursday.

也別忘了訂閱這個頻道，每週四都有新的科學影片。

See you.

再見。