SSS 2011-04-08
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(四)月
This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute.
When you hear about asteroids 2 close to the Earth, you probably have visions of collisions and extinctions and a post apocalyptic 3 future or of brave space cowboys trying to knock them off course. You probably don’t picture a puppy that’s followed you home. But astronomers 4 have found just that: an asteroid 1 that’s been on Earth’s tail for at least a quarter of a million years. The observations were published by the Royal Astronomical 5 Society.
The asteroid was first spotted 6 during a routine survey performed by a satellite. But it was the asteroid’s earthlike orbit that really got the astronomers’ attention. The object’s orbit is virtually the same distance from the sun as is the Earth’s. And unlike most near-Earth asteroids—whose eccentric, egg-shaped orbits take them straight through the solar system—this asteroid’s orbit’s almost circular. So it seems to be following in our footsteps, although it’s never come closer than about 50 times the distance to the moon.
Where this companion came from is anybody’s guess. It could be left over from the same material that made our planet. Which would make it less like a puppy and more like an annoying sibling 7. One we hope will never hit us.
Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.
- Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
- It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。
- Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
- Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。
- The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
- Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。
- Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
- Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。
- The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
- Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。