时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(四月)


英语课

Dwindling 1 US Space Budget Worries Scientist


It's a trend that troubles astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, an outspoken 2 advocate for space research and exploration. The director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York, he’s written a dozen books on the topic, including his latest: "Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier."


Tyson grew up during the 1960s and 70s, an era of optimism for space exploration which led to the moon landing and the space shuttle program. It was also an era of generous federal funding for NASA.
But Tyson believes that era is over. The Obama Administration recently proposed deep cuts in the 2013 budget for the U.S. space agency, almost a year after it shut down the 30-year-old space shuttle program.
“Right now, the United States has no vehicle of its own to take our astronauts into orbit," he says. "We have to hitch 3 a ride with the Russians. If you hitched 4 a ride it implies you got on for free. But we are riding with the Russians because we are paying for those seats. It’s a little embarrassing, I think.” 
Tyson wants to see NASA’s budget dramatically increased, saying the nation can't afford not to make space a national funding priority.
“Because it’s just that kind of adventure that stokes the health of our economy and in the 21st century scientific and technological 5 innovation will define who leads the century and who does not," he says. "What we have found in the golden era of space exploration in America that even though space was driven by war, the consequence of that was a complete shift in the outlook that the entire country had about what was possible for our future…. And the people who bring tomorrow into today are the scientists and technologists.” 
That can be seen, Tyson says, in the multitude of devices that once seemed like science fiction but are now commonplace. Miniature electronics. Laser eye surgery. Even cordless power tools.
But for Tyson, the most valuable spinoff of a beefed-up space program is the inspiration it can provide to young people to become the innovators and visionaries of the future.
“There is a quote, I forget who said it, that if you want to teach someone to sail, you don’t train them to build a boat. You compel them to long for the open seas," he says. "And it’s the longing 6 that triggers a level of innovation because it is through love and the romance of that goal that stimulates 7 your creative thinking.”
It will take “a shift in the mindset,” says Tyson, to spark a true renaissance 8 in space science - one that could revitalize both the U.S. economy and the national spirit.

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )
  • The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句
adj.直言无讳的,坦率的,坦白无隐的
  • He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
  • She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。
v.免费搭(车旅行);系住;急提;n.故障;急拉
  • They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程,最后决定搭便车。
  • All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。
(免费)搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 ); 搭便车; 攀上; 跃上
  • They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
  • We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。
adj.技术的;工艺的
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
n.(for)渴望
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 );激励;使兴奋;起兴奋作用,起刺激作用,起促进作用
  • Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.复活,复兴,文艺复兴
  • The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
  • The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。
学英语单词
aa. metatarse? plantares
Acidaminobacter
acute follicular tonsillitis
adhesive treatment
adult basic education
advanced patent course
Aedes cinereus
air-leg support
aliphatic polyester
ammonium aldehyde
amphiuras
anotia
bowdlers
brusquenesses
bulbotomy
buoyant life line
burtenshaws
Camp County
christianisations
close flux device
concave mirror
cooperative marketing of agricultural products
crowfield
Crèvecoeur-le-Grand
curvilaminar
Dablasiekondre
dehydrochlormethyltestosterone
dhobie mark dermatitis
downfaulted basin
drive offs
electro-reduction
entertain apprehensions for
factory current account
Felon's unit
field-resistance line
flag logic function
fortran internal translator
free drop catch
frustum of a pyramid
get free
go belly-up
grebeniks
Grouchy, Emmanuel Marquis de
heavy-ion reaction
heel widening
icebirds
in free communication with sea
Inbanuma
indemnity for risk
injury of joint
instantaneous reoperate time
jet power unit
kinetic energy ammunition
kwise
loam mixture
local postweld heat treatment
locally closed set
lock dimension
lupus erythematosus disseminatus
main comparator
manifestos
meandering river channel
median fatigue life
mediastinoscopy
micromicrofarad
miker
network sharing
nutramin(e)
Open File in Browser
palaces
parallelohedral structure
peak pendent
periportal tissue space
Phragmidieae
pressure expansion curve
primitive pushdown machine
purchasing and inventory control
radiation fatigue
random correlation method
reboil bubble
regeneration runaway
safety cap lamp
scale height
scareheadline
sea-faring
seat-covers
sectionalizing oil-circuit breaker
sensory capacity
sequential input/output
sheet mill
shipper lever
skallade
stereo receiver
swear box
tiring-room
tooth fusion
toyed with
transient supervisor
turn sb.'s head
unaccustomedness
ventral placentations
voting procedure