VOA标准英语2012--Astronauts Criticize US Space Program
时间：2018-12-16 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十二月)
Astronauts Criticize US Space Program
Retired 1 Astronaut Eugene Cernan is one of just twelve men who walked on the moon. He currently holds the distinction of being the last man there.
"It is tremendously disappointing that I am here 40 years later and still hold that title or have that yoke 2 on my shoulders," said Cernan.
Cernan, along with fellow Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, celebrated 3 the 40th anniversary of the December 1972 mission with fellow astronaut Jim Lovell at the Adler Planetarium 4 in Chicago.
As they returned to Earth on that long-ago December 19, Schmitt and Cernan didn't expect that 40 years later they would be commemorating 5 it as the end of an era.
"To say that I thought it would be 40 years, or what is really going to turn out to be 50 or 60 years before Americans are back on the moon, I would not have guessed that at all," Schmitt noted 6.
"A half century ago, we went 250,000 miles, cracked the door open, and never walked through it into the future. The future is still out there," added Cernan.
A plan to return to the moon, which President George W. Bush proposed, was scrapped 7 by President Barack Obama.
Amid deep budget deficits 8 and an economy slowly recovering, U.S. lawmakers are not keen to spend more money on space exploration, something Cernan says is still only a small part of the overall U.S. budget
"We spend one half of one penny of every one of our tax dollars on space, all of space," Cernan noted.
Schmitt, once a U.S. Senator, says there is also a lack of willpower on the part of NASA.
"And from a fiscal 9 point of view, it falls victim to being very small, and to not having a mission based on geopolitical reality, of the importance of the United States being the dominant 10 space faring nation," Schmitt explained.
With the Space Shuttle now retired, the U.S.- based corporation Space X is developing a vehicle that can transport people to and from earth's orbit. A manned crew capsule could be ready in the next few years.
But for veterans of the Apollo program, that's not enough. They believe NASA should prioritize a return to the moon with Mars the ultimate destination.
- The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
- Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
- An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
- The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。
- He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
- The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
- The planetarium staff also prepared talks for radio broadcast.天文馆的工作人员还要准备讲稿给电台广播。
- It landed in a shallow basin fifty yards from the planetarium.它降落在离天文馆五十码处的一个浅盆地中。
- He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
- It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。
- The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句