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科學傢們已進一步證實，木星的衛星 ——木衛二表面會向空中噴射水蒸氣。在 2013年，天文學傢首次用哈勃望遠鏡觀測到並發佈瞭這一景象，而最近他們再一次目擊瞭該現象。木衛二的星球表面下存在大量液態水，是除地球以外最有可能發現微生物的星球之一。請聽 Jonathan Amos 的報道。
Europa is not much smaller than Earth’s moon. But it couldn’t look more different. Its surface is made from mottled ice, criss-cross like crazy paving. And it has one key feature that utterly fascinates scientists – it has a buried ocean of liquid water, far greater in volume than all the seas on Earth. And where there is water, there is a possibility of life, which makes the new Hubble observations so exciting.
The telescope has spied what appeared to be plumes of water vapour spewing hundreds of miles above the surface, presumably coming from this hidden ocean. One estimate is that the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool is being hurled upwards every ten minutes or so.
Before this is confirmed, it could transform our ability to find out whether micro-organisms do indeed exist on Europa because we would just need to fly through the plumes with a spacecraft and sample them. The alternative of having to land and drill down through a thick ice crust to reach the ocean and then search for life is a far more challenging prospect.
詞匯表
Europa 木衛二，木星的衛星之一
mottled 斑駁的
criss-cross 縱橫交錯的
crazy paving 碎石路
volume 體積
observations 觀測
spied 發現瞭
plumes 一縷縷（水汽、煙霧、灰塵等）
water vapour 水汽
spewing 噴出，湧出
estimate （對尺寸、價值、數量等的）估算
equivalent 等同於……的；和……等值的
micro-organisms 微生物（復數）
sample 給……取樣
crust 外殼
prospect 設想
測驗
請聽報道並回答下列問題。
1. What makes the new Hubble observations so exciting?
2. True or False? Europa looks quite similar to Earth’s moon.
3. How often is the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool being hurled upwards?
4. Which word in the text means ‘another possible choice or plan’?
答案
1. What makes the new Hubble observations so exciting?
The great volume of liquid water on Europa, which suggests a possibility of life, makes the new Hubble observations exciting.
2. True or False? Europa looks quite similar to Earth’s moon.
False. Although Europa is not much smaller than Earth’s moon, they look very different from each other.
3. How often is the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool being hurled upwards?
Based on an estimate, it is being hurled upwards about every ten minutes.
4. Which word in the text means ‘another possible choice or plan’?
Alternative.
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