文字稿
美國國傢航空航天局（Nasa）計劃於2018年向太陽發射一個太空探測器，這艘探測器飛船將穿過1400攝氏度的高溫地帶，最終沖入距太陽表面400萬英裡（約640萬公裡）的區域。這個探測器將成為有史以來離太陽表面最近的人造物體。該太陽探測計劃以天文物理學傢尤金·派克（Eugene Parker）的名字被重新命名，這位科學傢曾引領與太陽“大氣層”帶電粒子流現象“太陽風”有關的研究。請聽報道。
To understand the daring nature of this mission, bear in mind a few key numbers: Earth orbits the Sun at a distance of 91 million miles; Mercury is much closer at about 21 million. But the Nasa Solar Probe will get to within four million miles.
This is uncharted and extremely hostile territory. The spacecraft will have to endure a temperature of nearly 1400C – the kind of heat generated inside a blast furnace in a steelworks. So the craft has special protection – a shield of carbon-composite about 4.5 inches thick. But the slightest error in its flight and the instruments sheltering behind the shield will be fried.
The motivation for flying so close to the Sun is to explain some of the mysteries about it. Why, for example, the greatest heat is not at the surface, but in the corona, a region surrounding the Sun? It’s here that vast flares are generated that can send streams of particles our way, which can disrupt anything electronic including satellites or power grids. Understanding this so-called space weather is seen as vitally important to our modern economies, and getting very close is the best way to do that.
詞匯表
daring 大膽的
bear in mind 別忘瞭，記住
hostile （環境）惡劣的，嚴酷的
territory 領域，地區
blast furnace 鼓風爐
steelworks 煉鋼廠（此處為單數，復數形式也是 steelworks）
shield 保護罩
carbon-composite 碳復合材料
instruments 儀器，器械
fried 被（高溫）燒毀
corona 日冕，太陽大氣最外層的部分
flares （太陽）耀斑
satellites 人造衛星
power grids 電網
space weather“太空天氣”，指與太陽活動有關的現象
測驗
請聽報道並回答下列問題。
1. How close will the spacecraft get to the Sun?
2. What kind of protection does the craft have against the heat?
3. True or false? The hottest region of the Sun is on its surface.
4. Which word in the text is used to describe a place that has not been explored?
答案
1. How close will the spacecraft get to the Sun?
The spacecraft will get to within four million miles of the Sun’s surface.
2. What kind of protection does the craft have against the heat?
The craft has a shield of carbon-composite about 4.5 inches thick.
3. True or false? The hottest region of the Sun is its surface.
False. The greatest heat is not on the surface, but in the corona, a region surrounding the Sun.
4. Which word in the text is used to describe a place that has not been explored?
Uncharted.
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