Kennel hit by meteorite gets auctioned 被隕石砸中的狗屋被拍賣

（本節目使用的音頻資源於2022年2月發表。）

一大塊火星隕石、一些陸續墜落在某座寧靜英格蘭小鎮的太空巖石，還有一間被 “天外來客” 刺穿的狗屋。這三件物品都會在倫敦拍賣行佳士得（Christie’s）舉辦的年度稀有和獨特隕石拍賣會上拍賣。

Imagine Rocky the dog’s surprise! His neat little house with a big ‘R’ over the entrance and then ‘bam!’ – a golf ball-size meteorite slams through the tin roof, cutting a big hole.

想象一下這條叫洛基的狗當時得有多驚訝！它小屋洞口的正上方寫著其名字的首字母 “R”——忽然 “砰” 的一聲，一顆高爾夫球大小的隕石砸穿瞭鐵皮屋頂，撞出瞭一個大洞。

Fortunately, Rocky was unhurt, but he’s lost his kennel – not because it was destroyed but because anything that has been struck by an object from space has huge value at auction. Some collector is likely to have bid at least a couple of hundred thousand pounds for Rocky’s abode by the time the hammer comes down in Christie’s sale.

幸好洛基沒有受傷，但它卻失去瞭狗屋，並不是因為被毀瞭，而是因為任何被太空物體擊中的物件都在拍賣會上有巨大的價值。在佳士得拍賣會上，很可能會有收藏傢為拍下洛基的住所在落槌前喊出至少數十萬英鎊的價格。

Also, on offer is a big chunk of Mars that was blasted off the planet’s surface by an asteroid impact. And of keen UK interest, is a fragment of the Winchcombe meteorite that fell on Gloucestershire last year. It’ll likely fetch more than 70 times its weight in gold.

此外，還有一個拍品是一大塊火星巖石，這是被小行星撞擊後，從火星表面撞出的隕石。英國人特別會感興趣的拍品是去年墜落在格洛斯特郡溫奇科姆的一個隕石碎片。它可能會賣出同重量黃金70多倍的價格。

詞匯表

neat 小巧的
meteorite 隕石
kennel 狗屋，犬舍
huge value 巨大價值
bid 出價，喊價
abode 住所
asteroid impact 小行星撞擊
fragment 碎片
fetch 賣得（某價格）

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。

1. How big was the meteorite that hit the dog kennel?

2. How badly injured was Rocky the dog?

3. What’s special about an object from space that’s sold at auction?

4. True or false? Part of an asteroid from Mars is also being auctioned.

答案

1. How big was the meteorite that hit the dog kennel?
It was the size of a golf ball.

2. How badly injured was Rocky the dog?
Rocky was unhurt, but he’s lost his kennel.

3. What’s special about an object from space that’s sold at auction?
Anything that has been struck by an object from space has huge value at auction.

4. True or false? Part of an asteroid from Mars is also being auctioned.
False. Also, on offer is a big chunk of Mars that was blasted off the planet’s surface by an asteroid impact.