一、听力练习
1.
A. To create breathable oxygen on Mars.
B. To discover life forms on Mars.
C. To increase the greenhouse effect and warm up the Martian surface.
D. To eliminate dust storms on Mars.
2.
A. The presence of harmful ultraviolet radiation.
B. The lack of liquid water on the Martian surface.
C. The high levels of salt in Martian soil.
D. The dust storms covering much of the planet.
3.
A. They are concerned about increasing dust storms on Mars.
B. They fear that it might reduce Mars' surface temperature further.
C. They are interested in studying whether Mars has had or still has life, such as subsurface microbes.
D. They worry that it could make Mars too warm for future human missions.
二、听力文本
The idea of turning Mars into a livable world for humans is a common element of science fiction. But could such an action be done in real life? Scientists are now proposing a new method to warm up Earth's planetary neighbor. The idea involves putting engineered particles made of iron or aluminum into the atmosphere. The goal is to trap escaping heat and direct sunlight toward the Martian surface. The proposed idea would be to increase the natural greenhouse effect on Mars and raise its surface temperature by around 28 degrees Celsius over ten years. Such a change alone would not make Mars livable for people. But the scientists who developed the idea see it as a possible first step. NASA has sent robotic vehicles to explore the Martian surface and the InSight Lander to study the planet's interior. The U.S. space agency's Artemis program aims to put astronauts in the coming years on the moon's surface for the first time since 1972 in preparation for possible future human missions to Mars. There are several barriers to human settlements on Mars. They include a lack of breathable oxygen, harmful ultraviolet radiation, salty soil, and dust storms that sometimes cover much of the planet. And Mars' cold temperatures are a serious issue. The median Martian surface temperature is about minus-65 degrees Celsius. With its thin atmosphere, solar heat on the Martian surface easily escapes into space. The proposal would aim to permit liquid water to exist on the surface of Mars, which has water in the form of ice at its polar areas and its subsurface. The scientists proposed continuously releasing tiny particles, called nanorods, into the atmosphere at a rate of about 30 liters per second for years. The researchers are mindful of the possibility of unintended consequences in terraforming another world. Scientists, for instance, are eager to learn whether Mars has held life in the past - or perhaps currently, in the form of subsurface microbes.
Question 1: What is the main purpose of the proposed scientific method involving engineered particles on Mars?
Question 2: What is one of the primary challenges that the proposal aims to address on Mars?
Question 3: Why are scientists cautious about the potential unintended consequences of terraforming Mars?
三、重点词汇
1. aluminum: a chemical element that is a light, silver-coloured metal, used especially for making cooking equipment and aircraft parts 铝
四、背景知识
阿尔忒弥斯计划（英文：Artemis Program）是由美国政府资助的一个载人航天项目，其目标是在2024年前将宇航员平安送往月球并返回，并建立常态化驻留机制，为未来的火星载人登陆任务铺就道路。阿尔忒弥斯计划由美国国家航空航天局主导，并有多家美国商业航天企业及国际合作伙伴参与，其中包括了欧洲航天局、日本宇宙航空研究开发机构、加拿大国家航天局、意大利航天局、澳大利亚国家航天局、英国航天局、阿联酋航天局等。（背景知识来自于百度百科）
五、参考答案
Question 1: C
Question 2: B
Question 3: C
六、网络翻译
将火星变成人类可居住的世界是科幻作品中的常见元素。但在现实生活中，能否实现这样的行动呢？科学家们现在提出了一种新的方法来温暖地球的邻居火星。这个想法涉及将由铁或铝制成的工程颗粒释放到火星大气中，目的是捕捉逃逸的热量并将阳光引向火星表面。该提议旨在增加火星的自然温室效应，并在十年内将其表面温度提高约28摄氏度。仅凭这一变化还不足以使火星适合人类居住，但提出这一想法的科学家认为这是可能的第一步。 美国国家航空航天局（NASA）已经向火星表面派遣了机器人探测器，并通过洞察号着陆器（InSight Lander）研究火星内部。NASA的阿尔忒弥斯计划（Artemis）旨在未来几年内将宇航员送上月球表面，这是自1972年以来的首次，以为未来可能的火星载人任务做准备。 在火星上建立人类定居点存在多重障碍，其中包括缺乏可呼吸的氧气、有害的紫外线辐射、咸性土壤以及有时覆盖大部分火星的沙尘暴。而火星的寒冷温度是一个严重问题。火星表面的平均温度约为零下65摄氏度。由于其稀薄的大气层，火星表面的太阳热量很容易逃逸到太空中。该提议的目标是允许火星表面存在液态水，火星极地和地下都存在以冰的形式存在的水。 科学家们提议，连续多年以每秒约30升的速度向大气中释放称为纳米棒的微小颗粒。研究人员意识到在另一个星球进行地球化改造可能带来的意外后果。例如，科学家们热切希望了解火星过去是否曾有过生命，或者目前是否存在某种形式的地下微生物。
七、版权说明
英文新闻来自于VOA；背景知识来自于国内等多个平台。本平台属于公益平台，未通过转载相关内容获得相关利益。文章不涉及打赏及相关产品推荐等。转载相关中文背景知识出于传递更多信息、方便学生理解相关新闻背景；英文文章及音频所传递的观点与本公众号无关。网络翻译来源于ChatGPT的在线翻译，翻译内容仅供参考。此外，内容删减仅是因为篇幅以及考虑学生接受等目的，不涉及歪曲事实观点及作者相关意见。若有来源标注错误或侵犯了您的合法权益，请与本公众号运营人员进行联系，我们将及时更正、删除，谢谢。 邮箱地址：yangyanchao@mmc.edu.mo
