一、听力练习
1.
A. To launch more spacecraft to the moon.
B. To create a separate time zone for the moon.
C. To establish a lunar communication system.
D. To build a space station on the moon.
2.
A. The moon's time is the same as Earth's time.
B. More countries and private companies are launching moon missions.
C. The moon's gravity is stronger than Earth's gravity.
D. NASA already has a separate time zone for the ISS.
3.
A. Lunar Time.
B. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
C. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
D. Pacific Standard Time (PST).
二、听力文本
An international group of astronomers has joined efforts seeking to establish a separate time zone for the moon. The French-based International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a resolution on the matter during the group's General Assembly meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. The resolution calls on space organizations around the world to cooperate on establishing a standard clock for the moon. The moon's orbital movements around Earth make one day on the lunar surface equal to 29.5 Earth days. And because the moon has less gravity compared to Earth, time moves slightly faster there, about 58.7 microseconds quicker each day. Currently, moon operations run on the time of the country that is launching spacecraft. But supporters of creating a separate time zone say this method will have to change; more countries and private space companies are starting to launch their own moon missions. Last year, the European Space Agency (ESA) pushed for the creation of a lunar clock. And earlier this year, the White House directed the U.S. space agency NASA and other agencies to come up with a timekeeping plan for the moon by the end of 2026. ESA noted communication and navigation systems built for the moon will perform much better if they use “the same timescale.” In addition, a separate time zone will support “the many other crewed and uncrewed missions” planned for the future, ESA said. In the past, NASA also considered establishing a separate time zone for the International Space Station (ISS). But the agency decided against it. Instead, the ISS runs on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is based on time kept by atomic clocks. NASA officials say this system helps ease the time difference between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, as well as other space partners in Russia, Japan and Europe. The international team looking at establishing a lunar time zone has said it is still deciding whether a single organization should be chosen to set and keep time on the moon.
Question 1: What is the main purpose of the international group's efforts discussed in the news report?
Question 2: Why do supporters believe a separate time zone for the moon is necessary?
Question 3: What timekeeping system does the International Space Station currently use?
三、重点词汇
1. navigation: the act of directing a ship, aircraft, etc. from one place to another, or the science of finding a way from one place to another 领航（术）;导航（术）
四、背景知识
综合参考消息、新华社报道，美国国家航空航天局(NASA)航天通信和导航计划商业化项目主管格雷格·赫克勒认为，你不能把地球上记录时间的黄金标准——“协调世界时”(UTC)——拿来直接沿用到月球上。问题在于时间受重力影响。如果你把时钟放在地球和月球上，并在完全相同的时间启动，在24个地球小时后，月球表面的时钟将快出至少百万分之56秒，即56微秒。仅差1微秒，地球上使用全球定位系统技术的物体估计的位置误差就超过1英里(1英里约合1.6千米)。月球任务每持续一天，这种误差就会严重至少56倍，于是突然之间，一枚火箭以时速2.5万英里(约4万千米)飞向月球，然后需要减速以便挤入一条拥挤的绕月轨道的想法，听起来变得不大靠谱。为保障未来任务的安全，白宫已经要求NASA确立一个可与地球的UTC计时标准对接的月球统一时间标准。今年4月，一份概述此项要求的备忘录中，白宫科学和技术政策办公室把这一标准称为“协调月球时”（LTC），并要求在2026年底前制定完成。媒体报道称，在各国和私营企业之间日益激烈的月球竞赛中，制定太空中首个标准时间将推动美国实现更大目标——制定太空规则。“协调月球时”指的是协调一致的以月球为中心的时间参考系统。月球上的时间流逝方式与地球上的不同，由于月球质量比地球小，其表面的引力更弱，月球上的时间比地球上流逝略快。（背景知识来自于https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1808171962107952953&wfr=spider&for=pc）
五、参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: B
Question 3: B
六、网络翻译
一个国际天文学家小组正在努力为月球建立一个独立的时区。总部位于法国的国际天文学联合会（IAU）最近在南非开普敦举行的该组织大会上通过了一项关于此事的决议。该决议呼吁全球航天组织合作，建立一个标准的月球时钟。由于月球围绕地球的轨道运动，使得月球表面的一天相当于地球的29.5天。而且，由于月球的重力比地球小，时间在那里流逝得稍快，每天快约58.7微秒。目前，月球任务按照发射航天器的国家的时间运行。但支持建立独立时区的人认为，这种方法将不得不改变，因为越来越多的国家和私人航天公司开始发射自己的月球任务。去年，欧洲航天局（ESA）推动了创建月球时钟的倡议。今年早些时候，白宫指示美国国家航空航天局（NASA）及其他机构在2026年底前制定出月球的时间计划。ESA指出，为月球构建的通信和导航系统如果使用“相同的时间尺度”将会表现得更好。此外，ESA表示，独立的时区将支持“未来计划的许多载人和无人任务”。过去，NASA也曾考虑为国际空间站（ISS）建立一个独立的时区，但该机构最终放弃了这一想法。相反，ISS使用协调世界时（UTC），这是基于原子钟时间的系统。NASA官员表示，这个系统有助于缓解NASA与加拿大航天局以及俄罗斯、日本和欧洲等其他航天合作伙伴之间的时差。研究建立月球时区的国际团队表示，他们仍在决定是否应该选择一个单一的组织来设置和维护月球上的时间。
七、版权说明
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