Lesson55 來自地球的問候
新概念3課文內(nèi)容：
Recent developments in astronomy have made it possible to detect planets in our won Milky Way and in other galaxies. This is a major achievement because, in relative terms, planets are very small and old not emit light. Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove infinitely more difficult. The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life. In our won solar system, for example, Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life. Only the Earth provides ideal conditions, and even here it has taken more than four billion years for plant and animal life to evolve.
Whether a planet can support life depends on the size and brightness of its star, that is its 'sun'. Imagine a star up to twenty times larger, brighter, brighter and hotter than our own sun. A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life. Alternatively, if the star were small, the life-supporting planet would have to have a close orbit round it and also provide the perfect conditions for life forms to develop. But how would we find such a planet? At present, there is no telescope in existence that is capable of detecting the presence of life. The development of such a telescope will be one of the great astronomical projects of the twenty-first century.
It is impossible to look for life on another planet using earth-based telescopes. Our own warm atmosphere and the heat generated by the telescope would make it impossible to detect objects as small as planets. Even a telescope in orbit round the earth, like the very successful Hubble telescope, would not be suitable because of the dust particles iron solar system. A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system. Once we detected a planet, we would have to find a way of blotting out the light from its star, so that we would be able to 'see' the planet properly and analyze its atmosphere. In the first instance, we would be looking for plant life, rather than 'little green men'. The life forms most likely to develop on a planet would be bacteria. It is bacteria that have generated the oxygen we breathe on earth. For most of the earth's history they have been the only form of life on our planet. As Earth-dwellers, we always cherish the hope that we will be visited by little green men and that we will be able to communicate with them. But this hope is always in the realms of science fiction. If we were able to discover lowly forms of life like bacteria on another planet, it would completely change our view of ourselves. As Daniel Goldin of NASA observed, 'Finding life elsewhere would change everything. No human endeavor or thought would be unchanged by it."
新概念英語3逐句精講：
1.Recent developments in astronomy have made it possible to detect planets in our won Milky Way and in other galaxies.
天文學(xué)方面新發(fā)展使得我們能夠在銀河系和其他星系發(fā)現(xiàn)行星。
語言點:make it possible to do sth.的意思是“使做某事成為可能?！? 2.This is a major achievement because, in relative terms, planets are very small and old not emit light.
這是一個重要的成就，因為相對來說，行星很小，而且也不發(fā)光。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:because引導(dǎo)原因狀語從句，說明“為什么是重要的成就?！? 3.Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove infinitely more difficult.
尋找行星證明相當(dāng)困難，但是要在行星上發(fā)現(xiàn)生命會變得無比艱難。
語言點:is proving hard enough的意思是“證明…是困難的?！? 4.The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life.
第一個需要解答的問題是一顆行星是否有能夠維持生命的條件。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析: whether a planet can actually support life充當(dāng)表語從句。
5.In our won solar system, for example, Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life.
舉例來說，在我們的太陽系里，對于生命來說，金星的溫度太高，而火星的溫度則太低。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:too…to…結(jié)構(gòu)表示“太…以致不能…。”
6.Only the Earth provides ideal conditions, and even here it has taken more than four billion years for plant and animal life to evolve.
只有地球提供理想的條件，而即使在這里，植物和動物的進(jìn)化也用了40億年的時間。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:take more than…to do的意思是“用了超過…的時間做。”
7.Whether a planet can support life depends on the size and brightness of its star, that is its 'sun'.
一顆行星是否能夠維持生命取決于它的恒星—即它的“太陽”—的大小和亮度。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:whether a planet can support是主語從句。
8.Imagine a star up to twenty times larger, brighter, brighter and hotter than our own sun.
設(shè)想一下，一顆恒星比我們的太陽還要大，還要亮，還要熱20倍。
9.A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life.
那么一顆行星為了維持生命就要離開的它的恒星非常遠(yuǎn)。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:would have to be是虛擬語氣結(jié)構(gòu)。
10.Alternatively, if the star were small, the life-supporting planet would have to have a close orbit round it and also provide the perfect conditions for life forms to develop.
反之，如果恒星很小，維持生命的行星就要在離恒星很近的軌道上運行，而且要有極好的條件才能使生命得以發(fā)展。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:if引導(dǎo)虛擬語氣的句子，交代相關(guān)的先決條件。
11.But how would we find such a planet?
但是，我們?nèi)绾尾拍苷业竭@樣一顆行星呢？
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:這個特殊疑問句中的such a相當(dāng)于one such。
12.At present, there is no telescope in existence that is capable of detecting the presence of life.
現(xiàn)在，沒有一臺現(xiàn)存的望遠(yuǎn)鏡可以發(fā)現(xiàn)生命的存在。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:that引導(dǎo)定語從句。
13.The development of such a telescope will be one of the great astronomical projects of the twenty-first century.
而開發(fā)這樣一臺望遠(yuǎn)鏡將會是21世紀(jì)天文學(xué)的一個重要的研究課題。
語言點:sth.will be one of the great projects of的意思是“某事將成為…的重要研究課題之一?！? 14.It is impossible to look for life on another planet using earth-based telescopes.
使用放置在地球上的望遠(yuǎn)鏡是無法觀察到其他行星的生命的。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:it is impossible to do這個結(jié)構(gòu)已成為一個較為固定的it作形式主語的表達(dá)方式，通常放在句首。
15.Our own warm atmosphere and the heat generated by the telescope would make it impossible to detect objects as small as planets.
地球周圍溫暖的大氣層和望遠(yuǎn)鏡散出的熱量使得我們根本不可能找到比行星更小的物體。
16.Even a telescope in orbit round the earth, like the very successful Hubble telescope, would not be suitable because of the dust particles iron solar system.
即使是一臺放置在圍繞地球的軌道上的望遠(yuǎn)鏡—如非常成功的哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡—也因為太陽系中的塵埃微粒而無法勝任。
17.A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system.
望遠(yuǎn)鏡要放置在木星那樣遙遠(yuǎn)的行星上才有可能在外層空間搜尋生命。因為我們越是接近太陽系的邊緣，塵埃就越稀薄。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:as…as引導(dǎo)比較狀語，變?yōu)榉穸〞r只需變化為not as/so…as即可。
18.Once we detected a planet, we would have to find a way of blotting out the light from its star, so that we would be able to 'see' the planet properly and analyze its atmosphere.
一旦我們找到這樣一顆行星，我們就要想辦法將它的恒星射過來的光線遮暗，這樣我們就能徹底“看見”這顆行星，并分析它的大氣層。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:so that引導(dǎo)結(jié)果狀語從句。
19.In the first instance, we would be looking for plant life, rather than 'little green men'.
首先我們要尋找植物，而不是那種“小綠人”。
語言點1:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:rather than的意思是“而不是”，在這句話中相當(dāng)于instead of。
語言點2:這句話中的“小綠人”指代傳說中的外星人。
20.The life forms most likely to develop on a planet would be bacteria.
行星上容易生存下來的是細(xì)菌。
21.It is bacteria that have generated the oxygen we breathe on earth.
正是細(xì)菌生產(chǎn)出我們在地球上呼吸的氧氣。
語言點:句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析:這句話是個強(qiáng)調(diào)句。We breathe on Earth為定語從句。
22.For most of the earth's history they have been the only form of life on our planet.
在地球上發(fā)展的大部分進(jìn)程中，細(xì)菌是地球上的生命形式。
23.As Earth-dwellers, we always cherish the hope that we will be visited by little green men and that we will be able to communicate with them.
作為地球上的居民，我們總存有這樣的希望：小綠人來拜訪我們，而我們可以和他們交流。
24.But this hope is always in the realms of science fiction.
但是，這種希望總是只在科幻小說中存在。
25.If we were able to discover lowly forms of life like bacteria on another planet, it would completely change our view of ourselves.
如果我們能夠在另一顆行星上找到諸如細(xì)菌的那種低等生命，那么這個發(fā)現(xiàn)將徹底改變我們對我們自己的看法。
26.As Daniel Goldin of NASA observed, 'Finding life elsewhere would change everything.
正如美國國家航空和宇宙航空局的丹尼爾.戈爾丁指出的“在其他地方發(fā)現(xiàn)生命會改變一切。
語言點:as sb.observe相當(dāng)于as sb. put it。
27.No human endeavor or thought would be unchanged by it."
任何人類的努力和想法都會發(fā)生變化?！?