---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/35-space-odyssey.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：Space Odyssey。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 35 · 太空探索

### 第1段

The Moon is likely to become the industrial hub of the Solar System, supplying the rocket fuels for its ships, easily obtainable from the lunar rocks in the form of liquid oxygen. The reason lies in its gravity. Because the Moon has only an eightieth of the Earth's mass, it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel the quarter of a million miles from the Moon to Earth-orbit than the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit!
This may sound fantastic, but it is easily calculated. To escape from the Earth in a rocket, one must travel at seven miles per second. The comparable speed from the Moon is only 1.5 miles per second. Because the gravity on the Moon's surface is only a sixth of Earth's remember how easily the Apollo astronauts bounded along, it takes much less energy to accelerate to that 1.5 miles per second than it does on Earth. Moon-dwellers will be able to fly in space at only three per cent of the cost of similar journeys by their terrestrial cousins.
Arthur C. Clark once suggested a revolutionary idea passes through three phases: 1."It's impossible—don't waste my time." 2."It's possible, but not worth doing." 3."I said it was a good idea all along."
The idea of colonising Mars—a world 160 times more distant than the Moon—will move decisively from the second phase to the third, when a significant number of people are living permanently in space. Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers. America, Russia and Europe are filled with enthusiasts—many of them serious and senior scientists—who dream of sending people to it. Their aim is understandable. It is the one world in the Solar System that is most like the Earth. It is a world of red sandy deserts hence its name—the Red Planet, cloudless skies, savage sandstorms, chasms wider than the Grand Canyon and at least one mountain more than twice as tall as Everest. It seems ideal for settlement.

中文理解：月球很可能成为太阳系的工业中心，为往来的飞船提供火箭燃料，例如从月岩中不难提取的液态氧。原因在于月球的引力。月球的质量只有地球的八十分之一，因此，从月球飞行二十五万英里到达地球轨道，所需能量竟比从地球表面飞行二百英里进入轨道少百分之九十七！
这听起来或许不可思议，却很容易算出来。火箭要摆脱地球引力，速度必须达到每秒七英里；从月球出发，相应速度只需每秒一点五英里。月球表面引力仅为地球的六分之一——想想阿波罗宇航员当年跳着前进有多轻松——所以在那里加速到每秒一点五英里，耗能远少于在地球上做同样的事。月球居民将来进行类似的太空旅行，花费可能只相当于地球同胞的百分之三。
亚瑟·C．克拉克曾说，一个革命性构想会经历三个阶段：第一，“不可能，别浪费我的时间。”第二，“做得到，但不值得做。”第三，“我早就说过，这是个好主意。”
等到有相当多的人长期生活在太空中时，移居火星的想法便会明确地从第二阶段转入第三阶段；而火星比月球遥远一百六十倍。它对向往太空旅行的人有着非凡的吸引力。美国、俄罗斯和欧洲都有大批爱好者，其中许多是严肃认真的资深科学家，梦想着把人送到那里。这种追求不难理解：火星是太阳系中最像地球的星球。那里有红色沙漠，因此被称为“红色星球”；有无云的天空、猛烈的沙暴、比大峡谷更宽的沟壑，还有至少一座比珠穆朗玛峰高出一倍以上的山。它似乎是理想的定居之地。

* **is likely to**：很可能会；表达可能发生的结果，不等于已经实现，也不保证必然。

* **industrial hub**：工业中心；hub指网络或活动中心，不是每个工厂所在地。

* **easily obtainable**：易于获取的；undefined

* **in the form of**：以……的形式；说明资源呈现的形式，不是如何取得的完整过程。

* **The reason lies in**：原因在于；lie在这里是位于，不是说谎。

* **Earth-orbit**：地球轨道；undefined

* **comparable speed**：相应可比的速度；可比较不表示数值相同，先确定参照条件。

* **much less**：少得多；undefined

* **accelerate to**：加速到；to表示终点，by表示增加量。

* **terrestrial cousins**：地球上的同类；undefined

* **a revolutionary idea**：革命性构想；语气很强，要有改变何种规则的具体说明。

* **not worth doing**：不值得做；用doing主动形式，不说worth to do。

* **all along**：一直以来；往往回看此前一直存在的看法。

* **a significant number**：相当数量；这里不是统计学显著性，指数量有分量。

* **living permanently**：长期居住；undefined

* **would-be voyagers**：有意旅行的人；修饰有此志向者，不是时态would be的完整句子。

* **dream of**：梦想；曾想过；可以说梦想做某事，也可以说从未料想到；否定语境尤其要保留。

* **most like the Earth**：最像地球；undefined

* **cloudless skies**：无云天空；undefined

* **more than twice as tall**：高度超过两倍；undefined

* **ideal for settlement**：适于定居；ideal是评价，须与实际条件和局限一起看。

#### The Moon is likely to become the industrial hub of the Solar System, supplying the rocket fuels for its ships, easily obtainable from the lunar rocks in the form of liquid oxygen.

简单句，主系表结构，后面 supplying…ships 为伴随状语，补充说明太阳系的工业中心作何用途.

easily obtainable…oxygen 为形容词短语做后置定语修饰前面的 rocket fuels，只不过该定语中包含一个介词短语 from the lunar rocks 作状语，解释来源，还包含一个 in the form…oxygen 的方式状语. 属于成分的细分.

#### The reason lies in its gravity.

简单句，主谓宾结构. gravity 在这里指月球的引力或重力环境。月球表面重力与月球的质量和半径都有关；后文提到 mass，并不能据此认定“重力”一词错误。质量是物体的性质，重力是引力作用，两者要区分。

#### Because the Moon has only an eightieth of the Earth's mass, it requires 97 per cent less energy to travel the quarter of a million miles from the Moon to Earth-orbit than the 200 mile-journey from Earth's surface into orbit!

复合句，主句是 it 作形式主语，而 to travel…Earth-orbit 作真正的主语，别理解成不定式作定语. 在该真正的主语中，含一个 than 所带的比较状语.

句首是 because 引导的原因状语从句，主谓宾结构，原书翻译时误为1/8，应为1/80.

#### This may sound fantastic, but it is easily calculated.

并列句，but 前后两句，前句为主系表结构，后句为主谓结构.

#### To escape from the Earth in a rocket, one must travel at seven miles per second.

简单句，主谓结构. to escape…rocket 作目的状语. at…程度状语，强调速度的快慢.

#### The comparable speed from the Moon is only 1.5 miles per second.

简单句，主系表结构. from the moon 为介词短语作定语，修饰 speed.

#### Because the gravity on the Moon's surface is only a sixth of Earth's remember how easily the Apollo astronauts bounded along, it takes much less energy to accelerate to that 1.5 miles per second than it does on Earth.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，主句是 it 作形式主语，动词不定式作真正的主语，不要理解成目的状语. 后面有一个 than 引导的比较状语从句，为主谓结构.

句首为 Because 引导的原因状语从句，是一个主系表结构的简单句.

括号是原文本身就有的，括号里面提到了1969 年举世瞩目的人类第一次登月的直播画面，这对于很多人来说并不陌生，大家有兴趣补一补当年的视频，挺震撼人心的. 知乎上有个好问题，供参考：1969 年美国登月成功的时候，中国社会是什么反应？ https://www.zhihu.com/question/38988500

#### Moon-dwellers will be able to fly in space at only three per cent of the cost of similar journeys by their terrestrial cousins.

简单句，主谓结构. 句中三个状语依次是地点状语、程度状语和比较状语，定语均为介词短语作后置定语.

#### Arthur C. Clark once suggested a revolutionary idea passes through three phases: 1."It's impossible—don't waste my time."

复合句，主句主谓+宾语从句，suggested 后面是省略了 that 的宾语从句. 宾语从句为主谓宾结构.

简单句，前半句主系表结构，后半句是祈使句.

#### 2."It's possible, but not worth doing."

简单句，主系表结构，but 连接的并列句，后半句省略了 it is.

worth 的用法应弄清楚，be + worth + n./v-ing 形式，而 worthy 的用法又不一样.

#### 3."I said it was a good idea all along."

复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句结构，said 后面省略了 that，从句为主系表结构.

#### The idea of colonising Mars—a world 160 times more distant than the Moon—will move decisively from the second phase to the third, when a significant number of people are living permanently in space.

复合句，主句是主谓结构，后面是时间状语从句. 从句中 permanently 副词作程度状语. 破折号中间为插入语，可以理解为对火星的进一步解释说明. 该插入语的完整句子还原为：a world that is 160 times more distant than the Moon.

#### Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers.

简单句，主谓宾结构，for…介词短语作状语表示对象.

#### America, Russia and Europe are filled with enthusiasts—many of them serious and senior scientists—who dream of sending people to it.

复合句，主句是主谓宾结构，后面的破折号里面是插入语，可以还原为 many of them are serious and senior scientists.

后面是一个 who 引导的定语从句修饰 enthusiasts，动词短语 sending 作动词词组 dream of 的宾语. 因本文发表于1989 年，原文苏联改为俄国.

#### Their aim is understandable.

简单句，主系表结构.

#### It is the one world in the Solar System that is most like the Earth.

复合句，主句是主系表结构，后面带了一个 that 引导的定语从句修饰 one world，该定语从句也是主系表结构，而 in the Solar System 作地点状语.

#### It is a world of red sandy deserts hence its name—the Red Planet, cloudless skies, savage sandstorms, chasms wider than the Grand Canyon and at least one mountain more than twice as tall as Everest.

简单句，主系表结构，表语 a world，只不过有很多修饰成分.

of red sandy deserts 介词短语作后置定语，后面的 cloudless skies, savage sandstorms， chasms, one mountain 均为共用/省略了 of 的介词短语作后置定语修饰 a world. 补充完整即 of cloudless skies, of savage sandstorms, of chasms, of one mountain. 里面有些比较状语，作补充说明.

#### It seems ideal for settlement.

简单句，主系表结构，后面是目的状语.

太空主题亦可参考 Lesson 43

## 学完这一课

提出一个未来用途，并明确只是可能。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第149—152页，2022年2月第2版。*