International Space Station Gets New Permanent Storage Unit

    Astronauts(宇航员) aboard the International Space Station have installed a new permanent storage unit, creating an additional 70 cubic meters of cargo¹ space and a new venue² in which to conduct experiments.
    Crew members on Tuesday used the space station's robotic arm to maneuver³ the Permanent(永久的) Multipurpose Module⁴, or PMM, out of the space shuttle Discovery's payload bay and attach it to the Earth-facing side of the space station's Unity⁵ node. The PMM is the final pressurized module to be attached to the U.S. portion of the space station.
    Engineers modified the PMM from a previous cargo carrier - the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module - which traveled to and from the outpost aboard the space shuttle.  Like the earlier model, the new PMM is nicknamed Leonardo, after Leonardo da Vinci.  It arrived aboard Discovery filled with supplies and a very special passenger - the station's new humanoid robot crew member, Robonaut 2, or R2.
    The U.S. space agency, NASA, says it hopes R2 eventually will be able to do manual repair work that is mundane⁶ or too dangerous for astronauts.  However, the robot's first mission will be to undergo operational testing to determine if it will be able to fulfill⁷ its basic duties as an astronaut helper.
    Also Tuesday, NASA canceled plans to photograph the space station from a circling Russian Soyuz capsule because of safety concerns.  The three-man Soyuz capsule is one of six international spacecraft currently docked at the space station, including ships from the U.S., Russian, Japanese and European space fleets.  NASA had hoped to photograph the unprecedented⁸ gathering⁹ for historical purposes.
    Meanwhile, Discovery crew members Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew are preparing for Wednesday's spacewalk that will focus on equipment maintenance(维护维修).  It is the second and final spacewalk of the Discovery mission.  Bowen and Drew on Monday executed a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to prepare the space station for Tuesday's installation.
    On Monday, NASA added an extra day to the space shuttle Discovery's mission to allow the crew more time to work on the space station.  The shuttle will now complete its mission on March 8.
    First launched in 1984, this is Discovery's 39th and final mission.  Once back on the Earth, Discovery is expected to be placed on exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, or at its annex¹⁰ location just outside the U.S. capital, where the space shuttle Enterprise is on permanent display.
    The United States is ending its 30-year space shuttle program this year.  The two other remaining shuttles - Endeavour and Atlantis - each have one mission left, with launches scheduled within the next several months.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

3 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

4 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。

7 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

10 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。