新西兰英语 800 A telescope in a plane

 　　An unusual Boeing 747 arrived in Christchurch at the weekend from California. It has a telescope on board. The plane will spend the next three weeks flying the skies of the South Island to study the Milky¹ Way.

　　It is called SOFIA, Stratospheric Observatory² for Infrared³ Astronomy. It is a joint⁴ project between Nasa and the German space agency, DLR. For the next 20 years, SOFIA will visit Christchurch at this time of year, bringing 20 to 25 scientists with them.

　　The plane has a 2.5 metre diameter telescope, weighing 10 tonnes. A sliding door in the plane opens for the telescope to view the night sky. The plane will do 9 flights, each one 10 hours long.

　　Christchurch was chosen because of the clear night skies in the South Island where there are not many cities or bright lights. The University of Canterbury Physics and Astronomy department is located in Christchurch too and staff and students hope to work with scientists from SOFIA.

　　Vocabulary

　　?stratosphere – the upper atmosphere to about 50km above the earth

　　?observatory – a building with a telescope for looking at the stars

　　?astronomy – scientific study of outer space

　　?joint project – working together (join = to act together)

　　?agency – a government organisation⁵

　　?diameter – distance across a circle

1 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

2 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

3 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。