国家地理:送给外星人的地图(8)

Dad's map, of course, is still out there -- but chances are slim to zero that the Pioneers or Voyagers carrying it will be intercepted¹. Though all four spacecraft are on interstellar trajectories², space is big, and the next stellar systems on the horizon are many thousands of years away. Plus, the spacecraft are tiny and will be completely quiet within the next couple of decades, making them extremely hard to detect.

当然，爸爸的地图仍在--但搭载它的“先驱者号”或“旅行者号”被截获的希望越来越渺茫。虽然四艘探测器全部处在星际轨道上，但宇宙太大了，还要再过几千年它们才会遇到下一个星系。此外，这些航天飞船都很小，当它们在接下来的几十年里彻底停止发送信号时，就更难被探测到了。

As for sending the new map: There's no Voyager-like space probe scheduled for launch anytime soon. But if this map did hitch³ a ride beyond our solar system, and if it got scooped⁴ up by intelligent space aliens, the map should be quite easy for them to read and follow.

至于发送新地图：短期内不会发射类似“旅行者号”的太空探测器了。但如果这张地图真的在太阳系之外搭上了顺风车，如果它被聪明的外星人发现，那么这张地图对他们来说应该很容易阅读和理解。

That raises all sorts of questions: Would extraterrestrial beings at those distances have the means to reach Earth? If so and they head our way, what if they don't come in peace? What if they're hangry? And what if they're not vegetarians⁵?

这就引出了各种各样的问题：距离那么远的外星生物有办法到达地球吗？如果可以实现，他们朝我们飞来，但不是带着和平的目的呢？如果他们饿极成怒了怎么办？如果他们不是素食主义者呢？

Here's the fundamental question that didn't stop Carl and Dad: Is it a good idea to randomly⁶ send our address into the cosmos⁷? Today, some folks would have no reservations, given that earthly transmissions already are leaking into space and, traveling at the speed of light, are detectable⁸ by anyone with a decent radio telescope living within a hundred light-years of us. Other folks, perhaps more cautiously, would hold off on announcing our presence until we know if ETs have honorable intentions.

有一个根本的问题并没有阻止卡尔和爸爸：随意把我们的地址发送到宇宙中真的是个好主意吗？现如今，有些人可能会对此毫不在意，因为地球上的信息已经泄露到太空中，并且以光速传播，任何生活在我们周围100光年以内的生物，只要有一台像样的射电望远镜，就能发现这些信息。其他人，也许更谨慎，会推迟宣布我们的存在，直到我们清楚了外星人的意图是否高尚。

1 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

2 trajectories   

n.弹道( trajectory的名词复数 )；轨道；轨线；常角轨道

参考例句：

• To answer this question, we need to plot trajectories of principal stresses. 为了回答这个问题，我们尚须画出主应力迹线图。 来自辞典例句
• In the space program the theory is used to determine spaceship trajectories. 在空间计划中，这个理论用于确定飞船的轨道。 来自辞典例句

3 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

4 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 vegetarians   

n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。

6 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

7 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

8 detectable   

adj.可发觉的；可查明的

参考例句：

• The noise is barely detectable by the human ear.人的耳朵几乎是察觉不到这种噪音的。
• The inflection point at this PH is barely detectable.在此PH值下，拐点不易发现。