2023年经济学人 宇宙神秘现象竟有联系？(1)

 

    Two of the universe's most enigmatic phenomena¹ may be intimately linked宇宙中最神秘的两种现象可能有联系

    Black holes—objects so dense² that nothing can escape their pull—黑洞——密度大到任何物体都无法逃脱它们的引力——are among the most eye-catching predictions of general relativity,是广义相对论中最引人注目的预言之一。

    a model of gravitational attraction proposed by Albert Einstein over a century ago.

    广义相对论是爱因斯坦在一个多世纪前提出的引力模型。

    They squat³ invisibly in the middle of galaxies⁴, feasting on stars and interstellar debris⁵.

    它们无形地隐藏在在星系中间，以恒星和星球碎片为食。

    They are also a clear indicator⁶ that general relativity’s days as gravity’s best explanation are numbered.

    它们也是一个清晰的标志，广义相对论作为引力最佳解释的日子屈指可数了。

    That theory says a black hole’s core is a point of infinite density⁷ and pressure called a singularity.

    该理论认为，黑洞的核心是一个密度和压力无穷大的点，称为奇点。

    This, says Chris Pearson at RAL Space, Britain’s national laboratory for space research,英国国家空间研究实验室——卢瑟福阿普尔顿实验室的克里斯·皮尔森说，is a mathematical impossibility.

    这在数学上是不可能的。

    A host of more palatable⁸ alternatives have been proposed, but none has the observational evidence needed to back it up.

    人们提出了许多更容易接受的替代方案，但都没有观测证据来支持。

    Two new papers, in the Astrophysical Journal and Astrophysical Journal Letters,皮尔森博士与人合著的两篇论文发表在《天体物理学杂志》和《天体物理学杂志通讯》上，co-written by Dr. Pearson, are intended to change that.

    这些论文旨在改变这一现状。

    The papers’ authors scoured⁹ astronomical¹⁰ data for information about black holes at two stages of their lives.

    这篇论文的作者从天文数据中寻找黑洞两个阶段的信息。

    The first sort were youngsters at the centres of new galaxies in which stars were forming at a prolific¹¹ rate.

    第一类是处于新星系中心的年轻星系，在这些星系中，恒星正以极快的速率形成。

    The second were more elderly examples in galaxies where star formation has ceased.

    第二个是星系中更古老的例子，那里的恒星已经停止诞生。

    According to their assumptions, the second group show what fate has in store for the first.

    根据他们的假设，第二组表明了第一组的命运。

    To their surprise, the researchers found that the old black holes had grown ten times faster than cosmological models would predict.

    令他们惊讶的是，研究人员发现旧黑洞的增长速度比宇宙学模型预测的快10倍。

    But they think they know what might be happening.

    但他们认为自己知道接下来会发生什么。

1 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

2 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

3 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

4 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

7 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

8 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

9 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

10 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

11 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。