英语听力精选进阶版 13635

New evidence of water on Jupiter's moon

Scientists studying the solar system say they have found the best evidence of water out there.

It is just beneath the ground on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and it could represent a potential habitat for living organisms.

Reporter

Daniel Griffiths

Jupiter's moon Europa photographed from NASA's Galileo spacecraft 

Scientists have found water on Europa, Jupiter's moon.

What secrets lie beneath the icy surfaces of Europa? Scientists say they may have found the best evidence yet for water on Jupiter's frozen moon.

They suspect that a vast ocean lies beneath the thick crust of ice. Any liquid water could represent a potential habitat for life. The scientists analysed images collected by the Galileo spacecraft launched in 1989. They've also based their findings on observations of similar icy terrains¹ on Earth.

Analysis of Europe's surface suggests plumes² of warmer water well up beneath its icy shell, melting and fracturing the outer layers.

Much more work is needed to confirm their theories but scientists are excited.

The US and Europe are working on more missions to Europa and Jupiter's other moons. They hope to launch them either late this decade or early in the 2020s. Only then might we really know what lies beneath those icy wastes.

Daniel Griffiths, BBC News

1 terrains   

n.地形( terrain的名词复数 )；地面；地域；地带

参考例句：

• Scientists call these pieces exotic or suspect terrains. 科学家们把这些小陆块叫外来或嫌疑地块。 来自辞典例句
• In the western of China are intricate terrains and many hilly regions. 我国西部地区地势复杂，多丘陵。 来自互联网

2 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。