英语听力：自然百科 地球力场 Earth's Force Field—3

 In polar regions where the magnetic field is / weakest, auroras glow in the sky. These dazzling displays of colored lights form when solar particles slam into gases in our atmosphere causing them to glow. The stronger the solar wind, the more dramatic the auroras. Although beautiful, there is a sign of the ferocious¹ battle between our magnetosphere and the invading stream of solar radiation. 

 

 

 

You know magnetic field , face-on radiation all across the planet. But scientists have made an alarming discovery: face-on radiation is hitting earth. Out here in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Brazil, sits a region with a rapidly weakening magnetic field. It’s known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. It’s around 3 million square miles and growing. Everyday, cosmic radiation reaches closer to the earth’s surface. We don’t fully² understand the origin of this anomaly, but the consequences could be dire³. NASA's scientists monitor the anomaly’s impact on technology. 

 

 

 

The combination of the energetic particles found in the South Atlantic Anomaly as well as new particles being ejected there by solar storms, you know, have resulted in many total failures of communication spacecrafts. Satellites can be permanently⁴ damaged when they pass over the anomaly. Vital instruments on the billion-dollar Hubble space telescope have to be shut down for protection when it enters the area. As the magnetic field continues to weaken over the South Atlantic, radiation is reaching increasingly lower altitudes, and could start to affect more than just technology. Professor Peter Alson believes air passengers would be the first to the risk. 

 

1 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。