VOA慢速英语2016 SpaceX火箭爆炸祸及Facebook价值两亿美元卫星（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-09-03 SpaceX Rocket Explodes With Facebook Satellite on Board

This is What’s Trending Today.

这里是《今日热点》节目。

No one was injured when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral in Florida on September 1.

9月1日，位于佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角的猎鹰9号火箭发生爆炸，所幸无人员伤亡。

But the rocket and a communications satellite on it were destroyed.

可是火箭及其运载的通信卫星均毁于一旦。

The Falcon 9 belonged to the American company SpaceX. It designs, manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft.

猎鹰9号是美国SpaceX公司研发的。该公司主要设计、制造及发射火箭和航天飞船。

The hashtag #SpaceX continues to trend on Twitter as people see videos of the explosion.

网友们纷纷点击爆炸视频，SpaceX这一标签在推特上持续升温。

Space X was hoping to launch the rocket on Saturday, September 3.

SpaceX公司原计划于9月3日的周六发射该枚火箭。

The satellite was supposed to provide high-speed internet service to parts of Africa. It was made by an Israeli company for Facebook, the world’s largest online social media network. Reports say a replacement satellite could be ready in three years.

该卫星预计为非洲部分地区提供高速互联网服务。该枚火箭是由以色列公司为全球最大在线社交媒体网络公司Facebook而制造的。报道称，替代卫星或在三年内准备完毕。

The accident involves two of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs.

此次火箭爆炸殃及全球最有名的两位企业家。

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook.

马克·扎克伯格是Facebook的创始人。

He used a Facebook post to say he was “deeply disappointed” to hear about the explosion.

他在Facebook发文表示，听闻爆炸一事，他深感失望。

SpaceX is owned by Elon Musk, a businessman and investor. He also operates Tesla Motors, the electric car company.

SpaceX公司负责人伊隆·马斯克是一名商人也是一位投资人。马斯克旗下还有特斯拉电动汽车公司。

SpaceX called the explosion “an anomaly.”

SpaceX公司表示，这次爆炸十分“异常”。

SpaceX rockets are unique because some of their parts are reusable. After a rocket launch, the first part of the rocket returns to Earth and can be used again.

SpaceX火箭是独一无二的，因为其某些部件可重复利用。火箭发射后，火箭的第一部分可返回地球并重复利用。

The company had planned six more launches this year. But those plans may change after the accident.

该公司原计划今年进行6次以上的发射，然而因这次事故，计划可能要做调整。

People living near Cape Canaveral said their homes shook and sliding doors fell to the ground.

卡纳维拉尔角附近居民表示，当时房屋有震感，推拉门被震倒。

One Instagram user posted video of the smoke cloud from the explosion. A simple, written message placed next to the video read: “Wow, not good.”

一位Instagram网友发布了因爆炸而浓雾滚滚的视频，视频一侧简短写道：“哇哦，出大事啦！”

One Twitter user wrote: “This video of the #SpaceXExplosion is crazy!”

一位推特网友写道，“SpaceX公司的火箭爆炸视频实在太震撼了。”

The American space agency NASA is working with SpaceX on several projects, including transporting supplies to the International Space Station. But the space agency was not involved in this project.

美国航空航天局有几个项目正与SpaceX公司合作，包括向国际空间站运送物资。但本次发射项目与航天局无关。

NASA did post a message on Twitter. It read: “…spaceflight is challenging. Our partners learn from each success & setback.”

美国航空航天局在推特上发布消息称，“航天事业充满挑战。我们的合作伙伴从每次的成功与挫折中汲取经验。”

A Twitter user sympathized with Facebook’s chairman, writing: “Mark Zuckerberg is like ‘Man, I should have gone with NASA.’”

一名推特网友十分同情Facebook董事长，他写道，“马克·扎克伯格心想，‘天哪，我早该跟NASA他们合作的。’”

Words in This Story

entrepreneur – n. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money

anomaly – n. something that is unusual or unexpected

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

setback – n. a problem that makes progress more difficult or success less likely