VOA慢速英语2009年-SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Part-Time Astronomer

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. This week, we will tell about evidence that something big struck the planet Jupiter. We will also tell about a long ignored organ in the body. And, we will tell how scientists are using lobsters² to help protect the sea environment.

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VOICE ONE:
　
Jupiter's new spot

Space discoveries are usually made by scientists whose job is to study astronomy. After all, they observe the skies with huge ground-based and costly³ space telescopes. But last month, a computer programmer from Australia made an exciting discovery of an unusual event in Earth's solar system.

Anthony Wesley found an unusual dark marking in Jupiter's atmosphere using his amateur telescope. Operators of the Hubble Space Telescope said the dark spot is about two times the length of the United States. Scientists believe it is evidence that a large object struck Jupiter, cutting a hole in the atmosphere of the huge, gaseous⁴ planet.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Wesley saw the spot near Jupiter's extreme south on July nineteenth. At first, he thought it was the shadow of one of Jupiter's four big moons. He captured images of the spot and studied a picture that he had taken earlier of the same area on Jupiter.

When Mister Wesley was sure he had found something new, he quickly contacted professional astronomers⁶ about his find. Leigh Fletcher and Glenn Orton were among the first people he told of the discovery. They work for the American space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

The Americans had planned to use the Infrared⁷ Telescope Facility on top of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano the following night. When they used the telescope to create images of the planet, they found an area that appeared dark in light the human eye could see. But using infrared light, the spot appeared bright. That is because the force of the object hitting Jupiter pushed very reflective particles high into the planet's atmosphere.

VOICE ONE:

Astronomers may never know exactly what struck Jupiter. The incident probably took place within a day or two of Mister Wesley's observation. But scientists think it was either a comet or rock from space.

Reports of solar system objects striking each other are extremely rare. But astronomers have seen a similar collision. It took place exactly fifteen years ago. Comet Shoemaker-Levy Nine broke up and struck Jupiter.

In that event, astronomers were able to observe the icy comet long before it struck the solar system's biggest planet. But the object that struck Jupiter in July is estimated to have been much smaller and harder to see than comet Shoemaker-Levy. Astronomers say it was probably less than one kilometer in size -- too small to see from Earth.

VOICE TWO:

This most recent collision with Jupiter brought attention to how the huge planet's gravity affects our solar system. Some scientists have called Jupiter the protector of the inner planets -- and our own Earth -- from objects from the outer solar system. But others note that Jupiter's powerful gravitational field can just as easily send an object into Earth's path as push it deeper into space.

Frank Marchis is an astronomer⁵ with the University of California at Berkeley. He says the surprise collision clearly justifies⁸ the need for programs that search the skies for small space objects that could threaten earth.

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VOICE ONE:

The spleen was once known in western literature as an organ that caused a person to be sleepless⁹ and sad. For example, in his poem "Spleen," the nineteenth century French writer Charles Baudelaire describes a cheerless world where nothing is beautiful.

For years, the duties of the spleen were generally not considered very important. In fact, a person whose spleen has been damaged can survive without it. People who suffer severe physical injuries can burst their spleen and have it removed by doctors.

VOICE TWO:
　
Spleen

The human spleen is an organ about the size of a closed hand. It is above the stomach, under the ribs¹⁰ on a person's left side. The spleen is part of the body's lymphatic system. This system fights infection and helps keep the body's fluids in balance.

A recent report shows that the small organ has a much more important job in the body's defense¹¹ system than once believed. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School wrote the report. It shows that the spleen stores huge numbers of white blood cells called monocytes.

Masses of these monocytes leave the spleen in the event of an injury like a heart attack, wound, or infection. They gather in the damaged tissue and help it to heal.

VOICE ONE:

Matthias Nahrendorf helped to write the report in Science magazine. He describes the monocytes in terms of military language. He says they are like a standing¹² army that you only deploy¹³ in times of crisis.

Researchers have long known that bone marrow¹⁴ produces and contains monocytes. But the writers of the report knew that the number of monocytes in the blood stream was too low to explain the millions of them present after an injury to the heart. They discovered that the additional monocytes were coming from the spleen.

VOICE TWO:

The researchers used mice to carry out an experiment. They studied what areas of the spleen store the monocytes. And, they gave the mice heart attacks to study the deployment¹⁵ of monocytes from the spleen.

This information about the spleen brings new meaning to a report published in nineteen seventy-seven. At that time, researchers studied more than seven hundred American soldiers who had had their spleens removed because of battle injuries. They also studied a similar sized group of soldiers who had suffered injuries but kept their spleens. The soldiers without spleens were two times as likely to die of heart disease as the soldiers who still had their spleens.

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VOICE ONE:

Kelp is a form of large, brown seaweed. It grows in watery¹⁶ forests in a number of areas.

Kelp forests provide a protected home and food for many kinds of sea life. Scientists once thought that these forests existed only in moderate and cold climates. Two years ago, however, they were also found in warm ocean waters near Ecuador.

Finding kelp forests is usually a welcome discovery. Some economies depend on fishing for lobsters, rockfish or other creatures that need the forests. People harvest kelp to get alginic acid. The substance is used in toothpaste and medicine for stomach problems. And, people active in water-sports like to dive and row boats in kelp forests.

VOICE TWO:
　
A researcher measuring a spiny¹⁷ lobster¹

However, a small, colorful creature called the long-spined sea urchin¹⁸ is destroying kelp in some areas. The urchin is shaped like a ball. It also has sharp, finger-like spines¹⁹.

For example, urchins²⁰ are ruining coral reefs in waters near Australia. Scientists at the University of Tasmania say the urchins are wrecking²¹ areas in which many fish and shellfish grow. The scientists say abalone and lobsters are among the urchins' victims.

But the lobsters are fighting back. The scientists say seven hundred fifty large rock lobsters were released a year ago in waters near Tasmania's northeast coast. University of Tasmania scientist Scott Ling says there is evidence that they have been eating the sea urchins.

More lobsters are being placed in waters that scientists consider at high risk in Tasmania's southeast. Mister Ling says the hope is that they will prevent further development of sea urchins.

The lobsters are identified with markers and colored dye so fishermen will not catch them. And the fishermen are said to be cooperating.

VOICE ONE:

The American state of California is another area where long-spined sea urchins have been destroying kelp forests. Southern California has lost ninety percent of its watery forests since the nineteen-sixties. The state has employed divers²² to remove urchins along its southern coast. They are being moved to a new home about one and one half kilometers away. The job is not easy. Currents are strong and the creatures sometimes cut the skin of the divers.

But the diving team has been doing its work two times a week. On one recent day, one thousand five hundred sea urchins got a new home in deeper water. And, many kelp forests now have a more secure future.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Dana Demange, Mario Ritter and Jerilyn Watson. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

 

1 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

2 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 gaseous   

adj.气体的，气态的

参考例句：

• Air whether in the gaseous or liquid state is a fluid.空气，无论是气态的或是液态的，都是一种流体。
• Freon exists both in liquid and gaseous states.氟利昂有液态和气态两种形态。

5 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

6 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

8 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。

9 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

10 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

14 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

15 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

16 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

17 spiny   

adj.多刺的，刺状的；n.多刺的东西

参考例句：

• This is the Asiatic ornamental shrub with spiny branches and pink blossoms.这就是亚洲的一种观赏灌木，具有多刺的枝和粉红色的花。
• Stay away from a spiny cactus.远离多刺仙人掌。

18 urchin   

n.顽童；海胆

参考例句：

• You should sheer off the urchin.你应该躲避这顽童。
• He is a most wicked urchin.他是个非常调皮的顽童。

19 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 urchins   

n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆

参考例句：

• Some dozen barefooted urchins ganged in from the riverside. 几十个赤足的顽童从河边成群结队而来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him "Yellow Fellow." 别人说他是黄胆病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

21 wrecking   

破坏

参考例句：

• He teed off on his son for wrecking the car. 他严厉训斥他儿子毁坏了汽车。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Instead of wrecking the valley, the waters are put to use making electricity. 现在河水不但不在流域内肆疟，反而被人们用来生产电力。 来自辞典例句

22 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。