2006年VOA标准英语-European "Venus Express" Begins Orbiting E

By David McAlary
Washington
11 April 2006

A European spacecraft has arrived at Venus to study Earth's hot, hazy¹ sister planet. It is only the latest of many space probes trying to understand why our closest planetary neighbor is an unpleasant greenhouse, rather than a more moderate place supporting life.

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Image provided by European Space Agency ESA shows artist's impression of Venus Express as it enters orbit around Venus   
  

Astronomers² once thought of Venus as Earth's twin. The two are roughly the same size with about the same mass, density³, and gravity. Now, after more than 20 U.S. and Soviet⁴ missions to the planet between 1961 and 1994, astronomers consider it Earth's "evil" twin.

The European Space Agency's first mission to the planet, the Venus Express, is to gather data to help explain why.

It has entered orbit after a five-month, 400-million-kilometer journey from the Russian space agency launch site in Kazakhstan. The Venus Express will spend the next month adjusting its extremely oval nine-day path to a circular one lasting⁵ one day.

"I was a very happy man today, together with my fellow scientists," said the mission's chief scientist, Hakan Svedhem of the Netherlands. "This is really a fantastic experience to see that we end up exactly in the position we wanted to be. Now our work starts. That's very nice work."
 

Flight operations director Manfred Warhaut, left, poses with a scale model of the European Space Agency Venus Express probe   
  
Svedhem says the European orbiter will pass through Venus' atmosphere for at least 500 days, using state-of-the-art sensors⁶ to answer questions left by previous explorer craft.

"The noble goal of it all is to understand why is Venus such as it is," he explained. "Why is it not more like Earth? We do know we have life on Earth. We think we do not have any life on Venus. Why is that?"

Venus is broiling⁷ at 450 degrees Celsius⁸, shrouded⁹ by sulfuric acid clouds and a dense¹⁰ carbon dioxide atmosphere nearly 100 times thicker than Earth's. A senior editor with Astronomy magazine, Rich Talcott, says this blanket traps heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping.

"There is excellent evidence that Venus was once much more similar to Earth, but what seems to have happened is that it is just a little bit closer to the sun than Earth is and it receives approximately twice as much heat from the sun as Earth," he explained. "That is enough to keep water from existing as liquid on the surface. Over the course of a few billion years, that has been able to drive off all the water on Venus. That means that any of the carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere cannot get pulled into the oceans as it has on Earth."

By studying Venus, researchers hope to learn lessons that might apply to Earth, where carbon dioxide pollution and other greenhouse gases from industry and automobiles¹¹ collect in our atmosphere.

"That has a lot of importance to scientists," he noted¹². "Here on Earth, we are wondering if increases in carbon dioxide will affect the future of Earth's climate. So they are looking at Venus to see if perhaps how conditions that exist there may relate to Earth."

The science gathering¹³ phase of Europe's Venus Express is to begin June 4, once it reaches its final orbit and it instruments have been checked.

1 hazy   

adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的

参考例句：

• We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
• I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。

2 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》

3 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。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

7 broiling   

adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙）

参考例句：

• They lay broiling in the sun. 他们躺在太阳底下几乎要晒熟了。
• I'm broiling in this hot sun. 在太阳底下，我感到热极了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

9 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。