美国有线新闻 CNN 中国成功进行火星着陆器测试

 

Which planet is closest to Earth in terms of mass and size?

Mars, Venus, Neptune¹, or Saturn².

Scientists say it's Venus that's most similar in size, though its atmosphere it said to be a poisonous inferno³.

OK. Now that this show is off the ground, we're reporting on a new Mars lander that China has gotten off the ground. It's not headed to the Red Planet yet. But the lander was recently tested in a part of China that said to have a landscape like that of Mars, with slopes and craters⁴ all around.

At first, the vehicle was suspended about 230 feet above the Earth. And then it hovered⁵ in the air and slowly descended⁶ until it was just a few feet over the ground. Scientists say the point of this was to test out the lander's ability to stay in the air and avoiding hitting any obstacles.

Landing safely on Mars is said to be one of the most challenging parts of any mission, even though the planet's gravitational pull is only about a third of that of Earth's.

China has invested billions of dollars into its space program. It's hoping to become a leading power in space. And it's planning to launch an unmanned Mars exploration mission next year.

1 Neptune   

n.海王星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun.海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Neptune turned out to be a dynamic,stormy world.海王星原来是个有生气、多风暴的世界。

2 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• 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。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

3 inferno   

n.火海；地狱般的场所

参考例句：

• Rescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.救援人员奋力营救大火中的受害者。
• The burning building became an inferno.燃烧着的大楼成了地狱般的地方。

4 craters   

n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

6 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。