【英语时差8,16】月亮的嫉妒

 Don: On today's program, the wonders of the moon.

Yael: We're here on this chilly¹ winter night gazing up at a luminous² full moon. Beautiful, Don, don't you agree?

D: Yeah, I guess so.

Y: That's not your line. You're supposed to say, "Yes, Yael. It's like a pale, unblinking eye inviting³ us to ponder the majesty⁴ of the universe."D: I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling very inspired.

Y: What's the problem?

D: How come we've only got one moon, while other planets have a bunch? Jupiter alone has nearly forty moons! Even Mars has two. It's not fair.

Y: Maybe not, but what can you do? Astronomers⁵ think that our moon was created billions of years ago when something really large collided with Earth, knocking rocks and debris⁶ into orbit. The orbiting stuff eventually came together to form the moon. When it comes to larger planets like Jupiter, it's possible that when the planet was still young its atmosphere stretched out far into surrounding space. The gas could have trapped passing objects and drawn⁷ them into Jupiter's orbit, creating small, irregular moons.

D: That's interesting, but I'm still envious⁸.

Y: Well, we might only have one moon, but it's a pretty good one, as moons go. First, it's a very large moon relative to the size of our planet. And it's close enough to have a significant effect on ocean tides and climate. Plus, our moon makes for some pretty spectacular nighttime sky gazing.

D: That's true. I guess our moon isn't that bad.

Y: Learn to love it, Don. It's the only one we've got.  

1 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

2 luminous   

adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的

参考例句：

• There are luminous knobs on all the doors in my house.我家所有门上都安有夜光把手。
• Most clocks and watches in this shop are in luminous paint.这家商店出售的大多数钟表都涂了发光漆。

3 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

4 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

5 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》

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。