外研社选修八 module5 原文

Space:the Final FrontierEver since Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon back on 21st july, 196 9, people have become accustomed to the idea of space travel. Millions of people watched that first moon landing on television, their hearts in their mouths, aware of how difficult and dangerous an adventure it was, and what risks had to be taken. With Armstrong’s now famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”，a dream was achieved. All three astronauts made it safely back to Earth, using a spaceship computer that was much less powerful than the ones used by the average school students today.There were several more journeys into space over the next few years but the single spaceships were very expensive as they could not take off more than once. People were no longer so enthusiastic about a space travel programme that was costing the United Slates $10 million a day. That was until the arrival of the space shuttle－a spacecraft that could be used for several journeys. The first shuttle flight into space was the Columbia－launched from the Kennedy Space Centre on 12th April, 1981. The aim of this flight was to test the new shuttle system, to go safely up into orbit and to return to the Earth for a safe landing. It was a success and a little more than a decade after Apollo 11’s historic voyage, the Columbia made a safe, controlled, aeroplane-style landing in California. This was the start of a new age of space travel. By the time the Challenger took off in 1986, the world seemed to have lost its fear and wonder at the amazing achievement of people going up into space. But this was going to be a special flight and so millions of people tuned in to witness the take-off on TV. An ordinary teacher, Christa McAuliffe, 37,who was married with two children, was to be the first civilian in space. She was going to give two fifteen-minute lessons from space. The first was to show the controls of the spacecraft and explain how gravity worked. The second was to describe the aims of the Challenger space programme. Christa hoped to communicate a sense of excitement and create new interest in the space programme. Sadly, she never came back to her classroom again, as the shuttle exploded just over a minute after taking off in Florida and all seven astronauts were killed.－maybe they assumed this space flight would be no more dangerous than getting on an airplane. But how wrong they were－in one moment excitement and success turned into fear and disaster. It was the worst space accident ever. As oneRussian said at the time, “When something like this happens we areneither Russians nor Americans. We are just human beings who have the same feelings.”Part 2I can remember that day so clearly, watching the take-off on TV at school. There was an ordinary teacher on the Challenger, and we were all very excited. We didn’t have much patience waiting for the launch. We had seen the smiling faces of the astronauts waving to the world as they stepped into the shuttle. Then, little more than a minute after take-off. we saw a strange red and orange light in the sky, followed by a cloud of white smoke. The Challenger had exploded in midair and we all started screaming. It happened so quickly and everyone was in a state of shock. Like every schoolboy I had thought that going into space as an astronaut must be the best job in the world. When I heard, a few weeks later, that the bodies of the astronauts and even the teacher’s lesson plans had been found at the bottom of the ocean, I was not so sure it was worth it at all. In spite of all our advanced technology, the world is still only at the very beginning of its voyage into space.Secrets of the Gas GiantThe cassini-Huygens space probe, which reached Saturn last week, has sent back amazing photo-graphs of the planet’s famous rings viewed in ultraviolet light. The pictures show them in shades of blue, green and red. The different colours show exactly what the rings are made of: the red means the ring contains tiny pieces of rock and the blue and green is likely to be a mixture of water and frozen gases. Saturn itself is made of gases. It is so light and it could float on water－if a big enough ocean could be found! The probe is an international project to explore the planet and its rings and moons. It was launched in 1997 and its mission was to explore the “gas giant” planet which is the furthest planet to be seen from the Earth without a telescope. Scientists say the spacecraft's four-year tour of Saturn may tell them how the rings are formed, lt will also study the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field. The probe has sent back pictures of some of Saturn's moons, including tiny Phoebe, which hasa strange shape－unlike other planets and their moons, it is not perfectly round－ and Saturn’s biggest moon, Titan, which is believed to be the only body in the solar system other than the Earth with liquid on the surface. The images of Titan and Phoebe look strangely like photos of the Earth and our own Moon, taken decades ago by the earliest space missions. They are so clear that it is easy so forget they are coming from a distance of one- and-a-half-billion kilometres.May The Force Be With YouStar Wars is a series of science fantasy films. The six-film series began in 1977, and has a worldwide audience, with films, books, video games, television series and toys. It is now acknowledged by the movie industry as the most successful film series ever. The films were made in random order, and move backwards and forwards through two hundred years. They describe the deeds of Anakin Skywalker, a noble Jedi knight while Darth Vader, under orders from Lord Sith, creates tension then conflict between various autonomous republics and movements. This results in the defeat of the Jedi. Then Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker, joins the Rebel Alliance to attack the authority of the new evil Empire. He accuses Darth Vader of killing his father, so he trains to become a Jedi knight and swears to avenge his loss. But to his sorrow, he learns that his father is actually Darth Vader himself. Luke escapes the latter’s grasp, as well as the Emperor's attempt to turn him to the Dark Side. Instead, to his great relief, he achieves glory by turning his father back to the Light Side, while the divisions of the Rebel Alliance fleet fights the battle for the airspace over the motherland, and wins the war. Star Wars reflects many abstract concepts in Greek, Roman and Chinese folk stories, such as an ability to foresee the future and the impossibility of controlling one’s destiny. For example, Anakin Skywalker causes the death of his wife while coming to her aid. Luke is like the hero of a wuxia film, with his intention of avenging the death of his father, to become the most powerful Master of his art. The broad theme of Star Wars’ philosophy is the Force, and in every movie someone says “May the Force be with you.” Star Wars stresses the dangers of fear, anger,and hate, as well as putting aside one s sympathy for certain people. For example, Luke Skywalker is ever told that his commitment ought to be to finish his training rather than rescue his friends. This is consistent with many religious faiths, which stress rational thought, personal dignity and a devotion to praying for holy understanding, as opposed to the "Dark Side", of violent passion and acute emotion.However, the strongest influence is Taoist philosophy. The Force is similarto Qi. a stable balance of the Yin and Yang forces to human beings and theenvironment. Many true Taoist masters eventually become supreme beings, si milar to Obi-Wan and Yoda who Luke, as their scholar, consults for their t eaching and advice.Even the language and clothing convey the philosophy of the Force－the Dark Force soldiers speak with British accents and wear black uniforms.whilst most of the Rebels speak American English and wear light colour s.The War of the WorldsIn 1898, the English writer H.G. Wells wrote what is arguably the most impo rtant novel in the history of science fiction The War of the Worlds. It isa dramatic story about an invasion of the Earth by aliens from Mars, a subj ect that has fascinated science fiction writers and film-makers ever since.But when, in 1938, the American actor and director, Orson Welles set a radio drama of The War of the Worlds in the real life New Jersey town of Grover's Mill, little did he know what impact he was going to make. When people turned on their radios and heard the MercuryTheatre Company broadcast, it was so realistic that they believed every wor d:Ladies and gentlemen, I have a grave announcement to make. Incredible as itmay seem, both the observations of science and the evidence of our eyes le ad to the inescapable assumption that those strange beings who landed in the New Jersey farmlands tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars. Orson Welles had managed to set in motion a panic across America. When people heard that an invasion by aliens from Mars was under way, there was a wave of mass hysteria. Hundreds of people left their homesin panic, there were traffic jams all over the state and the police receiv ed thousands of telephone calls from terrified listeners who believed that Martians were attacking.The sleepy town of Grover’s Mill for an hour became the centre of the univ erse. One 13-year-old boy was doing his homework when he heard the first ne wsflash of the invasion. Taking the radio into the cafe downstairs where hi s mother worked, he and a dozen or so customers listened with mounting fear to the broadcast, until the men jumped up and announced they were going to get their guns and join in the defence at Grover’s Mill.Did Orson Welles deliberately set out to terrify the nation? Or was it simp ly a masterpiece of realistic theatre? Either way,The War of the Worlds wil l be remembered as a piece of broadcasting history.Road to the Red PlanetIf you had asked the question “How much would it cost to send a mission to Mars”two decades ago, the answer would have been: “About $450 billion.” The huge cost was one reason why no one was very enthusiastic about the pl an, apart from the need for very advanced technology. However, the cost is now thought to be down to $50 billion. The technology is arguably good enou gh at least for probes to land on Mars to bring back pieces of rock, though not yet for people to go there. So rocket scientists assume that they will eventually succeed in sending astronauts to Mars－that is, after another three or four decades of research and development.Rocket scientists have a lot of patience and are accustomed to waiting a lo ng time for results. As long ago as 1960, the Russians launched a space pro be; then another and another. After the fifth probe had travelled nearly 10 0 million kilometers, the signal disappeared .An American probe, Mariner 4 , took 21 pictures in 1965, and since then, Russian, European and American spacecraft have allowed us to view more and more of the Red Planet.It does not seem a very friendly place. It has the largest mountains of any in the whole Solar System, the surface is dry and covered in rocks, and hu mans could not breathe the air. The gravity is much less than that of Earth , and the temperatures are either freezing cold or very hot with constant s torms, high winds and clouds of gas. Why would anyone want to go to Mars and how long would the journey take?Life depends on water, energy, and air. In spite of the cold and the lack o f oxygen, scientists have made the assumption that there might be, or might once have been, some form of life on Mars. Dramatic photos taken by the Ma rs Express probe in 2004 suggest that the tallest volcano on Mars has ice o n its peak. But for humans to reach Mars it could take three years, and it could also be very dangerous. It may be several decades before we know the answer to the old question: “Are we alone?”。