Meteorites
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents The Sky Is Falling.
内容列表 天空正在坠落.
4 Comets, Asteroids, and Meteoroids.
4个彗星,小行星和地星.
6 A Martian Has Landed.
6 火星人着陆。
8 Mighty Meteors.
8 强大的气象仪。
9 Fireballs and Micrometeorites.
9 火球和微微陨石.
11 Meteor Showers.
11个气象秀。
13 Space Gold.
13空间金.
15 Types of Meteorites.
15 类陨石.
17 Dying Dinos.
17 死地诺斯.
19 Target Earth?
19号目标地球?
21 Glossary.
21 词汇表。
23 Index.
23 指数。
24 The Sky Is Falling The morning of April 22, 2012, began quietly.
24 天空正在坠落 2012年4月22日早晨,静悄悄地开始.
Suddenly, a ball of fire streaked through the sky over Nevada and California.
突然,内华达州和加利福尼亚州上空一团火花
Hundreds of people on the ground reported seeing the object passing high overhead.
地面上数百人报告看到该物体从高空飞过。
Many also heard a loud boom and said that their windows shook.
许多人还听到一声大叫,说他们的窗户震动了。
The fast- moving ball of fire shone brightly as it raced through the sunny morning sky.
迅速移动的火球在阳光灿烂的天空中闪耀
Moments later, the object exploded in the air northeast of Sacramento, California, scattering pieces of itself over a wide area.
后来,该天体在加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托东北方向的空气中爆炸,将自己碎片撒入了广阔的区域.
California Nevada Sacramento Reno Meteorites found Arizona PACIFIC OCEAN MEXICO A meteor passes over Reno, Nevada, on the morning of April 22, 2012.
加利福尼亚州 内华达州 雷诺陨石发现亚利桑那州 墨西哥 一颗陨石于2012年4月22日上午从内华达州雷诺上空穿过.
The Hoba Meteorite in Namibia (Africa) is the largest known meteorite that is still in one piece.
纳米比亚(非洲)的霍巴地陨石是已知的最大陨石,目前仍完整无缺。
The flying object that lit up the sky that morning was a hunk of rock from space—a meteor.
那天早晨点起天空的飞行物体是一束从太空飞出而来的岩石——一颗陨石。
The meteor broke into pieces over an area of California where the famous gold rush of 1849 began.
陨石在加利福尼亚州的一地段被打成碎片,1849年著名的淘金热从此开始.
The minivan-sized meteor’s explosion set off a second gold rush of sorts as thousands of treasure seekers flocked to the area to look for meteorites, or pieces of the meteor, worth more than their weight in gold.
数以千计的淘宝者聚集到该地区寻找陨石或陨石碎片,
Many scientists also rushed to the scene, hoping to recover meteorites that might help them learn more about the origins of our solar system.
许多科学家也匆忙赶去现场,希望回收可能帮助他们更多地了解太阳系起源的陨石.
Their efforts soon paid off as scientists and amateurs alike quickly found pieces of the meteor.
科学家和业余爱好者都很快发现了陨石碎片,他们的努力很快得到了回报。
Tests revealed that the rocks came from a rare kind of meteor that might be 4.
测试显示岩石来自一种罕见的陨石 可能是4个
5 billion years old—as old as our solar system.
50亿岁,和太阳系一样老
Comets, Asteroids, and Meteoroids Where did the California meteor come from?
彗星、小行星和地星 加州流星从哪里来?
Outer space is full of objects left over from the time when the planets in our solar system formed.
外层空间充斥着太阳系行星形成时留下的物体。
Comets, asteroids, and meteoroids are three different kinds of these “leftovers.”
彗星、小行星和流星体是这些“剩余”的三种不同类型。 “
Comets are dirty snowballs.
彗星是脏雪丸.
They are huge lumps of dirt and rock mixed in with frozen water and gases.
它们是一大块土和岩石 混入了冷冻的水和气体。
Most comets travel through the Kuiper (KY-per) Belt, an area of our solar system located beyond the planets.
大部分彗星会穿行于克伊珀(KY-per) 带子 我们太阳系的一个区域 位于行星之外
Asteroids are rocks that range from about the size of a school bus to as large as a small moon.
小行星是从校车大小到小月等大小不等的岩石.
Asteroids mainly orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt, which is between Mars and Jupiter.
小行星主要在小行星带中绕太阳运转,该小行星介于火星和木星之间.
Robert Ward shows two pieces of the California meteor that he found.
罗伯特·沃德展示了他发现的两块加利福尼亚陨石.
Most of the space rocks that make their way to Earth come from the Asteroid Belt or the Kuiper Belt.
大部分通向地球的空间岩石出自小行星带或克伊珀带.
Many comets have large orbits that carry them far beyond the planets.
许多彗星拥有巨大的轨道,能携带它们远超行星.
(Drawing not to scale.)
(画出不为相.
Meteoroids are rocks much smaller than comets and asteroids.
地星是比彗星和小行星小得多的岩石.
Some are no bigger than a speck of sand.
有些比沙子还大
Others are as large as boulders.
另一些像巨石一样大.
A meteoroid becomes a meteor when it hits Earth’s atmosphere.
当流星体撞击地球大气层时,它就成为了流星.
We see meteors as streaks of light racing through the sky—”shooting stars.”
我们把流星看做是光线在天空中奔跑的“射出星星。 “
When a meteor hits Earth’s surface, scientists call it a meteorite.
当陨石撞击地表时,科学家称之为"陨石".
Meteorites are unlike any rocks on Earth.
陨石不像地球上的任何岩石
As our solar system originally took shape, bits of asteroids and planets broke apart.
随着太阳系的形成 几分小行星和行星破裂
The rocks flew through outer space as meteoroids.
岩石作为流星体飞过外太空
Some are still crashing into Earth as meteorites.
有些人仍然像陨石一样坠入地球
By studying these space rocks, scientists can figure out how our solar system formed.
通过研究这些太空岩石,科学家们可以发现我们的太阳系是如何形成的.
They can also learn how meteorites have changed our planet.
他们也可以知道陨石是如何改变我们的星球的。
A Martian Has Landed In 1984, meteorite hunters found a greenish rock in Antarctica.
火星人登陆 1984年,陨石猎人在南极洲发现了绿地岩.
Scientists were shocked when they studied the stone.
科学家在研究石头时感到震惊.
This was no ordinary meteorite.
这不是普通的陨石
Tests showed that the rock, about the size of a potato, came from Mars.
测试显示,岩石,大约是土豆的大小,来自火星.
How did a Martian rock land on Earth some 140 million miles (225 million km) away?
一个火星岩石是如何在地球约1.4亿英里(2.25亿公里)外登陆的?
Scientists believe an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars 15 million years ago.
科学家相信1500万年前 有一颗小行星或彗星撞入火星
The crash tossed the rock toward Earth, where it arrived only 13 thousand years ago.
坠毁将岩石推向地表 距今只有一万三千多年前
An artist’s drawing shows an asteroid being broken apart by the gravity of a nearby star.
一位艺术家的画作显示一颗小行星被相邻恒星的重力所分解.
Scientists collect a meteorite from the ice in Antarctica.
科学家从南极洲的冰上收集出陨石.
Mighty Meteors When people say they’ve seen a shooting star, what they really saw was a blazing meteor streaking through Earth’s atmosphere.
强大的气象器 当人们说他们见过一颗流星时, 他们真正看到的是一颗在地球大气层中闪烁的陨石。
The ancient Greeks believed the flashes of light were weapons of the gods.
古希腊人认为光的闪光是神出所没的武器.
What they didn’t know is that most meteoroids are pieces that have broken away from asteroids.
他们不知道的是,大多数流星体都是从小行星上断开的碎片。
Meteors are chunks of comets and planets.
陨石是彗星和行星的块状.
Meteorites can do a lot of damage.
陨石可以造成很多破坏.
Just gaze up at the Moon to see the evidence.
看着月亮看证据
The many circular craters on the Moon’s surface are the result of millions of strikes by meteors and comets.
月球表面的多座圆形陨坑是陨石和彗星所撞击的上百万次的结果.
Since there is no atmosphere on the Moon, there’s nothing to protect its surface from these flying space rocks.
由于月球上没有大气层,
Luckily, Earth has an atmosphere that shields our planet.
幸运的是,地球有一个保护地球的大气层。
When a meteor collides with Earth’s atmosphere, the fast-moving rock pushes air out of its way.
当一颗陨石与地球大气层相撞时,迅速移动的岩石将空气推出它的轨道。
As air particles move past the surface of a meteor at high speed, they cause the meteor to heat up and break into pieces.
随着空气颗粒以高速度穿过流星表面,它们会使流星发热并分解成碎片.
As those pieces burn up, the meteor glows in brilliant, fiery streaks of light.
随着这些碎片被烧出 流星在辉煌的光芒中发光
Then it vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
然后它消失得像它出现的那样快
Scientists estimate that there are 300,000 large impact craters on the side of the Moon that faces Earth.
科学家估计月球正面有30万个大撞击坑.
Many more are on the Moon’s far side.
还有许多人站在月球的另一边。
the atmosphere.
大气层
to heat up and glow.
发热发光。
of melting rock and hot gases.
熔岩和热气
in the air before reaching the ground.
在到达地上之前,
Fireballs and Micrometeorites On February 2, 2012, residents of Amarillo, Texas, heard a loud boom at around 8:00 p.
火球和微陨石 2012年2月2日,德克萨斯州阿马里略的居民在8:00左右听到高音高涨.
m.
（字母m）
When people looked up, they saw a blazing meteor light up the sky.
当人们抬头看时,他们看到一束闪闪发光的陨石照出天空.
What people saw was a special type of meteor that scientists call a fireball.
人们看到的是一种特殊的流星 科学家称之为火球。
Because some meteoroids are huge, they grow extremely bright when striking the atmosphere.
由于一些流星体巨大,在撞击大气层时会变得非常亮.
In fact, some get as bright as the Moon for a short time.
事实上,有些人在短时间内变得和月球一样明亮.
What was the blast that everyone heard?
大家听到的爆炸声是什么?
The fireball was moving faster than the speed of sound, which is roughly 760 miles (1,223 km) per hour.
火球运动速度快于音速,时速约为760英里(1,223公里).
As the object raced through the atmosphere, it shattered the sound barrier.
当物体在大气层中奔跑时,它粉碎了音障.
Kaboom!
砰！
The noise that shook Amarillo was a sonic boom.
震撼阿马里洛的噪音是声震.
Sonic booms can be low, rumbling sounds or ear- splitting explosions.
声震可以是低音,隆起的声音或分耳爆炸.
The noise can shake the ground and even break windows.
噪音能震动地上甚至会打碎窗户.
Fireballs are rare.
火球难得.
Micrometeorites are not.
微陨不是。
Most of these tiny meteors are smaller than a freckle.
这些微小的流星大多比雀形小.
Tons of micrometeorites pass through the air and fall to Earth every year.
大量的微陨石每年会从空气中穿过并倒入地球.
This fireball, seen over California’s Mojave Desert in 2009, was caused by a meteor that was once part of a comet.
这颗火球在2009年在加州的莫哈韦沙漠上被看到,
A U.
一个U.
S.
师曰.
Navy fighter jet breaks the sound barrier, causing water droplets to form clouds in the shape of shock waves.
海军战斗机突破了音障,使水滴以冲击波外形形成云.
Meteor Showers What type of shower won’t get you wet?
气象阵雨 什么样的淋浴不会让你湿?
A meteor shower, of course!
当然是流星雨!
Meteor showers are brief periods of heavy meteor activity.
陨石阵雨(Meteor shower)是重度陨石活动的短暂时期.
They are fun to watch, and you don’t need an umbrella.
你不需要雨伞。
Most meteor showers happen at the same time every year.
大多数流星雨每年同时发生.
They are often named after the constellation in which they seem to appear.
它们经常被以它们似乎出现的星座来命名.
For example, every November the Leonid meteor shower appears in the same area of the sky as the constellation Leo.
例如,每个 11月,列昂尼德流星雨出现在与星座利奥相同的天空区域.
Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of meteors can streak across the sky every hour.
成百上千,有时数千, 流星可以每小时横穿天空。
Scientists know when meteor showers will happen because they begin each time Earth passes behind a comet.
科学家们知道流星雨何时会发生,因为每次地球经过彗星后它们都会开始.
As the comet closes in on the Sun, it leaves a “tail” of dust and melting ice behind it in space.
当彗星靠近太阳时,它留下了尘埃和融化的冰层的“尾巴”。
When Earth passes through the comet’s tail, the dust burns up in the atmosphere, creating a natural fireworks show.
当地球穿过彗星的尾巴时,尘埃会燃烧出大气层,形成一个天然的烟花表演.
Some meteor showers produce more than one meteor per minute.
有些流星雨每分钟产生一多颗流星.
A comet leaves behind a tail of dust and gas as it moves through space.
彗星在太空中移动时留下了一尾尘和气体.
Space Gold Scientists say an ancient meteor shower is the reason gold can be found in the rocks near Earth’s surface.
太空黄金科学家说,古老的流星雨是地球地表附近的岩石可以找到金子的原因.
Why do they say that?
他们为什么这么说?
When Earth began forming around 4.
当地球开始形成大约4个。
5 billion years ago, it was a big ball of molten rock.
50亿年前,它是一个巨大的熔岩球。
As Earth cooled, iron sank to the center of the planet, forming Earth’s core.
随着地球冷却,铁沉入地球中心,形成地心.
Some other metals, including gold, sank with the iron.
其他一些金属,包括金子也与铁相沉.
If all the gold sank, scientists wondered, where do we find the gold to make watches, bracelets, and other items?
如果所有金子都沉了,科学家们想知道,我们在哪里找到黄金来制作手表,手镯等物品?
About 650 million years after Earth formed, a firestorm of meteorites rained down.
地球形成约6.5亿年后,一阵陨石暴雨倒下.
That meteor shower forever changed the makeup of Earth’s crust.
流星雨永远改变了地壳的构成。
Scientists say that so many meteorites slammed into our planet that if you put them all together, they would weigh about one-fourth as much as Earth’s moon.
科学家们说, 如此多的陨石撞击了我们的星球, 如果你把它们都放在一起, 它们会比地球的月球重出四分之一。
Most of the gold we use for jewelry and coins came from those meteorites.
我们用来做珠宝和硬币的金子大多来自这些陨石.
Did these gold nuggets journey to Earth from space?
这些金块是从太空到地球的吗?
Crust Mantle Solid inner core Liquid outer core Scientists estimate that 99 percent of Earth’s gold sank to its core when our planet was still forming.
结壳曼托 固体内核 液体外核 科学家估计 地球99%的黄金 沉入其核心 当我们的星球仍在形成。
Types of Meteorites Meteorites can give us clues as to how our solar system formed.
陨石类型 陨石可以告诉我们太阳系是如何形成的
Yet, not all meteorites are the same.
然而,并非所有的陨石都是一样的。
Meteorites come in three main types.
陨石主要有三种类型.
Nearly all meteorites are stone.
几乎所有的陨石都是石头.
Some stony meteorites come from the Moon or Mars.
一些石质陨石来自月球或火星.
A few contain small, glassy beads, which formed under high heat at the time the solar system began to form.
有少数含有小而有玻璃质的珠子,在太阳系开始形成时在高热下形成.
Iron meteorites come from the core of a long- vanished asteroid or planet.
铁陨石来自一个已消失已久的小行星或行星的核心.
These meteorites are dark and look as if they are rusting.
这些陨石是黑暗的,看起来像是在生锈.
Iron meteorites are very heavy and sometimes have surfaces that look the way a lump of clay looks after being pressed all over with fingertips.
铁陨石非常重 有时表面看起来像是一团粘土 在被指尖压满后的样子
Early humans made tools and weapons out of the iron meteorites they found.
早期人类用所发现的铁陨石制造出工具和武器.
Stony-iron are the last type of meteorites.
斯通伊龙是最后一种陨石.
If you find one, you’re lucky.
如果你找到一个,你就很幸运。
Stony-iron meteorites are rare.
斯通伊龙陨石很少见.
As their name suggests, these space rocks are a mix of stone and iron.
正如他们的名字所表明,这些空间岩石是石和铁的混合体.
Meteorite impacts can be devastating.
金属撞击可能具有破坏性。
On land, a meteorite strike can create a gigantic explosion and powerful shock waves.
在陆地上,陨石撞击可以产生巨大的爆炸和强大的冲击波.
Fortunately, the most destructive meteorite impacts happened long ago.
幸运的是,最有破坏性的陨石撞击发生在很久以前。
Not only does Earth’s atmosphere protect the planet, but the pull of the Moon’s gravity steers some meteoroids away from us.
地球的大气层不仅保护了地球,而且月球的引力使一些流星体远离了我们。
Arizona’s Barringer Crater was created by an iron meteorite approximately 50,000 years ago.
亚利桑那州Barringer Crater是由大约5万年前的铁陨石所创造.
Stony-iron meteorites 1% Stony meteorites 92% How Common Is Each Type of Meteorite?
铁质陨石 1% Stony陨石 92%的地铁类型有多常见?
Dying Dinos Scientists say, however, that some 65 million years ago, one very large meteorite got through.
然而,死亡的迪诺斯科学家说,大约6500万年前, 一个非常大的陨石穿过。
At the time, Earth was home to many kinds of dinosaurs.
当时,地球是多种恐龙的家园.
After the large meteorite struck Earth, the dinosaurs vanished.
大陨石撞击地球后,恐龙消失了.
Earth turned into a wasteland.
地球变成了一片荒地
Although scientists aren’t completely sure, they believe a massive meteorite or asteroid strike blasted the dinosaurs into extinction.
他们相信巨型陨石或小行星撞击使恐龙灭绝。
Scientists say the impact threw huge amounts of dust, gas, and rock into the air.
科学家说撞击将大量的尘埃,气体,和岩石投入了空气.
The blast changed Earth’s climate, killing almost everything.
爆炸改变了地球的气候,几乎杀死了一切。
Why do scientists say a meteorite was the cause?
为什么科学家说陨石是原因?
One possible answer comes from scientists who study layers of rock on Earth’s surface.
一个可能的答案来自研究地表地层岩石的科学家.
They noticed that at the same time the dinosaurs disappeared, the amount of iridium (ih-RIH-dee- um) on the planet went up dramatically.
他们注意到恐龙同时消失,地球上的rid(ih-RIH-dee-um)数量急剧上升.
Iridium is a metal that is rare on Earth but is common elsewhere in our solar system.
rid是一种金属,在地球上罕见,但在太阳系的其他地方很常见.
The sudden increase of iridium in Earth’s rock layers made scientists suspect that a large meteorite slammed into Earth, bringing a huge amount of iridium with it.
地上岩层中rid的突然增加,使科学家怀疑有一颗大陨石撞击了地上,带来了大量的 i.
The meteorite that most likely caused the extinction of the dinosaurs is thought to have been about 12.
极有可能使恐龙灭绝的陨石被认为约有12个.
4 miles (20 km) wide.
宽4英里(20公里).
That’s about 1,770 times the length of a school bus.
这大约是校车长度的1,770倍。
United States GULF OF MEXICO Mexico Yucatán Giant meteorite crater Scientists have found a giant meteorite crater on the edge of the Yucatán (yoo-cuh-TAN) Peninsula in Mexico.
美国古尔夫 OF MEXICO 墨西哥尤卡坦巨陨石坑 科学家在墨西哥尤卡坦(yoo-cuh-TAN)半岛边缘发现了一座巨大的陨石坑.
It may be connected to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
可能与恐龙的灭绝有关.
Target Earth?
目标地球?
The chances of another giant meteorite coming our way are slim.
另一颗巨型陨石来袭的可能性很小
In 1908, a meteorite blew apart over the Tunguska River in Siberia.
1908年,一枚陨石在西伯利亚通古斯卡河上空被吹散.
The blast leveled 400 square miles (1,000 sq km) of forest.
爆炸平了400平方英里(1 000平方公里)的森林。
Had the meteorite struck a city, the destruction would have been massive.
如果陨石击中一个城市, 破坏将会是巨大的。
However, we shouldn’t worry too much.
我们不应该太担心。
Scientists say chances are that a large meteorite will hit a major city only about once every 10,000 years.
科学家们说,大陨石可能每一万年只撞击一次大城市。
Asteroid Mining While some people see giant rocks in space as a threat, others see them as an opportunity.
小行星采矿公司 虽然有些人将太空中的巨石视为威胁,而其他人则视之为机遇.
A company called Planetary Resources wants to send spacecraft to mine asteroids in space.
一家叫"行星资源"的公司想将航天器送入太空中的地雷小行星.
According to the company, more than 1,500 asteroids orbit near Earth and could be easily reached using today’s technology.
据该公司称,有1 500多颗小行星在地球附近运行,利用今天的技术可以很容易地到达。
Asteroids contain many valuable resources including precious metals and rare minerals.
小行星包含许多有价值资源,包括贵金属和稀有矿物.
Asteroids may also contain a resource that’s particularly valuable in space—water.
小行星还可能含有在空间-水中特别宝贵的资源。
Yet, meteorites continue to fall and always will.
然而,陨石继续倒下,而且永远会。
If you look up in the sky tonight, you might see a meteor streak across the horizon as it ends its journey through space and time in a blazing show of light.
如果你今晚仰望天空, 你可能会看到一个流星横跨地平线 当它结束穿越空间和时间的旅程时, 闪烁的光芒。
This computer-generated image shows how Planetary Resources plans to use a spacecraft to capture an asteroid for mining.
这种由计算机生成的图像显示行星资源计划如何使用航天器来捕获一颗小行星进行开采.