自然科學Science
Hunter in the sky 天空中的獵人
Stargazing takes imagination. People who love stargazing see the stars as shinning spots in a dot-to-dot drawing game. They imagine lines that connect groups of stars called constellations. A constellation is a group of stars that looks like a person, an animal, or an object.
The constellation Orion is known as the hunter, after a hero from ancient Greek myths. To find Orion, first find the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper looks like a huge cup with a long handle. After you find the Big Dipper, turn around. There’s Orion! He is outlined by four bright stars that form two triangles. The tips of the triangles seem to come together. Where they meet, there are three more bright stars. These form Orion’s belt. Some fainter stars appear to hang from the belt. These are Orion’s sword.
Different kinds of stars are in the constellation Orion. The star Betelgeuse makes Orion’s bright shoulder. Betelgeuse is an Arabic word that means “shoulder of the giant.” The star itself is so huge that it is called a supergiant. Its diameter is 400 times greater than that of our Sun. Betelgeuse is considered a cool star. It is probably not as hot as our Sun.
Rigel is the star that makes Orion’s left foot. Rigel is the Arabic word for foot. Rigel is much brighter than Betelgeuse because it is much hotter. It’s more than three times as hot as our Sun. However, Rigel is just a baby is size compared to Betelgeuse.
A large, misty area near Orion’s sword is called a nebula. It is a mass of shining gas and dust. The gases whirl together and may form new stars. As the new stars begin to shine, Orion will be brighter than ever.
Words and Phrases:
stargaze ['stɑr͵gez] vi 眺望星星；凝視
imagination [ɪ͵mædʒə'neʃən] n. 想像力；空想，想像
drawing game 塗塗畫畫；畫圖遊戲
constellation [͵kɑnstə'leʃən] n. 星座
Orion [o'raɪən] n. 獵戶星座
Big Dipper 北斗七星
outline ['aʊt͵laɪn] vt. 畫（標）出……的輪廓
triangle ['traɪ͵æŋg!] n. 三角形
faint [fent] adj. 微弱的，暗淡的，模糊的
Betelgeuse n. 獵戶星座中的一等星
Arabic ['ærəbɪk] adj. 阿拉伯的；阿拉伯語的；阿拉伯人的
supergiant ['supɚ͵dʒaɪənt] adj. 特大的，超巨型的；n. 超巨星
diameter [daɪ'æmətɚ] n. 直徑
Rigel ['raɪdʒəl] n. 參宿七
misty ['mɪstɪ] adj. 多霧的，被霧籠罩的
nebula ['nɛbjʊlə] n. 星雲；星雲狀的星系
whirl [hwɝl] vi 旋轉
Practice:
1. When looking at the constellation, people try to imagine .
A. lines B. games C. spots D. groups
2. Groups of stars are called .
A. stargazers C. ancient myths
C. constellations D. connections
3. The four bright stars in Orion form .
A. a big cup B. two triangles C. a long handle D. an animal
4. Betelgeuse makes .
A. Arabic words B. Orion’s shoulders
C. different stars D. huge sizes
5. Orion may shine brighter .
A. when Rigel explodes B. as new stars shine
C. as dust shines D. as dust forms
譯文：
天空中的獵人
眺望星空需要想像力。喜歡遠眺星空的人們往往把星星看作是連點畫圖遊戲中閃亮的點。他們想像群星間有線條相連以組成星座。星座就是看上去像人、動物或物體的一組星星。
獵戶星座看上去就像個獵人，源於古代希臘神話中的一個英雄。要找到獵戶座，首先得找到北斗七星。北斗七星看上去像一個有著長長把手的大杯子。找到北斗七星後，轉身，就會找到獵戶星！它由四顆亮星組成兩個三角形。三角形的頂端看上去連接在一起，在它們相連接的地方，有三個更亮的星星，它們組成獵戶座的腰帶。懸掛在腰帶上一些微暗的星星是獵戶座的寶劍。
獵戶座由不同種類的星星組成。β星組成獵戶座明亮的肩膀。Betelgeuse在阿拉伯語中的意思是「巨人的肩膀」。 β星很大，以致於被稱作超巨星，直徑是我們太陽的400倍。β星被視為冷恆星，它的溫度似乎沒有太陽的溫度那麼高。
參宿七星組成獵戶座的左腳，Rigel在阿拉伯文語中代表的意思是「腳」。參宿七星看上去比β星亮，因為它的溫度很高，是我們太陽溫度的三倍。然而就大小而言，參宿七和β星相比，簡直如嬰兒一般。
在獵戶座寶劍一大片霧狀區域被稱為星雲。它是發光的氣體和灰塵的混合物。這些氣體旋轉在一起，可能還會形成新的星體。當新生成的星星閃爍的時候，獵戶座會比現在更明更亮。
練習：
1. 在看星座的時候，人們試圖想像星星之間有 .
A.線條 B. 遊戲 C.斑點 D.成群的
2. 成群的星星被稱為 .
A. 占星師 B. 古代神話 C. 星座 D. 聯結體
3. 在獵戶星座裏，四顆明亮的星星組成 .
A.一個大杯子 B. 兩個三角形 C. 一個長長的手柄 D. 一隻動物
4. β星組成 .
A.阿拉伯語言 B. 獵戶座的肩膀 C.不同的星星 D. 巨大的面積
5.獵戶星或許會更明亮。
A. 當參宿七爆炸時 B.當新星星開始閃爍時 C. 當灰塵發光時 D.當灰塵形成時
答案：
1. A 2. C 3. B 4. B 5. B
The Space Shuttle 太空梭
Space shuttles go back and forth between Earth and space. The first one flew on April 12, 1981. A space shuttle has four main parts. They are the orbiter, the fuel tank, and two rocket boosters.
The orbiter looks like an airplane. It carries the crew. A huge tank is attached to the orbiter. It holds fuel for the orbiter’s engines. A rocket booster is on each side of the tank. These fire on liftoff. In two minutes, the rockets run out of fuel and fall off. Parachutes slow their drop to the sea. Then boats tow them to shore. Rockets can be used as many as 20 times. The big tank runs out of fuel in eight minutes. It falls and breaks apart over the sea. Now the orbiter enters its orbit.
There may be up to seven crew members on board the orbiter. They do tests. They might launch satellites. In 1999, a shuttle went up to fix the Hubble telescope. The Hubble is as big as a bus. The shuttle caught it. The telescope was held in the cargo bay. That’s an open place like the back of a pickup truck. The crew worked out in space to make repairs. They wore space suits. They were attached to the shuttle by a long line. A robot arm put the Hubble back in orbit.
When it’s time to come home, the orbiter’s engines fire. This slows the shuttle, and it drops from orbit. Tiles protect the shuttle from heat caused by entering Earth’s atmosphere. The shuttle then acts like an airplane. It glides to a landing on a runway.
Words and Phrases:
space shuttle 太空梭
orbiter ['ɔrbɪtɚ] n. 軌道飛行器
fuel tank 燃料箱
rocket booster 火箭加速器；火箭助推器
run out of 用完
parachute ['pærə͵ʃut] n. 降落傘
tow [to] vt. 拖，拉
orbit ['ɔrbɪt] n. 軌道
launch [lɔntʃ] vt. 發射
satellite ['sæt!͵aɪt] n. 衛星；人造衛星
Hubble telescope 哈伯望遠鏡
cargo bay 貨倉
pickup truck 小型載貨卡車
robot arm 機械手臂
atmosphere ['ætməs͵fɪr] n. 大氣，大氣層
glide [glaɪd] v.（使）滑行，滑翔
runway ['rʌn͵we] n.（機場的）跑道
Practice:
1. When do the rocket boosters fire?
A. while the orbiter is circling Earth
B. right before landing
C. on liftoff
2. When does the orbiter enter its orbit?
A. after the big fuel tank falls to the sea
B. when the parachutes open
C. after a satellite is launched
3. When was the telescope held in the cargo bay?
A. before 1999
B. after the shuttle caught it
C. after a robot arm put it in orbit
4. When do the orbiter’s engines fire?
A. when it’s time to return to Earth
B. before it reaches orbit
C. when the crew works out in space
譯文：
太空梭
太空梭是在地球與太空之間來回穿梭的機器。太空梭第一次發射是在1981年4月12日。一具太空梭由四部分組成：軌道飛行器，燃料箱和兩個火箭助推器。
軌道飛行器看上去像一架飛機，它承載著工作人員。巨大的燃料箱與飛行器相連，裡頭裝著飛行器發動機所需的燃料。火箭助推器連接在燃料箱的兩側，它們在起飛時點燃。火箭助推器在兩分鐘內將燃料用盡，就從高空掉落。降落傘裝置讓它緩慢墜入大海，再由船隻拖回海岸。火箭能夠這樣重複使用二十次左右。巨大的燃料箱在八分鐘後也會將燃料用盡，它從高空墜落分解並入大海。此時軌道飛行器則順利進入軌道。
軌道飛行器最多能承載七名做測驗的工作人員。他們或許也會發射人造衛星。1999年，一架太空梭被派往太空去修復哈伯天文望遠鏡。哈伯望遠鏡如同一輛公車般大小。大空梭首先扣住哈伯望遠鏡，隨後把它固定在貨艙裡。貨艙是開放空間，就像無頂載貨卡車後面的部分。工作人員得在太空梭外的太空修復它，他們身穿太空服，並用一條長長的繩索與太空梭相連。修理完後，機械手臂把哈伯望遠鏡放回軌道上。
當飛行器從太空返航時，要點燃軌道飛行器的發動機，此舉減緩太空梭的速度，使其脫離軌道進入地球大氣層，這時太空梭外部的特製陶片保護太空梭免受地球大氣層的高溫。最後太空梭就會像飛機一樣，滑翔並降落在跑道上。
練習：
1.火箭助推器什麼時候點燃？
A.當飛行器圍繞地球旋轉時
B.恰好在著陸前
C.在起飛時
2.什麼時候飛行器進入軌道？
A.在巨大的燃料箱墜入大海後
B.當降落傘打開時
C.在衛星發射後
3.什麼時候哈伯望遠鏡被固定在貨艙裡？
A.在1999年前
B.當太空梭扣住它後
C.在機器手把它放回軌道後
4.什麼時候點燃飛行器的發動機？
A.當飛機器返回地球時
B.在它到達軌道之前
C.當工作人員在太空工作時
答案：
1.C 2. A 3. B 4. A
Our Big Universe 浩瀚的宇宙
For many years people have had questions about the universe. In ancient times they thought the world rested on the back of an elephant. When asked what the elephant stood on, they answered, “on the back of a turtle.” Most ancient people believed the sun, moon, and stars revolved around the earth. Some also taught that the earth was flat because to them it looked that way. They were afraid that if one went too far in any direction, he would fall off the edge.
These beliefs, in the form of legends, myths, and stories, were accepted as facts when they really were opinions. Opinions are beliefs that people have without positive knowledge or proof. The fact that God created the universe has, even today, been ignored by many persons. Instead, they have accepted opinions and ideas to replace the truth that God has revealed in the Bible.
The astronomers’ eyes. About three hundred seventy years ago an instrument was made to help scientists learn more about space. The story has been told about a Dutchman who made eyeglasses. His name was Hans Lippershey. One day, unknown to him, his children slipped into the shop where he worked. They began to play with some glass lenses. One of the children picked up two lenses and looked out the window. He was surprised at what he saw. He noticed that a church which was far away looked much closer and bigger. He called his father. His father rushed in and was amazed at what he saw. By chance Hans’ son had made a very important discovery. He had discovered that if he held a lens near his eye and another lens a little farther away, objects at a distance appeared to be much closer and bigger than they really were. A short time later an Italian scientist named Galileo, heard about this discovery. He started at once to use two lenses and made a telescope.
Since the time Lippershey and Galileo made their first telescopes in 1608 and 1609, scientists have made larger and better ones. The telescope has opened new worlds in astronomy. With telescopes astronomers can see farther and farther into space.
Another instrument that has aided in space study is the spectroscope. A spectroscope measures light from heavenly bodies. When you see a rainbow in the sky you are looking at a type of spectroscope. The light of the sun shining on the drops of water is broken into the colors of the rainbow. A spectroscope works like the raindrops to break up the colors of light from faraway heavenly bodies. By using a spectroscope with a telescope, and astronomer can learn important information about the stars.
Astronomers use another important instrument called a radio telescope to study the universe. The radio telescope is used to receive radio signals from stars and other objects in space. These radio signals are called waves.
A machine attached to the radio telescope strengthens the signals and records them as wavy lines on a piece of paper. The wavy lines tell the astronomer the distance to the object and where it is located in space. In this way, the astronomer gets the information from stars that are so far away and so dim that they cannot be seen through a regular telescope.
From these instruments, astronomers can get the needed information to make maps of the heavenly bodies.
Words and Phrases:
ancient ['enʃənt] adj.古代的，古老的
turtle ['tɝt!] n. 海龜，甲魚
revolve [rɪ'vɑlv] v.（使）旋轉
fall off 跌落
legend ['lɛdʒənd] n. 傳說，傳奇故事
ignore [ɪg'nor] vt.不顧，不理，忽視
replace [rɪ'ples] vt. 取代，代替
astronomer [ə'strɑnəmɚ] n. 天文學家
instrument ['ɪnstrəmənt] n. 器具，儀器
slip into 悄悄進入
by chance 偶然地，意外地
astronomy [əs'trɑnəmɪ] n. 天文學
spectroscope ['spɛktrə͵skop] n. 光譜儀
heavenly bodies 天體
rainbow ['ren͵bo] n. 彩虹
break into 把……分成
break up 分解
radio telescope n. 電波望遠鏡；無線電望遠鏡
radio signal 無線電信號
wavy ['wevɪ] adj. 波狀的；起伏的；有波紋的
Practice:
1. Many ancient people believed that the earth rested on the back of .
A. a dog B. a bird C. an elephant D. a cat
2. This belief in 1 was widely accepted as by many.
A. fact B. proof C. silly D. unbelievable
3. Theories and ideas of men have often replaced the of God’s Word.
A. error B. mistakes C. truth D. uncertainty
4. An Italian scientist who improved upon the telescope and made it popular was
A. Lippershey B. Galileo C. Marconi D. none of these
譯文：
浩瀚的宇宙
長久以來，人們對宇宙一直存有很多疑問。古時候的人認為地球就位在大象的背上。當被問到大象站在什麼上面時，古人又回答「在龜背上」。大部分的古人認為太陽、月亮、星星都繞著地球旋轉。一些人也認為地球就如同他們看到的一樣是扁平的。如果有人向任何一個方向走得太遠，大家就會擔心他會從地球邊緣跌下去。
這些信念以傳說、神話以及故事的形式被那時的人們當作是事實所接受，儘管它們真的只是觀點而已。觀點就是人們根據沒有明確知識或證據的信念。即使在今天，上帝創造宇宙的事實仍然被很多人所忽略。相反的，這些觀念和想法還會取代上帝在聖經裡揭示的真理，而被人們所接受。
大約在370年前，一種幫助科學家更了解太空的工具「天文學家之眼」誕生了。故事是講一個名叫漢斯‧李普希的荷蘭人，他專門製造眼鏡。某天，他的孩子們瞞著父親悄悄溜進工作的店鋪，去把玩一些玻璃鏡片。其中一個孩子拿起兩片透鏡朝窗外望去。他非常吃驚地發現遠處的教堂看上去竟然那麼近那麼大。他便叫父親來看。父親匆忙跑來，對所看到的無比驚訝。就這樣，漢斯的兒子偶然間有了一項重大發現。他發現如果一個鏡片貼近眼睛，而把另一個鏡片稍微拿遠一點，那麼遠處的物體看上去就會比實際的大許多也近許多。不久之後，一位名叫伽利略的義大利科學家聽說了此項發明，就立即著手用兩片透鏡製造出了望遠鏡。
自李普希於1608年和伽利略於1609年製造出他們的第一個望遠鏡後，科學家們陸續製造出更大更好的望遠鏡。正是望遠鏡打開了通向天文世界的大門。有了它們天文學家能在太空中看得更遠。
光譜儀另一個有助於太空研究的得力工具，它能夠測量來自天體的光線。當你看到彩虹在天空出現時，事實上你就看到了一種光譜儀。照在水滴上的太陽光線被分解成彩虹的七彩顏色。光譜儀的工作原理就像雨滴，它把來自天體的光線分解成不同的顏色。通過運用光譜儀、望遠鏡，天文學家可以獲悉有關星體的重要資訊。
無線電望遠鏡是天文學家研究宇宙的另一種重要的儀器。這種望遠鏡用來接收來自太空的星體或其他物體的無線電信號。這些無線電信號叫做「波」。
一台與無線電望遠鏡相連的機器能強化信號，並以波狀線條的形式記錄在紙上。通過研究這些波狀線，天文學家可以知道物體的距離以及確定它在太空的位置。用這種方法，天文學家可以獲得那些用普通望遠鏡看不到的、距離地球遙遠而又暗淡的星體的資訊。
有了這些儀器的幫助，天文學家們可以獲取需要的資訊來繪製天體圖。
練習：
1. 古時候很多人相信地球坐落在 背上。
A.一隻狗 B.一隻鳥 C. 一頭大象 D. 一隻貓
2. 許多人認為1這種信念是 。s
A.事實 B.證據 C.愚蠢的 D.不可思議的
3. 當時的理論和觀點完全取代了聖經所講述的 。
A.過失 B.錯誤 C. 事實 D.不確定
4. 改進望遠鏡並促使它廣泛使用的一位義大利科學家是 。
A.李普希 B.伽利略 C.馬可尼 D.都不是
答案：
1.C 2.A 3.C 4. B
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