2023考研英語閱讀充氣式宇宙飛船
Inflatable spacecraft
充氣式宇宙飛船
Blown up in orbit
在軌道上運行時充氣膨脹
A plan to use enormous balloons to build spacestations
一個大量使用氣球構建空間站的計劃
THE International Space Station is mankind s holiday house in the sky.
國際空間站是人類的空中度假小屋。
Like all such houses, it is a luxury item.
它與其他所有類似小屋一樣，都是奢侈品。
And like many similar projects on Earth, the owners cannot resist tinkering with it.
它的所有者會忍不住地想去改進它，就像改進地球上很多類似項目一樣。
It was in this spirit that, on January 16th, NASA announced that the ISS is to get anextension.
本著這樣的精神，美國航天航空局在1月16日宣布將擴展國際空間站的空間。
This will not, as might have been the case on Earth, be a conservatory or loft conversion.
這并不會像地球上那樣是一個溫室或者改裝后的閣樓居室，
Instead, it will be a BEAM, or Bigelow Expandable Activity Module.
而是一個畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙。
Robert Bigelow, an American hotel entrepreneur and spaceenthusiast, has for years been pushing the idea that space stations should be made not ofmetal but of fabric.
美國酒店企業家羅伯特畢格羅是一位太空愛好者，多年來一直在勸人們接受這樣的想法構建空間站應該用織物而不是金屬。
That would mean they could be folded up for launch and inflated in orbit.
這將意味著，空間站在發射時可以折疊，在軌道上運行時可以充氣膨脹。
An inflatable space station may sound like the proverbial chocolate teapot,
可充氣的空間站聽起來可能像大家所熟悉的巧克力茶壺。
but if you are going to have space stations at all, then inflation is not a bad way of makingthem.
但如果真要建空間站，那么采用膨脹法是個不錯的選擇。
There have been many proposals in the past.
過去也曾提出過很多方案。
Wernher von Braun, the patriotically flexible developer of the V2 military rocket and theSaturn V moon rocket, sketched plans in the 1950s.
20世界50年代，沃納馮布勞恩草擬了初步計劃。他熱愛祖國，靈活變通，為德國開發了V2軍用火箭，為美國開發了土星五號衛星火箭。
The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation produced mock-ups in the early 1960s.
20世紀60年代早期，固特異航空公司生產出了這樣的實體模型。
In the 1980s the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came up with a detailedspace-exploration plan which relied on inflatable craft, thus quickly attracting the nicknamebrilliant condoms.
20世紀80年代，勞倫斯利物莫國家實驗室提出了一個空間探索的詳細方案，由于以充氣式宇宙飛船為載體，因而很快獲得了非凡的安全套的昵稱。
And in the 1990s NASA proposed sending astronauts to Mars in an inflatable craft calledTransHab.
20世紀90年代，美國航空航天局提議用充氣式宇宙飛船TransHab把航天員送上火星。
Despite the branding possibilities offered by the Livermore version of the idea, Mr Bigelowand NASA prefer the less evocative term expandable module in their literature.
盡管勞倫斯利物莫國家實驗室關于充氣式宇宙飛船的說法已經提供了品牌價值，但畢格羅和美國航空航天局在資料中更傾向使用可膨脹的太空艙，這個術語比較不會讓人產生聯想。
Regardless of the name, however, making spacecraft and space stations out of fabric offersseveral advantages over the tin-can approach.
但不管取什么名字，比起用錫罐建造宇宙飛船和空間站，用織物建造有幾大好處。
The most important is weight. Inflatable space stations are lighter than metal ones, and evensmall savings in weight make a big difference to launch costs.
最關鍵的是重量。充氣式空間站比金屬材質的空間站更輕，即使是減輕一點重量也會大大降低發射成本。
Expandable modules may be safer, too.
膨脹式太空艙可能也更加安全。
Ground tests by Bigelow Aerospace, Mr Bigelow s vehicle for his orbital ambitions, suggestthat the module s wallsthick sandwiches of exotic fabrics such as Vectran and Nomexoffer better protection than metal ones against impacts from micrometeors and theincreasing amount of artificial debris that is in orbit around Earth.
畢格羅航天公司對畢格羅實現軌道飛行夢的工具進行了地面測試，結果表明：太空艙壁面的厚夾層是由獨特的織物制成，如聚芳酯纖維和諾梅克斯。比起金屬制造的壁面，織物壁面能提供更好的保護，免受微流星和越來越多繞地球軌道飛行的人造碎片的影響。
They are also less likely than metals to generate dangerous secondary radiation whenbombarded with things like cosmic rays.
在撞擊如宇宙射線等東西時，比起金屬材質的太空艙，膨脹式太空艙產生二次輻射的可能性更小。
That is one reason why NASA was interested in using inflatable craft for the months-longjourney to Mars.
這也是美國航空航天局對使用充氣式宇宙飛船進行長達數月的火星之旅感興趣的一大原因。
Nor is the idea untested.
充氣式太空艙已經有過測試。
In 2006 and 2007 Bigelow launched two unmanned versions, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.
畢格羅分別在2006年和2007年發射了創世紀1號和創世紀2號兩架無人駕駛宇宙飛船。
BEAM, which will be bolted onto the space station in 2023, if all goes well, will be the last testof the technology before the launch of the firm s intended commercial product, the BA-330.
畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙將于2023年裝在空間站上。如果一切進展順利，畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙將是該公司發射預期商業產品BA-330太空艙之前的最后一次技術測試。
This will offer 330 cubic metres of internal space.
充氣式太空艙將提供330立方米的艙內空間。
At the moment the ISS has a volume of 916 cubic metres.
目前國際太空站的體積為916立方米。
The firm plans to launch two BA-330s in 2023, link them together in orbit, and thus create astation with 70% of the pressurised volume of the ISS for a fraction of the cost.
畢格羅航天公司計劃將于2023年發射兩個BA-330太空艙，并在軌道上相互連接，從而能用國際空間站增壓體積的70%建造一個空間站，費用也是之前建造的一小部分。
This first station, dubbed the Alpha Station, will be equipped with laboratory equipment,workbenches and the like.
第一個這樣的空間站也叫A空間站，將配備實驗室儀器和工作臺等諸如此類的設備。
Bigelow hopes to offer 60 days aboard it for around 26m, assuming that its guests make thetrip into orbit on one of the cheap rockets provided by SpaceX, another private spacecompany.
畢格羅希望能夠提供費用約為2,600萬美元在空間站呆60天的服務，假設旅客到軌道乘坐的是由私人太空公司SpaceX提供的廉價火箭。
Bigelow hopes in particular to win business from governments without big spaceprogrammes of their own.
比格羅特別希望能從沒有大型空間項目的政府手中贏得業務。
To that end it has memoranda of understanding with several, including those of Britain, Japanand the Netherlands.
為此，畢格羅航天公司與幾國政府簽署了諒解備忘錄，其中包括英國、日本和荷蘭。
It is also wooing the private sector, though that may prove tricky.
該公司也在尋求私營部門的支持，盡管這可能需要技巧。
There has long been talk of the advantages of zero gravity for manufacturing specialisedmaterials whose components are of very different densities, and for growing specialisedprotein crystals for examination by pharmaceutical companies.
長久以來，大家一直都在談論在失重的情況下，制造組件密度差異很大的特殊材料和培育特殊蛋白質晶體用于制藥公司檢查的好處。
This was, indeed, one of the sales pitches for the ISS. Unfortunately, the private sectorstayed away in droves, and the scientific output of the ISS has been pitiful.
這實際上是國際空間站的推銷說辭。大批私營部門都不參與，而國際空間站的研究成果也是少得可憐。
If renting the Alpha Station out as a laboratory does not work, there is always the option ofturning it into a holiday house.
如果不能把A空間站租出用作實驗室，那么可以選擇把它改成度假屋。
Given Mr Bigelow s background, it is often assumed that this is the plan anyway.
考慮到畢格羅的背景資料，人們常常會認為，這至少也是個方案。
The firm insists that it is not, at least for now.
畢格羅航天公司卻不贊同，認為至少現在不是。
But who will really be interested in paying 26m to go into orbit remains to be seen.
但究竟誰會對花2,600萬美元進入軌道感興趣，目前還不得而知。
Inflated space stations are fine, as long as they do not lead to inflated expectations.
只要充氣式空間站能與預期效果相符，那充氣式空間站還是很不錯的。
詞語解釋
1.space station 太空站;航天站;宇宙空間站
China aims to finish its space station by 2023.
中國目標在2023年建成中國空間站。
Subsequent shenzhou missions are expected tofocus on building a space station.
接下來的神州計劃預期將重點建設一個太空站。
2.fold up 不能支撐;倒塌;垮掉
They are the same porsche design that fold up.
他們是相同的保時捷設計，折疊起來。
Most umbrellas fold up, so it s easy to carry them.
大部分的傘可折疊，所以攜帶方便。
3.come up with 追趕上;比得上;想出;準備好
To come up with more creative and innovative designs?
還是想出更原創性和革新性的設計?
Others strive to come up with something a little different.
其他人力圖想出些有點不同的名字。
4.propose to 求婚;對提出建議
This is, of course, but a single result-and supporters of inflation do not propose to give upwithout a fight.
當然，這不是單獨一個結果，并且膨脹理論的支持者不打算不戰而降。
How did you propose to your wife?
你是怎樣向你妻子求婚的?
Inflatable spacecraft
充氣式宇宙飛船
Blown up in orbit
在軌道上運行時充氣膨脹
A plan to use enormous balloons to build spacestations
一個大量使用氣球構建空間站的計劃
THE International Space Station is mankind s holiday house in the sky.
國際空間站是人類的空中度假小屋。
Like all such houses, it is a luxury item.
它與其他所有類似小屋一樣，都是奢侈品。
And like many similar projects on Earth, the owners cannot resist tinkering with it.
它的所有者會忍不住地想去改進它，就像改進地球上很多類似項目一樣。
It was in this spirit that, on January 16th, NASA announced that the ISS is to get anextension.
本著這樣的精神，美國航天航空局在1月16日宣布將擴展國際空間站的空間。
This will not, as might have been the case on Earth, be a conservatory or loft conversion.
這并不會像地球上那樣是一個溫室或者改裝后的閣樓居室，
Instead, it will be a BEAM, or Bigelow Expandable Activity Module.
而是一個畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙。
Robert Bigelow, an American hotel entrepreneur and spaceenthusiast, has for years been pushing the idea that space stations should be made not ofmetal but of fabric.
美國酒店企業家羅伯特畢格羅是一位太空愛好者，多年來一直在勸人們接受這樣的想法構建空間站應該用織物而不是金屬。
That would mean they could be folded up for launch and inflated in orbit.
這將意味著，空間站在發射時可以折疊，在軌道上運行時可以充氣膨脹。
An inflatable space station may sound like the proverbial chocolate teapot,
可充氣的空間站聽起來可能像大家所熟悉的巧克力茶壺。
but if you are going to have space stations at all, then inflation is not a bad way of makingthem.
但如果真要建空間站，那么采用膨脹法是個不錯的選擇。
There have been many proposals in the past.
過去也曾提出過很多方案。
Wernher von Braun, the patriotically flexible developer of the V2 military rocket and theSaturn V moon rocket, sketched plans in the 1950s.
20世界50年代，沃納馮布勞恩草擬了初步計劃。他熱愛祖國，靈活變通，為德國開發了V2軍用火箭，為美國開發了土星五號衛星火箭。
The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation produced mock-ups in the early 1960s.
20世紀60年代早期，固特異航空公司生產出了這樣的實體模型。
In the 1980s the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came up with a detailedspace-exploration plan which relied on inflatable craft, thus quickly attracting the nicknamebrilliant condoms.
20世紀80年代，勞倫斯利物莫國家實驗室提出了一個空間探索的詳細方案，由于以充氣式宇宙飛船為載體，因而很快獲得了非凡的安全套的昵稱。
And in the 1990s NASA proposed sending astronauts to Mars in an inflatable craft calledTransHab.
20世紀90年代，美國航空航天局提議用充氣式宇宙飛船TransHab把航天員送上火星。
Despite the branding possibilities offered by the Livermore version of the idea, Mr Bigelowand NASA prefer the less evocative term expandable module in their literature.
盡管勞倫斯利物莫國家實驗室關于充氣式宇宙飛船的說法已經提供了品牌價值，但畢格羅和美國航空航天局在資料中更傾向使用可膨脹的太空艙，這個術語比較不會讓人產生聯想。
Regardless of the name, however, making spacecraft and space stations out of fabric offersseveral advantages over the tin-can approach.
但不管取什么名字，比起用錫罐建造宇宙飛船和空間站，用織物建造有幾大好處。
The most important is weight. Inflatable space stations are lighter than metal ones, and evensmall savings in weight make a big difference to launch costs.
最關鍵的是重量。充氣式空間站比金屬材質的空間站更輕，即使是減輕一點重量也會大大降低發射成本。
Expandable modules may be safer, too.
膨脹式太空艙可能也更加安全。
Ground tests by Bigelow Aerospace, Mr Bigelow s vehicle for his orbital ambitions, suggestthat the module s wallsthick sandwiches of exotic fabrics such as Vectran and Nomexoffer better protection than metal ones against impacts from micrometeors and theincreasing amount of artificial debris that is in orbit around Earth.
畢格羅航天公司對畢格羅實現軌道飛行夢的工具進行了地面測試，結果表明：太空艙壁面的厚夾層是由獨特的織物制成，如聚芳酯纖維和諾梅克斯。比起金屬制造的壁面，織物壁面能提供更好的保護，免受微流星和越來越多繞地球軌道飛行的人造碎片的影響。
They are also less likely than metals to generate dangerous secondary radiation whenbombarded with things like cosmic rays.
在撞擊如宇宙射線等東西時，比起金屬材質的太空艙，膨脹式太空艙產生二次輻射的可能性更小。
That is one reason why NASA was interested in using inflatable craft for the months-longjourney to Mars.
這也是美國航空航天局對使用充氣式宇宙飛船進行長達數月的火星之旅感興趣的一大原因。
Nor is the idea untested.
充氣式太空艙已經有過測試。
In 2006 and 2007 Bigelow launched two unmanned versions, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.
畢格羅分別在2006年和2007年發射了創世紀1號和創世紀2號兩架無人駕駛宇宙飛船。
BEAM, which will be bolted onto the space station in 2023, if all goes well, will be the last testof the technology before the launch of the firm s intended commercial product, the BA-330.
畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙將于2023年裝在空間站上。如果一切進展順利，畢格羅可充氣活動太空艙將是該公司發射預期商業產品BA-330太空艙之前的最后一次技術測試。
This will offer 330 cubic metres of internal space.
充氣式太空艙將提供330立方米的艙內空間。
At the moment the ISS has a volume of 916 cubic metres.
目前國際太空站的體積為916立方米。
The firm plans to launch two BA-330s in 2023, link them together in orbit, and thus create astation with 70% of the pressurised volume of the ISS for a fraction of the cost.
畢格羅航天公司計劃將于2023年發射兩個BA-330太空艙，并在軌道上相互連接，從而能用國際空間站增壓體積的70%建造一個空間站，費用也是之前建造的一小部分。
This first station, dubbed the Alpha Station, will be equipped with laboratory equipment,workbenches and the like.
第一個這樣的空間站也叫A空間站，將配備實驗室儀器和工作臺等諸如此類的設備。
Bigelow hopes to offer 60 days aboard it for around 26m, assuming that its guests make thetrip into orbit on one of the cheap rockets provided by SpaceX, another private spacecompany.
畢格羅希望能夠提供費用約為2,600萬美元在空間站呆60天的服務，假設旅客到軌道乘坐的是由私人太空公司SpaceX提供的廉價火箭。
Bigelow hopes in particular to win business from governments without big spaceprogrammes of their own.
比格羅特別希望能從沒有大型空間項目的政府手中贏得業務。
To that end it has memoranda of understanding with several, including those of Britain, Japanand the Netherlands.
為此，畢格羅航天公司與幾國政府簽署了諒解備忘錄，其中包括英國、日本和荷蘭。
It is also wooing the private sector, though that may prove tricky.
該公司也在尋求私營部門的支持，盡管這可能需要技巧。
There has long been talk of the advantages of zero gravity for manufacturing specialisedmaterials whose components are of very different densities, and for growing specialisedprotein crystals for examination by pharmaceutical companies.
長久以來，大家一直都在談論在失重的情況下，制造組件密度差異很大的特殊材料和培育特殊蛋白質晶體用于制藥公司檢查的好處。
This was, indeed, one of the sales pitches for the ISS. Unfortunately, the private sectorstayed away in droves, and the scientific output of the ISS has been pitiful.
這實際上是國際空間站的推銷說辭。大批私營部門都不參與，而國際空間站的研究成果也是少得可憐。
If renting the Alpha Station out as a laboratory does not work, there is always the option ofturning it into a holiday house.
如果不能把A空間站租出用作實驗室，那么可以選擇把它改成度假屋。
Given Mr Bigelow s background, it is often assumed that this is the plan anyway.
考慮到畢格羅的背景資料，人們常常會認為，這至少也是個方案。
The firm insists that it is not, at least for now.
畢格羅航天公司卻不贊同，認為至少現在不是。
But who will really be interested in paying 26m to go into orbit remains to be seen.
但究竟誰會對花2,600萬美元進入軌道感興趣，目前還不得而知。
Inflated space stations are fine, as long as they do not lead to inflated expectations.
只要充氣式空間站能與預期效果相符，那充氣式空間站還是很不錯的。
詞語解釋
1.space station 太空站;航天站;宇宙空間站
China aims to finish its space station by 2023.
中國目標在2023年建成中國空間站。
Subsequent shenzhou missions are expected tofocus on building a space station.
接下來的神州計劃預期將重點建設一個太空站。
2.fold up 不能支撐;倒塌;垮掉
They are the same porsche design that fold up.
他們是相同的保時捷設計，折疊起來。
Most umbrellas fold up, so it s easy to carry them.
大部分的傘可折疊，所以攜帶方便。
3.come up with 追趕上;比得上;想出;準備好
To come up with more creative and innovative designs?
還是想出更原創性和革新性的設計?
Others strive to come up with something a little different.
其他人力圖想出些有點不同的名字。
4.propose to 求婚;對提出建議
This is, of course, but a single result-and supporters of inflation do not propose to give upwithout a fight.
當然，這不是單獨一個結果，并且膨脹理論的支持者不打算不戰而降。
How did you propose to your wife?
你是怎樣向你妻子求婚的?
