CNN新闻：太空旅行会对旅行者的身体产生什么样的影响

燕山大学 刘立军 编写

 TRANSCRIPT

There’s been a lot of talk about space travel in the news, a new mission to the moon, future missions to Mars, spacecraft that have traveled much further away than the red planet. But beyond what’s technologically possible, what’s physically possible? Scientists are studying what kind of effects space travel could have on the bodies of human space travelers.

Think about this, in six months, the average amount of time an astronaut spends onboard the International Space Station, you could never leave your spacecraft. You can’t go outside. You can’t feel raindrops or soak in the sun.

And your body changes. Astronauts have reported problems with their vision after working in orbit. They’ve experienced back pain and weakened muscles after missions. They’re exposed to more radiation in space than they are on Earth, increasing their risks for developing cancer. And this is for a trip that lasts half a year.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent almost twice that amount in orbit.

Preliminary results indicate that there were some changes in Scott’s genetic expression, how his genes do their work within cells and even in after two years on Earth, they still haven’t returned to where they were before he took off. That’s just one lesson learned in NASA’s "Twins Study", which allowed the organization to compare Scott Kelly’s health with that of his identical twin brother Mark who stayed on Earth.

Adapted from https://www.chinavoa.com/

 VOCABULARY

1. spacecraft n. a vehicle that travels in space 航天器；宇宙飞船

2. orbit n. a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc. （天体等运行的）轨道。例如：

 the earth's orbit around the sun地球环绕太阳的轨道

 a space station in orbit round the moon绕月球运行的一个航天站

 A new satellite has been put into orbit around the earth. 一颗新的人造卫星被送上了环绕地球的轨道。

3. identical adj. identical (to / with sb./sth.) similar in every detail 完全同样的；相同的。例如：

 a row of identical houses完全一样的一排房子

 Her dress is almost identical to mine. 她的连衣裙和我的几乎一模一样。

 The number on the card should be identical with the one on the chequebook. 卡上的号码应该和支票簿上的相同。

 The two pictures are similar, although not identical. 这两幅画很相似，虽然不完全相同。

 QUESTIONS

There’s been a lot of talk about space travel in the news, a new mission to the moon, future missions to Mars, spacecraft that have traveled much further away than the red planet. But beyond what’s (Q1.)_______________________________ possible, what’s (Q2.) ____________________ possible? Scientists are studying what kind of effects space travel could have on the (Q3.) ______________ of human space travelers.

Think about this, in six months, the average amount of time an astronaut spends onboard the International Space Station, you could never leave your spacecraft. You can’t go outside. You can’t feel raindrops or soak in the sun.

And your body changes. Astronauts have reported problems with their (Q4.)_________________ after working in orbit. They’ve experienced (Q5.)____________ and (Q6.) __________________ after missions. They’re exposed to more (Q7.) ______________________ in space than they are on Earth, increasing their risks for (Q8.) _______________________________________. And this is for a trip that lasts half a year.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent almost twice that amount in orbit.

Preliminary results indicate that there were some changes in Scott’s (Q9.)____________________, how his genes do their work within cells and even in after two years on Earth, they still haven’t returned to where they were before he took off. That’s just one lesson learned in NASA’s "Twins Study", which allowed the organization to compare Scott Kelly’s health with that of his (Q10.) ________________________________ brother Mark who stayed on Earth.

 KEY 

Read the passage. Then listen to the news and fill in the blanks with the information (words, phrases or sentences) you hear.

There’s been a lot of talk about space travel in the news, a new mission to the moon, future missions to Mars, spacecraft that have traveled much further away than the red planet. But beyond what’s (Q1.) technologically possible, what’s (Q2.) physically possible? Scientists are studying what kind of effects space travel could have on the (Q3.) bodies of human space travelers.

Think about this, in six months, the average amount of time an astronaut spends onboard the International Space Station, you could never leave your spacecraft. You can’t go outside. You can’t feel raindrops or soak in the sun.

And your body changes. Astronauts have reported problems with their (Q4.)vision after working in orbit. They’ve experienced (Q5.) back pain and (Q6.) weakened muscles after missions. They’re exposed to more (Q7.)radiation in space than they are on Earth, increasing their risks for (Q8.)developing cancer. And this is for a trip that lasts half a year.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent almost twice that amount in orbit.

Preliminary results indicate that there were some changes in Scott’s (Q9.)genetic expression, how his genes do their work within cells and even in after two years on Earth, they still haven’t returned to where they were before he took off. That’s just one lesson learned in NASA’s "Twins Study", which allowed the organization to compare Scott Kelly’s health with that of his (Q10.) identical twin brother Mark who stayed on Earth.