SpaceX星舰飞船在第七次试飞中爆炸

近日，美国太空探索技术公司新一代重型运载火箭“星舰”从美国得克萨斯州发射升空，实施第七次试飞。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What can be inferred about SpaceX’s attitude toward the failed test flight?

A. They view it as a major setback for their long-term goals.

B. They are reluctant to disclose further details about the failure.

C. They plan to delay future launches significantly as a precaution.

D. They remain optimistic and focused on analyzing the failure.

无注释原文：

SpaceX's Starship test flight ends in failure after spacecraft is destroyed

From: The Guardian

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight on Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.

Elon Musk's company said the spacecraft's six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with contact lost just 8min 30sec into the flight.

“We did lose all communications with the ship – that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said, confirming minutes later that the ship was lost.

The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. SpaceX had packed it with 10 dummy satellites to practice releasing them. It was the first flight of this new and upgraded spacecraft.

The SpaceX mishap caused widespread disruptions to air traffic. At Miami international airport, some flights were grounded, according to a Reuters witness. Dozens of commercial flights diverted to other airports or altered course to avoid potential debris, based on flight records from the tracking website FlightRadar24.

A minute earlier, SpaceX used the launch tower's giant mechanical arms to catch the returning booster. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed chopsticks.

The thrill of the catch quickly turned into disappointment for not only the company, but the crowds gathered along the southern tip of Texas.

SpaceX CEO Musk posted a video on Twitter/X showing the debris field and said: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed-out about ship,” said Huot, adding it would take time to analyze the data and figure out what happened.

Musk said the preliminary indication was that “we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.” He said there was nothing to suggest delaying the next launch.

The 400-ft (123-meter) rocket had thundered away in late afternoon from Boca Chica near the Mexican border. The late hour ensured a daylight entry halfway around the world in the Indian Ocean. But the shiny retro-looking spacecraft never got nearly that far.

The company also upgraded the spacecraft for the latest demo. The test satellites were the same size as SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites and, like the spacecraft, were meant to be destroyed upon entry.

It was the seventh test flight for the world's biggest and most powerful rocket. Nasa has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. Musk's goal is Mars.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

SpaceX's Starship test flight ends in failure after spacecraft is destroyed

From: The Guardian

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight on Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.

周四，美国太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）再次发射其星舰（Starship）火箭进行试飞，尽管在发射台成功回收了助推器，但飞船最终还是被摧毁。

thrilling /ˈθrɪl.ɪŋ/ 表示“令人激动的；惊险的；紧张的”，英文解释为“extremely exciting”举个🌰：The book is a thrilling adventure story. 这是一部情节紧张的冒险小说。

booster /ˈbuː.stər/ 1）表示“（航天器的）推进器”，英文解释为“an engine on a spacecraft that gives extra power for the first part of a flight”如：a rocket booster 火箭推进器。

2）表示“（增强药效的）辅助药剂”，英文解释为“a small amount of a substance that is given to increase the effect of the same substance given some time before, to continue to protect a person from illness”如：a polio booster 小儿麻痹症辅助药剂。

📍booster / booster shot / booster dose用来指加强针（疫苗）。

pad /pæd/ 1）表示“（直升机的）起降场地；（火箭的）发射台”，英文解释为“a hard flat area of ground where helicopters can take off and land, or from which rockets are sent”举个🌰：The hotel has its own helicopter pad. 这家饭店有自己的直升机起降平台。

2）pad /pæd/ 表示“垫，衬垫；护垫”，英文解释为“a piece of soft, thick cloth or rubber, used to protect a part of the body, give shape to something, or clean something”如：a knee/shoulder pad 护膝/垫肩。

Elon Musk's company said the spacecraft's six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with contact lost just 8min 30sec into the flight.

埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）的公司表示，飞船的六台发动机似乎是一台接一台地熄火，飞行仅8分30秒后就失去了联系。

“We did lose all communications with the ship – that is essentially telling us we had an anomaly with the upper stage,” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said, confirming minutes later that the ship was lost.

SpaceX通信经理丹·休特（Dan Huot）说：“我们确实失去了与飞船的所有通信——这基本上表明上层火箭出现了异常。”

anomaly /əˈnɒm.ə.li/ 表示“异常的人（或事物）；不规则；（同一种类中的）畸形”，英文解释为“a person or thing that is different from what is usual, or not in agreement with something else and therefore not satisfactory”举个🌰：Statistical anomalies can make it difficult to compare economic data from one year to the next. 统计上的不规范会使年与年之间的经济数据难以互相比较。

The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. SpaceX had packed it with 10 dummy satellites to practice releasing them. It was the first flight of this new and upgraded spacecraft.

这次飞行任务原计划从得克萨斯州起飞，横跨墨西哥湾完成类似于之前试飞的近地球环绕飞行。SpaceX公司装载了10颗假卫星来测试将卫星释放到轨道的过程。这是该新型升级飞船的首次试飞。

soar /sɔːr/ 1）表示“急剧增加”，英文解释为“If the amount, value, level, or volume of something soars, it quickly increases by a great deal.”举个🌰：Shares soared on the New York stock exchange. 纽约证券交易所股票暴涨。

2）表示“高飞，翱翔”，英文解释为“If something such as a bird soars into the air, it goes quickly up into the air.”举个🌰：If you're lucky, a splendid golden eagle may soar into view. 幸运的话，一只金色雄鹰会跃入视线。

3）作动词，表示“升空；升腾”，英文解释为“to rise quickly and smoothly up into the air”举个🌰：The rocket soared (up) into the air. 火箭升空。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇分析受疫情影响的旅游业的文章中提到：Soaring incomes in China explain part of the increase. 这一增长的部分原因是中国人收入猛增。

gulf /ɡʌlf/ 1）表示“海湾”，英文解释为“a very large area of sea surrounded on three sides by a coast”如：the Gulf of Mexico 墨西哥湾。

2）表示“不可逾越的鸿沟，巨大的差距；隔阂”，英文解释为“an important difference between the ideas, opinions, or situations of two groups of people”举个🌰：There is a widening gulf between the rich and the poor in our society. 我们的社会里，贫富差距在日益加大。

📍the Gulf 表示“波斯湾；波斯湾各国；海湾国家”，英文解释为“the Persian Gulf and the countries around it”举个🌰：The Gulf states include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE. 海湾国家包括伊朗、伊拉克、沙特阿拉伯、科威特、巴林、阿曼、卡塔尔以及阿拉伯联合酋长国。

loop /luːp/ 表示“圆圈，环形”，英文解释为“the curved shape made when something long and thin, such as a piece of string, bends until one part of it nearly touches or crosses another part of it”如：belt loops 腰带。

补充：

📍in/on a loop 表示“循环，循环方式”，英文解释为“If something runs in a loop, or is on a loop, it runs continuously, so that the same things are repeated again and again.”举个🌰：The tape ran in a continuous loop, repeating the same songs over and over. 这盘磁带处于循环播放状态，反反复复地播放那几首歌曲。

📍闭环管理（制度）The closed-loop management system

作动词，1）表示“缠绕；弯曲”，英文解释为“If something runs in a loop, or is on a loop, it runs continuously, so that the same things are repeated again and again”举个🌰：Loop the rope over the bar. 用绳子在栏杆上缠一圈。

2）表示“成环形运动”，英文解释为“to move in a way that makes the shape of a loop”举个🌰：The river loops around the valley. 那条河顺着山谷绕了个大弯儿。

dummy /ˈdʌm.i/ 表示“假的，仿制的”，英文解释为“not real”如：an enormous dummy perfume bottle in the shop window 商店橱窗里巨大的香水瓶模型。

The SpaceX mishap caused widespread disruptions to air traffic. At Miami international airport, some flights were grounded, according to a Reuters witness. Dozens of commercial flights diverted to other airports or altered course to avoid potential debris, based on flight records from the tracking website FlightRadar24.

此次SpaceX公司发射失败导致航空交通大范围中断。据路透社目击者称，迈阿密国际机场部分航班停飞。根据航班追踪FlightRadar24的飞行记录，数十架商业航班改飞其他机场或改变航线，以避开可能的飞行碎片。

mishap /ˈmɪshæp/ 表示“小事故；晦气”，英文解释为“a small accident or piece of bad luck that does not have serious results”，如：a slight mishap 小小的不幸，a series of mishaps 一连串的倒霉事。

1）表示“使停飞；阻止…起飞”，英文解释为“to prevent an aircraft from taking off”举个🌰：All planes out of Tehran have been grounded by the accident. 所有由德黑兰起飞的飞机均因此事故而停飞。

2）表示“（使）搁浅，触海底”，英文解释为“when a boat grounds or sth grounds it, it touches the bottom of the sea and is unable to move”举个🌰：The fishing boat had been grounded on rocks off the coast of Tehran. 渔船在德黑兰海岸外礁石上搁浅了。

divert /daɪˈvɜːt/ 1）表示“使改变方向，使转向”，英文解释为“to cause something or someone to change direction”举个🌰：Traffic will be diverted through the side streets while the main road is resurfaced. 这条主干道重铺路面时，车辆行人将被分流到侧路通行。

2）表示“将…用于其他目的；改变…的用途”，英文解释为“to use something for a different purpose”举个🌰：Should more funds/money/resources be diverted from roads into railways? 是否应该将更多的资金/资源从公路转投到铁路上？

debris /ˈdeb.riː/ 表示“碎片，残片；残渣；垃圾；废弃物”，英文解释为“pieces of material that are not wanted and rubbish/garbage that are left somewhere”举个🌰：Clear away leaves and other garden debris from the pond. 把池塘里的树叶和其他庭园垃圾清除干净。

A minute earlier, SpaceX used the launch tower's giant mechanical arms to catch the returning booster. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed chopsticks.

就在飞船失联前一分钟，SpaceX利用发射塔上的巨型机械臂成功接住了返回的助推器。这枚助推器精准地悬停在发射台上方，最终被称为“筷子”的机械臂稳稳接住。

descend /dɪˈsend/ 1）表示“（暮色）降临；（天幕）落下”，英文解释为“If darkness or night descends, it becomes dark and day changes to night.”

2）表示“下来；下去；下降”，英文解释为“to come or go down from a higher to a lower level”举个例子：The plane began to descend. 飞机开始降落。

3）表示“（不好的感觉）遍布，蔓延；（通常指不好的情形）笼罩”，英文解释为“If a negative or bad feeling descends, it is felt everywhere in a place or by everyone at the same time.”举个🌰：A feeling of despair descended (on us) as we realized that we were lost. 当我们发现自己迷了路的时候，一种绝望的情绪（在我们中间）弥漫开来。

hover /ˈhɒv.ər/ 1）表示“盘旋，翱翔”，英文解释为“to stay in one place in the air, usually by moving the wings quickly”举个🌰：A hawk hovered in the sky, waiting to swoop down on its prey. 一只老鹰在天空中盘旋，要伺机俯冲捕捉猎物。

2）表示“徘徊，守候”，英文解释为“to stand somewhere, especially near another person, eagerly or nervously waiting for their attention”举个🌰：A waiter hovered at the table, ready to take our order. 一名侍者守在桌子旁，等着我们点菜。

grip /ɡrɪp/ 1）表示“使入迷，吸引…的注意力”，英文解释为“to keep someone's attention completely”举个🌰：This trial has gripped the whole nation. 这场审判引起了全国的关注。

2）表示“紧握，握紧，紧抓（住）”，英文解释为“to hold very tightly”举个🌰：The baby gripped my finger with her tiny hand. 婴儿的小手紧紧握住我的手指。

3）表示“（感情等）强烈地控制；对…产生强烈影响”，英文解释为“When an emotion such as fear grips you, you feel it strongly.”举个🌰：Then he turned towards me, and I was suddenly gripped by fear. 然后，他转过身对着我，我突然惊恐万状。

dub /dʌb/ 1）表示“把…称为”，英文解释为“If someone or something is dubbed a particular thing, they are given that description or name.”举个🌰：Today's session has been widely dubbed as a "LearnAndRecord" meeting. 今天的会议被大众称为“LearnAndRecord”的会议。

2）表示“为（影片或声道等）配音”，英文解释为“If a film or soundtrack in a foreign language is dubbed, a new soundtrack is added with actors giving a translation.”举个🌰：It was dubbed into Spanish for Mexican audiences. 它已为墨西哥观众配成西班牙语了。

The thrill of the catch quickly turned into disappointment for not only the company, but the crowds gathered along the southern tip of Texas.

然而，喜悦的回收场景很快被飞船失联的消息所取代，不仅对公司来说是这样，对聚集在德克萨斯州南部的人群来说也是如此。

SpaceX CEO Musk posted a video on Twitter/X showing the debris field and said: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

SpaceX公司首席执行官马斯克在Twitter/X上发布了一段视频，展示了碎片区域，并说道：“成功未定，但刺激绝对超值！”

“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed-out about ship,” said Huot, adding it would take time to analyze the data and figure out what happened.

休特说：“很高兴看到助推器回收，但飞船的意外摧毁令人遗憾。”他补充说，分析数据和弄清楚发生了什么需要时间。

bum sb out 表示“让…感到悲伤（或失望）”，英文解释为“to make someone feel sad or disappointed”举个🌰：That comment just bummed me out. 那句评论真让我失望。

Musk said the preliminary indication was that “we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.” He said there was nothing to suggest delaying the next launch.

马斯克表示，初步迹象表明，“飞船发动机防火墙上方的空腔中发生了氧气/燃料泄漏，泄漏量过大，压力超出通风系统的承受能力”。他说，这次意外不会影响下一次发射计划。

preliminary表示“预备性的；初步的；开始的”，英文解释为“happening before a more important action or event”如：preliminary results/findings/enquiries 初步结果/发现/调查，举个🌰：After a few preliminary remarks he announced the winners. 说了几句开场白之后，他即宣布优胜者名单。

cavity /ˈkæv.ə.ti/ 1）表示“空隙；洞；腔”，英文解释为“a hole, or an empty space between two surfaces”举个🌰：The gold was hidden in a secret cavity. 金子藏在一个隐秘的洞穴里。

2）表示“（身体内的）腔”，英文解释为“a hollow space in an organ or body part”如：the upper nasal cavity 鼻腔上部。

vent /vent/ 作动词，表示“发泄，表达（负面的情绪）”，英文解释为“to express a negative emotion in a forceful and often unfair way”举个🌰：I didn't mean to upset anyone, I just needed to vent. 我没想要针对任何人，我只是想发泄一下。

作名词，表示“通风口；排气口”，英文解释为“a small opening that allows air, smoke, or gas to enter or leave a closed space”举个🌰：If you have a gas fire in a room, you should have some kind of outside vent. 如果你的屋里有煤气炉，那你就应该有个通向外面的排气口。

The 400-ft (123-meter) rocket had thundered away in late afternoon from Boca Chica near the Mexican border. The late hour ensured a daylight entry halfway around the world in the Indian Ocean. But the shiny retro-looking spacecraft never got nearly that far.

这枚400英尺（123米）高的火箭在傍晚时分从墨西哥边境附近的博卡奇卡发射升空。这个时间安排确保火箭能在半个地球外的印度洋白天进入大气层。然而，这艘造型复古、光泽银亮的飞船未能飞至预定目标。

thunder /ˈθʌn.dər/ 作动词，1）表示“打雷”，英文解释为“When it thunders, a loud noise comes from the sky.”举个🌰：The sky grew dark and it started to thunder. 天色变暗，开始打雷了。

2）表示“轰隆隆地移动”，英文解释为“to move, making a lot of noise”举个🌰：The train thundered past, shaking the whole house. 火车轰隆隆驶过，整个房子都晃动起来。

retro /ˈret.rəʊ/ 表示“怀旧的；重新流行的；模仿过去式样的”，英文解释为“similar to styles, fashions, etc. from the past”如：retro clothes/music 怀旧服装/音乐。

retro- 表示“向后”，英文解释为“going backwards”或者表示“追溯过去；模仿过去”，英文解释为“looking at or copying the past”如：retro-pop (= popular music from the past) 过去的流行歌曲。

The company also upgraded the spacecraft for the latest demo. The test satellites were the same size as SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites and, like the spacecraft, were meant to be destroyed upon entry.

SpaceX公司还为最新试飞升级了航天器。测试卫星与SpaceX公司的“星链”（Starlink）互联网卫星大小相同，并且与飞船一样，再入大气层后就会被摧毁。

It was the seventh test flight for the world's biggest and most powerful rocket. Nasa has reserved a pair of Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade. Musk's goal is Mars.

这已经是全球最大、最强火箭的第七次试飞。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）已预定两艘“星舰”飞船用于未来将宇航员送上月球，而马斯克的最终愿景是让人类踏足火星。

reserve /rɪˈzɜːv/ 作名词，1）表示“贮藏（物）；储备（物）；备用（物）”，英文解释为“the act of keeping something or a supply of something until it is needed, or a supply that you keep”举个🌰：She keeps a little money in reserve (= for use if and when needed). 她留下了一些钱以备不时之需。

2）等于reservation，表示“（尤指保护野生动物生存的）自然保护区，禁猎区，保护区”，英文解释为“an area of land kept in its natural state, especially for wild animals to live in and be protected”如：a nature/game/wildlife reserve 自然保护区/禁猎区/野生动物保护区。

作动词，1）表示“把…专门留给；把…留作；保留”，英文解释为“to keep something for a particular purpose or time”举个🌰：I reserve Mondays for tidying my desk and answering letters. 我把周一的时间留出来专门清理办公桌和回复信件。

2）表示“预订；预约”，英文解释为“If you reserve something such as a seat on an aircraft or a table at a restaurant, you arrange for it to be kept for your use.”举个🌰：If you get there early, reserve me a seat/reserve a seat for me. 如果你先到那儿，给我预订个座位。

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LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2025年1月18日

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