NASA宣布在火星上发现生命迹象

近日，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）宣布，在火星上发现了“迄今最明显的生命迹象”

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Why would finding life on icy moons such as Europa or Enceladus be considered stronger evidence of a “second genesis” than on Mars?

A. Because icy moons have thicker atmospheres than Mars.

B. Because icy moons are more distant and harder to study.

C. Because icy moons are unlikely to have shared material with Earth.

D. Because icy moons contain more complex organic molecules than Mars.

无注释原文：

Life on Mars? 'Leopard-spot' rocks could be biggest clue yet

From: BBC

In September 2025, Nasa announced tantalising evidence that life may have once inhabited Mars. It was found in mudstones collected by the Perseverance rover at the bottom of a canyon, carved out by an old river in Jezero Crater.

Analysis of the rock samples by Perseverance's onboard instruments found minerals in the rocks – an iron sulphide known as greigite and a iron phosphate called vivianite – that were laid down in a ways similar to those left behind by microbes here on Earth.

Taken together Nasa's scientists say this could be a potential "biosignature" of past life.

It's far from conclusive, however, meaning more investigation is needed, which is unlikely unless the samples can be returned to Earth.

Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary scientist at The Open University in the UK and a member of the Mars Sample Return science team, says the presence of past life on Mars could leave a fingerprint in the interaction of its rocks and water. "If you have life, things look very different," she says. "If we have the samples from Mars, we can go into miniature detail to study these processes."

It's possible some of the samples could even contain fossilised microbes inside the rocks. "I as a scientist wouldn't have spent my life on this if I weren't hopeful that we have a good chance of finding something," says Schwenzer. "I hope we wil, but I can't predict it."

But even if signs of life on Mars were to be detected, it would not be unequivocal proof of widespread alien life elsewhere in the universe.

Mars and Earth are known to have shared material early in their history, meaning they might also have shared the genesis of life.

For evidence of a true second genesis, proof that life arose for a second time independently on another world, scientists are looking to the solar system's icy moons such as Jupiter's Europa and Saturn's Enceladus, thought to contain vast oceans beneath their frozen surfaces.

"If we were to find life on the icy moons, we would be sure this is a different genesis of life from Earth," says Schwenzer.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Life on Mars? 'Leopard-spot' rocks could be biggest clue yet

From: BBC

In September 2025, Nasa announced tantalising evidence that life may have once inhabited Mars. It was found in mudstones collected by the Perseverance rover at the bottom of a canyon, carved out by an old river in Jezero Crater.

2025年9月，NASA宣布发现令人振奋的证据，显示火星过去可能曾有生命存在。这项发现来自“毅力号”探测车在耶泽罗陨石坑一处由古老河流冲刷而成的峡谷底部所采集的泥岩样本。

英式 tantalise 美式 tantalize /ˈtæntəˌlaɪz/ 1）tantalize作动词，表示“（以可望而不可及之物）逗引，招惹，使干着急”，英文解释为“If someone or something tantalizes you, they make you feel hopeful and excited about getting what you want, usually before disappointing you by not letting you have what they appeared to offer.”如：the dreams that have so tantalized them让他们可望而不可及的梦想。

2）tantalising/tantalizing作形容词，表示“撩人的；逗引性的；诱人的；引起好奇心的”（Something that is tantalizing causes desire and excitement in you, but is unlikely to provide a way of satisfying that desire.）举个🌰：A tantalizing aroma of roast beef fills the air. 烤牛肉诱人的香味弥漫在空气中。I caught a tantalizing glimpse of the sparkling blue sea through the trees. 透过树丛，我瞥见了令我心驰神往的波光粼粼的蔚蓝色大海。

🎬电影《不用找钱》（Keep the Change）中的台词提到：David, sweetheart, this looks so exciting and tantalizing. 大卫，亲爱的，这看起来很刺激，很诱人。

inhabit /ɪnˈhæb.ɪt/ 表示“居住于”，英文解释为“to live in a place”举个🌰：These remote islands are inhabited only by birds. 这些偏僻的岛屿上只有鸟类栖息。

rover /ˈrəʊ.vər/ 1）表示“流浪者，漫游者”，英文解释为“a person who spends their time travelling from place to place”举个🌰：Their uncle was a rover, never settling for long in any one place. 他们的叔叔四海为家，从不在任何一个地方停留太久。

2）表示“（用于其他行星的粗糙地面、有时可从地球遥控的）车，探测器”，英文解释为“a small vehicle that can move over rough ground, often used on the surface of other planets, sometimes controlled from the earth”如：the lunar rover that transported astronauts and their equipment 运送宇航员及其设备的月球车。

📍此外，我们常听说的汽车品牌“路虎”的英文就是“Land Rover”。

Land Rover is a luxury car brand that specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, which has been owned by India's Tata Motors since 2008.（Wikipedia）路虎是英国的全地形车和运动型多用途车品牌，隶属于捷豹路虎，总部位于英国考文垂怀特利（Whitley）。

carve /kɑːv/ 表示“（尤指在石头或木头上）雕刻”，英文解释为“to make something by cutting into especially wood or stone, or to cut into the surface of stone, wood, etc.”举个🌰：This totem pole is carved from/out of a single tree trunk. 这根图腾柱是由一整根树干雕刻而成的。

carve sth out (for yourself) 表示“靠努力开创出；努力赢得，谋得（尤指职位）”，英文解释为“to successfully create or get something, especially a work position, by working for it”举个🌰：He hopes to carve out a niche for himself as a leading researcher in his field of study. 他希望在自己的研究领域里闯出一个学术带头人的地位。

Analysis of the rock samples by Perseverance's onboard instruments found minerals in the rocks – an iron sulphide known as greigite and a iron phosphate called vivianite – that were laid down in a ways similar to those left behind by microbes here on Earth.

探测车上的仪器分析显示，岩石中含有矿物——一种名为“格雷石”（greigite）的硫化铁（iron sulphide），以及一种称为“薇安石”（vivianite）的磷酸铁（iron phosphate）——其形成方式与地球上由微生物活动所留下的痕迹相似。

microbe /ˈmaɪ.krəʊb/ 表示“微生物；（尤指致病的）细菌”，英文解释为“a very small living thing, especially one that causes disease, that can only be seen with a microscope”

Taken together Nasa's scientists say this could be a potential "biosignature" of past life.

NASA科学家表示，这些发现可能是过去生命的“生物特征”（biosignature）。

表示“生命迹象”，英文解释为“something, for example a chemical element, substance, or feature, that shows the past or present existence of living things in a place”或表示“生物特征”，英文解释为“something, for example a gene, substance, or feature, that shows that a particular biological process or condition is present”举个🌰：The goal of the study was to find a biosignature that would enable the detection of Alzheimer's disease before the onset of clinical symptoms. 这项研究的目标是找到一种生物特征，以便能够在临床症状出现之前检测出阿尔茨海默氏症。

It's far from conclusive, however, meaning more investigation is needed, which is unlikely unless the samples can be returned to Earth.

然而，这些证据未能得出结论，仍需进一步研究，在样本送回地球前，可能难以实现。

conclusive /kənˈkluː.sɪv/ 表示“无可置疑的；确实的；决定性的；结论性的”，英文解释为“proving that something is true, or ending any doubt”举个🌰：They had conclusive evidence/proof of her guilt. 他们掌握了她有罪的确凿证据。

Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary scientist at The Open University in the UK and a member of the Mars Sample Return science team, says the presence of past life on Mars could leave a fingerprint in the interaction of its rocks and water. "If you have life, things look very different," she says. "If we have the samples from Mars, we can go into miniature detail to study these processes."

英国开放大学（The Open University）行星科学家、“火星样本取回”计划科学团队成员苏珊娜·施文策（Susanne Schwenzer）表示，火星过去若曾有生命，其与岩石和水的互动可能会留下痕迹。她说：“如果有生命，情况会非常不同。如果我们能取得火星样本，就能以极微观的方式研究这些过程。”

fingerprint /ˈfɪŋ.ɡə.prɪnt/ 1）表示“指纹，指印”，英文解释为“the pattern of curved lines on the end of a finger or thumb that is different in every person, or a mark left by this pattern”举个🌰：His fingerprints were all over the gun. 枪上到处都是他的指纹。

2）表示“指迹，指痕”，英文解释为“a mark left by dirt or oil from someone's finger on a clean surface”

miniature /ˈmɪn.ə.tʃər/ 表示“微型的；小型的；微小的”，英文解释为“used to describe something that is a very small copy of an object”举个🌰：I bought some miniature furniture for my niece's doll's house. 我为侄女的玩具屋买了一些微型家具模型。

It's possible some of the samples could even contain fossilised microbes inside the rocks. "I as a scientist wouldn't have spent my life on this if I weren't hopeful that we have a good chance of finding something," says Schwenzer. "I hope we wil, but I can't predict it."

部分样本甚至可能在岩石中保有微生物化石。“如果我不相信我们有很大机会发现些什么，我就不会把一生投入在这项研究上。我希望我们能找到些什么，但我无法预测，”施文策说。

英式 fossilise 美式 fossilize /ˈfɒs.ɪ.laɪz/ 表示“变成化石；石化”，英文解释为“to become or to make something become a fossil (= something preserved in rock for a very long period)”举个🌰：The remains gradually fossilized. 遗体逐渐变成了化石。

But even if signs of life on Mars were to be detected, it would not be unequivocal proof of widespread alien life elsewhere in the universe.

即使在火星上发现了生命迹象，也无法作为宇宙中广泛存在外星生命的明确证据。

unequivocal /ˌʌn.ɪˈkwɪv.ə.kəl/ 表示“完全的；表达明确的；毫不含糊的”，英文解释为“total, or expressed in a clear and certain way”如：the unequivocal support 坚定不移的支持。

Mars and Earth are known to have shared material early in their history, meaning they might also have shared the genesis of life.

火星与地球在早期历史中，已知曾有物质交换，这意味着两者可能也共享了生命的起源。

genesis /ˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/ 表示“（事物的）形成，发生，起源，创始”，英文解释为“the origin of something, when it is begun or starts to exist”举个🌰：The story had its genesis in a conversation the author had with his mother. 故事以作者与母亲的一段对话开始。

For evidence of a true second genesis, proof that life arose for a second time independently on another world, scientists are looking to the solar system's icy moons such as Jupiter's Europa and Saturn's Enceladus, thought to contain vast oceans beneath their frozen surfaces.

若要寻找真正“第二次生命起源”的证据——即生命在另一个世界上独立产生——科学家正将目光投向太阳系中的冰封卫星，例如木星的木卫二（Europa）与土星的土卫二（Enceladus），这些天体被认为在冰层下拥有广阔的海洋。

表示“发生；产生；出现”，英文解释为“to happen”举个🌰：Should the opportunity arise, I'd love to go to Beijing. 要是有机会的话，我很想去北京。

"If we were to find life on the icy moons, we would be sure this is a different genesis of life from Earth," says Schwenzer.

施文策表示，“如果我们在冰封卫星上发现生命，就能确定那是与地球不同的生命起源。”

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