科学家在太空发现神秘“铁云”

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🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best summarizes the primary significance of the iron bar discovery described in the article?

A. It challenges existing measurements of planetary distances in space

B. It offers a possible model for understanding the long-term fate of Earth

C. It confirms a previously predicted feature of the Ring Nebula

D. It demonstrates the superiority of new telescope instruments over older ones

无注释原文：

Mysterious 'iron bar' discovery in space may reveal Earth's future

From: BBC

Scientists have discovered a large bar‑shaped cloud of iron atoms in space that could offer clues about the future of Earth.

The structure, which was found inside the Ring Nebula - a famous, colourful cloud formed when a dying sun-like star released its outer layers - was roughly 500 times wider than Pluto's orbit and sits 2,283 light‑years away.

Astronomers from Cardiff University, as well as University College London, detected the iron bar using a new telescope instrument called the WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (Weave).

Scientists observing it say its origin is unclear, but their theories about how it formed suggest it could hint at the Earth's future.

The first theory is the cloud may have formed during the nebula's creation, as the parent star collapsed.

Alternatively, experts believe it could be space plasma, left behind from a rocky planet that was destroyed as the star expanded. If true, it could offer a preview of Earth's future as the sun - Earth's parent star - expels its outer layers in a similar way, engulfing Earth, in a few billion years.

The team said it was planning further observations to unravel precisely what the iron bar was, where it came from, and what it could tell them.

Lead author Dr Roger Wesson, based jointly at Cardiff University and UCL, said although the Ring Nebula had been studied using many different telescopes and instruments, Weave had allowed them "to observe it in a new way, providing so much more detail than before".

He said: "By obtaining a spectrum continuously across the whole nebula, we can create images of the nebula at any wavelength and determine its chemical composition at any position.

"When we processed the data and scrolled through the images, one thing popped out as clear as anything – this previously unknown 'bar' of ionized iron atoms, in the middle of the familiar and iconic ring."

Co-author Prof Janet Drew added: "We definitely need to know more – particularly whether any other chemical elements co-exist with the newly-detected iron, as this would probably tell us the right class of model to pursue."

Weave is set to carry out eight surveys over the next five years, targeting everything from nearby white dwarfs - a type of dead star - to very distant galaxies.

Wesson added: "It would be very surprising if the iron bar in the Ring is unique.

"So hopefully, as we observe and analyse more nebulae created in the same way, we will discover more examples of this phenomenon, which will help us to understand where the iron comes from."

- ◆ -

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：

Mysterious 'iron bar' discovery in space may reveal Earth's future 科学家侦测到太空神秘“铁条” 可能揭示地球未来

From: BBC

Scientists have discovered a large bar‑shaped cloud of iron atoms in space that could offer clues about the future of Earth.

科学家们在太空中发现了一个大型铁原子条状云，可能为地球的未来提供线索。

作名词，表示“条状物”，英文解释为“a substance that has been made into a solid rectangular shape”如：a bar of soap 一块肥皂，a chocolate bar 一条巧克力棒。

作动词，表示“禁止，阻止”，英文解释为“If someone is barred from a place or from doing something, they are officially forbidden to go there or to do it.”举个🌰： The players are barred from drinking alcohol the night before a match. 运动员在参赛前夜不得喝酒。

🎬电影《逆转王牌》（Runner Runner）中的台词提到：He said I'd be barred from re-entering the country.他说我下次回国时会被禁止入境。

📍set the bar high/low = put the bar high/low 表示设定高/低标准、高/低要求（to set a high/low standard for something）

atom /ˈæt.əm/ 表示“原子”，英文解释为“the smallest unit of any chemical element, consisting of a positive nucleus surrounded by negative electrons. Atoms can combine to form a molecule”举个🌰：A molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. 二氧化碳（CO2）分子是由一个碳原子和两个氧原子构成的。

The structure, which was found inside the Ring Nebula - a famous, colourful cloud formed when a dying sun-like star released its outer layers - was roughly 500 times wider than Pluto's orbit and sits 2,283 light‑years away.

这个结构位于著名的环形星云（the Ring Nebula）里头，这是一个色彩缤纷的云团，形成于一颗类似太阳的恒星释放外层物质时。它的大小约为冥王星轨道的500倍，距离地球有2,283光年。

orbit /ˈɔː.bɪt/ 作名词，1）表示“（天体等运行的）轨道”，英文解释为“a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc.”

2）表示“（人、组织等的）影响范围，势力范围”，英文解释为“an area that a particular person, organization, etc. deals with or is able to influence”如：to come/fall/be within sb's orbit 进入/落入/属于某人的势力范围。

作动词，表示“绕轨道运行，沿轨道围绕（行星或恒星）运行”，英文解释为“to follow a curved path around a planet or star”举个🌰：On this mission the Shuttle will orbit (the Earth) at a height of several hundred miles. 此次任务中，这架航天飞机将在距地面数百英里的高空绕（地球）轨道运行。

📍词根“orb-”来自拉丁语“orbis”，意味着“圆”，表示物体围绕中心点的路径。近义词：path（路径），同根词：orbital（轨道的），常用短语：enter into orbit（进入轨道）

Astronomers from Cardiff University, as well as University College London, detected the iron bar using a new telescope instrument called the WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (Weave).

来自英国卡地夫大学和伦敦大学学院的天文学家们利用一个名为“WHT增强区域速度探索器”（Weave）的新望远镜探测到了这条铁条。

telescope /ˈtel.ɪ.skəʊp/ 表示“望远镜”，英文解释为“a cylinder-shaped device for making objects that are far away look closer and larger, using a combination of lenses, or lenses and curved mirrors”

velocity /vəˈlɒs.ə.ti/ 表示“速度；速率”，英文解释为“the speed at which an object is travelling”举个🌰：Light travels at the highest achievable velocity in the universe. 光的传播速度是宇宙中物体所能达到的最高速度。

Scientists observing it say its origin is unclear, but their theories about how it formed suggest it could hint at the Earth's future.

观察它的科学家表示，云的来源尚不明确，但科学家们提出的相关形成理论可能揭示地球的未来。

hint /hɪnt/ 作名词，1）表示“暗示，提示，示意”，英文解释为“something that you say or do that shows what you think or want, usually in a way that is not direct”举个🌰：He's dropped (= given) several hints to the boss that he'll quit if he doesn't get a promotion. 他已经向老板暗示了好几次，如果不获得升职他就会辞职。

2）表示“建议”，英文解释为“a piece of advice that helps you to do something”举个🌰：Could you give us a hint about how to do this exercise, please? 你能不能给我们一些关于如何做这个练习的建议？

3）表示“很少量”，英文解释为“a very small amount of something”举个🌰：There's just a hint of brandy in the sauce. 调味汁中只有很少的白兰地。

作动词，表示“暗示，示意”，英文解释为“to suggest something in an indirect way, but so that someone can guess your meaning”举个🌰：What are you hinting at? 你在暗示什么？

The first theory is the cloud may have formed during the nebula's creation, as the parent star collapsed.

第一个理论认为，这个云可能出现在母恒星崩溃时星云形成过程。

collapse /kəˈlæps/ 作名词，表示“（系统、组织、企业等的）崩溃，瓦解，失败”，英文解释为“the sudden failure of a system, organization, business, etc.”举个🌰：I don't know what caused the collapse of her marriage. 我不知道她婚姻失败的原因是什么。

作动词，1）表示“崩溃，垮掉，失败”，英文解释为“to suddenly be unable to continue or work correctly”举个🌰：Talks between management and unions have collapsed. 劳资谈判彻底破裂。

2）表示“倒塌，坍塌；崩溃，垮掉”，英文解释为“to fall down suddenly because of pressure or having no strength or support”举个🌰：Thousands of buildings collapsed in the earthquake. 数以千计的建筑物在地震中倒塌了。

3）表示“（因疾病或虚弱而）倒下，昏倒”，英文解释为“If someone collapses, they fall down because of being sick or weak.”举个🌰：He collapsed and died of a heart attack. 他心脏病发作，倒地而亡。

Alternatively, experts believe it could be space plasma, left behind from a rocky planet that was destroyed as the star expanded. If true, it could offer a preview of Earth's future as the sun - Earth's parent star - expels its outer layers in a similar way, engulfing Earth, in a few billion years.

另一些专家认为，它可能是太空等离子体（space plasma），这是一颗在恒星膨胀过程中被摧毁的岩石行星留下的。如果此推论正确，这可能为地球的未来提供预览，因为太阳——地球的母恒星——会以类似的方式释放其外层，几十亿年后将地球吞噬。

plasma /ˈplæz.mə/ 表示“等离子体（一种几乎没有电荷的气体，发现于太阳和其他星球上）”，英文解释为“a type of gas with almost no electrical charge, found in the sun and other stars”如：solar plasma 太阳等离子体流，另一个含义表示“血浆”，英文解释为“the pale yellow liquid that forms 55% of human blood and contains the blood cells”

expel /ɪkˈspel/ 1）表示“驱逐；除名；开除”，英文解释为“to force someone to leave a school, organization, or country”举个🌰：He was expelled from school for bad behaviour. 他因为行为不端被学校开除了。

2）表示“排出；喷出”，英文解释为“to force air or liquid out of something”举个🌰：She took a deep breath, then expelled the air in short blasts. 她深吸一口气，然后一下子把空气呼出来。

engulf /ɪnˈɡʌlf/ 1) 表示“吞没”，英文解释为“If one thing engulfs another, it completely covers or hides it, often in a sudden and unexpected way.”举个🌰：A boy was found dead after a landslide engulfed an apartment block. 山崩掩埋了一座公寓楼之后，一个男孩被发现遇难。

2）表示“使陷于”，英文解释为“If a feeling or emotion engulfs you, you are strongly affected by it. ”如：the pain that engulfed him 他所陷入的痛苦。

The team said it was planning further observations to unravel precisely what the iron bar was, where it came from, and what it could tell them.

研究团队表示计划进一步观测，以解开这个铁条的真正性质、来源及其可能传达的信息。

unravel /ʌnˈræv.əl/ 1）表示“揭开，弄清，阐明（谜团或复杂问题）；被澄清；被解决”，英文解释为“If you unravel a mysterious, unknown, or complicated subject, you make it known or understood, and if it unravels, it becomes known or understood.”举个🌰：We have a long way to go before we unravel the secrets of genetics. 在揭开遗传学之谜前，我们还有很长的路要走。

2）表示“（把布、结或线团）解开；拆散”，英文解释为“If a piece of knitted or woven cloth, a knot, or a mass of thread unravels, it separates into a single thread, and if you unravel it, you separate it into a single thread.”举个🌰：You'd better mend that hole before the whole sweater starts to unravel. 你最好把那个洞补上，免得整件毛衣脱线。

3）表示“破坏（成就等）；解体；崩溃；瓦解”，英文解释为“to start to fail or no longer stay together as a whole”举个🌰：As talks between them broke down, several months of careful diplomacy were unravelled. 由于他们之间的会谈破裂，几个月精心策划的外交努力付诸东流。

Lead author Dr Roger Wesson, based jointly at Cardiff University and UCL, said although the Ring Nebula had been studied using many different telescopes and instruments, Weave had allowed them "to observe it in a new way, providing so much more detail than before".

研究报告领衔人罗杰·韦森博士（Roger Wesson）同时在卡地夫大学和伦敦大学学院工作，他向BBC表示，虽然环形星云使用了许多不同的望远镜和仪器进行过研究，但Weave帮助科学家“以全新的方式观测它，提供了比以往更多的细节”。

He said: "By obtaining a spectrum continuously across the whole nebula, we can create images of the nebula at any wavelength and determine its chemical composition at any position.

他指出，“通过在整个星云上持续获取光谱，我们可以在任何波长上创建星云的影像，并确定其在任何位置的化学成分。”

spectrum /ˈspek.trəm/ 1）表示“范围；各层次；系列；幅度”，英文解释为“a complete or wide range of related qualities, ideas, etc.”如：a broad spectrum of interests 广泛的兴趣范围，举个🌰：A wide spectrum of opinion was represented at the meeting. 会上提出了一系列广泛的意见。

2）表示“光谱，谱”，英文解释为“The spectrum is the range of different colours which is produced when light passes through a glass prism or through a drop of water. A rainbow shows the colours in the spectrum.”

composition /ˌkɒm.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/ 表示“成分；构成；结构”，英文解释为“the parts, substances, etc. that something is made of”如：the composition of the atmosphere 大气的构成。

"When we processed the data and scrolled through the images, one thing popped out as clear as anything – this previously unknown 'bar' of ionized iron atoms, in the middle of the familiar and iconic ring."

“当我们处理数据并滚动图像时，有一个非常清晰的东西出现在我们眼前——这条之前未知的带有电离铁原子的条状物（bar），就在这个熟悉而标志性的环形星云中间。”

作名词，scroll /skrəʊl/ 表示“长卷纸，卷轴”，英文解释为“a long roll of paper or similar material with usually official writing on it”举个🌰：The ancient Egyptians stored information on scrolls. 古埃及人把信息记载在卷轴上。

作动词，表示“滚动；滚屏”，英文解释为“to move text or other information on a computer screen in order to see a different part of it”举个🌰：Scroll to the end of the document. 滚动至文件的最后。

🎬电影《兔子洞》（Rabbit Hole）中的台词提到：Scroll down with your finger. 用手指向下滑动。

Co-author Prof Janet Drew added: "We definitely need to know more – particularly whether any other chemical elements co-exist with the newly-detected iron, as this would probably tell us the right class of model to pursue."

报告共同作者珍妮特·德鲁教授（Janet Drew）补充道：“我们绝对需要探索更多，特别是是否有其他化学元素与新发现的铁共存，因为这可能告诉我们该追求的模型类别。”

Weave is set to carry out eight surveys over the next five years, targeting everything from nearby white dwarfs - a type of dead star - to very distant galaxies.

Weave计划在接下来的五年里进行八次调查，对象包括从附近的白矮星（white dwarfs）——一种死恒星（dead star）——到非常遥远的星系。

Wesson added: "It would be very surprising if the iron bar in the Ring is unique.

韦森博士补充说：“如果环形星云中的铁条是独一无二的，那将是非常令人惊讶的。”

"So hopefully, as we observe and analyse more nebulae created in the same way, we will discover more examples of this phenomenon, which will help us to understand where the iron comes from."

“所以，希望通过观察和分析更多以相同方式形成的星云，我们将发现更多这种现象的例子，这将有助于我们理解铁的来源。”

nebula的复数，nebula /ˈneb.jə.lə/ 表示“星云”，英文解释为“a cloud of gas or dust in space, appearing either bright or dark”

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