美航天局长称“外星人”存在几率相当高

近日，美国航天局局长在接受采访时表示，人类最终找到证据证明人类并非宇宙中唯一生命的可能性“相当高”。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. According to the article, which of the following statements best reflects Jared Isaacman's stance on whether aliens have visited Earth?

A. He claims to have witnessed clear evidence of visits by intelligent beings.

B. He denies any personal encounter but acknowledges government secrecy on the matter.

C. He states he has seen no signs of such visits but considers the universe too vast to rule out life.

D. He argues that the question is irrelevant to NASA's scientific goals.

无注释原文：

NASA Chief: Odds Are 'Pretty High' That Aliens Are Real

From: Mediaite

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNN's Jake Tapper the odds are “pretty high” that aliens are real during an interview on State of the Union on Sunday.

“Are we alone?” Tapper wrapped up the interview by asking.

Isaacman said he hasn't seen any signs of alien life yet — but he wouldn't be surprised one bit by it.

Here is his full answer:

I've been to space twice, I didn't encounter any aliens up there yet. I have not seen anything to suggest that we've been visited by any intelligent life forms out there.

But when you think about it — we got 2 trillion galaxies out there, who knows how many star systems within each of it. I would say the odds that we will find something at some point to suggest that we are not alone are pretty high.

The interview ended there. That exchange came right after Tapper said he would be remiss if he didn't ask what millions of Americans wanted to know — whether or not we are “truly alone in the universe.” He then asked if the prospect of alien life factored into NASA's mission planning.

Isaacman said, “Our job here is to go out and try and unlock the secrets of the universe, and one of those questions is, are we alone? So I would say that is inherent in every one of our scientific endeavors.”

Those questions come two months after ex-President Barack Obama said aliens are real. “But I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in Area 51,” Obama added.

Obama's answer irritated President Donald Trump, who said the former POTUS should not have talked about it. 

“He gave classified information. He's not supposed to be doing that,” Trump told Fox News afterwards. “I don't know if they're real or not… I can tell you he gave classified information. He made a big mistake.”

Soon after, Trump said he was ordering the government to release files on UFOs and aliens. 

Isaacman's interview with Tapper on Sunday coincided with the Orion spacecraft about to pass by the far side of the moon.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译，仅供参考

含注释全文：

NASA Chief: Odds Are 'Pretty High' That Aliens Are Real

From: Mediaite

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNN's Jake Tapper the odds are “pretty high” that aliens are real during an interview on State of the Union on Sunday.

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）局长贾里德·艾萨克曼（Jared Isaacman）周日在美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）的《国情咨文》节目中接受采访时告诉主持人杰克·塔珀（Jake Tapper），外星人真实存在的几率“相当高”。

1）表示“可能性，机会；几率，概率”，英文解释为“the probability (= how likely it is) that a particular thing will or will not happen”举个🌰：The overall odds of winning a lottery prize are 1 in 10. 抽中彩票的几率是1/10。

2）表示“不利条件；掣肘的事情；逆境”，英文解释为“something that makes it seem impossible to do or achieve sth”举个🌰：They secured a victory in the face of overwhelming odds. 尽管情况非常不利，他们仍得到了胜利。

📍奥巴马卸任后首次重返白宫 和拜登互开玩笑文中提到，奥巴马讲话：“Despite great odds, Joe and I were determined, because we met too many people on the campaign trail who shared their stories, and our own families had been touched by illness.”“尽管困难重重，乔和我还是下定决心，因为我们在竞选路上遇到了太多分享他们故事的人，我们自己的家庭也被疾病所影响。”

📍great odds 表示“困难重重，困难诸多”，相当于a lot of difficulties，举个🌰：We believe that, despite great odds, we can achieve a peaceful settlement. 我们相信，尽管困难重重，我们还是能够实现和平解决。

State of the Union /ˌsteɪt əv ðə ˈjuː.nj.ən/ 表示“（美国总统每年就政府的成就和计划向国会发表的）国情咨文”，英文解释为“a speech that the President of the United States gives to Congress every year about the achievements and plans of the government”如：the State of the Union address/speech 国情咨文/演讲，举个🌰：He relishes the moment when he stands before Congress to deliver the State of the Union. 他很期待有一天能够站在国会面前发表国情咨文。 

“Are we alone?” Tapper wrapped up the interview by asking.

“我们是孤独的吗？”塔珀在采访收尾时这样问道。

此前在牛！中国女排十冠王！一文中，就提到China's last opponents will be Argentina and are poised to wrap up the World Cup with all wins.

wrap up 1）表示“圆满完成，达成（协议）”，英文解释为“to complete something successfully”举个🌰：Ministers wrap up their meeting in China today. 部长们今天在中国圆满结束了他们的会议。

2）表示“（用纸、布或其他材料）包，裹”，英文解释为“to cover or surround something in paper, cloth, or other material”

Isaacman said he hasn't seen any signs of alien life yet — but he wouldn't be surprised one bit by it.

艾萨克曼表示，他目前尚未发现任何外星生命的迹象——但即便发现了，他也完全不会感到惊讶。

Here is his full answer:

他的完整回答如下：

I've been to space twice, I didn't encounter any aliens up there yet. I have not seen anything to suggest that we've been visited by any intelligent life forms out there.

我曾两次进入太空，但至今尚未在那里遇过外星人。我也未曾见过任何迹象，表明我们曾被来自外太空的智慧生命造访。

encounter /ɪnˈkaʊn.tər/ 作名词，1）表示“偶然相遇，邂逅，不期而遇”，英文解释为“a meeting, especially one that happens by chance”举个🌰：I had an alarming encounter with a wild pig. 我曾经意外地碰到过一头野猪，真是惊险。

2）表示“（体育）比赛，交锋”，英文解释为“an occasion when two teams play against each other”举个🌰：In their last encounter with Italy, England won 3–2. 在上次和意大利队的对垒中，英格兰队3比2获胜。

But when you think about it — we got 2 trillion galaxies out there, who knows how many star systems within each of it. I would say the odds that we will find something at some point to suggest that we are not alone are pretty high.

但仔细思量一下——宇宙中存在着两万亿个星系，每个星系内又包含着数不清的恒星系统。因此我认为，我们在未来某个时刻找到证据、证明人类在宇宙中并不孤单的几率是相当高的。

The interview ended there. That exchange came right after Tapper said he would be remiss if he didn't ask what millions of Americans wanted to know — whether or not we are “truly alone in the universe.” He then asked if the prospect of alien life factored into NASA's mission planning.

采访就此结束。这段对话发生在塔珀表示，如果不替数百万美国民众问出他们心中的疑问——即我们是否“在宇宙中真正孤独”——那便是他的失职之后。他随即询问，外星生命存在的可能性是否被纳入NASA的任务规划考量。

remiss /rɪˈmɪs/ 表示“疏忽的；懈怠的；玩忽职守的”，英文解释为“careless and not doing a duty well enough”举个🌰：You have been remiss in your duties. 你一直玩忽职守。

prospect /ˈprɒs.pekt/ 1）表示“（发生好事情的）可能，可能性，机会”，英文解释为“the possibility that something good might happen in the future”举个🌰：Is there any prospect of the weather improving? 天气有可能好转吗？

2）表示“前景；展望；设想”，英文解释为“the possibility of being successful, especially at work”举个🌰：She's hoping the course will improve her career prospects. 她希望这门课能改善自己的职业前景。

3）表示“有前途的候选人”，英文解释为“the idea of something that will or might happen in the future”举个🌰：We'll be interviewing four more prospects for the jobs this afternoon. 今天下午我们要再面试4个有希望得到这些职位的应聘者。

Isaacman said, “Our job here is to go out and try and unlock the secrets of the universe, and one of those questions is, are we alone? So I would say that is inherent in every one of our scientific endeavors.”

艾萨克曼答道：“我们的使命就是走向深空，努力解开宇宙的奥秘，而‘我们是否孤独’正是这些核心问题之一。因此可以说，这个问题内嵌于我们每一项科学探索的使命之中。”

表示“发掘（潜力）；揭开（秘密）”，英文解释为“If you unlock the potential or the secrets of something or someone, you release them.”举个🌰：A chemical has been discovered that may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of Parkinson's disease. 已发现一种化学物质，这可能是解开帕金森氏病之谜的钥匙。

inherent /ɪnˈher.ənt/ /ɪnˈhɪə.rənt/ 表示“内在的；固有的，生来就有的”，英文解释为“existing as a natural or basic part of something”举个🌰：There are dangers/risks inherent in almost every sport. 几乎每种运动本身都带有危险/风险。

Those questions come two months after ex-President Barack Obama said aliens are real. “But I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in Area 51,” Obama added.

这些提问发生在前总统巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）声称外星人真实存在的两个月之后。奥巴马当时还补充道：“但我本人并未见过他们，他们也没有被关在51区。”

Obama's answer irritated President Donald Trump, who said the former POTUS should not have talked about it.

奥巴马的这番回答惹恼了总统唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump），他指责前总统奥巴马本不该公开谈论此事。

irritate /ˈɪr.ɪ.teɪt/ 1）表示“激怒”，英文解释为“If something irritates you, it keeps annoying you.”举个🌰：Their attitude irritates me. 他们的态度激怒了我。

2）表示“使发炎；使疼痛”，英文解释为“to make a part of your body sore or painful”举个🌰：At first my contact lenses irritated my eyes. 起初一戴上隐形眼镜，我的眼睛就疼。

“He gave classified information. He's not supposed to be doing that,” Trump told Fox News afterwards. “I don't know if they're real or not… I can tell you he gave classified information. He made a big mistake.”

“他泄露了机密信息。他本不该这么做，”特朗普事后对福克斯新闻（Fox News）表示。“我不知道他们（外星人）是否真实存在……但我可以肯定地告诉你，他泄露了机密信息。他犯了一个严重的错误。”

classified /ˈklæs.ɪ.faɪd/ 表示“机密的；保密的”，英文解释为“Classified information is officially stated to be secret.”举个🌰：These documents contain classified material. 这些文件中有机密材料。

Soon after, Trump said he was ordering the government to release files on UFOs and aliens.

不久之后，特朗普宣称他已下令政府公布有关不明飞行物（UFO）和外星人的档案文件。

Isaacman's interview with Tapper on Sunday coincided with the Orion spacecraft about to pass by the far side of the moon.

艾萨克曼周日接受塔珀采访之时，恰逢“猎户座”（Orion）飞船即将飞掠月球背面。

1）表示“与…一致，相符；相似”，英文解释为“to be the same or similar”举个🌰： Our views coincide on a range of subjects. 我们在一系列问题上的观点不谋而合。

2）表示“（几乎）同时发生”，英文解释为“to happen at or near the same time”举个🌰： I timed my holiday to coincide with the children's. 我把我的假期安排在孩子们学校放假的时候。

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