『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 41 Lec 4听力练习：Why is the planet Gliese 581e unlikely to support carbon-based life?原文题目答案解析，TPO/Official 41 Lec 4听力原文范文音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 41 Lec 4听力原文Why is the planet Gliese 581e unlikely to support carbon-based life?【新东方在线】

旁白：听一个天文学相关的讲座。

Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in an astronomy class.

教授：好，我们一直在讨论我们太阳系中的行星，以及距离太阳最远的一些行星是如何被发现的

Professor: OK. We've been discussing the planets in our solar system and how some of the ones farthest from the sun were discovered.

好，今天我要讲的是外行星，以及研究者是如何探测到他们的。

Well, today I'd like to turn to what are called exoplanets and how researchers detect them.

学生：外行星是那些轨道绕着恒星而非绕着太阳的星球，对吧？

Student: Exoplanets are planets that orbit around a star other than our Sun, right?

它们有不同的……被称为“寄主星”的东西。

They have different... what are called "host stars".

And the study of exoplanets has been getting more and more exciting.

Hundreds of them have been discovered so far.

鉴于第一颗系外行星的发现仅在20世纪90年代中期得到确认，这是非常了不起的

This is quite remarkable in view of the fact that the discovery of the first exoplanets was confirmed only in the mid-1990s.

现在我们大约每隔几周就会发现一些新的外行星。

Now we're finding new ones every few weeks or so.

学生：那么，我们到底为什么对这些系外行星感兴趣呢？

Student: So, uh, exactly why are we interested in these exoplanets anyway?

是要看看它们上面有没有生命吗？

因为我好像唯一听过的外行星就是像木星土星那样的气体行星，这些星球不可能支持以碳为基础的生命。

Cuz it seem to me like the only exoplanets we ever hear about are gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn that couldn't possibly support carbon-based life.

Professor: OK. Well, let's talk about that.

我想这类发现会是在遥远的未来，但这是最终的目标。

Well, I think that sort of discovery is pretty far in the future, but it is an eventual goal.

现在，研究的核心是在寄主星所谓的“可居住区”内寻找行星，它通常距离它的寄主星有一段距离，因为只有“可居住区”内的行星才能支持以碳为基础的生命。

For now, the focus is on locating planets within a host star's so called "habitable zone", a zone that's a certain distance from its star ,because only planets within this zone could conceivably support carbon-based life.

那么，这样的行星需要什么呢？

教授：是的，它需要有适宜的温度以维持液态的水。

Professor: Yes, it need to be the right temperature to sustain liquid water.

学生：并且它需要是多岩的行星，我的意思是，它不同于气体巨星。

Student: And it would need to be a rocky planet, I mean, as opposed to a gas giant.

教授：好，很好，像地球一样的行星。

Professor: OK, good. An Earth-like planet.

现在，针对这个，最近有发现一些外行星确实可能跟地球比较像。

Now, as to that, there are some recently detected exoplanets that might actually be Earth-like.

例如，有一个红矮星，和大多数行星一样，它被叫做G581。

For example, there's a red dwarf star, that's what most stars are,urn... that's called Gliese 581.

G581是……嗯，它实际比它名字给人的感觉要有趣得多。

Gliese 581 is... well, it's a lot more interesting than that name makes it seem.

这颗寄主星被认为是我们太阳系的近邻因为它距离太阳系只有20光年之遥。

This host star is considered a near neighbor of our solar system because it's only about 20 light years away.

It's pretty close by astronomical standards.

并且作为红矮星，它很小并且温度相对比较低，至少和太阳相比是这样的。

And being a red dwarf star, it's small and relatively cool, at least compared with the Sun.

And researchers have discovered planets orbiting Gliese 581.

这些行星被命名为，准备好了吗？

它们是G581 b, c, d, e, 根据他们的发现按照字母顺序排列。

Gliese 581 b, c, d, e, in alphabetical order of their discovery.

G581 d 和e 是我现在重点讲解的行星。

Gliese 581 d and e are the planets I wanna focus on now.

在2009年，一组研究人员发表了一项声明。

See, in 2009, a group of researchers made an announcement.

这两个外行星：G581 d 和e 有一些类似地球的特征。

These two exoplanets: Gliese 581 d and e do have some Earth-like qualities.

Gliese 581 d had actually been discovered a couple of years earlier.

当它的轨道最初被计算出来的时候，它被认为离它的寄主星太远而不足够温暖以支持液体的水，更别说以碳为基础的生命了。

And when its orbit was originally calculated it was thought to be too far away from its host star to be warm enough to support a liquid ocean, let alone carbon-based life.

但在之后它的轨道被重新计算，现在我们可以看到G581 d是在它的寄主星的可居住区内的。

But then its orbit was recalculated and now we see that Gliese 581 d is within its host's habitable zone.

学生：那么它上面可能有海洋？

你们看，G581 d的重量是地球重量的7倍，所以它不可能全部由岩石构成因为它太重了。

See, Gliese 581 d weighs 7 times what Earth weighs and it's unlikely that it's made entirely of rocks because it's so massive.

研究它的研究者说，它可能有个岩石核心，一个冰层，一个很大的深海和一个大气层。

The researchers studying it said that it could have a rocky core, an ice layer, a large deep ocean and an atmosphere.

好，随着对G581 d的重新计算，还有另外一项声明。

OK, and there was another announcement along with the recalculated orbit of Gliese 581 d.

那就是在这个行星体系中发现了另外一个行星，G581 e。

That was the discovery of another planet in the system, Gliese 581 e.

和其它外行星相比，它的质量很小，大约只是地球质量的两倍。

Compared with other exoplanets, its mass is quite small, only about twice that of Earth.

学生：因此，G581 e 是更像地球的行星吗？

Student:So, is Gliese 581 e a more Earth-like planet?

教授：嗯，我们得考虑到它的轨道。

Professor: Well, we have to consider its orbit.

G581 e 绕其寄主星运行的周期比这个行星系统中其它行星运行的周期短很多，这意味着它非常靠近寄主星，因此对于水、海洋而言，温度太高。

Gliese 581 e orbits its host star in a much shorter period of time than the other planets in the system, meaning it's very close to the star, and therefore too hot for water, for an ocean.

然而，它相对接近地球的大小，它很小它在天文学范畴看来很小，这是非常令人兴奋的。

However, the fact that it's relatively close to the size of Earth, small, in astronomical terms, that was pretty exciting.

令人印象深刻的是，我们有技术可以探测到它，这对未来的研究来说是个好兆头。

It's impressive that we have the technology to detect it and it bodes well for future research.

谁知道我们做更多的研究会发现什么。

Who knows what we'll find the more we search.

What does the professor say about the host star Gliese 581? Click on two answers.

What does the professor suggest about life on other planets?

What did researchers discover about the planet Gliese 581d when they re-examined it?

Why is the planet Gliese 581e unlikely to support carbon-based life?

What does the professor find most exciting about the discovery of the planet Gliese 581e?

Listen to part of a lecture in an astronomy class
Professor 
Ok, we have been discussing the planets in our solar system, and how some of the ones farther from the sun were discovered. Well, today, I’d like to turn to what I call exoplanets, and how researchers detect them, Maria?
Student 
Exoplanets are planets that orbit around a star other than our sun, right? They are not in the solar system.
Professor 
Right. They have different what we called host stars. And the study of exoplanets has been getting more and more exciting. Hundreds of them have been discovered so far. This is quite remarkable in view of the fact that the discovery of the first exoplanet was confirmed only in the mid-1990s. Now we find a new one every few weeks or so.
Student 
So exactly why are we interested in the exoplanets anyway? Is it safe there is life on them? Because it seems to me like the only exoplanets we ever hear about are gas giants, like Jupiter and Suturn. That could possibly support carbon-based life.
Professor 
Ok, well, let’s talk about that. First, as for discovering life, well, I think that’s sort of discovery pretty far in the future, but it is the eventual goal. For now, the focus is on locating planets within the whole stars, so-called habitable zone, a zone that has a certain distance from its star, because only planets within this zone could conceivably support carbon-based life. So what would such a planet need?
Student 
Water?
Professor 
Yes. It needs to be the right temperature to sustain liquid water.
Student 
And it will need to be a rocky planet. I mean as opposed to a gas giant.
Professor 
Ok, good, and earth-like planet. Now, as to that, there are some recently detected exoplanets that might actually be earth-like. For example, there is a red dwarf star, that’s what most stars are. That’s called Gliese 581. Gliese 581 is, well, it is a lot more interesting than that name makes it seems. This host star is considered a near neighbor of our solar system, because it’s only about 20 light-years away, pretty close by astronomical standards. And being a red dwarf star, it’s small and relatively cool, at least compared with the sun. And researchers have discovered planets all reading Gliese 581. These exoplanets have been named, ready, Gliese 581 b, c, d, e. in our order of their discovery. Gliese 581 d and e are the planets I want to focus on now.
Professor 
See, in 2009, a group of researchers made an announcement, these two exoplanets, Gliese 581 d and e, do have some earth-like qualities. Gliese 581 d had actually been discovered a couple of years earlier. And when its order was recently calculated it was thought to be too far away from its host star to be warmed enough to support liquid ocean, let alone carbon-based life. But that its orbit was recalculated and now we see Gliese 581 d is within its hosts’ habitable zone.
Student 
So it might have an ocean?
Professor 
Well, conceivably. See, Gliese 581 d weighs seven times what earth weighs. And it’s unlikely it’s made entirely of rocks, because it’s so massive. The researchers studying it said that it could have a rocky core, and ice layer, a large deep ocean and an atmosphere. Ok, and there was another announcement along with the recalculated orbit of Gliese 581 d, that was a discovery of another planet in the system, Gliese 581 e, compared with other exoplanets, its mass is quite small, only about twice that earth.
Student 
Is Gliese 581 a more earth-like planet?
Professor 
Well, we have to consider its orbit. Gliese 581 e orbits its host star in a much shorter period of time than the other planets in the system, meaning it’s very close to the star, therefore too hot for water, for an ocean. However, the fact that it’s very close to the size of earth, small in astronomical terms, that’s was pretty exciting. It’s impressive that we have the technology to detect it. And for future research. Who knows what will we find the more we research?<img src="/upload/image/1516173221774.png" alt="" width="514" height="386" /><img src="/upload/image/1516173233125.png" alt="" width="522" height="396" /><img src="/upload/image/1516173248204.png" alt="" width="519" height="399" /><img src="/upload/image/1516173260823.png" alt="" width="513" height="390" />

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