中国迈出探索火星第一步

王明英

“天问”是中国行星探测任务名称，该名称源于屈原的长诗《天问》，其寓意为“探求科学真理征途漫漫，追求科技创新永无止境”，表达了中华民族追求真理的坚韧与执着，体现了中国对自然和宇宙空间探索的文化傳承。

1. spacecraft /speskrft/ n. 航天器;宇宙飞船

2. mission /mn/ n. 太空飞行任务

3. probe /prob/ n. （不载人）航天探测器

4. solar-powered rover  太阳能探测器

An unmanned Chinese spacecraft left Earth on a year-long trip to the planet Mars. The launch marks the beginning of one of China's most important space missions yet.

China's national space agency launched the spacecraft， called Tianwen-1， from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch area on Hainan Island. Hundreds of people were watching and cheered as it rose into the sky.

The name Tianwen means “Heavenly Questions” or “Questions to Heaven” in Mandarin Chinese. The spacecraft is expected to reach the Red Planet by next February.

Once it begins orbiting the planet， a probe will leave the spacecraft and attempt to land on the Utopia Planitia area of Mars. Space agency officials say the probe will release a small solar-powered rover. They say the vehicle will explore the planet's surface for about three months.

A successful landing would make China only the second nation to place a spacecraft on the Martian planet. The United States has landed eight probes on Mars since 1976.

China would also be the first to successfully orbit， land and deploy a vehicle in the same mission.

This is China's first independent mission to Mars. A 2011 mission failed when a Russian rocket carrying a Chinese orbiter had problems after launch， and was unable to escape from Earth's orbit.

Last year， China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft became the first to make a landing on the far side of the moon.

The Tianwen-1 is the third mission to Mars this year. On Monday， Japanese engineers launched a rocket. It is carrying an orbiter developed and built by the United Arab Emirates. The US space agency NASA had intended to launch a new Martian vehicle， named Perseverance， on July 30.

1. What's the name of the spacecraft？

2. Where was the spacecraft launched？

3. When will the spacecraft get to Mars according to the text？

4. Which country is the first to launch a probe on Mars？

5. What was the first to make a landing on the far side of the moon last year？

Difficult sentence

A 2011 mission failed when a Russian rocket carrying a Chinese orbiter had problems after launch， and was unable to escape from Earth's orbit.

【翻译】

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句。句中连词when引导的是时间状语从句;carrying a Chinese

orbiter是现在分词短语作后置定语。