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科技英语精品阅读系列之1(中英对照)
Cape Kennedy
A cape is a piece of land that sticks out into the water. Cape Kennedy is a wedge-shaped bit of sandy land which sticks into the Atlantic Ocean. It is about halfway down Florida's eastern coast. At one time it was called Cape Canaveral. After the death of President John F. Kennedy, it was renamed Cape Kennedy in his memory.
It is from Cape Kennedy that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) launches satellites and tests rockets and missiles. It was chosen as a launching place because its position is ideal for space projects. It provides access to a clear route over the Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa. It is also near the group of islands which serve as tracking stations for the Atlantic Missile Range. This is the course over which our rockets are tested.
Ever since January 31, 1958, Cape Kennedy has been a well-known place. It was on this date that Explorer I rode in the nose of a Jupiter rocket into outer space. Explorer I and, a few months later, Explorer Ⅲ provided us with the information we needed about the radiation belts which surround the earth. Getting a man safely through the belts was one of the problems scientists had to solve before they could send a man into space. Explorers I and Ⅲ supplied the scientists with the information they needed to solve the problem.
Few people knew about Cape Kennedy before 1958. Shortly after that date, however, the attention of most of the world turned to the tiny tropical Florida cape. It was from the Cape that Alan B. Shepard, Virgil I. Grissom, and John H. Glenn, made their historic flights into space.
On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard became the first American to venture into outer space. Soon after Shepard's journey, Virgil Grissom went up. John Glenn followed and traveled around the earth three times. Other astronauts, scientists, and technicians have been adding to our knowledge of outer space ever since those early flights.
Visitors to Cape Kennedy back in 1954 saw a lighthouse and palm trees. They saw birds, rabbits, deer, and poisonous snakes. That was almost all there was to see. Today, visitors who enter the gate see wonderful man-made inventions and many interesting buildings.
Tall towers, painted with red white stripes, stand along the coast. These towers are huge cranes that lift the rockets onto their launching pads. The workers use these cranes as working platforms while preparing the rockets for launching. Scientists and engineers must keep watch over every step of the launching and direct it. This work is done from concrete buildings, which are called blockhouses.
The large airstrip is very important because the big planes carrying parts and equipment to the Cape must have plenty of space to take off and land. Beyond the airstrip are the guided missile area and a group of large buildings. These buildings are guarded very carefully. High wire fences surround them. Telescopes, radio, and radar equipment are housed within the guided missile area, too. The Central Control building is the headquarters for the superintendent of range operations. There are also other interesting buildings at the Cape where more than 18, 000 employees now work.
NASA plans to extend and to enlarge Cape Kennedy for future programs. Cape Kennedy will serve as the launching place for many capsule flights around the earth. Certainly, Cape Kennedy is the center of one of the most exciting adventure stories of the twentieth century.
肯尼迪角
海角是一块伸入水中的陆地。肯尼迪角就是一块伸入大西洋的楔形沙地。它位于佛罗里达东海岸的中间地段。这里曾叫做卡纳维拉尔角，约翰·F·肯尼迪总统去世后，这里被重新命名为肯尼迪角，以示纪念。
美国宇航局的卫星、试验火箭和导弹都是从肯尼迪角发射的。这儿被选中为发射场是因为它的地理位置对太空作业太理想了。肯尼迪角提供了一条飞越南美洲与非洲之间大西洋上空的畅通的航线，而且在它附近有一群可作为大西洋导弹发射监测站的岛屿。这就是美国的火箭在这儿试验的原因。
自从1958年1月31日以来，肯尼迪角就是一个很著名的地方了。就在那一天，“探险者一号”装在“木星”火箭的顶端升空进入外层空间。“探险者一号”和几个月后发射的“探险者三号”给我们提供了我们所需要的有关环绕地球的辐射带的情况。科学家们在送人上太空之前必须解决的问题之一就是让人安全穿过辐射带。“探险者一号”和“三号”给科学家们提供了他们解决这一问题所需的情报。
1958年以前，几乎没有什么人知道肯尼迪角这个地方。但此后不久，世界上大多数注意力都转向这块小小的热带佛罗里达海角。正是从这个海角，艾伦．B·谢泼得、弗吉尔·I·格里索姆以及约翰· H·格伦进行了具有历史意义的太空飞行。
1961年5月5日，艾伦·B·谢泼得成为去外层空间探险的第一个美国人。谢泼得的太空旅行后不久，弗吉尔·格里索姆又飞向了太空，接着，约翰·格伦也飞去了并且绕地球飞行了3次。自从那些早期飞行以来，其他的宇航员、科学家以及技术人员已经给我们增加了不少有关外层空间的知识。
1954年到达肯尼迪角的游客见到的是一座灯塔和一些棕榈树。他们还见到鸟、野兔、鹿和毒蛇。这些几乎就是所能见到的一切了。如今，到这儿来的游客见到的是壮观的人间奇迹和很多妙趣无穷的建筑物。
漆了红白条纹的座座高塔沿着海边高高耸立。这些高塔就是把火箭吊上发射台的巨型吊车。工作人员在准备发射火箭时，就以这些巨型吊车(高塔)作为工作台。科学家和工程师们必须始终监督并指挥发射的每一个步骤。这一工作是在混凝土建筑物中进行的。这类建筑物称为碉堡。
巨大的机场跑道非常重要，因为运输零部件和设备到肯尼迪角的大型飞机必须要有开阔的机场用做起飞和着陆，机场远处是导弹发射控制区和一群庞大的建筑物。这些建筑物防卫森严，四周布满高高的铁丝网。望远镜、收音机以及雷达设备也隐蔽在导弹发射控制区内。控制中心楼是远距离操作的总指挥部。肯尼迪角还有一些有趣的建筑物，现在有18000多职工在那儿工作。
美国宇航局计划在未来的规划中扩展、加大肯尼迪角基地。肯尼迪角将成为今后许多绕地球飞行的宇航器的发射场。毫无疑问，肯尼迪角是展现20世纪最激动人心的探险事迹的一个中心。 |
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发表于 2005-7-25 07:50:03
