奥巴马演讲 A Long Distance Relationship(3)
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2010-02-23 01:04 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, guys.

COMMANDER ZAMKA:  Good morning from the International Space Station and from the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it's great to talk to you guys.  I wanted to, first of all, just say that we've got a bunch of very excited young people here with us, along with a bunch of somewhat excited teachers.  (Laughter.)  We have one engineer and one member of Congress, so you've got a -- and a whole bunch of press here, so it's a pretty motley(杂色的,混杂的) crew.  And one President.

But I just wanted to let you guys know how proud we are of all of you at what you guys have been accomplishing.  I've had a chance to take a look at what Tranquility Module1 is doing.  Everybody here back home is excited about this bay on the world that you guys are opening up, and Stephen Colbert at least is excited about his treadmill2(踏车,跑步机) .  (Laughter.)

And so we just wanted to let you know that the amazing work that's being done on the International Space Station not only by our American astronauts but also our colleagues from Japan and Russia is just a testimony3(证据,证言) to the human ingenuity4(独创性,精巧) ; a testimony to extraordinary skill and courage that you guys bring to bear; and is also a testimony to why continued space exploration is so important, and is part of the reason why my commitment to NASA is unwavering(不动摇的,坚定的) .

But instead of me doing all the talking, I wanted you guys to maybe let us know what this new Tranquility Module will help you accomplish.  One of the things that we've done with our NASA "Vision for the Future" is to extend the life of our participation5 in the Space Station.  And so we just want to get a sense of the kind of research that you guys are doing, and then maybe I'll turn it over to some young people to see if they've got any questions.

COMMANDER ZAMKA:  Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. It is a large team effort.  In front of you, you have the joint6 crew of Endeavour and the Space Station, and we are the ones that are fortunate enough to be able to accomplish this great mission together in space.  But there are many thousands of people around the world that gave the best of themselves over many years in order to have the days that we've been having up here.

For your question, I'm going to turn it over to ISS Commander Jeff Williams.

COMMANDER WILLIAMS:  Well, Mr. President, as you know, the ISS has been under assembly for many years, over a decade now.  And as George said, it's because of the efforts of thousands of people around the world among the international partnerships7.

The arrival of this module means several things.  It means, of course, that we -- everybody is aware of this new grand view that we have of the world below us, and that brings a special significance.  But the Tranquility Module also is going to serve as a gym, as a hygiene(卫生,保健) area, as a place a crew can maintain themselves for a long duration.  And a long duration living and working in space is what the Space Station is all about -- to do the research and the science necessary to take us beyond Earth orbit.

That was the ultimate purpose of the Space Station, and the arrival of this module will enable us to do that.  And it really marks the end of the major assembly of at least the U.S. orbiting segment to -- as we transition into full utilization8(利用,使用) of this magnificent orbiting laboratory.

THE PRESIDENT:  Do you guys want to just mention some of the research and experiments that you can conduct on the Space Station that you could not be doing back here at home?

FLIGHT ENGINEER CREAMER:  That's a great question, Mr. President.  Let me start off(出发,开始) by saying one of the nice things about where we physically9 are right now is that we remove the effects of gravity(重力) , so we're able to do experiments that involve the effect of gravity basically on Earth as we look at what happens with the absence of it.

For instance, when you do combustion10 studies, flames on Earth burn in a teardrop(泪珠) fashion because the air comes in from underneath11 it and feeds the flame, but we can't do that here since the air doesn't know where up is, there's no convection.  So the flames burn very purely12 in a ball.

In a similar sense, when we do cellular13 research for even -- like for cancer research, for instance, on Earth the cells actually collapse14 under their own weight and so their growth on Earth are a little bit distorted.  Here, without the gravity effect, we can grow cells very purely and understand the mechanisms15 by which they are #p#分页标题#e#replicating(折叠,复制) .

We're also doing metallic16 research and materials research to help us understand how to make materials on Earth better, but also to find out what materials are better for long-duration missions and traveling beyond Earth's orbit.

Some of the other experiments involve biological, where we actually have, for instance, butterflies up here and we watch the life process of the butterflies.  Many, many experiments up and down the stack are quite exciting when we are able to remove the variable of gravity.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, some of the things that you talked about are in line with where we want to see NASA going increasingly:  What are those transformational technologies that would allow us to potentially see space travel of longer durations?  If we want to get to Mars, if we want to get beyond that, what kinds of technologies are going to be necessary in order for us to make sure that folks can get there in one piece and get back in one piece and that -- the kinds of fuels that we use and the technologies we use are going to facilitate something that is actually feasible(可行的) ?  And we're very excited about the possibilities of putting more research dollars into some of these transformational technologies.

So we're excited about what you're doing and what folks back on Earth as part of NASA's engineering teams and scientific teams are doing.

What I want to do is give some of these young people a chance to ask a couple of questions, but I'm not sure I've got any volunteers so I'm going to have to turn around -- oh, look.  (Laughter.)  This is a serious bunch here, I can tell.  So I'm going to hand the phone over to the first one -- hold on -- what's your name?

Q    Ruth.

THE PRESIDENT:  This is Ruth, coming from North Carolina.

Q    What are some of the benefits of exploring space as opposed to exploring other places on Earth?

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  A pretty serious question, guys.  You better have a good answer -- the NASA folks are sitting here listening.  (Laughter.)

MISSION SPECIALIST:  Ruth, I can tell you your curiosity reaches far, and so does ours.  And that's sort of the human spirit, to find out what can humans really do.
One thing that's always been I think amazing to every person who travels in space is that the human body is adaptable17 to this environment.  But adaptable in what way, and how does the human body and even the human brain adapt to this very, very different environment?  Learning about how we, ourselves, work and how we can handle changes if we go somewhere very different than what we're used to is something that's valuable also on Earth, because our environment changes on Earth, too -- and in terms of health and medicine, we understand better how our own bodies work.  So there’s a lot to be learned.

THE PRESIDENT:  All right, who's next?

Q    Mary.

THE PRESIDENT:  All right, this is Mary coming at you.

Q    What inspired you to become an astronaut?

THE PRESIDENT:  Got any takers on that one?

MISSION SPECIALIST PATRICK:  Mary, hello.  This is Nick Patrick.  The thing that inspired me to become an astronaut was watching the Apollo moon landings many, many years ago with my parents.  I thought I wanted to be a space explorer then and I stuck to my dream.  I stayed in school and I studied hard, and through schoolwork and also an interest in things like sailing and flying I was able to realize my dream.

So I would have some advice to all of you there, which is study really hard in school, listen to your teachers.  They’re full of knowledge and experience that you really can use in whatever path your future life takes you along -- whether it be engineering, science, a job in business, or even space exploration.

THE PRESIDENT:  All right, let’s get -- we have one of our young people from --

Q    From Nebraska.

THE PRESIDENT:  From Nebraska.  And what’s your name?

Q    Jordan.

THE PRESIDENT:  This is Jordan from Nebraska.

Q    Do you think it will ever be possible to create artificial gravity in space?

THE PRESIDENT:  That's a big physics question there, guys.  Anybody want to tackle that one?

PILOT VIRTS:  Hi, Jordan, this is Terry Virts here.  And that's a great question because one of the hard things about long-duration space flight is the human body dealing18 with weightlessness and a lack of gravity.#p#分页标题#e#

And one way you can create gravity is to spin(旋转,纺纱) things.  If you take a bucket of water or paint you can spin it around and you’ll notice that the water stays pressed up against the bucket because you're accelerating it.  And so you can artificially create that acceleration19 that makes you feel like you're in gravity just by rotating something like a centrifuge(离心机) .

So it is possible, but to do that it requires a really large structure.  And so that's something that we haven’t done here on the Space Station, but that's one way you can do it.

THE PRESIDENT:  That was a great question.  All right, we need a Michigan -- we’ve got to make sure every state is represented here.  What’s your name?

Q    Shanae.

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, go ahead and introduce yourself.

Q    I was just wondering, what kind of training did you have to go through before you were able to get into space?

THE PRESIDENT:  That was Shanae from Michigan.

MISSION SPECIALIST HIRE:  Well, that's a great question.  You know, it takes a lot of experience to be an astronaut and it’s not just in one field.  We’ve all been through many, many years of school, but also experience in our own fields.  So we have engineers, scientists, mathematicians20, medical doctors and physicists21.  We have quite a range of experience that become astronauts.

And the important thing is that you have a good, solid background in the technical fields -- the science, the technology, the engineering and the math -- to build on that, because once everyone comes and is selected as an astronaut, we all train generically22 for space flight, and then we train specifically for our mission.

For the International Space Station it's a very complicated and very large spacecraft, so the training is over multiple years just for a specific flight.  For the Space Shuttle, being a shorter-duration flight of just a couple of weeks, we still train for over one year just specifically on the task that we'll accomplish on our mission.

So it's quite a bit of time, but it certainly is worth it.  It's quite rewarding to us to be able to execute the mission that we've been training for, for so long.

THE PRESIDENT:  And I think we need to have at least one Floridian -- is that right?  We already had a Floridian?  Do we have every state covered so far?

All right, we've got time for a couple more questions.  We were going to get a little gender23 balance here.  (Laughter.)  This young man back here, what's your name?

Q    Joseph.

THE PRESIDENT:  Joseph.

Hold on one second.  You've got a question from Joseph from Nebraska.

Q    Are there any recognizable landmarks24 that you can see from space?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, the rumor25 was, is that you can see the Great Wall from space, but I'm not sure that's true.  So are there at least -- if there aren't manmade landmarks, are there some natural landmarks other than continents that you can see?

FLIGHT ENGINEER:  Yes, Mr. President and Joseph, that's a great question.  Actually, one of the great -- in this mission, we have a great window, big window, that we are really fascinated by the great view of the Earth.  And, yes, we can see a lot of great landmarks.  We can see the Golden Gate Bridge, the great skyscrapers26 in New York.  And the Grand Canyon27 is just breathtaking.  And also while in the night pass we can see all the lights -- that means that the humans are active even in the night.  And this is a great benefit that we all benefit from, being in space.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, there you go.

All right, we've got -- looks like I've got a couple more questions.  Hold on.  What's your name?

Q    Barbara.

THE PRESIDENT:  This is Barbara.  From?

Q    From Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  From Florida.  Hold on.

Q    Hi, I'm curious about the thoughts and emotions that you guys feel when you're in space.

THE PRESIDENT:  There you go.  Do you start getting lonely?  Do you feel a little claustrophobic?

MISSION SPECIALIST:  That's an excellent question, and I think that probably it ranges quite a bit over the period of a space shuttle mission, And I expect it probably varies quite a bit over the range of a long-duration mission.

Kind of starting off, for the shuttle mission, at least for me, I've done that twice now; you kind of get into orbit, and you're just kind of finding the #p#分页标题#e#equivalent(等价物,想等物) of your sea legs(不晕船) , if you will.  And so you're -- you've arrived on orbit and you kind of have a feeling of joy, having accomplished28 it.  Your body has just gone through kind of a little bit of a violent experience through the launch, and you have a little bit of adrenaline probably getting out of your system.  So it's a little bit of a joyous29, giddy(头晕的) moment, at the same time that you're disoriented(迷惑的) as you deal with the first couple of hours of actually being on orbit.

After that passes, after a couple of days, for me it was kind of a sense of wonder as you explore what you can do in zero gravity and the things that you can see out the window and just how the entire complex works together to make it happen.  So it's just a sense of wonder.

After -- a little while after that, I think you start to think a little bit about the people who are back on Earth that are most precious to you, and then that little bit of loneliness can kick in.  And one of the really nice things that we have and the long-duration crews have is the opportunity to use a telephone or to perform a videoconference similar to like we're doing with you guys with our families.  And I think that's really important for folks to maintain that contact when you're up here on orbit.

Of course, you have your crew members, but you do really want to maintain those precious relationships with all your family members and friends that are on the ground.  And they do a remarkable30 job actually supporting us while we're in space to make sure that we can still speak with our families and that our families are informed and able to stay in contact with us.

But all those emotions kind of wrap up(伪装,使全神贯注) together.  Kind of the final one is kind of when you do return to Earth and kick off all those relationships that, whether they were two weeks or six months later, have -- time has passed and you have to kind of rebuild them a little bit.  But it's a very joyous experience, and something that you can share with both the people on the ground and the people who are part of your crew throughout the entire mission.

Great question.

THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  So I think we're going to make this the last question.  We've been keeping you guys overtime31.  So what's your name?

Q    Alex.

THE PRESIDENT:  This is Alex.  Hold on one sec.

Q    Does being up in space allow you to see things such as the weather?  Like could you see the storm over Washington?

THE PRESIDENT:  That's a good point.  Obviously we're using a lot of satellite imagery these days, and this is going to be a major focus of some of the work NASA is doing here at home, thinking about how we can get better information about our own climate.  Is that something that you guys are tracking from the Space Station?

COMMANDER WILLIAMS:  Well, we view a lot of the weather phenomena32.  We've seen many hurricanes and typhoons and whatnot(不可名状的东西,放东西的架子) around the world.  We can see fronts crossing continents.  We see the whole variety of cloud formations.  We sometimes can see the aftermath of a storm or other major impact on the Earth after the sky clears.

So there's a whole lot of details that we can see here from the Space Station -- and observe every day.  We can see things -- we pass over the same portion of the Earth every day, so it's a regular observation that we can make over a long period of time, as well.

THE PRESIDENT:  You guys have been extraordinarily33 generous with your time, and I just want to repeat, and I think I speak for all the young people here, everybody back home, how proud we are of you, how excited we are about the work that's being done on the Space Station, and how committed we are to continuing human space exploration in the future.

So you guys continue to be great pioneers and great role models for all of us, and we thank you for your courage.  And tell your families we appreciate them letting you float up into space like this.  (Laughter.)  All right?

Bye-bye, guys.

END



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 module iEjxj     
n.组件,模块,模件;(航天器的)舱
参考例句:
  • The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
  • Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。
2 treadmill 1pOyz     
n.踏车;单调的工作
参考例句:
  • The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
  • Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。
3 testimony zpbwO     
n.证词;见证,证明
参考例句:
  • The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
  • He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
4 ingenuity 77TxM     
n.别出心裁;善于发明创造
参考例句:
  • The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
  • I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。
5 participation KS9zu     
n.参与,参加,分享
参考例句:
  • Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
  • The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。
6 joint m3lx4     
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合
参考例句:
  • I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤,肩膀脫臼了。
  • We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
7 partnerships ce2e6aff420d72bbf56e8077be344bc9     
n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 );合伙人身份;合作关系
参考例句:
  • Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句
8 utilization Of0zMC     
n.利用,效用
参考例句:
  • Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
  • Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式,完全驳倒了这种想象。
9 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
10 combustion 4qKzS     
n.燃烧;氧化;骚动
参考例句:
  • We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
  • The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。
11 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
12 purely 8Sqxf     
adv.纯粹地,完全地
参考例句:
  • I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
  • This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。
13 cellular aU1yo     
adj.移动的;细胞的,由细胞组成的
参考例句:
  • She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
  • Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。
14 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
15 mechanisms d0db71d70348ef1c49f05f59097917b8     
n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 );机械装置;[生物学] 机制;机械作用
参考例句:
  • The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 metallic LCuxO     
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的
参考例句:
  • A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
  • He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。
17 adaptable vJDyI     
adj.能适应的,适应性强的,可改编的
参考例句:
  • He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人,很快就将学会这种工作。
  • The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。
18 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
19 acceleration ff8ya     
n.加速,加速度
参考例句:
  • All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
  • He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。
20 mathematicians bca28c194cb123ba0303d3afafc32cb4     
数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗? 来自英汉文学
  • Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分
21 physicists 18316b43c980524885c1a898ed1528b1     
物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说,这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
  • Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。
22 generically 0a0a971731e64a0a3a8e76fab5963a08     
adv.一般地
参考例句:
  • The so-called critics are generically mentioned, but not individually mentioned. 当所谓的批评提及时总是一笔带过,从不指名道姓。 来自互联网
  • We market these drugs generically. 我们推广的这些药是未经注册的。 来自互联网
23 gender slSyD     
n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性
参考例句:
  • French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语,所有的名词都有性。
  • Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。
24 landmarks 746a744ae0fc201cc2f97ab777d21b8c     
n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 );目标;(标志重要阶段的)里程碑 ~ (in sth);有历史意义的建筑物(或遗址)
参考例句:
  • The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句
25 rumor qS0zZ     
n.谣言,谣传,传说
参考例句:
  • The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
  • The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。
26 skyscrapers f4158331c4e067c9706b451516137890     
n.摩天大楼
参考例句:
  • A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
  • On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。
27 canyon 4TYya     
n.峡谷,溪谷
参考例句:
  • The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
  • The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。
28 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
29 joyous d3sxB     
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的
参考例句:
  • The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
  • They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。
30 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
31 overtime aKqxn     
adj.超时的,加班的;adv.加班地
参考例句:
  • They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
  • He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。
32 phenomena 8N9xp     
n.现象
参考例句:
  • Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
  • The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系,如果存在着任何联系的话。
33 extraordinarily Vlwxw     
adv.格外地;极端地
参考例句:
  • She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
  • The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨,大海出奇地宁静。
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