雅思词汇课文（22）· The Future of Space Exploration 太空探索的未来
科技主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。
🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）
📖 课文 Text
The Future of Space Exploration
The last time a human being walked on the Moon was 1972. For decades, space exploration stagnated. The space shuttle was retired in 2011, and American astronauts depended on Russian rockets to reach the International Space Station. Then, unexpectedly, interest reignited. Private companies, not governments, led the revival.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, landed reusable rockets in 2015, cutting launch costs by an order of magnitude. Its Starship vehicle, still under development, is designed to carry 100 people to Mars. Blue Origin, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, focuses on space tourism and lunar landings. Virgin Galactic has already flown paying customers to the edge of space.
Governments have returned to the field as well. NASA's Artemis programme aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2027, this time to stay. China's Tiangong space station is permanently crewed, and its Chang'e missions have returned lunar samples. India's Chandrayaan-3 achieved the first soft landing near the Moon's south pole.
The scientific rationale remains compelling. The Moon's south pole contains water ice that could support future missions. Telescopes in space, above the distortion of the atmosphere, can observe distant galaxies. Mars, with evidence of ancient water, may hold traces of past or present life.
Critics argue that the enormous cost of space exploration diverts resources from urgent problems on Earth: poverty, disease, climate change. Supporters counter that spin-off technologies — GPS, memory foam, water purification — have benefited humanity enormously, and that exploring space is an intrinsic human impulse.
The next decade will reveal which vision prevails. Whether humanity becomes a multiplanetary species or retreats to home will depend less on rockets than on politics and priorities.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| exploration | /ˌekspləˈreɪʃn/ | n. | 探索 | space exploration |
| stagnate | /stæɡˈneɪt/ | v. | 停滞 | stagnated |
| revive | /rɪˈvaɪv/ | v. | 复兴 | led the revival |
| reusable | /ˌriːˈjuːzəbl/ | adj. | 可重复使用的 | reusable rockets |
| launch | /lɔːntʃ/ | n./v. | 发射 | launch costs |
| magnitude | /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/ | n. | 量级、重要性 | an order of magnitude |
| tourism | /ˈtʊərɪzəm/ | n. | 旅游业 | space tourism |
| lunar | /ˈluːnə/ | adj. | 月球的 | lunar landings |
| retire | /rɪˈtaɪə/ | v. | 退役、退休 | was retired |
| permanently | /ˈpɜːmənəntli/ | adv. | 永久地 | permanently crewed |
| sample | /ˈsɑːmpl/ | n. | 样本 | lunar samples |
| rationale | /ˌræʃəˈnɑːl/ | n. | 理由、依据 | scientific rationale |
| compelling | /kəmˈpelɪŋ/ | adj. | 令人信服的 | compelling |
| ice | /aɪs/ | n. | 冰 | water ice |
| telescope | /ˈtelɪskəʊp/ | n. | 望远镜 | telescopes |
| distortion | /dɪˈstɔːʃn/ | n. | 扭曲、失真 | distortion of the atmosphere |
| distant | /ˈdɪstənt/ | adj. | 遥远的 | distant galaxies |
| ancient | /ˈeɪnʃənt/ | adj. | 古老的 | ancient water |
| trace | /treɪs/ | n. | 痕迹 | traces of life |
| critic | /ˈkrɪtɪk/ | n. | 批评者 | Critics argue |
| divert | /daɪˈvɜːt/ | v. | 转移、转移 | diverts resources |
| urgent | /ˈɜːdʒənt/ | adj. | 紧急的 | urgent problems |
| spin-off | /ˈspɪn ɒf/ | n. | 衍生、副产品 | spin-off technologies |
| purification | /ˌpjʊərɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ | n. | 净化 | water purification |
| intrinsic | /ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk/ | adj. | 内在的、本质的 | an intrinsic impulse |
| impulse | /ˈɪmpʌls/ | n. | 冲动、本能 | human impulse |
| prevail | /prɪˈveɪl/ | v. | 盛行、获胜 | which vision prevails |
| multiplanetary | /ˌmʌltiˈplænətri/ | adj. | 多行星的 | a multiplanetary species |
| retreat | /rɪˈtriːt/ | v. | 撤退 | retreats to home |
| priority | /praɪˈɒrəti/ | n. | 优先事项 | politics and priorities |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. When did the last human walk on the Moon?
- A. 1969
- B. 1972
- C. 1989
- D. 2000
2. What did SpaceX achieve in 2015?
- A. first human on Mars
- B. landing reusable rockets
- C. building the ISS
- D. first space tourist
3. NASA's Artemis programme aims to...
- A. go to Mars
- B. land the first woman on the Moon
- C. build a space station
- D. study the Sun
4. Critics of space exploration argue that...
- A. it is too cheap
- B. it diverts resources from urgent Earth problems
- C. it causes no pollution
- D. it should be free
5. The writer concludes that humanity's future in space depends on...
- A. rocket technology alone
- B. politics and priorities
- C. private companies only
- D. luck
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| stagnate / reusable / magnitude / compelling / divert / intrinsic / prevail / priority |
- Without new investment, the local economy will ______.
- The library now offers ______ coffee cups to reduce waste.
- The discovery was an earthquake of enormous ______.
- She presented a ______ argument for changing the policy.
- The government decided to ______ funds from defence to healthcare.
- Curiosity is an ______ human trait.
- Justice will ultimately ______.
- Safety is the company's top ______.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. B
Vocabulary
- stagnate 2. reusable 3. magnitude 4. compelling 5. divert 6. intrinsic 7. prevail 8. priority
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