CNN新闻英语第 22 课：New Discoveries on Mars 火星上的新发现-2

Jim Bell, NASA 吉姆·贝尔，美国国家航空航天局
Mars was, perhaps, much more like the Earth a long time ago early in its history. The atmospheric pressure may have been higher, the temperature may have been warmer, and liquid water may have been stable on its surface. 火星在其太古时期也许很像地球，那时的空气压力也许更大，气温也许更高，液态水在火星地表也许更加稳定。

Kellen 凯兰
One astronomer says this probably just the tip of the Martian iceberg, speculating icy layers could go as much as one mile deep. Are they sure it's water ice? 一位天文学家说，这也许只是火星冰山的一角，他估计冰层厚度可能有一英里。他们确信它是冰态水吗？

Feldman 费尔德曼
In the north and south, there's so much of it there, it could be nothing else but water ice. 在火星南北两极蕴藏着如此之多的冰，除了是冰态水这外，别无可能。

Kellan 凯兰
Today, Mars is a cold, dry, hostile environment, with no atmosphere, no rain to replenish surface water, but the potential of so much underground water expands the scope for space exploration. 目前，火星上的环境严寒而干燥，不适合人类居住，既没有大气层，也没有降雨来补充地表水分，但是存在如此丰富地下水的可能性使得探索宇宙的空间以扩展。

Imagine using Mars as a stopover point for water and refueling. As for determining whether life ever existed on Mars… 想象一下，火星可以作为一个补给水和燃料的中转站，同时判断一下火星上是否有生命存在。

Feldman 费尔德曼
It would be very, very exciting if we found life. You know, the old question, are we alone? 如果我们能发现生命，那将太令人激动了。那么回到那个老话题，我们真的是独一无二的吗？

Kellan 凯兰
To answer that, NASA says it would take sending a robot to the Red Planet, to scoop up and bring samples back to Earth to study. 美国国家航空航天局人士称，要解答这个问题，就得考虑派遣一个机器人到这个红色行星上，挖掘一点土壤样本带回到地球进行研究。

Even though NASA's talked about it, no such missions are planned. But at least now, thanks to Odyssey, they're getting some good maps of where to look. 虽然国家航空航天局就此讨论过，但并无进行此类太空行动的打算。但至少现在，幸亏有“奥德赛”宇宙飞船，能够提供去哪里寻找的地图。