练习材料：
L55-3: From the earth: Greetings
A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system. Once we detected a planet, we would have to find a way of blotting out the light from its star, so that we would be able to 'see' the planet properly and analyze its atmosphere. In the first instance, we would be looking for plant life, rather than 'little green men'. The life forms most likely to develop on a planet would be bacteria. It is bacteria that have generated the oxygen we breathe on earth. For most of the earth's history they have been the only form of life on our planet. As Earth-dwellers, we always cherish the hope that we will be visited by little green men and that we will be able to communicate with them. But this hope is always in the realms of science fiction. If we were able to discover lowly forms of life like bacteria on another planet, it would completely change our view of ourselves. As Daniel Goldin of NASA observed, 'Finding life elsewhere would change everything. No human endeavor or thought would be unchanged by it."
ə ˈtɛlɪskəʊp wʊd hæv tuː biː æz fɑːr əˈweɪ æz ðə ˈplænɪt ˈʤuːpɪtə tuː lʊk fɔː laɪf ɪn ˈaʊtə speɪs, bɪˈkɒz ðə dʌst bɪˈkʌmz ˈθɪnə ðə ˈfɜːðə wiː ˈtrævl təˈwɔːdz ði ˈaʊtər ˈɛʤɪz ɒv ˈaʊər əʊn ˈsəʊlə ˈsɪstɪm. wʌns wiː dɪˈtɛktɪd ə ˈplænɪt, wiː wʊd hæv tuː faɪnd ə weɪ ɒv ˈblɒtɪŋ aʊt ðə laɪt frɒm ɪts stɑː, səʊ ðæt wiː wʊd biː ˈeɪbl tuː siː ðə ˈplænɪt ˈprɒpəli ænd ˈænəlaɪz ɪts ˈætməsfɪə. ɪn ðə fɜːst ˈɪnstəns, wiː wʊd biː ˈlʊkɪŋ fɔː plɑːnt laɪf, ˈrɑːðə ðæn ˈlɪtl griːn mɛn. ðə laɪf fɔːmz məʊst ˈlaɪkli tuː dɪˈvɛləp ɒn ə ˈplænɪt wʊd biː bækˈtɪərɪə. ɪt ɪz bækˈtɪərɪə ðæt hæv ˈʤɛnəreɪtɪd ði ˈɒksɪʤən wiː briːð ɒn ɜːθ. fɔː məʊst ɒv ði ɜːθs ˈhɪstəri ðeɪ hæv biːn ði ˈəʊnli fɔːm ɒv laɪf ɒn ˈaʊə ˈplænɪt. æz ɜːθ-ˈdwɛləz, wiː ˈɔːlweɪz ˈʧɛrɪʃ ðə həʊp ðæt wiː wɪl biː ˈvɪzɪtɪd baɪ ˈlɪtl griːn mɛn ænd ðæt wiː wɪl biː ˈeɪbl tuː kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt wɪð ðɛm. bʌt ðɪs həʊp ɪz ˈɔːlweɪz ɪn ðə rɛlmz ɒv ˈsaɪəns ˈfɪkʃən. ɪf wiː wɜːr ˈeɪbl tuː dɪsˈkʌvə ˈləʊli fɔːmz ɒv laɪf laɪk bækˈtɪərɪə ɒn əˈnʌðə ˈplænɪt, ɪt wʊd kəmˈpliːtli ʧeɪnʤ ˈaʊə vjuː ɒv ˌaʊəˈsɛlvz. æz ˈdænjəl Goldin ɒv ˈnæsə əbˈzɜːvd, ˈfaɪndɪŋ laɪf ˈɛlsˈweə wʊd ʧeɪnʤ ˈɛvrɪθɪŋ. nəʊ ˈhjuːmən ɪnˈdɛvər ɔː θɔːt wʊd biː ʌnˈʧeɪnʤd baɪ ɪt."
望远镜要放置在木星那样遥远的行星上才有可能在外层空间搜寻生命。因为我们越是接近太阳系的边缘，尘埃就越稀薄。一旦我们找到这样一颗行星，我们就要想办法将它的恒星射过来的光线遮暗，这样我们就能彻底“看见”这颗行星，并分析它的大气层。首先我们要寻找植物，而不是那种“小绿人”。行星上最容易生存下来的是细菌。正是细菌生产出我们在地球上呼吸的氧气。在地球上发展的大部分进程中，细菌是地球上唯一的生命形式。作为地球上的居民，我们总存有这样的希望：小绿人来拜访我们，而我们可以和他们交流。但是，这种希望总是只在科幻小说中存在。如果我们能够在另一颗行星上找到诸如细菌的那种低等生命，那么这个发现将彻底改变我们对我们自己的看法。正如美国国家航空和宇宙航空局的丹尼尔.戈尔丁指出的“在其他地方发现生命会改变一切。任何人类的努力和想法都会发生变化。”
任务配置：L0、L3、L4
知识笔记：
单词与短语
In the first instance首先
rather than不是...
感想：一边学英语，一边学知识，原来是细菌生产出的氧气。
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