小行星撞地球或使人類變成"吸血鬼"
An asteroid splashdown in one of Earth's oceans could trigger a destructive chemical cycle that would wipe out half of the ozone layer, according to a new study. The massive loss of protection against the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation would likely force humans into a vampire-style existence of staying indoors during daylight hours.
最新科學研究顯示，小行星墜入地球海洋會引發毀滅性的化學連鎖反應，導致50%的臭氧層消失。缺少了臭氧層對太陽紫外線輻射的抵擋，人類將有可能被迫過起“吸血鬼”般的生活——白天只能躲在屋子裏。
The worst scenario based on an asteroid 1 kilometer wide would re-create the hole in the ozone layer, which appeared over Antarctica during the 1990s, except this would be worldwide. UV levels in the study's simulation soared beyond anything measured so far on Earth by the UV Index's daily forecasts of overexposure to UV radiation, and remained that way for as long as two years.
早在上世紀90年代，南極洲上空就已出現臭氧空洞。此次研究發現，直徑達1000米的小行星撞擊地球后也會出現臭氧空洞，且危害波及整個地球。研究結果顯示，模擬太陽紫外線輻射在撞擊後飆升，超過了此前在地球上測量的所有紫外線輻射指數預報數據，並且會以這種狀態保持兩年。
Researchers tested scenarios with a 0.6-mile asteroid and a 0.3-mile asteroid (500 meters) at a specific location and specific time of year. Models used in the research showed how ozone destruction would result from an asteroid strike launching seawater vapor hundreds of miles up into the highest parts of the atmosphere. Chemical elements such as chloride and bromide that separated from the water vapor could then wreak havoc by destroying the ozone layer that protects life on Earth from UV rays.
在實驗中，研究人員測試了特定時間特定地點下直徑分別爲1000米和500米的小行星。研究人員通過觀察模型發現了小行星墜落入地球海洋後的臭氧層破滅過程：巨大的撞擊力量使得海水蒸汽上升至大氣層最高點，隨後氯化物及溴化物等化學物質脫離水汽，毀壞保護人類免受輻射的臭氧層。
Long-term effects of such high UV radiation would include skin-reddening, changes in plant growth and genetic mutations for humans and other organisms. And an asteroid has about twice the chance of striking water rather than hitting land. Those odds come from the fact that over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water.
據悉，長期面臨輻射可導致皮膚紅化、植物生長髮生改變、人類以及其他有機體的基因變異。而且據瞭解，小行星落入海洋的機率是與陸地相撞機率的兩倍，原因在於地球70%以上的表面被水覆蓋。
Asteroid hunters have found about 903 of an estimated 1,050 near-Earth objects (NEOs) with diameters of 1 kilometer or greater as of October 1. That still leaves well over 100 objects in the 1-2 kilometer size undiscovered.
據估計，截至10月初，直徑大於等於1000米的近地小行星約有1050個，行星探測器已發現903個，而還有100多個直徑爲1000到2000米的小行星尚待發掘。
重點單詞查看全部解釋except[ik'sept]想一想再看
vt. 除，除外
prep. & conj.
ex外拿→除…之外.把除外 radiation[i'eiʃən]
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n. 輻射，放射線
genetic[dʒi'netik]想一想再看
adj. 基因的，遺傳的，起源的
聯想記憶X單詞genetic聯想記憶：gene基因+etic表形容詞，“屬於…的”→遺傳的 simulation[u'leiʃən]
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n. 模擬，仿真，贗品
聯想記憶X單詞simulation聯想記憶：simul相類似，一樣+ate+ion→假裝 havoc['hævək]
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n. 大破壞，混亂 vt. 破壞
聯想記憶X單詞havoc聯想記憶：hav＝have，oc＝occur（v 發生）－有很多事發生－混亂無序ha哈，voc聲霸卡存儲的聲音文件格式：哈哈哈的聲音－混亂 specific[spi'sifik]
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adj. 特殊的，明確的，具有特效的
n. 特
speci外觀+fic帶來→帶來外觀的→具體的 vapor['veipə]
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n. 蒸汽
protection[prə'tekʃən]想一想再看
n. 保護，防衛
聯想記憶X單詞protection聯想記憶：pro在前面+tect蓋上+ion→保護 separated['sepəreitid]
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adj. 分居；分開的；不在一起生活的 v. 分開；隔開
bromide['brəumaid]想一想再看
n. [化]溴化物 n. 陳詞濫調 n. 令人討厭的人，
聯想記憶X單詞bromide聯想記憶：讀：不如買的。買的都是好東西，新潮的東西。不如買的就是過時的東西－陳詞濫調
