Reading and Thinking
SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER
太空：最后的边境
"Are we alone? What's out there?" Looking up at the stars, people have always wanted to learn more about space, and scientists work hard to find answers. They make vehicles to carry brave people into space to find out the secrets of the universe. They also really wish to discover other planets that are suitable enough to support life.
“我们是否孤独？太空以外是什么？”仰望星空，人们一直想更多地了解太空，科学家们也在努力寻找答案。他们制造运载勇敢的人进入太空的交通工具来探索宇宙的秘密。他们也非常希望发现其他适合生命存在的行星。
find out
现在分词作时间状语
Looking up at the stars 为现在分词短语作时间状语，逻辑主语是 people。
= When people look up at the stars
例：Walking along the street, I met an old friend. 在街上走着时，我遇到了一位老朋友。
Before the mid-20th century, most people felt travelling into space was an impossible dream. However, some scientists were determined to help humans realise their dream to explore space. After many experiments, they succeeded in making rockets that could escape Earth's gravity. On 4 October 1957, the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR and successfully orbited around Earth. Afterwards, the USSR focused on sending people into space, and on 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in the world to go into space. Over eight years later, on 20 July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, famously saying, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Following this, many more goals were achieved. For example, America's NASA space agency launched Voyager 1 on 5 September 1977 to study deep space, and it still transmits data today.
在20世纪中叶之前，大多数人都认为进入太空是不可能实现的梦想。然而，一些科学家决意要帮助人类实现探索太空的梦想。经过多次实验，他们成功制造出能逃脱地球引力的火箭。1957年10月4日，苏联发射了人造卫星“旅伴一号”，并成功环绕地球运行。此后，苏联将重点放在将人类送入太空，1961年4月12日，尤里·加加林成为世界上第一个进入太空的人。八年后的1969年7月20日，美国宇航员尼尔·阿姆斯特朗登上月球，他说过一句名言：“对一个人来说，这是一小步；对于人类来说，这是一次巨大飞跃。”此后，又实现了更多的目标。例如，美国国家航空与航天局于1977年9月5日发射了“旅行者一号”，用于研究外太空，如今它仍在传输数据。
be determined to dosucceed in doing
现在分词作伴随状语
famously saying 为现在分词短语作伴随状语，表与 stepped 同时发生的动作。
例：He walked away, whistling a tune. 他吹着口哨走开了。
Although scientists try to make sure nothing goes wrong, accidents can still happen. All the astronauts on the USSR's Soyuz 11 and America's Challenger died during their missions. These disasters made everyone sad and disappointed, but the desire to explore the universe never died. This is because people believe in the importance of carrying on space exploration despite the huge risks. An example of this ongoing work is the International Space Station. It orbits Earth and has astronauts from different countries on board, providing a continuous human presence in space.
尽管科学家努力确保万无一失，但是意外还是可能发生。苏联“联盟11号”和美国“挑战者”号航天飞机上的所有宇航员都在执行任务时牺牲。这些灾难让每个人都感到悲伤和失望，但是探索宇宙的渴望却从未停止过。这是因为人们坚信太空探索的重要性，哪怕面临巨大的风险。仍在工作的一个例子是国际空间站。它绕地球运转，并有来自不同国家的宇航员在飞船上，为太空提供了持续的人类存在。
make + 宾语 + 宾补
made everyone sad and disappointed 中 sad and disappointed 为形容词作宾补，表示"使某人……"。
结构：make + sb. + adj. / n. / do / done
例：The news made him happy. 这个消息让他高兴。
He made me repeat it. 他让我重复一遍。（不带 to 的不定式作宾补）
despite + n. 让步
despite the huge risks 中 despite 为介词，意为"尽管；不顾"，后接名词/动名词，相当于 in spite of。
例：He came despite the rain. 尽管下雨，他还是来了。
注意：despite 后不接 of，不能说 despite of。
China's space programme started later than those of Russia and the US, but it has made great progress in a short time. China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space in 2003, when Yang Liwei successfully orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. Then Shenzhou 6 and 7 completed a second manned orbit and the first Chinese spacewalk, followed by the vehicle Jade Rabbit being sent to the moon to study its surface. After that, China launched the Tiangong 2 space lab into space and Tianzhou 1 to dock with it. This signalled one step further in China's plan to establish a space station in the future. More recently, China has sent Chang'e 4 to explore the surface of the far side of the moon to make measurements and observations.
中国的太空计划起步晚于俄罗斯和美国，但中国在短时间内取得了巨大进展。2003年，杨利伟乘坐神舟五号成功绕地球飞行，中国成为世界上第三个实现载人航天的国家。此后，神舟六号和七号分别完成了第二次载人飞行以及中国人的第一次太空行走，随后，“玉兔”月球车被送上月球研究其表面。之后，中国将天宫二号空间实验室送入太空，天舟一号与其交会对接。这标志着中国在未来建立空间站的计划又向前迈进了一步。最近，中国发射嫦娥四号探测月球背面，以进行测量和观察。
when 引导非限制性定语从句
in 2003, when Yang Liwei successfully orbited Earth 中 when 引导非限制性定语从句，修饰 2003。
例：I visited Paris in 2019, when I was studying in France. 我2019年访问了巴黎，当时我在法国留学。
过去分词作后置定语
followed by the vehicle Jade Rabbit being sent 中 followed by 意为"随后是……"，作补充说明。
例：He walked in, followed by his dog. 他走了进来，后面跟着他的狗。
The future of space exploration remains bright. Europe, the US, and China all have plans to further study and explore planets like Mars and Jupiter. Despite the difficulties, scientists hope future discoveries will not only enable us to understand how the universe began, but also help us survive well into the future.
太空探索的未来依然光明。欧洲、美国和中国都计划进一步研究和探索火星和木星等行星。尽管困难重重，科学家们希望未来的发现不仅能让我们了解宇宙的起源，而且还能帮助我们更好地在未来生存。
not only ... but also 并列
not only ... but also 连接两个并列成分，意为"不但……而且……"。
当 not only 位于句首时，所在分句需部分倒装：
例：Not only does he speak English, but also he writes it well. 他不但会说英语，而且写得也很好。
要点摘要
- 人类对太空探索的向往与科学家的努力
- 早期太空探索里程碑：苏联卫星、加加林、阿姆斯特朗登月
- 太空事故与坚持不懈的探索精神
- 中国太空计划：从神舟五号到嫦娥四号
- 太空探索的未来光明，将揭示宇宙奥秘