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1、大学英语精读第 6 册全文课文翻译THE QUEST FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCEThrough all of our history we have pondered the stars and mused whether humanity is unique or if, somewhere else in the dark of the night sky, there are other beings who contemplate and wonder as we do, fellow thinkers in the cosmos. Such b
2、eings might view themselves and the universe differently. Somewhere else there might be very exotic biologies and technologies and societies. In a cosmic setting vast and old beyond ordinary human understanding, we area little lonely; andwe ponder the ultimate significance, if any, of our tiny but e
3、xquisite blue planet.The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the search for a generally acceptable cosmic context for the human species. In the deepest sense, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for ourselves.In the last few years - in one-millionth the lifetime of our s
4、pecies on this planet - we have achieved an extraordinary technological capability which enables us to seek out探寻外星人自从人类有历史记载以来，我们一直在思索着星星，反复考虑是否只有人类存在，或者说在太空深处的某个地方是否存在其他同我们一样在不停地思索着的生命，也就是宇宙中跟我们一起思考的人。这样的人可能对自己和宇宙算法不同。在别的什么地方可能存在着非常奇异的生物、技术和社会。我们在一种空间和时间都超出人类理解的宇宙环境里感到有点孤独。我们深思着根本的意义，我们这个渺小的但精巧的蓝色
5、星。探寻外星人就是为人类寻找一个普遍能接受的宇宙环境。从最深层次的意义来说，探寻外星人就是寻找我们自己。在过去的几年中在我们人类生活在这个星球上的百万分之一的时间里，我们已经具unimaginably distant civilizations even if they are no more 有了一种非凡的能力。这种技术能力能使我们搜advanced than we. That capability is called radio astronomyand involves single radio telescopes, collections or arrays 寻到无比遥远的文明世界，
6、即使他们和我们一样of radio telescopes, sensitive radio detectors, advanced computers for processing received date, and the imagination and skill of dedicated scientists. Radio astronomy has in the不先进。这种技术能力叫做射电天文学。它涉及到单架射望远镜、阵列射电望远镜、高灵敏度的无线last decade opened a new window on the physical universe. It电探测器，用于处理
7、接收的信息的先进计算机以may also, if we are wise enough to make the effort, cast a profound light on the biological universe.Some scientists working on the question of extraterrestrial及全身心投入的科学家们的想象力和技能。射电天文学在过去的十年中已经打开了一个研究宇宙intelligence, myself among them, have attempted to estimate 的新窗口。如果我们充分发挥自己的聪明才智去the n
8、umber of advanced technical civilizations - defined努力，它可能会帮助我们弄清楚宇宙生物世界。operationally as societies capable of radio astronomy - in 一些研究外星人问题的科学家，包括我自己，都the Milky Way Galaxy. Such estimates are little better than 已努力设法对银河系的先进技术文明社会的数目guesses. They require assigning numerical values toquantities such
9、as the numbers and ages of stars; the abundance of planetary systems and the likelihood of the进行了估计先进技术文明社会定义为具有射民天文学能力的社会。这样的估计比猜想强不了多少。origin of life, which we know less well; and the probabilityof the evolution of intelligent life and the lifetime of technical civilizations, about which we know v
10、ery little indeed.When we do the arithmetic, the sorts of numbers we come up with are, characteristically, around a million technical civilizations. A million civilizations is a breathtakingly large number, and it is exhilarating to imagine the diversity, lifestyles and commerce of those million wor
11、lds. But the Milky它们要求将这些情况数字化，诸如星球的数量和年龄，有多少个行星系、生命起源的可能性有多大，这些我们较少知道：还有智慧生物进化的可能性和技术文明世界的寿命，这些我们近乎一无所知。当我们进行计算时我们得出的这类数字是很有特点的大约有一百万个文明世界。想象一下这百万Way Galaxy contains some 250 billion stars, and even with a 个文明世界的五花八门、这真令人兴奋，各种生million civilizations, less than one star in 200,000 wouldhave a planet
12、inhabited by an advanced civilization. Since we have little idea which stars are likely candidates, we will have to examine a very large number of them. Such considerations suggest that the quest for extraterrestrial intelligence may require a significant effort.Despite claims about ancient astronau
13、ts and unidentified flying objects, there is no firm evidence for past visitation of the Earth by other civilizations. We are restricted to remote signaling and, of the long-distance techniques活方式以及商业，可是银河系有大约二千五百亿个恒星，即使有一百万个文明世界，可每二十万个恒星中不到一个有文明世界的人居住的行星。既然我们几乎不知道哪些恒星可能存在文明世 界，我们将不得不搜寻大量的恒星。这样就意味着探
14、寻外星人可能需要作出极大的努力。尽管有人声称古代在太空人，见过不明飞行物， 然而却缺乏确凿的证据证明过去有其他文明世界的人来过地球。我们只限于运用远距离的通信，available to our technology, radio is by far the best. Radiotelescopes are relatively inexpensive; radio signals travel 在目前我们的技术所能运用的长距离的技术手段at the speed of light, faster than which nothing can go; and中，无线电肯定是最好的。无线电望远镜相
15、对来the use of radio for communication is not a short-sighted or说价格便宜；无线电象光速那样快速发送信号，anthropocentric activity. Radio represents a large part of而且前没有任何东西快过光速；把无线电用于通the electromagnetic spectrum and any technical civilization 讯不是一种短视的或以人类为宇宙中心的行为。anywhere in the Galaxy will have discovered radio early -
16、just as in the last few centuries we have explored the entire无线电具有大部分的电磁波谱，银河系中的任何electromagnetic spectrum from short gamma rays to very long 地方的任何技术文明世界该早就发现无线电，无radio waves. Advanced civilizations might very well use some other means of communication with their peers. But if they wish to communicate with backward or emerging civilizat
