Life Beyond Earth Life Beyond Earth. Joel Achembach Joel Achembach

•Life Beyond Life Beyond EarthEarth•

• Joel AchembachJoel Achembach

Life Beyond Earth Life beyond

Earth contains two meanings:

B. there might be intelligence or alien civilizations out in the universe, e.g. UFO.

A. there might be live organisms in the universe.

Life Beyond Earth Organization of the text Part I (Paras1-2) the emergence of life Para3(transition) what else is alive out

there? Part II (Paras4-10) search of life Part III (Paras11-23) search for

intelligence Part IV (Paras24-42) Mars and the

debate Part V (Paras43-45) Allen’s argument Part VI (Para. 46-51) conclusion

Life Beyond Earth Pay attention to the following: Subjunctive moodIf microbes can live in the pores of rock deep

beneath the earth…, then they might find a place like Mars not so shabby.(-9)

Humans could theoretically colonize the galaxy in a million years or so, and if they could, astronauts from older civilizations could do the same.(-21)

If life sprang up through natural processes on the Earth, then the same thing could presumably happen on other worlds.(-36)

…if you rewound the tape of terrestrial evolution and played it again, you’d wind up with …the second time around.(-41)

Life Beyond Earth The use of modal verbsEven if we convince ourselves that there must

be life out there…(-7)We now know that the universe may be as

warm with planets.(-9)That icy world… could conceivably harbor a

dark, cold biosphere.(-10)Even more complex life can adapt to hostile

places.(-16) Vocabulary expressing less assertive

affirmationsVerbs: think, figure, argue, convinceNouns: supposition, estimate, idea, unknown,

hunchAdverbs: presumably, conceivably

something astonishing had happened in the universe.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 1) Para. 1 1.What do you think of the opening

paragraph? Does the author begin the article in a forceful way?

The author begins the article in the way of announcing a very important event: “something astonishing had happened in the universe.” Such an announcement would immediately arouse the readers’ curiosity. What is this astonishing thing? The following sentence gives the answer.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 1) 2.What does the author mean by “life” in the

first paragraph?Life in the first paragraph means “that property

of plants and animals which makes it possible for them to take in food, get energy from it, grow, adapt themselves to their surroundings, and reproduce their kind.

3.Does the word “life” mean the same thing throughout the article?

No, on most occasions it means extraterrestrial life or alien life.

4.In what way is “life” qualitatively different from rock?

Life is a living thing while rock is inorganic matter.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 1)

There has arisen a thing ---- lying around everywhere.

宇宙中出现了一种叫做生命的东西 ---物质的一种形态，从性质上讲，它与岩石、气体、灰尘不同，然而，它由同样的东西，到处存在的同样的元素构成。


PARA 2 5.Life has a way…and yet…in absolute

terms. It is not difficult to determine whether

a thing has a life or not, but when it comes to giving “life” a clear, complete, satisfactory definition, people find it extremely difficult.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 2)PARA 2 6.In at least one instance, life has become

profoundly self-aware.1)What sort of life can become self-aware?Only human life can be conscious of its own

identity. That is because only human being can think. So here life means human life.

2)Why does the author say “ in at least one instance”?

So far we only know of the one particular case of human life. But, maybe there is life elsewhere in the universe. So “at least” is used here.


This is a one-sentence paragraph for emphasis. It serves as a transition, leading to life beyond earth.

7. What else is alive out there?Is there anything similar to human life

in other parts of the universe? Out there: in space beyond the earth.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 4) 8.There may be… to an answer.At the turn of the new millennium, one may

not find anything which is scientifically unknown to human beings so intriguing and yet so difficult to answer as the issue of extraterrestrial life.

9. Extraterrestrial life represents an normous gap in our knowledge of nature.

Whether there is life beyond Earth means that, in nature, there are a great number of things we don’t know.外星是否存在生命意味着我们对自然了解上的一个空白。

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 4) 10.With instruments…a single inhabited

world.With the help of advanced technology

such as a Hubble Space Telescope, scientists have discovered a very large amount of cosmic material and yet they have not discovered any life on any other planet.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 5) 10.The late astronomer…in our galaxy alone.1)What is meant by “technological

civilizations?”The author may mean civilizations with high

technology. That is, he tries to differentiate such development from intellectual and cultural development.

2)Carl Sagan, the astronomer who is now dead, predicted that there are a million societies with advanced technology in our galaxy, without taking into account other galaxies.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 5) 11…who thinks we may well be alone

in this galaxy if not in the universe. …who thinks that most probably we

are the only life form in this galaxy, even though we may not be able to say we are the only one in the universe.

12.The fact is …beyond earth.The fact is there is no decisive (or

final) evidence proving that there is life beyond Earth.


13.Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

1)The fact that we do not have evidence showing there is life beyond Earth does not mean that we can come to the conclusion that there is actually no life beyond Earth.

2)Please pay attention to the framing of ideas. The succinctness of statements lies in the way the idea is formulated. It is difficult to imitate by non-native speakers and yet this is what they should aim at learning. This is another example of chiasmus.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 6) 14.But still…starship.1) “But” is used here to link this sentence

up with the previous one. The meaning is: in spite of the fact that we cannot prove there is no life beyond Earth, we still do not have evidence to prove there is.

2) So far we don’t know firmly that there exists a single microscopic 用显微镜可见的organism in another world, to say nothing of a starship coming from another world in the universe passing the Earth.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 7) 15.Our ideas…ought-to-be.1)What is meant by “plausible arguments”?It means reasons offered which appeared to

be convincing but which may not be true.2)random ought-to-bePossible things which are chosen without

specific aim 16. Even if…about that life.Note the choice of words: “convince

ourselves” “must be”, all indicating subjective wishing without clear, definite evidence.

17.We don’t know how truly alien it is.We don’t know whether it is entirely different

or not.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 7) 18.We don’t know…we don’t know…1)The last two sentences are questions

raised on the basis of what we know about life on earth. In other words, the question is whether it has the same elements or develops in the same way as life on earth.

Medium: any surrounding or pervading substance in which bodies exist or move.

2)We don’t know if this life depends on water in liquid form for existence or if it lives in the water like fish or in the air like birds or under the earth like gophers囊地鼠 .

我们不知道这种生命是否建立在碳原子基础上，是否需要液体形态的水作为中介，是游呢、飞呢、还是生活在地下。

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 8)19.what role does this paragraph play?It serves as another transition, moving from

speculation to naming the field of research. 20.what is meant by “the enveloping nebula

of uncertainties”? What is the contrast involved as introduced by “despite”?

The enveloping nebula of uncertainties introduces two ideas: the first is the cloud of gas and dust obscures things; the second is, as a result, it is unclear what has been wrapped up in the cloud of gas and dust, what is inside the enveloping nebula.

The contrast is: though there are a lot of uncertainties, scientists will not give up their efforts at scientific inquiry.

Interstellar Dust -----A Source of Non-Organic Life?

nebula

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 9) 21…examining them for the atmospheric

signatures of a living world.…examining these planets to see if the

surrounding atmosphere can be identified as fitting for life.

22.In the past decade organisms have been found thriving…in bizarre, hostile environments.

What has this discovery to do with the search for extraterrestrial life?

If organisms could thrive in conditions in this world similar to hostility conditions in other planets, then the possibility of the existence of alien life increases.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 9) 23.If microbes can live…not so shabby.1)What are the two conditions given in this

statement?They refer to places without water or air or

sunlight, and places where the temperature is extremely high.

2)Then they would not find Mars a place so unsuitable for existence; in other words, if microbes can survive in places in this world without air or sunlight or in places extremely hot, then they might exist in other planets with similar conditions, such as Mars.

•Yellowstone SpringYellowstone Spring


24.Mars is in the midst…for fossils.Why is “full-scale invasion” used here?

How can Mars be invaded?The author is using this phrase in a

humorous way, comparing the full-scale investigation and study of Mars to full-scale invasion.

With one scientific instrument after another landing on Mars, it is like the landing of an invasion army.


25.A canister…carefully sealed lab.Why should the rock the examined in a

carefully sealed lab?For fear of alien germs or other harmful

substances hidden in the rock which might escape from the lab and bring damage to humanity. Hence the lab should be carefully sealed so that nothing might leak or escape.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 10) 26.That icy world…cold biosphere.1)Is Europa cold or hot? Does it have

an ocean?Europa is extremely cold. Many signs

show there might be an ocean below the surface of the planet.

2)…and could conceivably…biosphere.…and it is possible and imaginable

that you will find a large variety of living organisms in this underground and cold place.


Did you know that Jupiter's moon, Europa 木卫二 , has a global ocean of liquid water with greater volume than Earth's oceans, and that astrobiologists consider it to be an excellent place to look for forms. The closest similar environment on Earth is probably the hot springs in the deep ocean, which support a rich biota 生物区 .


27.The quest for an alien microbe is supplemented…communicative.

Parallel with the search for a microbe on other planets, efforts have been made to look for alien intelligence as a sign of civilization.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 11) 28.SETI…each year.1)How long has the research been going on?

40 years.2)Has it produced any result?No, so far, the scientists have not reviewed

any message or detected any signal from a civilization in other parts of the universe.

3)What is implied in the second half of the statement beginning with “but”?

The implication is that with the development and progress of signal-processing technology, the time is more likely to come when we get a confirmed signal.


29.The optimists figure it’s only a matter of time before we tune in the right channel.

Those who are optimistic think that as time goes on, we will some day get the signal sent out by an alien civilization as long as we tune in the right channel..


Para12 30.No one knows when…or if…“When” indicates time, showing the

speaker might believe it is possible; “if” shows the speaker doubts whether it is possible.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 12) 31…but I’d bet the breakthrough is many

years, if not decades, away.1)Pay attention to the “if not” pattern:The breakthrough is many years, if not

decades, away.We may well be alone in this galaxy if not in

the universe.2)But I am sure that a strikingly important

advance will not come in a few years time, not even in tens of years.

32.The simple truth…is not conveniently located.

The simple fact is: alien life, since it refers to life on other planets in the universe, cannot be found easily.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 13) 33.What are the reasons, according to

the author, which sustain the search for alien organisms?

The reasons are: 1)the universe looks to be a place suitable for the existence of life; 2)if that is the case, life will give out signs of its existence and these can be detected.

34.Life radiates information about itselfLife sends out signals of its existence, the

signal being light or heat or electromagnetic waves or other manifestations.


35If the universe contains an abundance of life, that life is not likely to remain in the realm of the unknown如果宇宙充满生命的话，那么生命不会永远留在那个人们一事不到的领域 .

1)…that life refers to the life in the universe.

2)to remain forever in the realm of the unknown: not being able to be found or confirmed, remain hidden from human knowledge forever. (it will be discovered by human effort in the end).

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 14) 36.Why would contact with an alien

civilization be an epochal and culturally challenging event?

It would be epochal, that is to say, it ushers in an entirely new period in human history because that would be the first time for human beings to have direct communication with a civilization on another planet in the universe. It would be culturally challenging because the alien civilization might be totally different from anything in human history and might be much superior to our civilization.


37.Why would exobiologists settle gladly for the discovery of a tiny fossil?

Since we have no present prospect of finding an alien civilization, scientists would be happy to find even miniscule remains of life elsewhere in the universe because that would suggest that life could exist somewhere else in the universe.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 14) 38. That is what we need to begin the long

process of putting human existence in its true cosmic context.

The long process of regarding this human inhabited world as only one example of the universe humming with life.

Originally we regard our world as the only one in the universe which is inhabited by intelligent humans, but we need to change our view and regard this world as one of the many in the universe.


39.Why do exobiologists go to the worst places on Earth? What sort of places are considered the worst places? What are they looking for?

The worst places are places with the worst conditions, places which are most unsuitable for the survival of life organisms, places which are extremely dry without a drop of water, places which are extremely cold or hot. They go to these places because they think if they can find life organisms in these places, then it is probable that life also exists in similar conditions out in the universe. They will have all the more reason to search for alien life.

Worst place

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 15) 40.Why, according to the author, do

the exobiologists have such lasting optimism?

Because they know that living things are constructed of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen and these four elements are very common and active in the universe. Since this is the case, there is no reason not to believe there might be living things in the universe.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 15) 41.And life is inextricably interwoven

with nonlife; not even the sharpest razor can perfectly slice them apart.

1)Life is closely linked with nonlife and there is no way of completely separating the two, not even with a sharp knife or razor.

2) “the sharpest razor” is used as a metaphor, to show the impossibility of cutting them apart.


42.What examples does the author give to show that a functioning ecosystem does not require sunlight or photosynthesis?

The author give two example: one is microbes in the basaltic rock deep beneath the earth; the other is more advanced life, such as shrimp near hot vents at the bottom of an ocean.


43.When scientists…tube worms.1)Where did they find the shrimps and

mouthless tube worms?They found these things on the opening of a

volcano deep in the ocean.2)What does this discovery show?It shows multicellular多细胞的 life forms can

thrive without sunlight or photosynthesis and can also adapt themselves to extreme heat. This adds to the argument that life may also exist under similar conditions somewhere else in the universe.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 17-19)

44.What new idea is introduced in these paragraphs?

These paragraphs deal with ETs or UFOs. That is to say, while scientists struggle to find a trace of life somewhere else in the universe, many people believe that ETs have visited this world.


45.What are the characteristics of extraterrestrial life among us?

It is intelligent, technological and capable of eluding detection and confirmation. Descriptions of UFOs and ETs make people believe these aliens walk in a jumpy way and they abduct human beings and take them away in flying saucers in the middle of the night.


46.The believers in these aliens are not likely to be convinced that ETs are a bogus phenomenon.

People who believe in the existence of space aliens would not accept the argument that ETs are imitations of human beings for the purpose of deceiving.


47.Who are the mainstream thinkers?They are probably skeptical scientists. 48.True believers and skeptics rarely

go over to the other side.Neither those who genuinely believe

that space aliens are lurking in our midst nor those who firmly reject such an idea are likely to change their views and join the other side.


49.I think it’s fair to say that flying-saucer aliens lack scientific stature.

I think it is reasonable to say that space aliens, as popularly imagined, have never achieved scientific credibility. “Stature” functions as a pun, implying physical size but also a status worthy of the respect of mainline science.


50. Note the word “else” in the following sentences:

…a trace of life somewhere else in the universe. (excluding this world)

…when no one else can verify their presence. (not including the one being abducted)


51.If they insist on being so jumpy…natural history museum.

1)What does “they” refer to? Flying saucer aliens.

2)Why does the author think such aliens have no right to enter a reputable natural history museum?

In that way, they lack scientific recognition and their presence has never been verified. So they belong to science fiction or fantasy and cannot be regarded as an object of scientific research.


52.But neither are people…much less crazy, as they are sometimes depicted.

1) (not)…much less. This is a pattern of comparison. The part after “much less” is stronger.

2) 对外星人乘坐飞碟光临地球这种说法深信不疑的人，并不像人们有时候所说的那样，是逻辑混乱，更不是丧失理智。

53.Most people operate from the same instinct: most people are also driven by the same natural desire.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 17-19) 54.That so many people…

extraterrestrial life.1)What does this phenomenon prove?It proves that extraterrestrial life has

great attraction for people.2)That clause+is+a reminderInstead of using a verb, such as “show”,

which many writers would do, the author uses “a reminder”, which reinforces the emphasis on how many people today do not follow mainline science in relation to this subject.

Life Beyond Earth (Para20) 55.As many writers have noted…ghostly

spirits. Why do many writers view the issue this

way?Over the centuries, religious stories, fairy tales,

ghost stories have their readers and followers. In real life, there is a need for some people to believe in these stories. Now, with the advance of science, these fairies, angels, demons, etc. are transformed into human-like form, into space aliens. The description of space aliens is the same as the description of angels. It follows human imagination, but is also based on modern science.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 20) 56.The aliens are an extrapolation of

modern astronomy and engineering,…with human beings.

Starting from modern scientific knowledge (astronomy and engineering) people try to use their imaginations to create aliens, but people also borrow plots from ancient stories to imagine that aliens would like to come to this world and meddle with human beings. In other words aliens are the products of not only modern science and technology but also ancient culture and folk stories. The tone of this statement is mockingly humorous. For example: ancient urge, mess with.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 20) 57.What makes them…transportation.What makes space aliens so fascinating?Even scientists admit that

extraterrestrial life could exist somewhere else in the universe. Since that is the case, so long as it could have access to space travel, it could visit this world. So if we can imagine a means of transportation, we can easily accept the idea that aliens have visited this world or are lurking in our midst.


58.Comment on the first sentence in Paragraph 21.

1)This sentence is a transitional sentence, leading to the Fermi paradox and the four possibilities, and then to the exploration of Mars. In other words, it is a transition from assumption to explanation and exploration.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 21) 58.Comment on the first sentence in

Paragraph 21.2)The scientists would not feel surprised if

aliens reach our world or if aliens are circling the Earth. They are more likely to wonder why they have not seen one so far.

The whole idea is contained in a statement with the following pattern: they don’t wonder why they are…they wonder why they aren’t----Note the use and the reverse use of negative and positive elements in the two parts of this statement, such use makes the ideas stand out and the sentence more humorous.


59.What is the Fermi paradox? What are the four possibilities raised in connection with the paradox?

In 1950, Enrico Fermi asked his colleagues a question: Where is everybody? Why haven’t space aliens come to Earth? This is the Fermi paradox.


Why is it considered to be a paradox? It is only a paradox if one has high confidence, as Fermi clearly did, in the existence of extraterrestrial life. Since space aliens would presumably have the ability to come, why haven’t they? The question raised by Fermi is where the space aliens are and why they aren’t with us. This is the paradox. The four possibilities are: (1)the zoo hypothesis; (2)they come and go away, leaving behind artifacts; (3)interstellar travel proves too expensive and time-consuming; (4)we are the most technologically advanced species, at least in this galaxy.


60.Humans could theoretically…do the same.

What are the things we should pay attention to in this statement?

1)The word “theoretically”. Why is this word used here? What idea is conveyed?

From our point of view, with the development of science and technology, it is possible for us to conquer the galaxy. But it has not been realized. So it is only possible in theory.

2)How long would it take even in theory?In a million years or so. A very, very long time

in the perspective of human history.


60.Humans could theoretically…do the same.

3)The word “colonize”. Here the author is using the word in a satirical sense. Humans in the past had been interested in colonizing this world. When they have a chance, they would colonize the galaxy. He is satirizing human greed and desire for power.

4)The idea of “older generation”. This idea will come up again and again in the following part. The author is trying to make fun of human pomposity.


61.the “ancient astronauts” ideaThere has been such an argument,

stating that some of the wonders of the world, such as the pyramids, were built by space aliens.

62.It’s just…beyond the sun.Note the ironic use of the word “just”

together with the distance: “25 trillion miles”. For travel in universe, one trillion miles, that is, one light year, is short distance. The idea is expressed in a humorous way.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 23) 63.The alien is a Hollywood…creation.The alien is a character used too much in

Hollywood films so it has become hackneyed 常见的but the idea of extraterrestrial life was not first brought up by Hollywood

64.Why does the author say the alien is not a Hollywood creation?

The idea that there are inhabited worlds in the cosmos has long history. As early as in Ancient Greece, the idea was brought up. In the Renaissance, Giordana Bruno believed there were inhabited worlds throughout the cosmos.

Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosophy, burned at the stake in the medieval age.


65.What is the main idea of paras24-27?

The main idea is the imagination of Martian civilization and the disappointment brought by the evidence collected by the Viking Landers in 1976.


66.Missing from the debate…Evidence.Comment on the writing of this sentence.It is an inverted sentence. Inversion is

used here for two purposes: one is for connection or smooth transition, that is, linking this paragraph with the previous one. The other is for emphasis. In this way the word “evidence” which the author wants to stress, comes at the end of the sentence and stands out clearly.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 24) 67.That seemed to change…canals.1)What does “that” refer to?It refers to the missing of evidence. 2)What is implied when the author uses “seem”

apparent?“To seem” means “to give the impression”.“Apparent” means appearing (but not necessarily)

real or true.So the implication is the discovery of the Martian

canals which appeared to be true made people believe that evidence of space aliens had been found. But the whole thing was built on sth which might not be true , so the confidence might not last. The use of “seem” and “apparent” shows the author is trying to make it clear that this is not a fact but at that time it was thought to be a fact.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 25) 68….took the idea from there.…(they) started their investigation from

where Schiaparelli left off 69.Why did Lowell think that the Martians

would certainly have to be superior to people on Earth?

Lowell thought so for two reasons: 1)their globe-spanning engineering projects appeared technologically superior; 2)if they could live harmoniously over the whole of the planet, it would show they had a more advanced character.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 25) 70.Did this remark reveal anything about

Lowell’s view of people on Earth?Yes. This remark was a criticism of the wars

and other conflicts among people (nations) on Earth.

71.How did “The War of the Worlds” tweak the idea?

Lowell’s idea was the Martians were superior to human beings because they could live in harmony while H.G. twisted that view sharply by portraying the Martians as equally bad as humans, bent on conquering with more advanced weapons.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 26) 72.The Martians, alas,…artifacts.He uses a tone of regret in a mocking

way. 73.According to the author, how did

Lowell find the canals?The author thought this was a typical

example of subjectivism. Lowell had a preconceived idea that there were canals on Mars and then, when he looked at Mars through his newly built telescope, he was no longer objective and felt he saw hundreds of canals.


74.Though the mission…a two-decade funk. 1)Why was the mission a fantastic triumph of

science and technology?The landing of the Viking landers showed that

scientists could build instruments which were able to land accurately on Mars and make surveys and send back information. All these are great achievements.

2)Why did the discovery put exobiology into a two-decade funk?

The accurate information was a terrible blow to expectation that there might be traces of organic molecules on Mars. It wiped out any easy illusion that there had been or could be life on Mars. For twenty years exobiology could not recover from such a blow.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 27

3)Comment on the writing of the last sentence in Paragraph 27.

a. There is a contrast in this sentence: fantastic triumph is pitted against a two-decade funk.

b. The way the idea in the second half of the sentence is expressed is worth noting. The author uses “the absence of detectable life” but not “the absence of life” to show so far no life has been detected. The reason may be that the instrument only collected information about the surface.


75.What is the main idea of this section (Para. 28-34)?

The main idea is the discovery of Martian meteorite ALH 84001 and the debate evolved over the discovery.

76.Comment on the organization of Para. 28 and 29.1)The first sentence in Para. 28 serves as a transition.

The last sentence in Para. 27 ends with a “two-decade funk” and this sentence reads “The mood changed in the 1990s”. This is a very skillful instance of Paragraph writing.

2)The last part of the last sentence of Para 28 runs like this: spread to Earth aboard a meteorite; and the first sentence of Para 29 reads: which brings up the most famous Martian meteorite. Again this serves as a good example of paragraph transition.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 28) 77.What brought about the change of

the mood?Two things are mentioned. The first is

biologists discovered organisms living in difficult environments similar to conditions on other planets. This again stimulated interest in looking for life in the rest of the solar system. The second is when life began on Earth, Mars was much more habitable than it is today, so perhaps life might have been brought to Earth aboard a meteorite from Mars.

Para29

This Martian meteorite is thought by some scientists to contain evidence of life on Mars. The rock is named ALH84001 after the Allan Hills in Antarctica where it was found.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 29) 78.What was the discovery as was announced on

August 7, 1996 by a NASA team?The team based in Huston announced in

Washington, D.C. that they found a potato-sized rock in Antarctica which contained what appeared to be Martian fossils.

79.Has this discovery been challenged? How do the challenges argue?

Yes, one study showed that some of the microbe-like structures were merely tiny bits of the rock made to look like microbe structure by the coating process used in the preparation of slides. Then researchers also found contaminants from Earth inside the rock. These are damaging evidence suggesting it might not be meteorite from Mars and hence does not contain Martian fossil.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 30) 80.Everyone realized the historical

glory…of being wrong.1)Everyone knew that if what appeared

to be microfossils were confirmed to be such, then the discovery would be of historic significance, but if they proved to be sth else, the adverse effect that followed would be equally dramatic.

81….who said…a two.在分成一至十的等级表上，等级越高，生物起源的可能性就越大。他说他只能给所谓的火星化石一个二级。

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 31-34) 82.So began, that day, …debate.Inversion is used here for better connection

of the two sentences and emphasis. 83.What was the result of three years’

debate?1)The critics felt they had more or less

disproved the claim made for the Mars rock.

The defenders thought this was a typical example of scientific resistance to a revolutionary idea.

2)To beat a dead horse: (colloquial) to argue an issue that is already settled.


84.When Everett Gibson remarked that “science doesn’t accept radical ideas quickly”, do you think he had a point there? Why (not)?

Yes, examples are many. For example: the uproar over test-tube babies or the debate over genetically modified food.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 35) 85.Comment on the role of Para 35.This paragraph plays two roles: one is

to develop the idea put forward by Gibson; the other is to pave the way for paragraph 36 and 37 by asking the two questions.

86.There was a time when plate tectonics…strange idea.有一段时间，板块构造地质学被视作十分怪异的主张，板块地质学是指地壳的巨大板块的移动、碰撞、下沉。

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 35) 87.Are the Mars rock fossils…canals?The two questions involve two

possibilities: one is the fossils are real and genuine but people are conservative and reluctant to accept revolutionary idea. The other is they are only the result of wishful thinking and constitute one more example of believing is seeing.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 36) 88.We see planets and moons where no

life could possibly survive. We find planets and moons where the

kind of life we are familiar with could not possibly exist.

89…and it seems that there are far more ways to be a dead world than a live one.

1)…and it seems it is much easier to find a world with conditions totally unsuitable for life to exist than to find a world with conditions suitable for life to survive.

2)This is an understatement because so far we have not found a single living world.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 37) 90….the Earth may be in a fairly narrow

habitable zone.…the kind of conditions which are suitable

for life to survive are not easy to find because many conditions are needed yet the Earth happens to enjoy these conditions.

91.What are the conditions required?The temperature condition (not too hot, not

too cold); proper distance from the sun so that water can be in liquid form; the activity of the structure of earth’s crust which recycles the planet’s carbon.

Life Beyond Earth (Para.37) 92.Mars has no such …its atmosphere.1)火星没有这种机制，而这一看似微不足道的缺陷也许就是火星失去其大部分空气的原因。

2)Comment on the tone of the statement.

“This seemingly minor deficiency” conveys a touch of humor.

3)Why is the loss of atmosphere so important?

It is important because oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the atmosphere are necessary for life.


93.When Paul Davies said “we have not yet discovered the Life Principle”, what did he mean? What, according to Davies, was the Life Principle?

He meant that we still did not know under what kind of conditions a collection of chemicals could form themselves into life and what the process would be. In other words, we are still not clear about the origin of life on Earth. Was there a principle guiding the formation of life? If there was one, then perhaps we could create conditions to produce life.


94 Para39…though that seems a reasonable bet and is surely the case on Earth.

…though it is reasonable to assume that life needs liquid water; at least this is the situation with life on Earth.

95.Note: paragraph transitions are sometimes carried out by posing a question at the end of a paragraph.

The question posed at the end of Paragraph 39 serves this purpose. How often does life evolve to a condition of intelligence? The following three paragraphs offer two sets of views on this issue.


96.What are the two sets of views listed in Paragraphs 40 and 41?

1)Would it be easy for life to evolve to a condition of intelligence?

People like Ernst Mayr think the chance is very slim. He puts it a t a billion-to-one long shot.

But people like Paul Horowitz feel the chance may not be rare.

2)Would life be similar?Some think that not two life forms would be the

same. Others believe that intelligent beings would have certain things in common. Some think alien life would be nothing like us while others hold that they would be more or less the same as we are.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 40-42) Para40 97…who argue that…Hence it is a billion-

to-one long shot.1)Long shot: (colloquial) in betting, a choice

that has only a slight chance of winning and hence, carries great odds

against it.2)他提出，高智能在地球上近十亿物种中，只出现一个。因此，只有十亿分之一的成功机会。

98.That on the only…proposition.在我们知道的有生命的唯一星球上出现了具有智能的物种，其比率为一比一。


Para41 99.I’ve never met anyone…the second time

around.1) ※No one I have met believes that if evolution

on Earth were to take place a second time, a human being who is genetically similar to us would be the result of such evolution.

※ People I have met think that another evolution on Earth would produce something different from the current human being.

2)What rhetorical device is used in this sentence? Metaphor is used in the sentence. The metaphor of record player is used here.


Para42 100.Why does the author think that

alien life still a territory for philosophers and theologians?

Philosophy and theology deal with abstract thinking. They do not require accurate, concrete data. Since data about alien life are scarce, the author thinks it is the job of philosophers and theologians to work out an answer.


101.What is the main idea of Paras 43-45?The main idea is the theory put forward by

Allen Tough and the author’s conclusion that there is much to learn about our own little solar system. This conclusion paves the way for the final part of the article.

102.What is the provocative theory put forward by Allen Tough?

His theory is that alien probes have already been with us for a long time and we may be able to perceive their messages on the World Wide Web.


103.Once again, the idea of alien civilization implying advanced civilization is brought up (Please refer to Paragraph 25).

104.Why are the flaws of human race mentioned in relation to drafting an answer?

They are listed because the author wants to show we have many urgent issues to address. Our civilization is by no means perfect. The priority should be to address these issues.


105.What if,…some guerrilla radio broadcaster beat everyone to it?

Why, do you think, is this possibility mentioned? What danger is involved?

Guerrillas, to Western minds today, are equivalent to terrorists. So if they are the first to send an answer, they might provoke the aliens of advanced civilization to attack us, bringing disaster to our globe.


106.Bioastronomy also has its more down-to-Earth side.

1)Why does the word “earth” begin with a capital letter?

It is a pun, meaning both practical and dealing with issues of this world.

2)What did the author really mean by this statement?

Bioastronomy is meant to deal with life in space but here these scientists are discussing matters concerning this earthly world. Hence, the “down-to-Earth side” of bioastronomy. This idea is expressed in a humorous way.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 46-52) 107.What is the main idea of this section?This section contains the key message of

the article. The message has two parts: one is “our first order of business, as a species, is to make our civilization last as long as possible”; the other is “what we want is to find a better version of ourselves”.

From this we can see the author’s attitude towards alien life and the enthusiasm of looking for extraterrestrial life. He thinks that it would be much better to address problems in this world, to get rid of human defects and to make this world a better place to live in.


108.So before we worry about…closer to home.

Since there is so much work (scientific study) we need to do here in this world (since there are so many issues we need to address in this world), let us first concentrate on doing some solid research (on addressing these issues) and drop discussions about drafting messages to another civilization out there.

We’d better do some solid, practical work in this world rather than wasting time on empty talk about answering message from alien civilization.


109.What is the argument of Freeman Dysen?

His argument is humans may engineer new forms of life and send them to live in the universe. He calls such projects the work of a midwife.

Life Beyond Earth (Para. 46-52) 110.In Dyson’s universe life is mobile and

planets …free movement.According to Dyson, life is by nature

inherently mobile. Existing planets with their gravity fields tend to restrict its possible movement and adaptation. Perhaps humans could by bioengineering develop new forms of life that could survive in outer space, which is an empty vacuum, or under conditions on comets or other bodies in space that we now think of as impossible. If humans help life to get beyond Earth, a universe rich in life might be the result.


111.Humans in their modern anatomy have been around only 125,000 years or so.

⊙Humans came to have their modern shape and structure only some 125,000 years ago.

⊙It was only a recent thing that humans had evolved into their modern shape and structure.


112.Why does the author say it may not be a long-term advantage for us to have brains? Does he really mean it?

He is being sarcastic here. He means that humans have brains but with brains, there come wars, pollution, man-made disasters. In that case, the world may be better off if humans have not had brains of our kind. This is a bitter attack on human vices.


113.What is the conclusion of the author?The conclusion is our priority should be to

better our world, to make our civilization last as long as possible, not to destroy it.

114.What would the author expect of people investigating extraterrestrial life?

He hopes that the result of their investigations would make them see how precious it is to live in this world and how important it is to keep this world habitable.


115. “if you will” is a phrase used here for emphasis.

116.What does the author want to convey in the last sentence?

He wants to stress that the important thing for us is to concentrate on improving the human race, to rid it of those vices which are destroying this world.


117.Concluding remark:This is not a piece dealing purely with

extraterrestrial life. The author’s purpose is to show the readers that fantasy after all is fantasy and our first order of business is to improve ourselves and our world. His concern is with the problems of this world.

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