（本节目所用的音频资源于2022年3月发表。）

美国航空航天局（ NASA ）首次推出新巨型月球火箭。该飞行器被称作 “太空发射系统（ Space Launch System, SLS ）”，它被带到佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心的  39B  号发射台上进行模拟倒计时演习。

They call it the Space Launch System, or SLS, and it's a colossus. More powerful than the Apollo-era rockets, this new vehicle is designed to be able to send so much equipment and cargo to the Moon, the men and women will be able to stay there for extended periods.

它被称为 “太空发射系统”，简称 “SLS”，是个庞然大物。这种新型运载工具比阿波罗时代的火箭更强大，设计它是为了向月球运送大量设备和物资，使得人类能在那里停留更长时间。

Nasa dispatched a mammoth tractor to ferry the SLS from its assembly building to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Once fully installed, engineers will conduct a dummy countdown to check all the systems are working.

美国航空航天局派出了一辆巨型拖车，将 “太空发射系统” 火箭从其装配大楼运送到肯尼迪航天中心的发射台。一旦安装完毕，工程师将进行模拟倒计时，以检查所有系统是否运转正常。

If no problems are found, the rocket will launch an uncrewed capsule to loop around the Moon in the coming months. And if that goes well, astronauts will then start flying on a succession of SLS vehicles.

如果没有发现问题，火箭将在未来几个月内发射一个无人太空舱，围绕月球飞行。如果进展顺利，宇航员们将开始执行一系列 “太空发射系统” 火箭的飞行任务。

词汇表

colossus 庞然大物
cargo 货物
mammoth 巨大的
launch pad （航天器）发射台
dummy 模拟的
countdown 倒计时
uncrewed 未配备人员的，无人的
capsule 太空舱
a succession of 一连串，一系列

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. What will this new rocket allow people to do?

2. How was this new rocket moved to its launch pad?

3. True or false? The rocket will be launched by a dummy.

4. Where will the rocket go on its first flight?

答案  

1. What will this new rocket allow people to do?
It will allow men and women to stay on the Moon for extended periods of time.

2. How was this new rocket moved to its launch pad?
A huge (mammoth) tractor was used to move the SLS from its assembly building to the launch pad.

3. True or false? The rocket will be launched by a dummy.
False. A dummy countdown is a mock countdown to check all the systems are working. Here, ‘dummy’ doesn’t mean a model of a human.

4. Where will the rocket go on its first flight?
The rocket will launch an uncrewed capsule to loop around the Moon.