All That Is Hot

◎王 燕

1 An asteroid will hit Earth 一颗小行星将撞击地球

If all goes according to plan,scientists will hit Earth with part of an asteroid.That is less alarming than it sounds,for the chunk of rock in question weighs at most a few hundred grams.It will arrive in a smallcapsule［太空舱］,complete with parachute,that will drift gently to the ground in the Utah desert.The rock is from an asteroid named Bennu,which was visited in 2018 by an American spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx.The probe will drop its cargo off enroute to another asteroid,Apophis,at which it is due to arrive in 2029.Astronomers take a great interest in asteroids.The solar system was formed around 4.5 billion years ago,when a cloud of dust and gas collapsed under its own gravity into a disc,which in turnagglomerated［凝聚］into the sun and its planets.Asteroids areleftover［剩余的］chunks that never accrued enough mass to become planets.Studying them thus offers a window into the ancient astronomical past.This will not be the first time that bits of asteroids have been brought to Earth.In 2010 Hayabusa,a Japanese spacecraft,visited an asteroid called Itokawa and returned with less than a milligram of it.Its successor,Hayabusa2,was able to procure five grams of rock from an asteroid named Ryugu in 2020.OSIRIS-REx’s dig did not go quite according to plan.Some of the excavated material is thought to have jammed its digger,allowing some of the sample to fall back out.But National Aeronautics and Space Admiristraion(NASA)is confident that the mission has exceeded its minimum target of 60 grams.Compared with previous missions,that will be a bounty.

如果一切按计划进行，科学家们将用一颗小行星的一部分撞击地球。这并没有听起来那么骇人，因为这块岩石最多只有几百克重。它将被装在一个小太空舱里，连同降落伞一起抵达犹他州沙漠，缓缓飘至地面。这块岩石来自一颗名为“贝努”的小行星，2018 年，美国OSIRIS-REx 探测器曾造访过这颗小行星。探测器将在前往另一颗小行星阿波菲斯的途中投放货物，预计将于2029 年抵达。天文学家对小行星很感兴趣。太阳系大约形成于45 亿年前，当时一团尘埃和气体云在自身引力的作用下坍缩成一个圆盘，然后又聚集成太阳及其行星。那些没有积累到足够质量成为行星的剩余部分，形成了小行星。因此，研究它们是了解古代天文学历史的一扇窗。这将不是人类第一次把小行星的碎片带到地球上。2010 年，日本的“隼鸟”探测器访问了一颗名为“糸川”的小行星，并在返回时带回了不到一毫克的样本。它的后继者“隼鸟2 号”于2020 年从一颗名为“龙宫”的小行星上获取了5 克岩石。OSIRIS-REx 的挖掘工作并没有完全按计划进行。一些被挖掘出来的材料被认为卡住了挖掘机，使得一些样本又掉了出来。但美国国家航空航天局相信，这项任务已经超过了60克的最低目标。与之前的任务相比，这次的收获已经相当丰厚了。

Fill in the blanks:

The chunk of rock will arrive in a small capsule,complete with parachute,that will ____________ gently to the ground in the desert.

2 The prevalence of myopia among Chinese children and teenagers was showing a decline 我国儿童和青少年近视率呈下降趋势

Theprevalence［流行率］of myopia among Chinese children and teenagers was showing a decline,according to the statistics released by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration.The statistics showed that the overall myopia rate among Chinese children andadolescents［青少年］was 51.9 percent in 2022,a fall of 0.7 percentage points from 52.6 percent in 2021,and also dropped by 1.7 percentage points from the 53.6 percent of the results of the national myopia survey conducted in 2018.Among the students with myopia,the proportions of mild,moderate,and high myopia were 53.3 percent,37 percent,and 9.7 percent,respectively［分别的；各自的］,with a drop in the proportion of high myopia.The overall myopia rates for primary school,junior high school,and senior high school were 36.7 percent,71.4 percent,and 81.2 percent,respectively.According to the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration,the country will continue to promote myopia prevention and control work,further strengthening the monitoring and assessment of myopia among children and adolescents.Techniques suitable for myopia prevention and control will be promoted.It will also carry out promotion work to popularize science,enabling students,parents and teachers to learn about how to use and protect eyes,and helping the children and teenagers develop healthy eye habits.

根据国家疾病预防控制局发布的统计数据，中国儿童和青少年的近视率呈下降趋势。数据显示，2022 年中国儿童和青少年的总体近视率为51.9%，较2021 年的52.6%下降了0.7 个百分点，也比2018 年全国近视调查结果的53.6%下降了1.7 个百分点。在近视学生中，轻度、中度和高度近视的比例分别为53.3%、37%和9.7%，高度近视比例有所下降。小学、初中和高中学生的总体近视率分别为36.7%、71.4%和81.2%。国家疾病预防控制局表示，国家将继续推进近视防控工作，进一步加强对儿童和青少年近视的监测和评估。国家将推广适合近视防控的技术，还将开展科普宣传工作，使学生、家长和教师了解如何正确使用和保护眼睛，帮助儿童和青少年养成良好的用眼习惯。

Fill in the blanks:

It will also carry out promotion work to help the younger generation develop healthy ____________ habits.

3 A new world record 一项新的世界纪录

Russian Federal Space Agency says cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has broken the world record for total time spent in space.Kononenko passed the record after spending more than 878 days and 12 hours in orbit aboard the International Space Station(ISS).Kononenko said his repeated space trips represent the realization of a childhood dream to become a cosmonaut.“I fly into space to do what I love,not to set records,” he told Information Telegraphic Agency of Russia-TASS.He added that his continued interest in living and working in orbit “motivates”him to keep flying.Kononenko said he worked out often aboard the ISS to help him deal with the physical effects of weightlessness.He said one of the most difficult things about being a cosmonaut is getting ready for each new space flight.

俄罗斯联邦航天局表示，宇航员奥列格·科诺年科打破了太空总时间的世界纪录。科诺年科在国际空间站的轨道上度过了878 天12 小时，打破了这一纪录。科诺年科说，他的多次太空旅行代表着儿时成为宇航员的梦想的实现。他告诉塔斯社：“我飞上太空是为了做我喜欢的事，而不是为了创造纪录。”他补充说，他对在轨道上生活和工作的持续兴趣“激励”他继续飞行。科诺年科说，他经常在国际空间站上锻炼，以帮助他应对失重带来的身体影响。他说，作为一名宇航员，最困难的事情之一就是为每次新的太空飞行做好准备。

Fill in the blanks:

Kononenko worked out often aboard the ISS to help him deal with the ____________ effects of weightlessness.