2017考研英语阅读理解题材解析之下1个太空.docVIP

为学生引路，为学员服务 第  PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 3 页 共  NUMPAGES \* MERGEFORMAT 3 页 2017考研英语阅读理解题材解析之下一个太空 每年考研英语阅读篇章很多都取材于经济学人，因此考研复习之初，一定要从基础打好，稳扎稳打。凯程在线分享《经济学人》文章，希望大家能够多看、多练，提升阅读能力！ 　　Leaders Satellites Space: the next startup frontier 　　社论精粹 卫星 太空：下一个 　　Where nanosats boldly go, new businesses will follow—unless they are smothered with excessiveregulations 　　微型卫星大胆地去哪儿，新的商业就会跟去哪儿—除非他们受到过度监管的阻碍 　　AROUND 1,000 operational satellites are circling theEarth, some of them the size and weight of a large car. In the past year they have been joinedby junior offspring: 100 or so small satellites, some of them made up of one or more 10cm (4-inch) cubes. They may be tiny, but each is vastly more capable than Sputnik, the first man-made satellite launched by Russia in 1957. And many more are coming. 　　大约1000颗运转着的卫星正围绕着地球旋转，其中有些卫星的体积和重量和汽车差不多。去年，初级后代加入了他们的队伍：100颗左右的小卫星，他们中有些是由一个或多个10厘米(4英尺)的立方体组成。他们可能很小，但是他们每个都比1957年前苏联发射的首颗人造卫星Sputnik功能性强得多。而且还有更多这样的卫星即将面世。 　　Space hardware used to cost so much that it was available only to generals, multinationals andthe most privileged scientists. No more. Many of these nanosats, as small satellites weighing nomore than a few kilograms are called, have been launched for small companies, startups anduniversity departments, sometimes with finance raised on crowdfunding websites. Theirconstruction costs can be down in the tens of thousands of dollars, which makes themthousands of times cheaper than todays big satellites. Admittedly, there is much they cannotdo, but with that sort of price differential, and some ingenious use of the abilities they dohave, they could be surprisingly competitive players on a number of fronts. In the next fiveyears another 1,000 nanosats are expected to be launched. 　　过去，太空硬件太贵了，只有将军，跨国公司和最享有特权的科学家才能有权使用。没有其他人有权使用。许多这种微型卫星——由于小卫星质量不超过几千克而得此名——已经提供给小公司、新创办的公司和大学一些系发射，有时在集体融资网站集资。他们的制造成本可以降低好几万美元，这使得他们比目前的大卫星便宜成千上万倍。不可否认的，这些卫星有许多办不了的事儿，但是在那种价格差下，加以巧妙使用他们已有的功能，他们可以在许多方面出乎意料地成为有竞争力的选手。在接下来的五年，还有1000颗微型卫星有望被发射出去。