剑 9 阅读 2 原文和生词 Is There Anybody Out There?The Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence The question of whether we are alone in the Universe has haunted humanity for centuries, but we may now stand poised on the brink of the answer to that question, as we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilizations. This search, often known by the acronym SETI (search for extra-terrestrial intelligence), is a difficult one. Although groups around the world have been searching intermittently for three decades, it is only now that we have reached the level of technology where we can make a determined attempt to search all nearby stars for any sign of life.1.haunted adj. 闹鬼,鬼魂常出没,受到困扰。haunt n 常到地方,vt,缠住,常到,出没(像鬼魂似)2. poised. adj.泰然自若,蓄势待发,保持平衡,有充足准备。3.Brink n. 边缘,边缘,界线。4.Acronym n.首字母缩略词Acro 与否是一种前缀,而 nym 和 name 意义靠近。5 civilisation (E)=civilization (A)发音同样,英为 S,美国为 Z。文明,文化,教化。6 extra-terrestrial n .外星人,adj.地球(大气圈)外,人,行星际。Terra n.土,土地,地球Terra alba 石膏粉,白土Terra cotta 赤土制成陶器Terra incognita 【拉】未发现地区,未知知识领域Terrace n . 平台,阳台,梯田Terraced house 排屋中一栋房屋,联排别墅Terracing 梯田,阶地,阶梯看台区。7 intermittently adv 间歇地 intermit v 临时停止,中断,(使)间断AThe primary reason for the search is basic curiosity – the same curiosity about the natural world that drives all pure science. We want to know whether we are alone in the Universe. We want to know whether life evolves naturally if given the right conditions, or whether there is something very special about the Earth to have fostered the variety of life forms that we see around us on the planet. The simple detection of...