2014英语四级听力练习慢速4.8(1)_大学英语听力

2014英语四级听力练习慢速4.8(1)

　　As promised, the station appeared at the predicted time. That night, it was first observed at 7:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and seen for about four minutes.

　　It is way high, and its traveling in a continuous move.

　　Paul Monte-Bovi said what the people were seeing was the reflection of the sunlight on the stations solar panels. This equipment produce the many kilowatts of power required to keep the space station operating. And it seems that bright dot in the sky is huge. The panels alone cover four tenths of one hectare.

　　One of the sky watchers asked the others to predict what the crew members were doing overhead. That question remained unanswered. But people could find out what the space station would do in the coming week.

　　For example, on the following Tuesday and Thursday, the station deployed micro-satellites known as NanoRacksCubeSats. These devices are supposed to increase scientific observation of the Earth. Another goal for the ISS is to learn the effects of space on human bodies. Crew members tested those effects on their mental abilities and organs including the heart and bones.

　　Another experiment is meant to increase our understanding of protein structure and how proteins operate. Improved understanding of proteins might someday provide treatment for several currently incurable conditions.

　　It was a comet, not a space station, that got Paul Monte-Bovi interested in amateur astronomy in 1997. The comet Hale-Bopp had been discovered just two years earlier. Some people say it was the brightest comet in history. He remembered the event.