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This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. com.
这里是bbclearningenglish. com英语六分钟节目。
Callum: Hello I'm Callum and this is 6 Minute English. With me today is Jennifer, hello Jennifer.
大家好，我是卡勒姆，这里是英语六分钟。今天和我一起主持节目的是詹尼弗，你好詹尼弗。
Jennifer: Hello Callum.
你好卡勒姆。
Callum: Do you like to travel?
你喜欢旅行吗？
Jennifer: Oh yes, I love going to new and interesting places.
哦，当然，我喜欢去新奇的地方。
Callum: What do you think of the idea of travelling to another planet?
那你觉得去另一个星球旅行怎么样？
Jennifer: Erm, not quite so keen on the idea of going to another planet.
呃，我对这个想法不太感兴趣。
Callum: What about a one-way trip to Mars?
单程奔赴火星，如何？
Jennifer: You do mean the planet Mars? Go to Mars and never come back?
你是说真的火星？去了就再也不回来了？
Callum: Yes.
对。
Jennifer: What are you saying? Are you trying to get rid of me?
你说什么呢？你要摆脱我吗？
Callum: No, no, not at all. But this is what is being planned at the moment by a company in the Netherlands. They are planning to send people to Mars and the people who go would never be able to come back to Earth.
不不，根本不是那个意思。不过这正是荷兰的一家公司目前正在筹划的一个项目。他们正计划着把人们送到火星上去，而那些被送过去的人们就再也不能回到地球上了。
Jennifer: Sounds like quite a trip!
这可真是一次奇幻旅行!
Callum: Well before we learn more about it, here's a question for you, about the planet Mars. How big is Mars compared to Earth? Is it bigger, about the same size or smaller than Earth?
在我们继续讨论这个话题之前，我有个关于火星的问题要问你。火星与地球相比哪个更大一些呢？是火星更大，还是一样大，还是火星比地球小呢？
Jennifer: I think I can remember this from school. I'm going to say it's smaller than the Earth.
我记得在学校里学过，火星应该比地球小。
Callum: OK. We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. But now, let's hear about this scheme. What is interesting about it is the idea that this would be a one-way trip. Bas Lansdorp is head of the Mars-One project and he explains why this will be a one-way trip. What reason does he give?
好的，我们将在节目最后揭晓答案。现在，我们继续谈谈那个项目。这个想法有趣的地方就在于这次旅行是有去无回的。巴斯·兰斯多普是这次火星单程旅行的主要负责人，他向我们解释了为什么这是一次单程旅行，他给出的原因是什么呢?
On this world we have all the technology we need to get humans to Mars and keep them alive there. What we don't have is the technology to get people from Mars back to Earth. The people who will be going to Mars in our missions will be settling on Mars permanently. They'll be doing it for the rest of their lives.
在地球上，我们有足够的技术让人们登陆火星并在那里生存，但把人们从火星送回地球地球的技术还没达到。那些被我们发送到火星上去的人们将在那里长期定居。他们的余生都将在那里度过。
Callum: Jennifer, why is this a one-way trip?
詹尼弗，为什么这是一次单程旅行呢？
Jennifer: He says it's about technology. Although we do have the knowledge and technology to get people to Mars, we can't get them back – so any trip would be permanent, would be forever.
他说这是技术的问题。尽管我们有能把人送到火星上的知识和技术，但我们没办法把他们弄回来——所以每一次旅行都是永久的。
Callum: That's a big commitment, isn't it? But I imagine there will be people who will jump at the opportunity.
这绝对是一项艰巨的任务，不是吗？不过我想肯定有人会抓住这次机遇的。
Jennifer: I'm sure there will be, but what kind of person are they going to recruit for this 'trip of a lifetime'?
肯定有的，对于这次单程旅行，他们会招募什么条件的申请者呢？
Callum: Well here's Bas again, talking about just that. What three qualities does he mention?
让我们再来听听巴斯是怎么说的，他提到了哪三项素质？
We need the best of the best. We need first of all, of course, smart people, healthy people. They need to be mentally very stable.
我们需要的是最优秀的人才。首先当然是聪明健康的人。他们还要有非常稳定的心理素质。
Callum: So he needs the best of the best, but what are the three particular qualities he mentions the best of the best need to have?
他需要最优秀的人才，不过最优秀的人才要具备哪三项素质呢？
Jennifer: He wants smart people, which means clever, intelligent people. As well as that, they need to be healthy both physically and mentally. As well as that, I guess he's going to need people with very specific skills.
他需要聪明的人，也就是有头脑，有智慧的人。此外，他还需要身心健康的人。除了这些，我想他还需要具备某种特殊技能的人。
Callum: You would think so, but Bas thinks there is something more important. What's that?
你是这么认为的，不过巴斯认为还有比这更重要的，是什么呢？
What I initially thought is that they would be doctors, pilots, engineers. But this is actually not the case. The thing that's important, the most important quality for our candidates is character. You need to be the kind of person who other people want to be stranded with on an uninhabited island.
我最初想的是他们应该是医生、飞行员、工程师。但其实不是这样的。候选人的性格才是最重要的。他们需要是那种别人愿意与之一起被困在荒岛上的人。
Callum: What does he think is more important than having appropriate technical skills?
他认为比某种技能更重要的是什么？
Jennifer: Character. You need to have the right personality. He compares it to being stranded on an uninhabited island. You have to be someone that other people would want to be stranded with.
性格，你需要有健全的人格。他把这比作被困在一座荒岛上。你应该是那种人们愿意与你一起被困的人。
Callum: I think that has to be very important. Can you imagine being stuck on another planet for your whole life with someone you couldn't stand?
我觉得这非常重要。你能想象的到吗？在另一个星球上，你和一个你完全无法忍受的人共度余生。
Jennifer: That would be terrible.
那就太糟了。
Callum: As well as having a good character there are some other important qualities they are looking for. Here's Bas again:
除了健全的人格外，他们还需要候选者具备一些其他很重要的素质。我们再来听听巴斯是怎么说的：
You need to be calm and inventive. You need to be someone who is at their best when the situation is at its worst.
你需要保持冷静并具有创造才能。你要能在最坏的情况下保持最佳的状态。
Callum: Jennifer, what other characteristics is he looking for?
詹尼弗，他还需要候选者具备什么素质?
Jennifer: He needs people who can still work well when things are bad. People who are calm in a crisis. As he says, people who are best when the situation is worst.
他需要那种在情况的糟糕下仍能保持头脑清醒的人和那种临危不乱的人。正如他所说，能在最坏的情况下保持最佳状态的人。
Callum: So from what you've heard, does it sound like the job for you?
那么综上所述，你觉得你适合这项工作吗？
Jennifer: Absolutely not. I don't mind travelling but I think it's a bit far for me. And what about you?
当然不适合。我喜欢旅行，但我太不符合要求了。你呢？
Callum: No, no it's not for me, I have to say. I'm not made of the right stuff. I don't think I'm the kind of person anyone would want to be stuck with!
不，我也不适合。我不得不承认我不够格。我觉得我不是那种每个人都愿意与我一起共度困境的人。
Jennifer: I was wondering how they were going to pay for all of this, after all, it's not a government programme is it?
我想知道这次旅行怎么收费，毕竟这不是政府的项目，不是吗？
Callum: A very good question. Here's Bas:
好问题，让巴斯来为你解答：
We plan to finance this by involving the whole world as an audience. You just had the London Olympics right there in Britain. And the Olympics had a revenue of more than three billion US dollars in the three weeks that it lasts. When people land on Mars we expect that even more people will watch this than the London Olympics. And also in the years after that they will watch as the base grows, as people start relations, end relations. Maybe at some point there will be the first Mars baby, this will be a, really the next giant leap of mankind.
我们计划让全世界的观众来为我们筹资。英国伦敦的奥运会刚刚结束。奥运会举办了三周就收到了超30亿的美金。我希望观看“登火”的观众人数超过观看伦敦奥运会的人数。我还希望在随后的几年里，观众们会一直关着基地的发展，以及人与人之间的关系。或许，首位“火星孩”会在将来的某一天降生。这将成为人类下一次的巨大飞跃。
Callum: So where is the money coming from?
所以，资金从哪来呢？
Jennifer: Television. It sounds like a big reality TV show to me. He mentions that the Olympics raised a lot of money from people watching on television and this will be the same. He thinks there will be a big audience to tune in and watch the mission but also the relationships between the people on the mission and perhaps even the birth of the first Mars baby.
通过电视节目。听起来像电视真人秀。他提到奥运会通过人们观看电视筹集到了很多钱，这一项目也是如此。他认为到时会有很多人收听或者观看训练过程，还会关注人们之间的关系，甚至可能看到首位“火星孩”降生。
Callum: Would you watch it?
你会看吗？
Jennifer: Definitely, yeah, it would be fascinating viewing. How about you?
当然啦，那一定很精彩。你看吗？
Callum: You know what, I probably would. I'm not usually a fan of reality TV but this is something different. I would probably get bored very easily though. Well, that's all we have time for today. But before we go though, the answer to this week's question. How big is Mars compared to Earth, Jennifer, you said?
我可能会看吧。你知道的，我不是很喜欢真人秀，虽然这次有些不一样，但我也可能会觉得无聊。好了，以上就是今天的节目。在节目结束之前，我们来看看今天问题的答案。火星和地球相比哪个更大一些？詹尼弗，你的答案是？
Jennifer: I said it was smaller.
我是说火星更小一些。
Callum: Well done that is the right answer. Mars is, has about half the diameter of the Earth. Well that's all from us for this week. Thanks very much Jennifer, goodbye.
很好，回答正确。火星的直径大约是地球的一半。好了，本周的节目到此结束。感谢詹尼弗的到来，我们下周见。
Jennifer: Goodbye.
再见。
That was 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. com.
以上是bbclearningenglish. com英语六分钟节目。
