中英对照读新闻》A scorching, rocky planet with thick atmosphere 一颗炙热且有浓厚大气层的岩石行星
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美国航太总署（NASA）2017年提供的这幅插图描绘「55 Cancri e」系外行星（右）绕着其恆星运行。（美联社）(photo:LTN)◎陈成良
A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday.
研究人员週三报告，在附近的太阳系中发现1颗比地球大2倍的行星，周围有厚厚的大气层。
The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts are unclear.
所谓的超级地球—被称为55 Cancri e—是我们太阳系外少数几个具有重要大气层的岩石行星之一，被二氧化碳和一氧化碳的层包裹。确切的数量尚不清楚。
“It’s probably the firmest evidence yet that this planet has an atmosphere,” said Ian Crossfield, an astronomer at the University of Kansas who studies exoplanets and was not involved with the research.
「这可能是迄今为止最确凿的证据，表明这颗行星有大气层，」研究系外行星的堪萨斯大学天文学家伊恩‧克罗斯菲尔德说，他没有参与该研究。
Super Earth refers to a planet’s size — bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The boiling temperatures on this planet — which can reach as hot as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit (2,300 degrees Celsius) – mean that it is unlikely to host life.
超级地球指的是行星的大小—比地球大，但比海王星小。这颗行星上的沸腾温度可达华氏4200度（摄氏2300度），意味着它不太可能存在生命。
新闻辞典
wrap：动词，包装、裹· 例句：Jane is wrapping a Mother’s Day gift.（珍正在包装一份母亲节礼物。）
exoplanet：天文学名词，（系）外行星，指存在于太阳系以外的行星。例句：There are still some exoplanets unaccounted for by the astrologists.（到目前为止，还有一些系外行星是天文学家尚未登录的。）
