2020-2021学年度第28期总第822期
Folding into space (P6)
山东省烟台第二中学 赵霞
Lead in

Do you know what it is?
It's origami!! Origami is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.

What do you think of the art form?
creative; exquisite …  

Have you ever thought about the the combination of origami, the arm form, and space exploration?

Read for main idea
Let’s read the passage and figure out what it talks about.
The future of space exploration might rely on an art form from the past: origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.

Read for detailed information
Read the passage again and answer the following questions.

1. How have researchers at WSU used origami to perhaps solve the problem of storing and moving rocket fuel?
They’ve developed a foldable plastic fuel “bladder” resistant to super cold temperatures, which could be used to store and pump fuel in spacecrafts of the future.

2. How has the issue of storing and moving rocket fuel been addressed? What is the effect?
People have been trying to make bags for rocket fuel for a long time and currently don’t do large, long-duration trips because they can’t store fuel long enough in space.

3. What is NASA developing to observe distant planets?
Starshade, a foldable, sunflower-shaped piece of hardware that would help block starlight and enable telescopes to view distant objects more clearly in space.

4. What other origami-inspired projects have been developed?
Solar arrays, experimental wings for space shuttle programs and an inflatable satellite, were also inspired by origami.
Transformers for Lunar Extreme Environments, which is also origami-inspired, is looking to get a closer look at the moon. Its mirrors would unfold in space and reflect the sun’s rays into the moon’s deep craters.

Read for language and grammar
Useful expressions
太空探索             space exploration
储存和运输燃料     store and move fuel
对......有抵抗力的     resistant to
副教授             associate professor
观察遥远的行星     observe distant planets

Translate the following sentences.
  1. They’ve developed a foldable plastic fuel “bladder” resistant to super cold temperatures, which could be used to store and pump fuel in spacecrafts of the future. Their findings have recently been published in the journal Cryogenics.
    他们已经开发出了一种可折叠的塑料燃料囊，可以在未来的航天器中储存和泵送燃料。他们的发现最近发表在《Cryogenics》期刊上。
     which引导非限制性定语从句

2. The agency is currently developing Starshade, a foldable, sunflower-shaped piece of hardware that would help block starlight and enable telescopes to view distant objects more clearly in space.
   该机构目前正在开发遮星板，这是一种可折叠的、向日葵形状的装置，它能帮助遮挡星光，使望远镜能够更清楚地观察太空中的遥远物体。
   enable sb to do sth 使……能做某事

3. Once I realized this is how you fold spacecraft structures, I became interested in origami. I realized I was good at it and enjoyed it.
   当我意识到宇宙飞船结构可以这样折叠时，我对折纸产生了兴趣。我意识到我很擅长，也很喜欢折纸。
once用作连词，意为“一……便；一旦；一经”
  eg. We didn’t know how we would cope once the money had gone.
     一旦钱花光了，我们就不知道该怎么办了。
     The water is fine once you’re in!
     你一旦下了水，就会觉得水里挺舒适。
Read for thinking
After what you have learned about the combination of space exploration and the art of paper folding, can you think of other examples that combine art and science?