文集缘起：作为一名外语出身却就职于科学研究院的文科生，深感不断学习外语及科学知识的重要性。幸运的是，印第安那大学（Indiana University）就有这么一个免费的在线科普节目，取名为“A Moment of Science”，每篇约2分钟，用语音和文本传播科学知识。放着这么好的资源不学，岂不浪费？
作为学习笔记，除了搬运音频文件及参考文本，我还会上传1.5及2倍速的音频文件，同时将生词及听不太懂的地方标识出来。若有机会，希望能够交流讨论，共同进步。同时也在这里声明下，原始的音频、文本及图片均来自这个网站，我只是搬运工，希望不会造成侵权。
《War of the Worlds》是英国作家H. G. Wells创作的科幻小说，1897年开始连载，讲述外星人入侵地球的故事，最终因为火星人感染了地球上的病菌而纷纷死去，人类才幸运得救。2012年8月6日，美国“好奇”号火星探测器登陆火星，开启了人类主动探索火星的新纪元。而无论是探测器登陆火星，还是将火星上的样品带回地球，都需要特别注意安全问题，以免将地球上的细菌带到火星、或者将火星上的细菌带回地球。
mi'crobial: 微生物的，细菌的
astrobi'ologist: 天体生物学家
habitable: 适合居住的
equa'torial: 赤道的
sterilize: 消毒
ro'botic: 机器的
quarantine: 隔离，检疫
interplanetary: 星际的
链接：
本文集所有音频文件所保存的百度云：密码: ez6k（点击MP3文件名可直接在线听）
Protecting Mars from Earth, Earth from Mars
By PAUL PATTON
Posted December 2, 2015
Mars From Earth
In H. G. Wells famous nineteenth-century novel, War of the Worlds, the Martians all die after invading Earth from bacteria that makes them sick.
Today, we are the ones invading Mars, and scientists are worried about the harmful effects that Earthly microbes might have on real-life Martians. The chances for simple microbial life on Mars are looking better all the time. Astrobiologists want to find ways to explore potentially habitable Martian environments without contaminating them with microbes from Earth.
While most of Mars’ surface is too cold and dry for Earthly microbes to survive, certain special regions on Mars appear to be much more hospitable to invading microbes from Earth, or native Martian microorganisms.
From orbit, spacecraft have photographed what look like streaks of liquid water seeping out of the ground and running down slopes in the warmer equatorial regions of Mars. These potentially wet and habitable areas could support Earth microbes, and NASA is exploring new technologies that will be needed to fully sterilize robotic explorers and prevent accidental contamination.
Earth From Mars
Astrobiologists are also concerned about robotic spacecraft or astronauts bringing Martian samples back to Earth and possibly contaminating our planet with harmful Martian organisms. The first astronauts and samples to come back from the Moon were carefully quarantined and Martian astronauts and samples will be treated with the same caution.
Interplanetary contamination isn’t just science fiction any more.
