专题04 中国太空兔的月球现状-高中英语时文阅读外刊精选精练

专题04 中国“太空兔”的月球现状 【原文·外刊阅读】 Four years on, how's China's 'space rabbit' doing on the moon? （文章来源：CGTN） If you are familiar with Chinese culture, you'd know that the 2023 Spring Festival holiday is around the corner, lasting from January 21 to 27. The year of 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, which reminds us of the "rabbit" on the moon, China's Yutu-2 lunar rover. The Yutu-2 is named after the pet rabbit of the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. On January 3, 2019, the rover was brought to the far side of the moon by China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe. It was the first-ever soft landing on the previously uncharted area of the lunar surface. It's been four years since the historic landing. How's the "space rabbit" doing on the moon? The Chang'e-4 lunar probe consists of a lander and the Yutu-2 rover. Before its launch, a relay satellite was sent into space in May 2018 to facilitate earth-moon communication. The landing area of the probe is the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon. The Yutu-2 rover can climb 20-degree slopes and surmount obstacles up to 200 millimeters high. Its designated service life was said to be only three months, but it has now worked for a record four years on the moon. So far, the rover has collected valuable data on solar wind and cloddy soil research, gel-like rocks, and fresh small craters inside the Von Karman Crater. The data and images sent back by the Yutu-2 have enhanced geological knowledge of the landing site, deepening understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon. Here is a fun tidbit. Of the many pictures of the lunar landscape taken by the Yutu-2, one mysterious square object caused great debate among people on Earth over what it was. When the rover finally approached the object, it turned out to be a rabbit-shaped rock. What an interesting coincidence! The Yutu-2 has traveled more than 1,400 meters on the far side of the moon so far. It will continue its journey and unveil more mysteries