Level 1 Reading 9A

Ch.17

第17章

Reading 9A MEET THE METEORITE HUNTER Michael Farmer is a meteorite hunter. Here, he talks about his unusual job. National Geographic (NG): What's the hardest part of your job? Michael Farmer: I'm always looking for new pieces [of meteorite rock], so I have to travel a lot. I've been to about 70 countries or so. The job can be dangerous because some rocks are worth a lot of money. On one such trip, I was robbed and almost killed. That was scary. There are other issues, too. It's illegal to take meteorite pieces from some countries. So you have to be very careful and learn the law. It's different everywhere. NG: Are there a lot of meteorite pieces on Earth? Michael Farmer: Yes, there are millions, but most land in the forest, jungle, or ocean. They're almost impossible to locate. One of the best places to find pieces is in the Sahara Desert in Africa. You can see them easily in the sand. The heat also preserves the rocks well.

阅读9A 遇见陨石猎人 迈克尔·法默是一名陨石猎人。 在这里，他谈到了自己不同寻常的工作。 《国家地理》：你工作中最难的部分是什么？ 迈克尔·法默：我一直在寻找新的（陨石）碎片，所以我必须经常旅行。 我去过大约70个国家。 这项工作可能很危险，因为有些石头值很多钱。 在一次这样的旅行中，我被抢劫了，差点被杀。 那太可怕了。 还有其他问题。 从一些国家拿走陨石碎片是违法的。 所以你必须非常小心，学习法律。 到处都不一样。 吴：地球上有很多陨石碎片吗？ 迈克尔·法默：是的，有数百万，但大多数土地都在森林、丛林或海洋中。 他们几乎不可能找到。 寻找碎片的最佳地点之一是非洲的撒哈拉沙漠。 你可以在沙子里很容易地看到它们。 高温也能很好地保存岩石。

NG: What's the most valuable meteorite you've found? Michael Farmer: I found one piece in the Middle East, and I sold it for $100,000. It was a small piece—about the size of a walnut. But the most valuable was in Canada. Three partners and I discovered a very rare type of meteorite called a pallasite. It weighed 53 kilograms, and it's around 4.5 billion years old. We sold it to the Canadian government for just under a million dollars. Now it's in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It's a national treasure. NG: Who else buys the rocks from you? Michael Farmer: Museums and private collectors are always calling me. New meteorites are in demand, and so they sell quickly. I also sell them to a lot of scientists. They don't have the time or money to search for these rocks. Without the help of hunters, 99 percent of these meteorites would be lost to science.

吴：你发现的最有价值的陨石是什么？ 迈克尔·法默：我在中东发现了一件，我以10万美元的价格把它卖掉了。 那是一小块，大约有核桃那么大。 但最有价值的是在加拿大。 我和三位合作伙伴发现了一种非常罕见的陨石，叫做钯铁矿。 它重53公斤，大约有45亿年的历史。 我们以不到一百万美元的价格卖给了加拿大政府。 现在它在多伦多的皇家安大略博物馆。 它是国宝。 吴：还有谁从你这里买石头？ 迈克尔·法默：博物馆和私人收藏家总是给我打电话。 新的陨石需求量很大，所以卖得很快。 我也把它们卖给了很多科学家。 他们没有时间或金钱去寻找这些岩石。 如果没有猎人的帮助，这些陨石中的99%将因科学而消失。

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