CNN news 2011-04-11 加文本

短语讲解：

1. With the space shuttle program getting ready to end, NASA is turning to outside companies to take over future flights.

get ready 准备好
例句：We must pack up and get ready to start. 
turn to求助于，求教于
例句：She turned to me for advice.
她求教于我。
take over 接收，接管，接办
例句：The government took over the railways in 1948.
政府于1948年接管了铁路。
我们得打好行李准备动身了。

2. John Zarrella checks out how this new space race is going.

check out 检查，核对
例句：Please check out these names and numbers.
请把这些姓名和号码检查一下。

3. Musk's toy just happens to be a spacecraft.

happen to 碰巧
例句：I happen to be more than usually hard up. 
近来正巧手头更紧了。 

4. We caught up with Musk and his Dragon capsule in Washington, D.C., where it was on display: the first commercially-owned vehicle to ever circle the Earth and land safely back.

on display 展出
例句：His paintings are on display at the exhibition.
他的绘画正在展览会上展出。

5. MUSK: The guy who was the chief designer of the 747, when he saw that thing take off, he says, "I can't believe it works."

take off 起飞
例句：The plane will take off soon. 
飞机马上就要起飞了。

6. And this month, NASA is expected to announce the names of half a dozen commercial companies getting seed money to start developing vehicles to replace the shuttle for carrying astronauts to the international space station.

seed money 种子基金，(用以吸引更多资金的)本金
例句：They also gave seed money to entrepreneurs .
他们还给企业家提供种子基金。

7. CHARLIE BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Ideally, we would like to have multiple competitors who come down to at least two that we can use, so that we always have an alternative should one be faulty or one fail.

would like to 想要，愿意
例句：I would like to slip out of the hand immediately these goods. 
我愿意把这些货物立即脱手。 

8. MUSK: It's highly likely that we will get one of the contracts from NASA to launch astronauts, and I'm also confident we will be the first to do so.

It's highly likely that 非常有可能…
例句：It 's highly likely that his son will come back this summer . 
他的儿子今年夏天很有可能要回来。

9. This is, after all, rocket science. John Zarrella, cnn, Washington.

after all 毕竟，终究
例句：After all, we're the backbone of the country. 
我们毕竟是国家的栋梁。