China's meteorite hunters

by Nanlin Fang

China's vast plains and mountainous regions are popular hunting grounds for the nation's meteorite enthusiasts（发烧友）. Some of the world's biggest iron meteorites have been found there, including in Altay, in the far-western Xinjiang region.

vast /vɑːst/ adj. 巨大的
plain /pleɪn/ n. 平原
mountainous /ˈmaʊntɪnəs/ adj. 多山的（由mountain加后缀-ous变成形容词）
hunting ground 能找到某种东西的地方
nation /ˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 国家
meteorite /ˈmiːti(ə)raɪt/ n. 陨石

Part of the appeal is the sense of adventure. Accessing remote areas requires serious equipment and planning – and with it comes the thrill of possibly finding something that pushes forward science's understanding of the solar system.

appeal /əˈpiːl/ n. 吸引力
adventure /ədˈventʃə(r)/ n. 冒险
access /ˈækses/ v. 到达、进入
remote /rɪˈməʊt/ adj. 边远的、偏远的
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ n. 装备、器材
thrill /θrɪl/ n. 兴奋、激动
solar /ˈsəʊlə(r)/ adj. 太阳的（the solar system就是太阳系）

For many meteor hunters, however, the motivation is much more basic: Money. After a fireball was seen soaring across the sky near a small village in Menghai county, Yunnan, in 2018, meteorite hunters raced to the region, armed with their metal detectors and hopes of striking it rich. Days after the fireball sighting, alleged meteorites were being advertised online for as much as 50,000 RMB a gram.

meteor /ˈmiːtiɔː(r)/ n. 流星（落地以后就是陨石）
hunter /ˈhʌntə(r)/ n. 猎人（由hunt加上表示人的后缀-er）
motivation /ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 动机
soar /sɔː(r)/ v. 高飞
county /ˈkaʊnti/ n. 县
arm /ɑːm/ v. 装备
detector /dɪˈtektə(r)/ n. 探测器（由detect加上表示人或物的后缀-or）
strike it rich 一夜暴富
sighting /ˈsaɪtɪŋ/ n. 看见、目睹
alleged /əˈledʒd/ adj. 声称的
RMB 人民币

Xu Weibiao, a meteorite expert from the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing, says meteorites can sell for even more than that – above $10,000 per gram. "The rareness of the meteorite decides its market value," Xu says. "Except those people who really know meteorite and its importance, most buyers are ordinary people and their meteorites are fake."

Purple Mountain Observatory /əbˈzɜːvət(ə)ri/ 紫金山天文台
rareness /ˈreənəs/ n. 稀缺性、稀有程度（由rare加后缀-ness变成名词）
fake /feɪk/ adj. 假的、伪造的

Zhang Bo, 37, is a meteorite hunter from Shanghai. His obsession with meteorites started in 2009. He was on vacation biking around the resort island of Hainan when he spotted a ball of fire grazing（轻轻划过） the night sky. At the time, he was working at his family's jewelry business. But soon his fascination for meteorites took over.

obsession /əbˈseʃ(ə)n/ n. 着迷、痴迷
resort /rɪˈzɔːt/ n. 度假胜地
spot /spɒt/ v. 看到
jewelry /ˈdʒuː(ə)lri/ n. 珠宝、首饰
fascination /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 入迷（由fascinate加后缀-ion变成名词）
take over 接手（这里指占据他的时间和精力）

Zhang started studying. First on the internet and in libraries, then by knocking on the door of the Purple Mountain Observatory. He met Xu there and the two become friends, exchanging messages and information about meteorites.

exchange /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ v. 交换

Zhang says he made his most significant discovery in the summer of 2016. Having heard about the large meteorites found in Altay, he packed his SUV with metal detectors, shovels, a tent and enough supplies to sustain him for two weeks in one of the world's most remote regions. It's a 7.5-hour drive from the nearest city.

significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪk(ə)nt/ adj. 重要的
discovery /dɪˈskʌv(ə)ri/ n. 发现
SUV 运动型多用途汽车
shovel /ˈʃʌv(ə)l/ n. 铁锹、铁铲
supplies /səˈplɑɪz/ n. 日用品
sustain /səˈsteɪn/ v. 使活下来

During his trip to Altay, Zhang meticulously（细致地） recorded the coordinates of many known meteorites. He says his findings showed that errors had been made in official records. Using his information, scientists were able to establish that the meteor field in Altay runs along an arc of 425 kilometers from China to Mongolia, making it the world's largest meteorite field.

record /rɪˈkɔːd/ v. 记录、记下来
coordinate /kəʊˈɔːdɪnət/ n. 坐标
known /nəʊn/ adj. 已知的
error /ˈerə(r)/ n. 错误
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 官方的
record /ˈrekɔːd/ n. 记录、一条信息（注意它做名词和做动词时发音不同）
establish /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ v. 查实、证实
arc /ɑːk/ n. 弧形
Mongolia /mɒŋˈɡəʊliə/ n. 蒙古国

Zhang won't reveal any personal details about his clients, but he says they pay anywhere between $100,000 to $1 million for rare rocks. He says he doesn't hunt meteorites for money, but to make a contribution to science and education. So far, his travels have taken him to some of the world's most inhospitable（不适合居住的） areas in Russia, France, USA, Australia and the Sahara Desert. He says he'll go wherever meteors take him.

reveal /rɪˈviːl/ v. 透露
client /ˈklaɪ(ə)nt/ n. 客户
contribution /ˌkɒntrɪˈbjuːʃ(ə)n/ n. 贡献（由contribute加后缀-ion变成名词）
the Sahara /səˈhɑːrə/ Desert 撒哈拉沙漠

英文原文节选自CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/china-meteorite-hunters-intl-hnk-scn/index.html