H☆Mさんの おぼえた日記 - 2018年3月17日(土)

[SpaceX Unveils City-to-City Rocket Plan] -Lesson 42 / English Today-

U.S. venture firm SpaceX has proposed a new way for humans to travel. It unveiled a plan that would allow passengers to travel between cities around the world by rocket.

Most long-distance trips would take less than 30 minutes. And people would be able to go anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

CEO Elon Musk announced the plan at an international space conference on Friday. "The great thing about going to space is there's no friction. So once you're out of the atmosphere, it'll be smooth as silk. No turbulence, nothing."

The passenger rocket would travel in space at a speed of up to 27,000 kilometers per hour. A trip between Tokyo and Los Angeles would take 32 minutes, New York to Paris just 30 minutes.

And it wouldn't be expensive. Musk plans to offer the trip for the price of an economy class seat on an airplane.
SuperX currently services the International Space Station and has developed a partially reusable rocket. (2017/10/1, NHK World)


[Discussion]
Hannah: This story seems unbelievable to me! Do you think that SpaceX will actually be able to develop space rockets as a new way for people to travel around the Earth?

Sam: It does seem hard to believe. I think most people would have lot of safety questions. For instance, what about the intense G-forces on the human body at take-off? Don't astronauts have to train for months to withstand these conditions?

Hannah: Yes, it's all well and good to say that the ride is smooth once you are in space, but what about when you re-enter the Earth's atmosphere? What about the landing?

Sam: I'm sure all these safety concerns will need to be considered before the company is able to unveil a genuine passenger rocket like Elon Musk has described.

Hannah: That's for sure.


◆見出し[SpaceX Unveils City-to-City Rocket Plan]
=[SpaceX has unveiled a city-to-city rocket (travel) plan.]

◆[by rocket] vs. [in a rocket]
　⇒[by-]「～という手段によって」抽象的な表現⇒[by rocket/train/bus/plane]
　⇒[in-]「～の中に乗って」という具体的な状況を表す⇒[(travel) in a rocket]

◆「配分的単数(distributive singular)」=複数あるはずのものに単数形が使われる
　⇒[Musk plans to offer the trips for the price of an economy class seat on an airplane.]=[offer (each of) the trips for the price of an economy class seat]
　⇒[their own room]=[their own each room]
　⇒[We have a nose.]=[Each of us has a nose.]

◆「仮定法過去」の[would] vs. 未来が確定しているときは[will]
　⇒[And people would be able to go anywhere on Earth in under an hour (if everything went according to plan).]（もしも計画が実現したら）～となる」
　⇒[I wouldn't do that if I were you.]
　⇒[I will go to school tomorrow.]
　⇒[I don't know if it will be fine tomorrow, but if it is fine we will go on a picnic.]


■[new way]「新しい方法」
[U.S. venture firm SpaceX has proposed a new way for humans to travel.]
　⇒One new way for us to increase our vocabulary is to explore how words are used online.]

■[unveil]「～を明らかにする・発表する」
[It unveiled a plan that would allow passengers to travel between cities around the world by rocket.]
　⇒[The leader of the mice unveiled a project to put a bell around the cat's neck.]

■[most]「ほとんどの～」
[Most long-distance trips would take less than 30 minutes.]
　⇒[Most grammatical rules are easier to use than remember.]


[What is travel?]
-[travel]=[go from one place to another](人が)移動/旅行する、(動物が)移動する/歩く、(光が)進む、(音やニュースが)伝わる、(視線が)移る、(機械が/コース上を)動く
　⇒[travel]長距離の旅、[trip]短い旅行、[journey](プロセスに重点がある)長い道のりを行く旅、[tour]ぐるりと巡る旅、
　⇒[travel]の語源は、[torture]拷問・ひどく苦しめること(⇒中世の長旅は苦行だったことから)