10％平流層受害
A new study done by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has discovered a hidden cost of exploring space: materials used to make spacecraft have been polluting the Earth’s atmosphere.
美國國家海洋暨大氣總署進行的一項新研究發現了探索太空的一個隱性成本：用於製造太空船的材料一直在汙染地球的大氣層。
oceanic(adj.)海洋的atmospheric(adj.)大氣層的，atmosphere(n.)大氣層、氣氛、氛圍hidden(adj.)隱藏的、不易找到的，hide(v.)隱藏foresee(v.)預見，unforeseen(adj.)未預料到的pollute(v.)汙染，pollution(n.)汙染，e.g. air pollution空氣汙染、water pollution水汙染contaminate(v.)汙染The food which had been contaminated was destroyed.受汙染的食物已被銷毀了
In fact, scientists have found that 10% of the stratosphere — which is the second-lowest layer of the atmosphere — now contains “aluminum and other spacecraft metals.”
事實上，科學家發現有10％的平流層──大氣中第二低的層──現在包含「鋁和其他太空船金屬」。
in fact(phr.)事實上=as a matter of factlayer(n.)層、階層(v.)把⋯按層次排列、把⋯分層放置contain(v.)包含=include、consist ofaluminum(n.)鋁
The reason for this is that parts of everything leaving or entering the Earth’s atmosphere will burn up, leaving tiny pieces behind as pollution.
造成這種情況的原因是，所有離開或進入地球大氣層的物質都會燃燒殆盡，留下細小的碎片汙染物。
leave(v.)離開、遺忘、丟下，leave for(phr.)前往某地burn up燃燒殆盡leave behind留下
Although some of this pollution is from meteors, scientists believe that much of it is from rockets and satellites.
雖然這些汙染有一部分來自流星，但科學家認為其中大部分來自火箭和衛星。
meteor(n.)流星、殞星，meteor shower流星雨satellite(n.)衛星
Researchers made this discovery by using equipment on special airplanes to test the atmosphere 19 kilometers above the US state of Alaska.
研究人員利用特殊飛機上的設備對美國阿拉斯加州上空19公里處的大氣層進行了檢測，從而發現了這個現象。
discovery(n.)發現，finding(n.)發現、研究結果
Scientists are still not sure how spacecraft pollution will affect the atmosphere, but they would like to spend more time studying it to understand its effects.
科學家仍不確定太空船汙染會對大氣層產生怎麼樣的影響，但他們希望花更多時間研究以了解其影響。
affect(v.)影響、使感動，affection(n.)鍾愛、喜愛effect(n.)影響、效果，special effect特殊效果
This will be very important in the future as nearly 50,000 more satellites are planned to be sent into space by 2030.
這在未來將非常重要，因為預計在2030年前將有近50,000顆衛星會被發射進外太空。
as(conj.)因為nearly(adv.)差不多、大約=approximately、aroundlaunch(v.)發射、使升空、下水