The script from this programme:

Helen: (Almost whispering) Hello and welcome to On the Town, I'm Helen. And I'm here with Neil.

Neil: (Whispering) Hello.

收聽(tīng)與下載

Neil: (Still whispering) Helen, tell me something… Why are we whispering?

Helen: 啊，你還不知道我為什么說(shuō)悄悄話？ I'll tell you…

Neil: (Whispering) … Yeah and why have you switched off all the lights in the studio? …

(Sound of owl, crickets)

Neil … And, Helen, switch off these sound effects, please! This owl and these crickets are getting on my nerves.

Helen: Oh all right. Sorry, about that. 你覺(jué)得我的聲響效果惹得你心煩？可是一聽(tīng)到貓頭鷹 owls 和蟋蟀 crickets 的叫聲，就能讓我們聯(lián)想到郊外寧?kù)o的夜晚。你看我把燈關(guān)了, so we can imagine we can look up and see the stars, 我們抬頭就能看星星了。

Neil: Why do you want to see stars?

Helen: 那是因?yàn)樵诮裉斓亩际新佑袄镂覀円黄饚Т蠹铱磹?ài)丁堡的天空。It's said that there are areas where the sky is so clear at night that they are great to see stars. 當(dāng)?shù)卣膭?lì)老百姓參與評(píng)選看星星的最佳去處，nominate 就是推薦的意思。請(qǐng)聽(tīng)皇家天文臺(tái)天文學(xué)家 Dan Hillier 對(duì)這個(gè)活動(dòng)的介紹。

Dan Hillier:

What we are looking for now is people to look around their local community and to nominate new places that are great for stargazing. They can visit our website, dark sky discovery, to find how to do that there and we really hope with this network of dark sky discovery sites is really going to mushroom.

Helen: This is the Royal Observatory astronomer Dan Hillier. And he used another expression inspired by vegetation.

Neil: Yes, he hopes that the network of good sites to see stars at night is going to mushroom.

Night sky above Galloway Forest park.

Helen: Network 網(wǎng)絡(luò)，Dan 希望能望星星的地方會(huì)越來(lái)越多。To mushroom 在這里的意思是形容某事的發(fā)展速度像 mushroom 蘑菇生長(zhǎng)那樣快。

Neil: Stargazing is fun! People in Edinburgh must be enthusiastic about this initiative.

Helen: Yes, they are. 而且當(dāng)?shù)仄髽I(yè)也很支持這個(gè)活動(dòng)。Listen to what Kevin Reid, a hotel owner, said about the so-called dark skies initiative.

Kevin Reid:

I think very much the dark skies initiative is a great initiative for us because it will draw business to the area in what traditionally is the off-season. And that can only be of help to all businesses in the area.

Helen: 酒店老板 Kevin Reid 說(shuō)這個(gè)活動(dòng)會(huì)吸引更多的人到這里來(lái)看星星。

Neil: Yes, he thinks it will draw business to the area, especially when there are not many people around.

Helen: 淡季 off-season. 平時(shí)在旅游淡季的時(shí)候這里人很少。不過(guò)相信只要能在夜里看到明亮的星星，就算是淡季，也會(huì)有游客到這里來(lái)， 這樣對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)氐钠髽I(yè)也很有幫助。It will be very good for him. Listen to what this astronomer has to say:

Binoculars are a wonderful way to start because you get a really wide view of everything so you can see whole constellations in them and you can see really simple things like star patterns, double stars, variable stars. But you can even use your naked eye to see things like meteors and the Andromeda galaxy.

Helen: 這位天文學(xué)家說(shuō)望遠(yuǎn)鏡 binoculars 可是必備品。有了它，你可以看到很多東西。 Let's think about ….

Neil: …yes, she said that we can see whole constellations…

Helen: …整個(gè)星座 whole constellations …

Neil: …meteors…

Helen: … 流星…

Neil: …and even the Andromeda galaxy!

Helen: Yes, the Andromeda galaxy! 仙女座星系! That's a lot to see!

Low and fast moving clouds reflect light pollution from street lighting.

And many people in Britain are keen to see stars. So much so that the town of Dulverton in Somerset decided to do last week what I did in the studio.

Neil: What was that?

Helen: Dulverton 鎮(zhèn)上的居民晚上把燈都關(guān)了，這樣在看星星的時(shí)候就沒(méi)有光污染了。

Neil: With urban lights on it's difficult to see the stars properly. It's what we call light pollution.

Helen: 光污染 light pollution.

Neil: That's all very inspiring but I am starving. I am going to the canteen to eat something. Aren't you coming with me?

Helen: No, 你先去吧，我想在這兒待一會(huì)兒，聽(tīng)聽(tīng)貓頭鷹和蟋蟀的叫聲。我能想象到 constellations, meteors and the Andromeda galaxy.

Neil: You've always had your head in the clouds, Helen! Bye.

Helen: See you

(Sound of owl, crickets)