* 用英语自身来理解和学习英语是最好的方式，《英读廊》是《满庭说英语》中的拓展阅读系列，这一系列的文章力求帮助大家在英语阅读能力上有所提升，并树立英语思维；
* 推荐的阅读的方法是：先原文，适当看解析阅读，还有疑惑再看双语对照。
* 解析中英语单词的音标使用Dictcom和IPA双音标标注，如果需要了解Dictcom音标，请参看我们的《dictionary.com所用的音标体系》一文。
* 本篇文章难度系数5.9，由《小仙英语伴读》人工智能难度分析系统提供评分。
Why does it seem so challenging now to send a manned crew to the moon, when we were able to accomplish this over 50 years ago?
【译】为什么在50多年前我们能够做到这一点的情况下，现在向月球派遣载人宇航员仍然显得如此具有挑战性？
【固定用法】be able to do sth. 能够，会(做)；有能力(或办法、机会)做某事；例句：I am able to pick you up on the short wave radio. 我能用短波收音机收听到你的信号。
【单词】challenging 原型：challenge ['chal-inj]['tʃælɪndʒ] v. 向 ... 挑战；质疑
【单词】send [send][send] vt. 发送；派遣；放出；运输
【单词】crew [kruː] n.(轮船、飞机等上面的)全体工作人员; (轮船、飞机等上面不包括高级职员的)全体船员，全体乘务员; 技术人员团队; 专业团队;
【单词】moon [moon][muːn] n. 月亮；月球
【单词】accomplish [uh-'kom-plish][ə'kʌmplɪʃ] vt. 完成；实现
Space travel is always challenging, but I would argue it has more to do with motivation.
【译】太空旅行总是很有挑战性，但我认为它更多地与动机有关。
【单词】travel ['trav-uhl]['trævl] v. 旅行；去某地
【单词】argue ['ahr-gyoo]['ɑːɡjuː] v. 说服；争论；辩论
【单词】motivation [moh-tuh-'vey-shuhn][ˌməʊtɪ'veɪʃn] n. 动机；动力；刺激；积极性
After the Apollo missions, there just hasn't been a need or want to go back.
【译】阿波罗（登月）任务结束后，就再也没有这个需求回去了。
【单词】missions 原型：mission ['mish-uhn]['mɪʃn] n. 使命；任务
【专有名词】Apollo [uh-'pol-oh][ə'pɒləʊ] n. [希神]阿波罗（太阳神）
We all have our sci-fi desires, but until there is money to be made (even on research), there hasn't been a point to go back.
【译】我们都有自己的科幻欲望，但在有钱赚之前（即使是在研究上），都没有再回月球的必要。
【单词】sci-fi ['sahy-'fahy]['saɪfaɪ] abbr. 科幻小说(=science fiction)
【单词】desires 原型：desire [dih-'zahyuhr][dɪ'zaɪə] n. 渴望；愿望；欲望
That mood encouragingly seems to be shifting and a manned mission may be on the horizon again.
【译】令人鼓舞的是，这种情绪似乎正在发生变化，载人任务可能再次出现。
【短语】on the horizon 表示“在地平线上；即将来临的”。如：（1）The first signs of the dawn appear on the horizon. 黎明的曙光出现在地平线上。（2）For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon-it's already here. 对于我们很多人来说，"无现钞的社会"不是即将来临，而是已经到来。
【单词】mood [mood][muːd] n. 心情；情绪；气氛
【单词】encouragingly [en-'kur-ij, -'kuhr-][ɪn'kʌrɪdʒɪŋli] adv. 鼓励地；赞助地；鼓舞人心地
【单词】shifting 原型：shift [shift][ʃɪft] v. 移动；改变
【单词】horizon [huh-'rahy-zuhn][hə'raɪzn] n. 地平线；眼界；范围
The best analogy I can think of is that it's also challenging to reproduce the Great Pyramid now, even though it was something that was accomplished 4000 years ago.
【译】我能想到的最好的类比是，现在再造大金字塔也很有挑战性，尽管它是在4000年前就完成过的。
【词法】even though是“尽管”的意思，为连词，引导让步状语从句用于引导让步状语从句。如：He went out even though it was raining. 尽管在下雨，他还是出去了。
【单词】analogy [uh-'nal-uh-jee][ə'nælədʒi] n. 类比；相似；类似
【单词】reproduce [ree-pruh-'doos, -'dyoos][ˌriːprə'djuːs] v. 再生；复制
【单词】accomplished 原型：accomplish [uh-'kom-plish][ə'kʌmplɪʃ] vt. 完成；实现
【单词】pyramid ['pir-uh-mid]['pɪrəmɪd] n. 金字塔
It's not that we don't know how to do it, it's that our priorities have changed.
【译】不是我们不知道该怎么做，而是我们的优先次序改变了。
【单词】priorities 原型：priority [prahy-'awr-i-tee, -'or-][praɪ'ɒrəti] n. 优先权；优先；优先顺序
We're not willing to spend the money it would require, and we're not willing to take as many risks with human lives as we were then.
【译】我们不愿意花费它所需要的资金成本，我们也不愿意像当时那样冒着生命危险。
【短语】be willing to do表示“乐意做某事”。be too willing to do表示非常愿意做某事，表达强烈感情色彩。如：There's not enough people willing to take the risk. 没有足够的人愿意冒这个险。
【单词】willing ['wil-ing]['wɪlɪŋ] adj. 愿意的；心甘情愿的
【单词】spend [spend][spend] v. 花费；浪费
【单词】require [ri-'kwahyuhr][rɪ'kwaɪə] v. 要求；需要；命令；规定
But we COULD do it.
【译】但我们是可以做到的。
AFAIK, it's a relatively low high cost to benefit ratio.
【译】就我所知，这是一个相对较低的高成本效益比。
【单词】AFAIK 是“As Far As I Know”的简写，意为“就我所知，以我所知”
【单词】relatively ['rel-uh-tiv-lee]['relətɪvli] adv. 相对地；比较地
【单词】ratio ['rey-shoh, -shee-oh]['reɪʃiəʊ] n. 比率；比例
In other words, it would cost A LOT of time & money to make it happen, with not a lot of benefit.
【译】换言之，要实现这一目标需要花费大量的时间和金钱，但却没有多少好处。
【单词】happen ['hap-uhn]['hæpən] vi. 发生；碰巧；出现
That being said, there are plans to use the moon as a 'base' for further exploration (to Mars for example).
【译】有传闻说，有人有计划将月球作为进一步探索的“基地”（例如到火星）。
【短语】for example 例如；例句：You can buy fruit here - oranges and bananas, for example. 你可以在这里买水果，例如买柑橘和香蕉。
【单词】base [beys][beɪs] n. 基地
【单词】exploration [ek-spluh-'rey-shuhn][ˌeksplə'reɪʃn] n. 探险；探索；勘探；探测
【专有名词】Mars [mahrz][mɑːz] n. 火星；[罗神]战神
So if/when it comes time for that, there will be much larger benefits to having people on the moon, so it will be likelier to happen.
【译】因此，如果到了实现这一目标的时候，人类登上月球将有更大的好处，因此实现这一目标的可能性更大。