Liquid Water On Mars

Scientists may have found a large lake on Mars. It is under the ice near the south pole（南極）of the planet1 （see map）. It is probably made of liquid2 water that is very salty.

The scientists wanted to know what is below the ground on Mars. They used a kind of energy detector called a radar（雷達）to find out. A spacecraft（航天器）shot3 radar waves into the ground （see picture）. The way the waves bounced4 back showed something special. It could be a lake！

Scientists have been looking for water on Mars for a long time. Mars has plenty of ice， which is frozen water. It also has some water that changed to a gas in the air. We also know that liquid water has flowed on Mars before. But then it dried up. This new lake may be the first pool of liquid water found on Mars. Where there is water there could be life！

All living things need water. Water is inside our bodies. This water carries food and waste where it needs to go. Sometimes new living things form in water. Scientists will keep studying water on Mars to look for signs of life.

If people ever try to live and work on Mars， they will need water. Finding this lake may help people visit the Red Planet someday.

火星發(fā)現(xiàn)液態(tài)水

科學家們或在火星發(fā)現(xiàn)大塊湖泊。它位于火星南極冰蓋下方（見圖），極有可能由富含鹽分的液態(tài)水構成。

為了探尋火星地下構成，研究人員利用探測衛(wèi)星上的雷達設備向下方發(fā)射脈沖（見圖），并接受反射。當發(fā)現(xiàn)反射波不同尋常時，科學家們猜測這極有可能是一塊湖泊！

科學家們多年來一直在持續(xù)勘探火星上的水資源?；鹦堑乇硐麓嬖诖罅勘鶎樱灿胁糠炙糜诖髿鈱又?。我們也相信火星表面曾被水覆蓋，不過之后蒸發(fā)殆盡了。如今這一發(fā)現(xiàn)很可能產(chǎn)生火星首個液態(tài)水湖泊，也進一步增加了發(fā)現(xiàn)外生命的可能性！

沒有水，就沒有生命。水是生命體的組成元素，又是營養(yǎng)物質(zhì)與廢物的運輸員，因而水常常預示著生命的起源。科學家們?nèi)詫⒗^續(xù)在火星尋找液態(tài)水，以期發(fā)現(xiàn)生命的跡象。

若人類欲將火星變?yōu)橄乱粋€家園，水是不可或缺的。如今看來，移民紅色星球的夢想并不遙遠。