詞匯：
1. meteorit 隕石，隕星
2. asteroid （火星和木星軌道間）小行星
3. obliterate 除去，消減……痕跡
4. crater 火山口，隕石坑
5. mare 海，（也指月亮，火星上的）陰暗區(qū)
6. impact 撞擊
7. impact crater 隕石坑，撞擊火山
8. brecciate 合成角礫巖
the zone of brecciation 角礫巖地帶
9. mantle 地幔
10. stress 應(yīng)力
local stress 局部（本身）應(yīng)力
11. sialic 硅鋁的
12. probability 概率，可能性
13. disseminate 傳播，分散，浸染
14. morphology 組織，結(jié)構(gòu)，形態(tài)（學(xué)）
15. astral 星（星狀體）的

難句譯注：

1. Unfortunately, the geological evolution of the Earth’s surface has had an obliterating effect onthe original composition and structure of the continents to such an extent that further terrestrialinvestigations have small chance of arriving at an unambiguous answer to the question ofcontinental origin.
[結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)析] 句中用such…that 句型。
[參考譯文] 遺憾的是，地球表面的地質(zhì)變化對(duì)大陸原始結(jié)構(gòu)和組成起了抹煞的作用。這種消除作用達(dá)到了這種程度，使進(jìn)一步的大陸的研究工作很難對(duì)大陸起源問題去得明確的答案。

2. In the case of both the Moon and Mars. It is generally concluded from the appearance of theirheavily cratered surfaces that they have been subjected to bombardment by large meteoroidsduring their geological history.
[結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)析] in the case of 就……說，至于……，論到。
[參考譯文] 拿月亮和火星來說，一般都從它們表面嚴(yán)重的隕石坑得出結(jié)論：它們?cè)谄涞刭|(zhì)進(jìn)化過程中遭到過巨大的隕星的撞擊。

3. Two major difficulties inherent in this concept are the lack of any known sialic meteorites, andthe high probability that the energy of impact would result in a wide dissemination of sialic material,rather than its concentration at the point of impact.
[結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)析] that clause 是high probability 的說明同位語(yǔ)。
[參考譯文] 這一概念本身固有的兩大難點(diǎn)是缺乏任何已知的硅鋁隕石和下列現(xiàn)象的高概率：即撞擊的能量會(huì)導(dǎo)致硅鋁材料廣泛分散，而不是集中于撞擊點(diǎn)上。

寫作方法與文章大意：

文章一開始就說明了此文論述“大陸核生成過程中大的隕星的撞擊作用。”由于地球表面地質(zhì)進(jìn)化抹去了大陸原始結(jié)構(gòu)和組成的痕跡，只好由月亮和火星作為研究對(duì)象來說明地球。從三方面來論述：一是鮑德溫的方程式，深度和寬度；二是硅鋁組成；三是海洋盆地。最后結(jié)論。