Certainly! Here's an expanded answer with the appropriate words filled in:
SPACE PROBES BEHAVE STRANGELY
Is an unknown force having an influence (1) on Pioneer 10 and 11, NASA’s oldest space probes? The probes have been travelling through space for over thirty years, but scientists have now (2) come to the conclusion that their current position does not correspond (3) with predictions of where they should be. The probes appear to be (4) under the control of something other than the sun’s gravity. Scientists are unsure of the cause (5) of the probes’ slowness, but have narrowed (6) down the possibilities to three main options. They (7) put forward their suggestions at a conference this week. It is possible, but unlikely, (8) that both probes are malfunctioning in the same way at the same time; our understanding of gravity may be wrong, or an unknown force in the universe is (9) making a difference to the speed of the craft. Scientists say they will need to carry (10) out more research before they can determine what the cause is.
Let's break it down to understand the context and why each word is chosen:
- on: "Influence on" is a common phrase used to denote that something is affecting or having an impact on another object.
- come: "Come to the conclusion" is a phrase that means arriving at a decision or realization after consideration.
- with: "Correspond with" is used when something matches or aligns with another thing.
- under: "Under the control" is a phrase indicating that something is being influenced or governed by another force.
- of: "Cause of" is a standard phrase used to denote the reason behind something.
- down: "Narrow down" is a phrasal verb that means to reduce the number of possibilities or options.
- put: "Put forward" means to propose or present an idea for consideration.
- that: "It is possible, but unlikely, that" is a structure used to introduce an unlikely possibility.
- making: "Making a difference" indicates that something is causing a change or having an effect.
- out: "Carry out" means to perform or conduct an activity, often used in the context of research or experiments.
Each word is carefully chosen to fit the grammatical structure and meaning of the sentence, ensuring the passage reads logically and coherently.