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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Planet Mechanics 环保达人
A dynamic duo travel around and come up with some bright ideas.
精力充沛的两人到处旅行，绝妙点子一箩筐。
by Matthew Brown
It's good to keep in mind that people are working hard on exciting possibilities for solutions to the problems of global warming and environmental destruction. This month on the National Geographic1 Channel, the series Planet Mechanics follows two eco-engineers, Dick Strawbridge and Jem Stansfield, as they travel around Europe and the UK. They meet up with various people along the way and help them come up with ways to make their technology environmentally friendly.
In the town of Bath in England, Dick and Jem hang out with a sandwich shop owner who is looking for a good way to deliver sandwiches around town. The hills and cobblestone roads of Bath present a bit of a challenge, so Dick and Jem need to create something small and agile2. Motorcycles are convenient, but most of them cause pollution. Their solution: an air-propelled motorbike. Sounds like a great idea, but for it to work, they must manage to fit 5,000 litres of air into a tank that will fit on a bike. At normal pressure, this amount of air would take up the space of an elephant, so the task is tricky3—and dangerous. That much compressed air could cause an explosion in a collision. Be sure to watch "Air-Propelled Sandwich" to see if it works out, and watch Jem testing the idea by catapulting himself and his bike from an air-powered cannon4!
Another episode in the Planet Mechanics series is "Surf Power." In this episode, Jem and Dick travel to the coast of Ireland. Here they attempt to harness the tremendous power of the ocean waves. Their goal is to use the energy of the waves to power a "surf shack5" for two surfers who travel around in their portable home.
These episodes and others will lift your spirits and remind you that change is not just possible; it is necessary. And it can be fun.
1. Which of the following best describes the Planet Mechanics series?
(A) It is about finding ways to get things done without causing pollution.
(B) It is about changing pollution into things we can use.
(C) It is about fighting against factories and products that cause pollution.
(D) It is about using only air and waves to power the world.
2. The episode "Air-Propelled Sandwich" shows Jem and Dick _____.
(A) using air to produce cannons6 that power bikes
(B) trying to find a way to use air to power a bike factory
(C) working on a bike powered by highly pressurized air
(D) producing a bike that would only work in Bath
3. What difficulty do Jem and Dick face with their goal for the bike?
(A) No bike could ever be used on the cobblestones of Bath.
(B) They have to make a bike that will never crash.
(C) It is hard to find so much air for a container.
(D) A container filled with air at a high pressure is quite dangerous.
4. In the episode "Surf Power," Jem and Dick _____.
(A) learn from two surfers how waves create energy
(B) teach two surfers to attach a small surf house to the ocean's waves
(C) try to provide electricity for the mobile home belonging to two surfers
(D) try to give a mobile surf home enough power to deliver sandwiches
单字小铺
1. mechanics n. 机械学；技术；技巧
2. destruction n. 破坏；毁灭
3. eco-engineer n. 生态工程师
4. environmentally friendly 环保的
5. cobblestone n. 鹅卵石
6. agile a. 灵活的，敏捷的
7. air-propelled a. 以空气推进的
propel vt. 推进，使前进
8. tricky a. 棘手的，难处理的
9. compressed a. 压缩的
10. collision n. 碰撞
11. catapult vt. 弹射；发射
12. cannon n. 大炮
13. episode n.（电视连续剧、电影等的）一集
14. harness vt. 控制，驾驭
15. shack n.（作某种用途的）小屋；简陋木屋
16. pressurized a. 耐压的
highly pressurized 耐高压的
17. container n. 容器
18. mobile a. 可移动的
词组小铺
1. meet up with... 偶然遇见……
2. a bit of... 一点点……
3. lift one's spirits 提振某人的精神
4. belong to... 属于……
精解字词词组
1. keep/bear in mind + that 子句 牢记……
keep/bear...in mind 将……牢记在心
例: Keep in mind that you have to drive home. Don't drink alcohol at the party.
（记住你得开车回家。在派对上千万别喝酒。）
例: I always keep my father's advice in mind.
（我始终牢记父亲的忠告。)
2. come up with... 想出……
例: Susan came up with a great title for her novel.
（苏珊为自己的小说想了一个很棒的书名。）
3. hang out with... 和……闲混在一起
例: It's nice to hang out with friends after being gone for so long.
（离开这么久后，能和朋友在一起闲晃是件不错的事。）
4. manage to V 设法（做到）……
例: Regardless of how busy she is, Lulu always manages to find time to go shopping with her friends.
（不管她有多忙，露露总会设法找时间和朋友们去购物。）
5. fit A into B 将 A 装进 B
例: I don't think I can fit all my clothes into this suitcase.
（我觉得这个手提箱装不进我全部的衣服。）
6. take up... 占据……
例: The work took up most of his time.
（那项工作占去了他大部分的时间。）
7. work out 有好结果，成功
work out... 解决……
例: For fear that things might not work out, Amy didn't even try.
（唯恐事情不会有圆满的结果，所以爱咪连试都不试。）
例: I hope both of you will eventually work out your problems.
（我希望你们之间的问题最后能顺利解决。）
8. attempt to V 企图（做）……
例: Jenny attempted to take credit for work her colleague had actually done.
（珍妮企图从同事完成的工作中居功。）
9. remind vt. 提醒；使想起
remind sb + that 子句 提醒某人……
remind sb to V 提醒某人做……
remind sb of sth 提醒某人某事；使某人想到某事物
例: You have to remind Jane to take out the garbage or she'll forget.
（你得提醒珍把垃圾拿出去，要不然她会忘记。）
例: This photo reminds me of the time I went traveling in Spain.
（这张照片使我想起在西班牙旅行的时光。）
10. change A into B 将 A 改变∕转变成 B
= turn A into B
= transform A into B
例: The witch transformed the princess into a parrot.
（巫婆把公主变成了鹦鹉。）
11. work on... 致力于……；从事……
例: After spending hours working on that math problem, John finally gave up.
（在花了好几个小时解那道数学题后，约翰最后放弃了。）
12. attach A to B 使 A 附着于 B 之上
例: The serviceman attached a label to each piece of luggage.
（服务生在每件行李上都系上标签。）
13. provide A for B 提供 A 给 B
= provide B with A
例: The Red Cross provided earthquake victims with blankets, tents, and food.
（红十字会提供毛毯、帐蓬和食物给地震灾民。）
中文翻译＆标准答案
每个人都要随时记得，大家正在努力寻找令人耳目一新的方法，来解决全球暖化与环境破坏的问题。在这个月的国家地理频道《环保达人》系列中，跟随两位生态工程师狄克‧史卓毕奇与詹姆‧史坦斯费尔德的脚步踏遍欧洲与英国。两人一路上遇见形形色色的人，并帮助他们想出让科技更贴近环保的方法。
在英国的巴斯，狄克与詹姆和一家三明治店老板混在一起，这位老板正在寻找一个外送三明治到镇上各地的好方法。巴斯的山坡与布满鹅卵石的道路具有一点挑战性，因此狄克与詹姆必须制作出小而敏捷的东西。机车很方便，但大多会制造污染。他们的解决之道是：一辆以空气为动力的机车。这主意听起来很不错，但为了让它真正可行，他们必须将 5 千公升的空气打进一个装在机车上的空气槽中。在一般的气压下，这么大量的空气与一只大象的体积相当，因此这项任务不仅困难，还很危险。这么多压缩的空气在撞车时可能导致爆炸。务必锁定《空气动力机车》，看看这项发明究竟会不会成功，也瞧瞧狄克利用空气动力炮台将自己和机车发射出去，藉以测试空气动力机车的想法吧！
环保达人》系列的另一个节目是 "Surf Power"。在本单元中，狄克与詹姆旅行到爱尔兰海岸。在这里他们试图驾驭海浪的巨大力量。他们的目标是利用海浪的力量来发电，以提供两位冲浪客的冲浪小屋来使用，这两位冲浪客就是搭乘这间可移动的小屋四处旅行。
本系列单元将使人精神大振，提醒你改变不仅可能，而且势在必行，并且也可以非常有趣。
1. 下列何者最能描述《环保达人》系列节目？
(A) 关于寻找不制造污染，就能解决事情的方法。
(B) 关于将污染转变成我们可利用的东西。
(C) 关于对抗制造污染的工厂与产品。
(D) 关于只使用空气与海浪来提供世界的能源需求。
题解: 本文一开头便指出，人们正努力寻找全球暖化与环境破坏的解决之道，文中并提及一种以空气为动力的环保机车，故 (A) 应为正选。
2. 《空气动力机车》单元中，詹姆与狄克 _____。
(A) 利用空气来制作发动机车的大炮
(B) 试着找出以空气为机车工厂提供动力的方法
(C) 研发一种以高压空气为动力的机车
(D) 制造一种只有在巴斯才能使用的机车
题解: 根据第二段，狄克与詹姆尝试一种以空气为动力的机车，方便三明治店老板外送三明治，故选 (C)。
3. 詹姆与狄克制造机车时遇到何种困难？
(A) 没有机车能骑在巴斯的鹅卵石路上。
(B) 他们必须制作出不会发生相撞的机车。
(C) 很难找到这么多空气来装进容器里。
(D) 装满高压空气的容器相当危险。
题解: 根据第二段，5 千公升的压缩空气与一只大象的体积相当，因此这个任务不仅困难，还很危险，它在撞车时可能会导致爆炸，故选 (D)。
4. 在 "Surf Power" 单元中，詹姆与狄克 _____。
(A) 向两位冲浪好手学习海浪如何产生能源
(B) 教导两位冲浪者将冲浪小屋固定在海浪上
(C) 试着为两位冲浪好手的移动式小屋提供电力
(D) 试着给予冲浪小屋足够的动力以便外送三明治
题解: 根据第三段，狄克与詹姆的目标是利用海浪的力量来发电，以提供两位冲浪好手的冲浪小屋来使用，故选 (C)。
标准答案: 1. (A) 2. (C) 3. (D) 4. (C)
收听单词发音 |
1
geographic
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| adj.地理学的，地理的 | |
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2
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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3
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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4
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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5
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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6
cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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