英语听力文摘 English Digest 168、大孩子，小孩子

　　Remember seesaws²? Those things were great. But there was often a problem.
Suppose there’s a big kid on one side and a smaller kid on the other side. The seesaw¹ just stays in one position: big kid on the ground, smaller kid up in the air. No fun. After a few different tries, you probably realized that moving the big kid in toward the center made it possible to rock a little. Move the big kid even more and you can achieve balance. Now the seesaw works.
What’s going on here? The answer is in the “center of mass.” The center of mass is a point somewhere along the plank³ that holds the two kids where their average weight falls. If you can get the center of mass to be over the pivot⁴ point, the seesaw will be balanced.
There’s a simple way to figure out where the center of mass is. If the big kid is two times as heavy as the little kid, then their mutual⁵ center of mass will be two times closer to the big kid than to the little kid. Three times heavier and the center of mass will be three times closer. And so on.
So the reason the heavy kid sits on the ground while the light kid is up in the air is that their mutual center of mass is on the heavy kid’s side of the pivot. To make the seesaw work, the heavy kid must push that center of mass forward until it just touches the pivot. Then their average weight pushes right on the middle, letting the ends rock up and down.

1 seesaw   

n.跷跷板

参考例句：

• Prices have gone up and down like a seesaw this year.今年的价格像跷跷板一样时涨时跌。
• The children are playing at seesaw.孩子们在玩跷跷板。

2 seesaws   

n.跷跷板，上下动( seesaw的名词复数 )v.使上下（来回）摇动( seesaw的第三人称单数 )；玩跷跷板，上下（来回）摇动

参考例句：

3 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

4 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。