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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Have you ever been driving down a pothole1 filled street, thinking, "I wish the city, someone, anyone would fix the roads!" Soon, roads and streets may be able to fix themselves. Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a type of concrete that heals itself when it cracks. Regular concrete is like ceramic2 when it breaks. It really breaks, opening a wide chasm3 that requires serious mending. Self healing concrete behaves more like metal. It bends without breaking thanks to special fibers4 holding it together. Bending or stressing the new concrete creates hairline fractures instead of gaping5 holes. All it takes to mend the tiny fissures6 is exposure to water and carbon dioxide. Chemicals in the concrete mix with water and carbon dioxide to form a healing scar. In the lab, the concrete was able to heal itself back to nearly full strength after a slab7 was stretched to three times its normal size. Self healing concrete could help cut costs for rebuilding not only new roads but also bridges and other structures that use the material. You won’t find self healing concrete on roads just yet. The researchers are working on bringing it to market in the next few years. And when it’s ready for widespread use, self healing concrete could make potholes8 a thing of the past.
1 pothole | |
n.坑,穴 | |
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2 ceramic | |
n.制陶业,陶器,陶瓷工艺 | |
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3 chasm | |
n.深坑,断层,裂口,大分岐,利害冲突 | |
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4 fibers | |
光纤( fiber的名词复数 ); (织物的)质地; 纤维,纤维物质 | |
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5 gaping | |
adj.口的;张口的;敞口的;多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 );张开,张大 | |
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6 fissures | |
n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 );裂伤;分歧;分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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7 slab | |
n.平板,厚的切片;v.切成厚板,以平板盖上 | |
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8 potholes | |
n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 ) | |
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