【英语时差8,16】糖罐子里的秘密（下）

Now put a spoon in and smooth the surface of the sugar: all those evenly-spaced crystals will be packed down into an uneven¹ arrangement, filling the empty spaces. The result is still a 60 – 40 ratio, only now we have a lower level of sugar, with the empty space moved up top. It’s the same with soil. Rainwater and passing feet press the soil down so that the grains lie closely together with little empty space, called “pore space.” When the shovel² pulls the soil up and scatters³ it in a big pile, the soil grains fall into a pattern closer to the way they were before being packed down. Once the hole is refilled, all you have to do to make it level is get rid of that pore space — which can easily be done with the back of a shovel.

 

1 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

2 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

3 scatters   

v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒

参考例句：

• He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句