英语听力精选进阶版 6189

Wacky Science with a Purpose 稀奇古怪但又有目的的科研项目

The simple bra: something worn discreetly¹ by women around the world, or a powerful, life-saving device?

Well, maybe both. A team in Chicago has invented a bra that can be quickly turned into a pair of gas masks – one for the wearer and one for a needy² bystander.

For their troubles they’ve received one of this year’s Ig Nobel awards.

The wacky awards honour achievements that "first make people laugh and then make them think", and are handed out at Harvard University for the year’s most eccentric³ research.

Prizes are awarded in categories that mirror the better-known Nobel Prize, such as physics, literature and peace.

This year’s peace prize went to a Swiss research team who made a brave breakthrough in the field of bar-room brawling⁴. The question was whether it was better to be hit on the head by an empty beer bottle or a full one. Their answer? A full one.

Winning the biology prize was a piece of unusual research involving giant pandas.

Chinese and Japanese scientists working together discovered that bacteria taken from the mammal’s faeces could be used to break downkitchen refuse. In fact it was so effective it could reduce the mass of the refuse by 90%.

Other prizes went to an American team who conducted a study into why pregnant⁶ women don’t fall over, and a British couple who found that cows with names gave more milk than cows that are nameless.

And spare a thought for the man who has been diligently⁷ cracking the knuckles⁸ on his left hand for 60 years in a quest⁵ to determine whether this contributes to arthritis⁹.

Luckily for Donald L Unger, it didn’t, at least for him, which will hopefully make carrying home his medicine prize a little bit easier.

So, if you have an idea that sounds crazy, why not send it to us? If bras can win prizes, maybe somewhere in your wardrobe is the key to world peace.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

discreetly 不引人注意的

life-saving device 救生器材 

gas masks 防毒面罩 

needy bystander 站在旁边需要帮助的人 

for their troubles 看在他们努力的份上 

wacky 古怪的，怪癖的 

eccentric （人，行为）古怪的，不合常规的 

mirror 相对应 

breakthrough 突破性发展 

bar-room brawling 酒吧斗殴 

bacteria 细菌 

faeces 粪便 

break down 分解，瓦解 

kitchen refuse 厨房废物 

conducted a study 做了一个研究 

mass 质量 

diligently 勤奋刻苦的 

cracking the knuckles 扳手指关节 

determine 决定，裁决 

arthritis 关节炎

1 discreetly   

ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇，一个很会讲排场的法国女人。
• Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么，有意避开了。

2 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

3 eccentric   

adj.古怪的，怪癖的，异乎寻常的；n.古怪的人

参考例句：

• His actions since that morning have been eccentric and unpredictable.自从那天早晨，他的行动一直是反常而不可捉摸。
• He had the name of an eccentric.他有怪人之称。

4 brawling   

n.争吵，喧嚷

参考例句：

• They were arrested for brawling in the street. 他们因在街上打斗而遭到拘捕。
• The officers were brawling commands. 军官们大声地喊口令。

5 quest   

n.寻求，搜索，追求

参考例句：

• Man will suffer many disappointments in his quest for truth.人类在探索真理过程中必然会遭受挫折。
• His quest for perfection is relentless.他不断追求完美。

6 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

7 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

8 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。