英语听力精选进阶版 7077

Background: 一个日本公司宣布了一项新发明，专为老年人设计的安全气袋，这种气袋可以减少身体虚弱的老年人因摔倒而造成的伤害。这项新发明在东京的展览会上推出，标价1400美元。

The makers¹ of the airbag 安全气袋 say it can be strapped² 绑起来 around the waist and will inflate³ 充气 in a tenth of a second if it detects 查出 that the person wearing it is accelerating 加速 towards the ground.

They say it weighs just over a kilogram and is designed to cushion 缓和冲击 a fall with two separate pockets of air, one around the back of the head and the other around the hips⁴. It doesn't provide protection to anyone falling forwards.

The airbag has been unveiled 揭幕 at the International Home Care and Rehabilitation⁵ 康复 Exhibition in Tokyo. The president of Prop⁶, the company which makes it, says it's aimed especially at old people with epilepsy 癫痫, who are very vulnerable 易受伤的 to injury.

Japan has a large elderly population with nearly 30 million people over the age of 65, so there's a huge market for products to protect and assist them.

GLOSSARY⁷ 词汇表

airbag 安全气袋

strapped 绑起来

inflate 充气

detects 查出

accelerating 加速

cushion 缓和冲击

unveiled 揭幕

Rehabilitation 康复

epilepsy 癫痫

vulnerable 易受伤的

Questions and Answers

1. Will the airbag inflate in less than a second?

Yes – it will inflate in a tenth of a second.

2. True or false: The airbag consists of two cushions which people have to carry around.

False – the airbag has two 'pockets' which fill with air and then cushion a fall.

3. Will the airbag protect people’s faces?

No – the airbag doesn't provide protection to anyone falling forwards.

4. True or false: Lots of people in Japan are willing to pay for things to help the elderly.

True – “there's a huge market for products to protect and assist” elderly people in Japan.

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

4 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

6 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

7 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。