【英语时差8,16】船锚与弱扣环-下（在线收听）

The navy has prepared for this by building what is called a "weak link" into their anchor chains. The weak link is the last link in the chain, and while it’s strong enough to hold together in general, it’s weak enough to break if the whole weight of the anchor and chain is put on it. The weak link is there as a safety valve. Because it’s the very last link, under normal circumstances it never gets played out at all; you always want to have some chain left on the ship. But if the anchor is still zooming down full speed at the point where the entire chain runs out, the abrupt jerk will cause that link to snap. Without the safety valve of the weak link, sailors might routinely drop more than their anchors.