VOA慢速英语--美国放弃脚测量的旧标准

US to Drop Old Definition of Foot Measurement

The U.S. government plans to drop a very old way of measuring a foot over large distances.

Land surveyors in the United States currently¹ have two choices for measuring the 12-inch measurement known as a foot. Some use what is known as the U.S. survey foot. Others use a more widely accepted definition of the measurement, known as the international foot.

The international foot measurements are based on the meter. The U.S. survey foot is a bit longer, about 0.01 foot per mile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric² Administration, or NOAA, reports on its website.

The difference is so small that it cannot be seen by looking at a traditional 12-inch ruler. But when measuring large distances, that small amount matters. It sometimes leads to errors and misunderstandings.

The U.S. government officially accepted the international foot as the nationwide standard in 1959. But it permitted surveyors to keep the old U.S. survey foot in a decision that was meant to be temporary.

Today, surveyors in 40 American states and territories still use the larger U.S. foot. But the government says it will officially cancel the survey foot in 2022 and replace it with the international foot.

NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced the change earlier this year.

Michael Dennis is a project manager for NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. The agency studies geodesy, a science that seeks to measure the size and shape of the earth and identify exact positions on its surface.

Dennis told The Associated Press that the two standards have caused "chaos³" for surveying and mapping operations.

He said the difference in foot measurements caused problems during planning for a high-speed rail project in California. It also created difficulties for a major bridge project linking Oregon, which uses the international foot, to Washington, which uses the U.S. one, Dennis added.

Dennis also gave an example that he heard about a state airport project. He said there were misunderstandings between the builders and planners of the project because they were in two states that used different foot standards. The problems led to building delays, extra costs and the redesign of one building to be one floor shorter, Dennis added.

"It's embarrassing that we even had this going on for 60 years," he said.

Still, Dennis admits that some surveyors might find it hard to accept the international foot after so many years. The U.S. foot "sounds very patriotic⁴, very American," Dennis said in an internet video presentation explaining the change.

However, he said he thinks it makes sense for people in the United States to be using the same measuring standard as the rest of the world.

Words in This Story

surveyor – n. someone who measures and records details about an area of land

standard – n. an idea or thing used as a measure, norm⁵ or model for comparative purposes

chaos – n. a situation in which there is no order

embarrass – v. make someone feel ashamed or shy

patriotic – adj. showing love and pride in one's country

1 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

2 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

3 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

4 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

5 norm   

n.标准，规范，平均数

参考例句：

• Of his age,the child is above the norm in arithmetic.在他那个年龄，这个孩子的算术能力是超过标准的。
• These events were aberrations from the norm.这些事件不合常规。