【英语时差8,16】海浪的声音（上）

We’ve discussed before how waves on the ocean have the ability to reinforce¹ other waves. First the wind starts blowing, producing small waves. Some of these small waves combine with other small waves to form a single, larger wave. This is how you get a choppy sea. But anyone who loves the beach can tell you about the distinctive² sound of the ocean hitting the sand: Woooosh. That woosh is telling us something: it’s telling us that long waves are the ones hitting the beach, not small and choppy ones! How is it telling us that? There’s an interesting culling³ process that takes place out in the ocean where waves are being formed. Small waves combine together to form larger waves, but depending on how long the waves are, there’s also the possibility of forming a whitecap.

1 reinforce   

vt.增强，加强，增援

参考例句：

• Your positive response will reinforce her actions.你积极的回应会使她的行为更加坚定。
• We should reinforce the river embankment before the wet season.雨季前夕，我们要加固河坝。

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分