【英语时差8,16】地球腰间赘肉横生！-下

 The earth bulges² around its equator by about twenty-seven extra miles, which is a three-tenths percent difference from its diameter measured pole-to-pole. The biggest planets in our solar system have even more dramatic love handles. Jupiter’s equator is seven percent larger and Saturn³’s is eleven percent. How Does This Happen? Think of the merry-go-round you find at playgrounds. The faster the dish spins, the harder it is for the kids on the outside to hold on. Kids in the middle have no trouble, because they are just turning around in one spot. Kids on the rim⁴ feel themselves flung outward. Same with a planet. As it rotates, the poles are just turning in a circle. But the equatorial areas are being flung away. Over time an equatorial bulge¹ develops. In some cases, such as Jupiter and Saturn, the bulge is so big it’s visible to the naked telescope. How embarrassing.

1 bulge   

n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀

参考例句：

• The apple made a bulge in his pocket.苹果把他口袋塞得鼓了起来。
• What's that awkward bulge in your pocket?你口袋里那块鼓鼓囊囊的东西是什么？

2 bulges   

膨胀( bulge的名词复数 )； 鼓起； （身体的）肥胖部位； 暂时的激增

参考例句：

• His pocket bulges with apples. 他的衣袋装着苹果鼓了起来。
• He bulges out of his black T-shirt. 他的肚子在黑色T恤衫下鼓鼓地挺着。

3 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

4 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。