时差N小时 自我复原的混凝土

Have you ever been driving down a pothole¹ filled street, thinking, "I wish the city, someone, anyone would fix the roads!" Soon, roads and streets may be able to fix themselves.

你曾经开车走过满是坑洼是街道，并想着“我希望这个城市的有些人会修理这条路！”也许很快，路和街道就能自行进行修理了。

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a type of concrete that heals itself when it cracks. Regular concrete is like ceramic² when it breaks. It really breaks, opening a wide chasm³ that requires serious mending.

如今，密歇根大学的研究人员研发出了一种破裂后可以自行修复的混凝土。普通的混凝土被打碎时就像陶瓷一样。破裂严重时会撕开一个大口，需要认真修补。

Self healing concrete behaves more like metal.It bends without breaking thanks to special fibers⁴ holding it together. Bending or stressing the new concrete creates hairline fractures instead of gaping⁵ holes. All it takes to mend the tiny fissures⁶ is exposure to water and carbon dioxide. Chemicals in the concrete mix with water and carbon dioxide to form a healing scar.

自我治愈的混凝土表现得更像金属。因为有一种特殊的纤维支撑所以将这种混凝土弯曲之后仍然不会破裂。弯曲或者挤压这种新型的混凝土会产生发丝那么细的裂缝而不是漏洞。要修复细小的裂纹只需让其接触到水和二氧化碳。然后混凝土结合水和二氧化碳就会发生化学反应，填充裂痕。

In the lab, the concrete was able to heal itself back to nearly full strength after a slab⁷ was stretched to three times its normal size. Self healing concrete could help cut costs for rebuilding not only new roads but also bridges and other structures that use the material.

在实验中，混凝土板被拉伸至原尺寸的三倍时，混凝土就能够完全恢复。自愈混凝土能够帮助消减重建的成本，不论是新修的道路还是桥梁以及其它使用混凝土的结构。

You won't find self healing concrete on roads just yet. The researchers are working on bringing it to market in the next few years. And when it's ready for widespread use, self healing concrete could make potholes⁸ a thing of the past.

不过，你还不能在街上找到自愈混凝土。接下来几年，研究人员将致力于将这种混凝土推向市场。一旦被广泛应用，自愈混凝土会让凹坑变成历史。

1 pothole   

n.坑，穴

参考例句：

• As the car sped over a pothole she lurched forward.车子飞驶过一个坑洼时，她身子猛地向前一倾。
• The young teacher knows every pothole in the 10-minute ride to school.这位年轻的老师熟悉这条往学校的10分钟路上的每一个坑洞。

2 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。

3 chasm   

n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突

参考例句：

• There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。
• A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。

4 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

5 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

7 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

8 potholes   

n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Potholes are also home to tiny desert animals. 洞穴也是弱小动物的家。 来自互联网
• If you're going to enjoy the good times, you've certainly got to deal with some potholes. 如果要享受甜美的胜利果实，当然要应付这些战绩不佳的指责压力。 来自互联网