英语听力—环球英语 1372 The East-West Position Clock

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Mike Procter.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The year was 1707. The English ships were in heavy seas. The weather was bad, and they were lost. The chief of the ships was Admiral Shovell. His officers made an estimate² of the ships’ position. But they were wrong. Suddenly, someone shouted ‘Land!’ This call filled the sailors with fear. There should be no land here. They were in the wrong place. Four of the ships crashed into the land. Over 1,600 men died that night. Only 26 survived. It was one of the worst British sea accidents in history. Today’s Spotlight is on one unexpected³ result of this accident.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　At the time of the accident, England depended on the shipping⁴ industry. Ships brought the people of England sugar, spices⁵, and tea. The people who sailed the ships needed good maps.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But they also needed something more. They needed to avoid accidents like the loss⁶ of Admiral Shovell’s ships. To do this they needed to know exactly where they were. If you look at almost any map, it is divided into small squares by lines. The lines that go from east to west are the latitude⁷ lines. And the lines that go from north to south are the longitude⁸ lines. Sailors could estimate their north-south position, or latitude, easily. They could measure it from the sun and the stars. But they could not measure their east-west position, or longitude, by that method. They needed a good way to measure the ship’s ‘longitude’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　King Charles the Second of England knew how important it was to solve this problem. If the problem was not solved, more ships could be lost. In 1675, King Charles ordered the building of the Royal Observatory⁹. The Observatory was a place where people could study the stars. They could work on the problem of establishing longitude at sea. The King created the Observatory in Greenwich. The first chief of the Observatory was John Flamsteed. Flamsteed worked hard, but he could not solve the longitude problem. And after the loss of Admiral Shovell’s ships, there was even more pressure to find a solution. So in 1714 the British Government offered a prize of GBP 20,000. The prize would go to the first person who could find a method of measuring longitude at sea. Some people thought that this would never be possible.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Our story moves on, to one man - John Harrison. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1693. He was 21 years old when the government offered the prize. Like his father, he was a carpenter¹⁰. He made things with wood. He did not have much education. But John was very good at making clocks. At that time, all clocks were made from wood. But John made many improvements¹¹ to the clock design. His clocks did not break, like other clocks. And his clocks were very accurate¹². Each month they lost or gained no more than one second. They were more accurate than many of the best clocks in London. Three of these clocks still exist. And they are still very accurate!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Harrison wanted to win the longitude prize of GBP 20,000.There was one simple way to estimate longitude. There are 24 longitude lines. At each line, the time changes by one hour. The simple solution was time! Sailors needed to know the exact time in two places. First, they needed to know the time in their own location¹³. Sailors could use the position of the sun and the stars to tell the time where they were. But the sailors also needed to know the time at the place where the ship had started its voyage¹⁴. The difference between the two would tell them their distance from that location. If they knew that, they could work out their east-west position on the earth’s surface.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The problem was that clocks at that time were not very accurate. They became less accurate when the air temperature changed. Movement could also affect a clock’s accuracy¹⁵. So could water. All of these caused problems for clocks on ships! But Harrison knew that he could make a clock that would keep time during a sea voyage. Such a clock is called a chronometer¹⁶.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　It took Harrison five years to make his first chronometer. It performed well, but he continued to make changes to improve his designs. Some of these developments are still used in clocks and machines today.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Harrison’s fourth chronometer was very different from the other three. It was much smaller. It looked like a large watch. Harrison’s son William took the new improved chronometer with him on two trips to the West Indies. On both of these long sea trips the watch kept time very well - well enough for Harrison to win the prize.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, a group of experts would decide who should get the prize. The group was called the Board of Longitude. And the Board was not satisfied¹⁷ with Harrison’s clocks. Harrison was a carpenter. He had no education. The group wanted to make sure that Harrison had really made the watch. And they wanted to test it more, to make sure that it really worked. They asked Harrison to tell them how he had made it. At first Harrison was not willing¹⁸ to give away his secret. But in 1765, six experts visited Harrison and examined the watch. The Board gave Harrison only half of the prize money.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Harrison was now almost 80 years old. The Board still refused to pay him the rest of the prize money. So Harrison decided¹⁹ to appeal to the King, George III. The King tested the watch himself. He found it to be very good. The King soon agreed that John and William Harrison had been unfairly treated. But the Board of Longitude still refused to pay the money.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So in April 1773, John and William Harrison appealed to the British government. And the appeal was successful. John Harrison received almost all of his money. But it was the government, not the Board, who gave it to him. John Harrison died on the 23rd of March 1776. He had solved the longitude problem, for ships to find their east-west position. And he was finally recognized for his work.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writers of today’s programme were Shelagh Godwin and Mike Procter. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United²⁰ States and the United Kingdom. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .programme is called ‘The East-West Position Clock.’

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

3 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 spices   

n.香料( spice的名词复数 )；调味品；趣味；情趣

参考例句：

• common spices such as ginger and cinnamon 姜和肉桂等常见香料
• They carried on trade in tea and spices with the orient. 他们同东方国家做茶叶和香料的生意。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 loss   

n.损失，遗失，失败，输，浪费，错过，[军]伤亡，降低

参考例句：

• His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
• Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损，工厂关闭了。

7 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

8 longitude   

n.经线，经度

参考例句：

• The city is at longitude 21°east.这个城市位于东经21度。
• He noted the latitude and longitude,then made a mark on the admiralty chart.他记下纬度和经度，然后在航海图上做了个标记。

9 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

10 carpenter   

n.木工，木匠

参考例句：

• I have a complete set of carpenter's tools.我有全套的木工工具。
• He worked in a carpenter's shop.他在一家木工厂工作。

11 improvements   

增加或修改( improvement的名词复数 )； 改进； 改善； 改良

参考例句：

• improvements in efficiency at the factory 工厂效率的提高
• They've spent a lot of money on home improvements. 他们花了很多钱装修家居。

12 accurate   

adj.正确无误的；准确的，精确的

参考例句：

• He has made an accurate measurement of my garden.他准确地丈量了我的花园。
• He is always accurate in what he says and does.他说的和做的总是正确无误。

13 location   

n.地点，位置，定位

参考例句：

• It is a suitable location for a new school.那是建一所新学校的合适地点。
• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。

14 voyage   

n.航行，航海，航程，旅行，航空；vi./vt.航海，航行；渡过，飞过

参考例句：

• Life is compared to a voyage.人生好比航海。
• The December weather favoured our voyage.12月的天气使我们的航行顺利。

15 accuracy   

n.准确(性)；精确(性)

参考例句：

• There is need to check the accuracy of these figures.有必要核对一下这些数字的精确性。
• I doubt the accuracy of your statement.我怀疑你的话的正确性。

16 chronometer   

n.精密的计时器

参考例句：

• Murchison followed with his eye the hand of his chronometer.莫奇生的眼睛追随着他的时计的秒针。
• My watch is more expensive because it's a chronometer.我的手表是精密型的，所以要比你的贵。

17 satisfied   

adj.满意的，满足的；清偿过的；确信的，毫无疑问的v.使满意( satisfy的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• She's never satisfied with what she's got. 她对自己的所得从不感到满足。
• He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 他脸上挂着得意扬扬的笑容。

18 willing   

adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的

参考例句：

• We never lack food and clothing if we're willing to work.如果我们愿意工作,就不会缺吃少穿。
• He's quite willing to pay the price I ask.他很愿意照我的要价付钱。

19 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

20 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。