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Fun Facts-4 活用知识搜查线-4

课文朗读

课文讲解

Q: Cars come in many different colors, but tires are always black. Why don’t tires come in different colors? 汽车有多种颜色，但轮胎总是一成不变的黑。为什么轮胎没有不同的颜色呢？

(A) Other tire colors show dirt more easily. 其他颜色的轮胎更容易显得脏

(B) Black tires last longer than other colors. 黑色的轮胎比其他颜色的轮胎能使用更久

(C) Rubber only comes in one color. 橡胶只有单一颜色

A: If you said B, you’re likely never nervous when the rubber meets the road. Back in the day, all tires were white. A tire manufacturer, looking to create a distinct color for his company’s tires, approached the Peekskill Chemical Company in New York. The Peekskill chemists succeeded in creating a darker tire by adding carbon black as an ingredient to the rubber mixture. More importantly, they discovered that not only did the tire change color, it also became more durable. To their amazement, black tires lasted five times longer than white ones!

如果你选择B，你应该从未在需要见真章的时刻感到紧张。从前，所有的轮胎都是白色的。一位希望为公司轮胎创造出与众不同的颜色的轮胎制造商去接洽纽约的皮克斯基化学公司，此公司的化学家以炭黑做为原料加入橡胶合成物而成功制造出颜色较深的轮胎。更重要地，他们发现不仅轮胎的颜色改变，甚至变得更持久耐用。令他们感到惊讶的是，黑色轮胎可使用的时间是白色轮胎的五倍之多。

Q: When you take pills, you may notice that they tend to be different colors and shapes. Why? 当你吃药时，你会发现不同的药丸有不同的形状和颜色。这是为什么呢？

(A) Small differences make it easier to tell them apart.  微小的差异较容易使人分辨

(B) A pill’s shape indicates its dosage strength. 药丸的形状指出药的剂量强度

(C) It’s just a random creation of medicine machines. 只是制药机器随机的制造

A: You’re wise if you picked answer A. Medication is a billion dollar business and thousands of pills exist within the industry. In order to make sure people know which pill they’re taking, drug companies pick shape and color combinations which are not available on the market yet. Additionally, pills usually come in warm colors because this makes patients more willing to take them. That is why you seldom see black or gray pills.

如果你选择A，你非常明智。制药是一个价值数十亿的产业，而且在产业中有成千上万的药丸。为了确保民众知道他们服用的是什么药，制药公司挑选尚未在市场上贩卖的不同形状及颜色组合。此外，药丸通常以暖色系为主，这样能让病人更愿意服药。这就是为什么你较少见到黑色或灰色药丸的原因。

单词发音

Vocabulary

manufacturer [͵mænjəˋfæktʃərɚ] n. 制造公司

manufacture v. 制造

The computer manufacturer will display its products at the technology show.

approach [əˋprotʃ] v. 接洽

Little Jimmy approached the teacher quietly and asked to use the bathroom.

ingredient [ɪnˋgridɪənt] n. 原料﹐材料

Lisa likes to read the ingredients of every package of food she buys.

combination [͵kɑmbəˋneʃən] n. 组合

combine v. 结合

This restaurant makes a combination of eastern and western styles of food.

additionally [əˋdɪʃən!ɪ] adv. 此外

additional adj. 附加; 额外的

We need 25 hamburgers and, additionally, 15 cheeseburgers for the whole class.

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when the rubber meets the road  见真章; 决定成败的关键时刻

carbon black 炭黑

amazement [əˋmezmənt] n. 惊奇，诧异

dosage [ˋdosɪdʒ] n.（药的）剂量

medication [͵mɛdɪˋkeʃən] n. 药物

课文朗读

课文讲解

Q: You may have noticed that the pattern of the ace of spades is larger than other aces’. Why? 你可能已发现黑桃A的图案比其他花色的A来的大。为什么？

(A) It’s the most powerful card in a standard deck of playing cards. 黑桃A是一副标准扑克牌中最大的牌

(B) It’s to stop cheaters from hiding the ace in their shirt pockets. 这是为了防止老千偷藏纸牌A在他们的衣服口袋中

(C) It stems from an old 17^th century English tax law. 这源于一个17世纪英国的古老税法

A: You must have an ace up your sleeve if you chose C. A long time ago, many things were taxed and playing cards were no different. Queen Anne of England required a tax stamp for cards to be legally sold. The ace of spades (or spadille) was chosen as the card to mark. The stamps were large, legible, and carried the name of the card manufacturer to prove the tax had been paid. Today, instead of a tax stamp, spadilles proudly display card companies’ trademarks.

如果你选是C，你一定藏有致胜王牌。很久以前，许多东西会被课税，扑克牌也不例外。英格兰的安妮皇后要求纸牌上须有税花图章才能合法贩卖。黑桃A被选作标记的那张牌。这个图章大且清楚易认。并且带有纸牌制造商的名字用以证明已经课税。现今取代课税章的是，黑桃图案骄傲地显示纸牌公司的注册商标。

Q: Many kinds of fish are used to make sashimi, but you’ll never see raw eel as a menu option. Why? 许多种类的鱼都被拿来用做生鱼片，但你却从未见到生鳗鱼作为菜单上的选择。为什么？

(A) Eel is required by law to be served grilled. 法律上规定鳗鱼被烤过后才能供餐

(B) Uncooked eel blood is harmful to humans. 未煮过的鳗鱼血对人体有害

(C) Cooked eel is less expensive than raw eel. 煮过的鳗鱼较生鳗鱼来的便宜

A: You may have avoided certain illness by guessing B. Eel blood is toxic to humans. Actually, this particular fish is so troublesome to prepare that a professional eel chef is required to serve it. Eel must by grilled or boiled properly to make it safe for human consumption. Poorly prepared eel will have an awful taste and be tough to chew.

如果你猜B，你可以避免得到某些疾病。鳗鱼血对于人体是有毒的。事实上，这种特殊的鱼类的处理非常棘手，因此需要专业厨师来服务供应。鳗鱼必须要经过适当的烘烤或者是蒸煮过后才能确保人类食用的安全。拙劣的前置作业会让鳗鱼有糟糕的味道，也会让鱼肉嚼起来太硬。

－by Kristopher Snyder

单词发音

Vocabulary

stem [stɛm] v. 起源于，由……而造成[（+from）]

(stem-stemmed-stemmed)

The flooding stemmed from several days of heavy rain.

legally [ˋlig!ɪ] adv. 合法地

legal adj. 合法的

Blind people may legally take guide dogs onto buses and trains.

trademark [ˋtred͵mɑrk] n. 商标

trade n. 贸易

The company stamps its trademark on all of the items it makes.

toxic [ˋtɑksɪk] adj. 有毒的

The chemical factory makes the rivers around toxic.

troublesome [ˋtrʌb!səm] adj. 麻烦的，棘手的

trouble n. 麻烦

Climbing the mountain became troublesome when the snow started to fall.

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have an ace up one's sleeve 暗中保留的王牌; 锦囊妙计

spadille [spə'dil] n. (扑克牌)黑桃;最大王牌

legible [ˋlɛdʒəb!] adj.（字迹等）清楚的，易读的

option [ˋɑpʃən] n. 选择；选项

grilled [grɪld] adj. 烧烤的

consumption [kənˋsʌmpʃən] n. 食用