Lesson 29 The hovercraft气垫船

Many strange new means of transport have been developed in our century, the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft.

形容词顺序 ^{Adjective Order}

• A heavy big round new black Chinese wooden dining table. ^{一张新的很沉的黑色的中国式的圆形的大木餐桌。}
• A nice big bar of chocolate. ^{一块好吃的大巧克力。}
• A little white lamb. ^{一只白色的小羊羔。}

形容词修饰量词 ^{Adjectives Modifying Quantifiers}

• A nice cup of tea. ^{一杯好茶。}
• A beautiful stretch of field. ^{一片美丽的田野。}
• Strange new means of transport. ^{奇怪的新交通工具。}

transport ^交通工具

• Many people object to mobile phones on public transport. ^{许多人反对在公共交通工具上使用手机。}
• Food, clothing, shelter, and transport are necessities. ^{食物、衣服、住所和交通工具是必需品。}
• New transport systems revolutionized travel. ^{新的交通系统彻底改变了旅行。}

develop ^{研制、开发}

• Scientists are developing new drugs for arthritis. ^{科学家们正在研发治疗关节炎的新药。}
• Several countries have developed nuclear weapons secretly. ^{一些国家秘密研发了核武器。}
• Developed transport means include the hovercraft. ^{研发的交通工具包括气垫船。}

独立主格 ^{Independent Genitive}

• The strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft. ^{其中最奇怪的可能是气垫船。}
• The village seemed deserted, the only sign of life being a goat. ^{村庄似乎荒无人烟，唯一的生命迹象是一只山羊。}
• Many products have been developed, the most successful being the iPhone. ^{苹果公司研发了许多产品，最成功的可能是iPhone。}

In 1953, a former electronics engineer in his fifties, Christopher Cockerell, who had turned to boat-building on the Norfolk Broads, suggested an idea on which he had been working for many years to the British Government and industrial circles.

electronics ^{电子学/电子设备}

• He has a degree in electronics. ^{他拥有电子学学位。}
• Weather can interfere with a car’s electronics. ^{天气可能干扰汽车的电子设备。}
• Cockerell was a former electronics engineer. ^{科克雷尔曾是一名电子工程师。}

年龄表达 ^{Expressing Age}

• In his fifties, he turned to boat-building. ^{五十多岁时，他转行造船。}
• In her early fifties, she started a new career. ^{五十出头时，她开始了新职业。}
• In his late fifties, he retired. ^{快六十时，他退休了。}

turn to ^致力于

• Unsuccessful in mathematics, he turned to biology. ^{数学不成功，他转而研究生物学。}
• Cockerell turned to boat-building on the Norfolk Broads. ^{科克雷尔在诺福克湖区致力于造船。}
• She turned to writing after teaching. ^{教书后，她转而从事写作。}

industrial ^工业的

• He suggested the idea to industrial circles. ^{他向工业界提出了这个想法。}
• The industrial sector embraced new technologies. ^{工业部门接受了新技术。}
• Industrial progress relies on innovation. ^{工业进步依赖于创新。}

circle ^圈子、界

• He shared his idea with industrial circles. ^{他与工业界分享了他的想法。}
• She moves in artistic circles. ^{她在艺术圈中活动。}
• The proposal gained traction in scientific circles. ^{该提议在科学界获得了支持。}

It was the idea of supporting a craft on a 'pad', or cushion, of low-pressure air, ringed with a curtain of higher pressure air.

craft ^{船舶/航天器}

• We passed several other craft on the river. ^{我们在河上经过了几艘其他船只。}
• The astronauts piloted their craft to the lunar surface. ^{宇航员驾驶他们的航天器降落到月球表面。}
• The hovercraft is a unique type of craft. ^{气垫船是一种独特的船舶。}

pad ^垫子

• Press on the wound with a pad of cotton wool. ^{用一块棉花垫按住伤口。}
• The craft rides on a pad of low-pressure air. ^{船舶在低压空气垫上行驶。}
• A pad of foam cushioned the impact. ^{一块泡沫垫缓冲了冲击。}

ring ^包围

• Armed police ringed the hijacked plane. ^{武装警察包围了被劫持的飞机。}
• Her eyes were ringed with black lashes. ^{她的眼睛被黑色睫毛包围。}
• The air cushion is ringed with higher pressure air. ^{空气垫被高压空气包围。}

curtain ^帘状物

• They could see nothing through the curtain of rain. ^{他们透过雨幕什么也看不见。}
• A curtain of fog obscured the view. ^{一层雾幕遮挡了视线。}
• The craft uses a curtain of higher pressure air. ^{船舶使用高压空气幕。}

Ever since, people have had difficulty in deciding whether the craft should be ranged among ships, planes, or land vehicles -- for it is something in between a boat and an aircraft.

ever since ^从那以后

• The clock has been silent ever since it was damaged. ^{自从损坏后，这座钟一直无声。}
• He has been depressed ever since he got divorced. ^{自从离婚后，他一直很沮丧。}
• Ever since, the craft’s classification has been debated. ^{从那以后，船舶的分类一直在争论。}

have difficulty (in) doing ^{做某事很困难}

• People have difficulty in deciding the craft’s category. ^{人们难以决定船舶的类别。}
• She had a hard time writing the letter. ^{她写那封信很困难。}
• We had no difficulty finding the house. ^{我们找房子没有困难。}

range ^归类

• Should the craft be ranged among ships or planes? ^{这艘船应该归类为轮船还是飞机？}
• They ranged the species under mammals. ^{他们将该物种归类为哺乳动物。}
• Books were ranged by subject in the library. ^{书籍在图书馆按主题分类。}

in between ^{介于…之间}

• It is something in between a boat and an aircraft. ^{它是介于船和飞机之间的东西。}
• I lost my keys somewhere in between the car and the house. ^{我在车和房子之间某处丢了钥匙。}
• The town lies in between two mountains. ^{小镇位于两座山之间。}

As a shipbuilder, Cockerell was trying to find a solution to the problem of the wave resistance which wastes a good deal of a surface ship's power and limits its speed.

solution to ^{…的解决方案}

• Cockerell sought a solution to wave resistance. ^{科克雷尔寻找波浪阻力的解决方案。}
• They found a solution to the pollution problem. ^{他们找到了污染问题的解决方案。}
• A solution to traffic congestion is needed. ^{需要一个解决交通拥堵的方案。}

His answer was to lift the vessel out of the water by making it ride on a cushion of air, no more than one or two feet thick.

no more than ^仅仅

• A cushion of air, no more than one or two feet thick. ^{仅一两英尺厚的空气垫。}
• No more than 20 people were present. ^{只有20人出席。}
• We stood no more than 10 meters from the crime scene. ^{我们站在离犯罪现场仅10米的地方。}

This is done by a great number of ring-shaped air jets on the bottom of the craft.

shaped ^形状的

• Ring-shaped air jets power the craft. ^{环形空气喷嘴为船舶提供动力。}
• Oddly shaped forms hung from the ceiling. ^{奇形怪状的物体悬挂在天花板上。}
• She has a perfectly shaped figure. ^{她拥有完美的身形。}

jet ^{喷射/喷嘴}

• Ring-shaped air jets are on the craft’s bottom. ^{环形空气喷嘴在船舶底部。}
• She cleaned the gas jets on the cooker. ^{她清洁了炉子上的燃气喷嘴。}
• Water jets refreshed her in the shower. ^{水流喷射让她在淋浴时感到清爽。}

It 'flies', therefore, but it cannot fly higher -- its action depends on the surface, water or ground, over which it rides.

depend on ^依赖

• Its action depends on the surface it rides over. ^{它的运行依赖于其行驶的表面。}
• Success depends on careful planning. ^{成功依赖于谨慎的计划。}
• The outcome depends on their cooperation. ^{结果取决于他们的合作。}

The first tests on the Solent in 1959 caused a sensation.

Solent ^{苏伦特海峡}

• The Solent is a narrow channel between the Isle of Wight and mainland England. ^{苏伦特海峡是怀特岛与英格兰大陆之间的狭窄通道。}
• Hovercraft tests in the Solent in 1959 were groundbreaking. ^{1959年在苏伦特海峡的气垫船测试具有开创性。}
• The Solent provides access to Southampton’s port. ^{苏伦特海峡为南安普敦港口提供通道。}

The hovercraft travelled first over the water, then mounted the beach, climbed up the dunes, and sat down on a road.

mount ^{登上/固定/增加/骑上}

• The hovercraft mounted the beach effortlessly. ^{气垫船轻松登上沙滩。}
• He mounted the platform to address the crowd. ^{他登上平台向人群讲话。}
• The ship mounted sixty-four bronze cannons. ^{这艘船装载了六十四门青铜大炮。}
• The death toll continues to mount. ^{死亡人数持续增加。}
• He mounted his horse and rode away. ^{他骑上马飞驰而去。}

Later it crossed the Channel, riding smoothly over the waves, which presented no problem.

present a problem ^构成问题

• The waves presented no problem for the hovercraft. ^{波浪对气垫船没有构成问题。}
• Racial tensions pose a problem for the police. ^{种族紧张关系为警方构成问题。}
• Inflation presents a serious problem for the government. ^{通货膨胀为政府带来严重问题。}

Since that time, various types of hovercraft have appeared and taken up regular service.

take up ^开始从事

• She has taken up a job as a teacher. ^{她开始从事教师工作。}
• Various hovercraft have taken up regular service. ^{多种气垫船已开始定期服务。}
• He took up painting after retirement. ^{他退休后开始从事绘画。}

service ^{使用/服务}

• These trains have been in service for many years. ^{这些火车已经使用多年。}
• The escalator is still out of service. ^{电梯仍在停用状态。}
• Hovercraft have taken up regular service in various regions. ^{气垫船已在多个地区开始定期服务。}

The hovercraft is particularly useful in large areas with poor communications such as Africa or Australia; it can become a 'flying fruit-bowl', carrying bananas from the plantations to the ports; giant hovercraft liners could span the Atlantic; and the railway of the future may well be the 'hovertrain', riding on its air cushion over a single rail, which it never touches, at speeds, up to 300 m. p. h. -- the possibilities appear unlimited.

communications ^交通

• Paris has good communications with many European cities. ^{巴黎与许多欧洲城市有良好的交通联系。}
• Hovercraft are useful in areas with poor communications. ^{气垫船在交通不便的地区特别有用。}
• Excellent road communications boost the city’s economy. ^{出色的公路交通促进了城市经济。}

fruit bowl ^果盘

• It can become a flying fruit-bowl, carrying bananas. ^{它可以成为“飞行果盘”，运送香蕉。}
• The fruit bowl on the table was filled with tropical fruits. ^{桌上装满热带水果的果盘。}
• Hovercraft act as a fruit bowl for plantation goods. ^{气垫船充当种植园货物的“果盘”。}

liner ^客轮

• Giant hovercraft liners could span the Atlantic. ^{巨型气垫船客轮可以跨越大西洋。}
• The sinking of the great liner was a tragedy. ^{那艘伟大客轮的沉没是一场悲剧。}
• Liners revolutionized transatlantic travel. ^{客轮彻底改变了跨大西洋旅行。}

span ^跨越

• Hovercraft liners could span the Atlantic. ^{气垫船客轮可以跨越大西洋。}
• A series of bridges span the river. ^{一系列桥梁跨越这条河。}
• Her career spanned several decades. ^{她的事业跨越了数十年。}

may well ^很可能

• The railway of the future may well be the hovertrain. ^{未来的铁路很可能是气垫火车。}
• She might well complain about her neighbors’ actions. ^{她很可能会抱怨邻居的行为。}
• His hobby could well make him an expert. ^{他的爱好很可能会让他成为专家。}

possibilities ^潜力

• The possibilities appear unlimited for hovercraft. ^{气垫船的潜力似乎是无限的。}
• He saw the possibilities of the plan early on. ^{他很早就看到了这个计划的潜力。}
• The old house has great possibilities for renovation. ^{这座老房子有很大的翻新潜力。}

unlimited ^无限的

• The possibilities appear unlimited. ^{潜力似乎是无限的。}
• Demand for healthcare is virtually unlimited. ^{对医疗的需求几乎是无限的。}
• New technology opens up unlimited opportunities. ^{新技术开启了无限的机会。}