But instruments far more delicate than that were needed if any really serious advance was to be made.

serious ^{adj. [only before noun] infml. used to emphasize that you are talking about a large amount of something 大量的；重大的；非常多的}

• The President was in serious trouble. ^大麻烦
• It's time you made some serious money. ^赚大钱

be to do § ^{(fml.) 1、打算，想要}

• I’m to see her tomorrow.
• The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $100,000 home.

be to do ^{(fml.) 2、命令}

• You’re to be back by 10 o’clock. No one is to leave the building.
• You are to wait here in this room until I return.

be to do ^{(fml.)3、能够}

• How am I to pay such a debt?
• We Chinese people are not to be bullied.
• The contemporary phenomenon of car worship is to be explained not least by the sense of independence and freedom that ownership entails.

be to do ^{(fml.)4、应该}

• Such men are to be pitied rather than despised.
• As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. — Francis Bacon

The ideal to be aimed at was to devise an instrument that could record with a pen on paper, the movements of the ground or of the table as the quake passed by.

be aimed at … ^{1. 目的是…}

• an energy program aimed at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels
• The regulations are aimed at the prevention of accidents at work.
• In education, the ideal to be aimed at is fostering critical thinking, not just memorization.^{在教育中，要达到的理想目标是培养批判性思维，而不仅仅是记忆。}

be aimed at … ^{2. 针对…}

• The criticism was not aimed at you.
• The book is aimed at people with no specialized knowledge.

quake ^{n. (infml.) earthquake 地震（通俗说法）}

• The epicentre of the quake was near the town of Potenza. ^{地震震中在波坦察城附近。}
• They recommended that the viaduct be replaced rather than quake-proofed. ^{他们建议更换这座高架桥，而不要对其做抗震处理。}
• The quake was the biggest in 140 years. ^{这是140年来最大的一场地震。}
• I've never felt a quake that strong, you know. ^{你知道，我从来没有遇到过如此强的地震。}

While I write my pen moves, but the paper keeps still.

With practice, no doubt, I could in time learn to write by holding the pen still while the paper moved.

no doubt ^{1. used for emphasizing that sth. seems certain or very likely 无疑，毫无疑问}

• No doubt she'll tell me everything when she's ready.
• No doubt I had blundered again. ^{不用说我又犯了个蠢错。}
• There is no doubt about her suitability for the job. ^{毫无疑问，她适合做这个工作。}

no doubt ^{2. used for showing that you accept sth. is probably true, but this does not change your opinion 的确，诚然}

• No doubt she's very nice, but I just don't like her.
• No doubt many will regard these as harsh words, but regrettably they are true.
• No doubt the plan has some merits, but the cost is simply too high. ^{的确，这个计划有一些优点，但成本实在太高了。}

 in time ^{1. before the time by which it is necessary for sth. to be done 及时}

• The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her.
• It threatened to surround him completely, but Tazieff managed to escape just in time.
• I arrived just in time for my flight to Hawaii. ^{我正好及时赶上飞往夏威夷的航班。}

in time ^{2. after a certain period of time, and esp. after a gradual process of change or development 逐渐地，慢慢地}

• In time, all Sam’s money was paid back in this way.
• In time, it became an accepted fact that the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
• I'm sure you'll grow to like her in time. ^{我肯定你慢慢就会喜欢她了。}
• If you remain patient, you will see results in time.^{如果你保持耐心，最终你会看到结果。}

That sounds a silly suggestion, but that was precisely the idea adopted in some of the early instruments (seismometers) for recording earthquake waves.

adopt ^{v. take over and have or use sth. as one’s own 采纳，采取，采用}

• The system has worked so well, that it has been adopted in other countries like Denmark, Norway, Finland, and New Zealand.
• For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice, adopted by some banks, of printing the customer's name on his cheques.
• The final design was precisely the idea adopted from the initial sketch.^{最终的设计恰恰是被采纳的来自最初草图的想法。}

But when table, penholder and paper are all moving, how is it possible to write legibly?

 penholder ^{n. a holder or handle for a pen point 笔杆}

• A tapered point of a pen, designed to be inserted into a penholder or fountain pen. ^{如果您在笔杆上插上金尖就成了金笔了。}
• Analyzed the structure characteristics of the tip and penholder and molding technology, introduced the injection mold structure characteristics. ^{分析了笔尖和笔杆的结构特点与成型工艺，介绍了该类零件的注射模结构特点。}

legible ^{adj. (of print or handwriting) clear enough to be read easily（印刷或字迹）清楚的，易读的}

• The inscription was still legible.
• Ability to provide legible communication. ^{能够提供清晰的交流。}

legibly ^{adv.清楚地}

• Please write more legibly.
• The doctor's prescription was difficult to read, but the nurse managed to write it legibly for the pharmacist.^{医生的处方难以辨认，但护士设法为药剂师清晰地书写了出来。}

illegible ^{adj. difficult or impossible to read; not legible 字迹模糊难以辨认的}

• His handwriting is illegible. ⇒ He has a doctor’s handwriting.
• His handwriting is neat.  ⇒ He has a teacher’s handwriting.

The key to a solution of that problem lay in an everyday observation.

the key to...  ^...的关键

• Such extreme cases must probably be taken with a grain of salt, but they do underline the general principle that the relationship between elephant and mahout is the key to successful training.
• Understanding the user experience is the key to a solution of that problem.^{理解用户体验是解决那个问题的关键。}

lie in … ^{在于…;位于…之中}

• The reason lies in its gravity.
• The breakthrough in the experiment lay in an unexpected observation made by a junior assistant.^{实验的突破在于一位初级助理做出的一个意想不到的观察。}
• The strength of the team lies in its ability to collaborate under pressure. ^{这支团队的力量在于其在压力下协作的能力。}

Why does a person standing in a bus or train tend to fall when a sudden start is made?

tend to ^{倾向于...；往往...}

• Morals tend to be deeply ingrained. ^{道德观念往往是根深蒂固的。}
• Young trees tend to fall in strong winds if their roots are not deep enough.^{如果根不够深，幼树在强风中倾向于跌倒。}
• The drugs tend to cause drowsiness. ^{这些药常常使人昏昏欲睡。}

It is because his feet move on , but his head stays still.

move on ^{向前移动;继续}

• Can we move on to the next item on the agenda? ^{我们可以接着讨论下一项议程吗？}
• Let's move on to the prickly subject of taxation reform. ^{咱们继续讨论下一项税制改革这个棘手的问题吧。}
• Go, if you must move on alone. ^{去吧，如果你必须独自上路。}

A simple experiment will help us a little further.

a little further ^更进一步

• Collecting more data will help us a little further in confirming the hypothesis.^{收集更多数据将帮助我们在确认假设方面更进一步。}
• As he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. ^{当他把车再往前挪一点时，绳子断了。}
• They carry it a little further than that. ^{他们比普通人看的更远一些。}
• Let me explain this a little further. ^{让我更进一步来解释一下这个问题。}

Tie a heavy weight at the end of a long piece of string.

string ^{n. [U & C] a strong thread made of several threads twisted together, used for tying or fastening things 线绳}

• I need a piece of string to tie this package. ^不可数
• The piece segues into his solo with the strings. ^可数
• He wrapped the package in brown paper and tied it with string. ^{他用棕色包装纸把包裹包好，又用细绳捆上。}

With the hand held high in the air, hold the string so that the weight nearly touches the ground.

hold ^{v. to put a part of your body into a particular position 举起(独立主格里的hold)}

• She was holding her hand to her heart.

high ^{(物理意义的“高”)} / highly ^{抽象的高（高度）}

• He climbed high up the mountain.
• It is highly confidential.
• The birds were flying high in the sky. ^{(物理位置)} 
• He is a highly respected educator in his field. ^{(抽象程度：高度地)}