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SSS 2008-05-14

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（单词翻译）

This is Scientific American's 60 Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin, this'll just take a minute.

With gas prices at an all-time high, and expected to climb higher, seems people are keenly aware of what it costs to drive from here to there. But a study from MIT suggests there’s something many of us are missing. The tolls2. Ok, we’re not actually missing the tolls. We’re paying them. But many of us now pay them electronically. As a result, we no longer know exactly how much we’re shelling out. In 2003, economist3 Amy Finkelstein spent 18 months commuting4 from Boston to New York to rendezvous5 with her economist fiancé. The two enjoyed sharing data about mileage6 and gas and travel time, but at some point realized they both simply cruised through the toll1 booths and didn’t have a clue about the charges. Seems like an innocent oversight7. But Finkelstein has found that that ignorance carries a price: on roads that use the EZ Pass system, the cost of tolls has crept up more than it has on roads that still make you dig for your dimes8. In fact, electronic tolls end up costing 20 to 40 percent more than manual tolls within 10 years of being installed. Probably because politicians think you won’t notice. Just something to ponder next time you thumb your nose at the drivers who are waiting to hand over their cash.

Thanks for the minute, for Scientific American's 60 Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.


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1 toll LJpzo     
n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)
参考例句：
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
2 tolls 688e46effdf049725c7b7ccff16b14f3     
（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏
参考例句：
  • A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
  • The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。
3 economist AuhzVs     
n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人
参考例句：
  • He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
  • He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。
4 commuting d2c3874ec246fb1858841223ffe4992e     
交换（的）
参考例句：
  • I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
  • Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。
5 rendezvous XBfzj     
n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇
参考例句：
  • She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。
  • I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。
6 mileage doOzUs     
n.里程，英里数；好处，利润
参考例句：
  • He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
  • What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？
7 oversight WvgyJ     
n.勘漏，失察，疏忽
参考例句：
  • I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
  • Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。
8 dimes 37551f2af09566bec564431ef9bd3d6d     
n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年，铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句

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