在线英语听力室

万物简史 第215期:把铅撵出去(4)

时间:2017-02-27 08:42:27

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

   Buoyed1 by the success of leaded gasoline, Midgley now turned to another technological2 problem of the age. Refrigerators in the 1920s were often appallingly3 risky4 because they used dangerous gases that sometimes leaked. One leak from a refrigerator at a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929 killed more than a hundred people. Midgley set out to create a gas that was stable, nonflammable, noncorrosive, and safe to breathe. With an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny, he invented chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs.

  加铅汽油获得成功,米奇利深受鼓舞,现在又把注意力转向那个时代的另一个技术问题。20世纪20年代,冰箱使用有毒而危险的气体,时常泄漏,风险很大。1929年,俄亥俄州克利夫兰有家医院发生冰箱泄漏事故,造成100多人死亡。米奇利着手发明一种很稳定、不易燃、不腐蚀、吸入很安全的气体。凭着办事几乎从不后悔的本能,他发明了含氯氟烃。
  Seldom has an industrial product been more swiftly or unfortunately embraced. CFCs went into production in the early 1930s and found a thousand applications in everything from car air conditioners to deodorant5 sprays before it was noticed, half a century later, that they were devouring6 the ozone7 in the stratosphere. As you will be aware, this was not a good thing.
  很少有哪个工业产品如此快速而又不幸地被大家接受。20世纪30年代初,含氯氟烃投入生产,结果派上了一千种用场,从汽车空调器到除臭喷雾剂什么都离不开它。半个世纪以后人们才发现,这玩意儿正吞噬着平流层里的臭氧。你将会明白,这不是一件好事情。
  Ozone is a form of oxygen in which each molecule8 bears three atoms of oxygen instead of two. It is a bit of a chemical oddity in that at ground level it is a pollutant9, while way up in the stratosphere it is beneficial, since it soaks up dangerous ultraviolet radiation. Beneficial ozone is not terribly abundant, however. If it were distributed evenly throughout the stratosphere, it would form a layer just one eighth of an inch or so thick. That is why it is so easily disturbed, and why such disturbances10 don't take long to become critical.
  臭氧是氧的一种形式,每个分子含有三个而不是通常的两个原子。它的化学特性有点儿古怪:它在地面上是一种有害物质,在高高的平流层却是一种有益物质,因为它吸收危险的紫外辐射。然而,有益的臭氧的量并不很大。即使均匀地分布在平流层里,它也只能形成大约两毫米厚的一层。这就是它很容易受扰动的原因。

分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 buoyed 7da50152a46b3edf3164b6a7f21be885     
v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 );支持;为…设浮标;振奋…的精神
参考例句:
  • Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success. 在昨天胜利的鼓舞下,该队有信心再次获胜。
  • His encouragement buoyed her up during that difficult period. 他的鼓励使她在那段困难时期恢复了乐观的情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 technological gqiwY     
adj.技术的;工艺的
参考例句:
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
3 appallingly 395bb74ca9eccab2fb2599b65702b445     
毛骨悚然地
参考例句:
  • His tradecraft was appallingly reckless. 他的经营轻率得令人吃惊。
  • Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. 南非还有一项糟糕的统计,表明它还有着令人毛骨悚然的高谋杀率。
4 risky IXVxe     
adj.有风险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
  • He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
5 deodorant p9Hy9     
adj.除臭的;n.除臭剂
参考例句:
  • She applies deodorant to her armpits after she showers.沐浴后,她在腋下涂上除臭剂。
  • Spray deodorant and keep the silk garments dry before dressing.在穿衣之前,洒涂防臭剂并保持干燥。
6 devouring c4424626bb8fc36704aee0e04e904dcf     
吞没( devour的现在分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句:
  • The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
  • He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。
7 ozone omQzBE     
n.臭氧,新鲜空气
参考例句:
  • The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
  • The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。
8 molecule Y6Tzn     
n.分子,克分子
参考例句:
  • A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
  • This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。
9 pollutant N1Zzy     
n.污染物质,散布污染物质者
参考例句:
  • Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
  • Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。
10 disturbances a0726bd74d4516cd6fbe05e362bc74af     
n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 );打扰;困扰;障碍
参考例句:
  • The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
  • Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。