在线英语听力室

SSS 2009-08-20

时间：2010-05-18 06:21:58

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（单词翻译）

Maybe it’s happened to you. You go for a walk in the woods and, after wandering around for a few hours trying to find your way back to the car, you realize that you’ve basically been walking in circles. Well, you’re not alone. Because scientists have found that, in the absence of visible landmarks1 or cues from the sun, people who are lost can’t walk a straight line.

The “disoriented traveler walking in circles” is faithfully trotted2 out in many fictional3 works. So scientists decided4 to put the tale to the test. They plopped six people into a German forest and told them to try to walk straight. And they monitored their subjects’ progress by GPS.

When the day was cloudy, the wanderers indeed walked in circles, but not by turning consistently in one direction. Instead they veered5 randomly6 left and right, repeatedly crossing their own paths. But when the subjects could see the sun, they maintained an almost straight course. And the same was true when volunteers were dropped into the Sahara Desert during the day and at night, results published in the journal Current Biology.

So if you want to walk the straight and narrow, especially after dark, don’t count on your conscience to guide you. Get a compass.

 


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1 landmarks 746a744ae0fc201cc2f97ab777d21b8c     
n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）
参考例句：
  • The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句
2 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
3 fictional ckEx0     
adj.小说的，虚构的
参考例句：
  • The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
  • The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。
4 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
5 veered 941849b60caa30f716cec7da35f9176d     
v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转
参考例句：
  • The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
  • The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 randomly cktzBM     
adv.随便地，未加计划地
参考例句：
  • Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
  • Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

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