燕山大学 刘立军 编写
TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I'm Scientific American podcast editor Steve Mirsky. And here's a short piece from the July 2018 issue of the magazine, in the section called Advances: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Science, Technology and Medicine.
The article is called Quick Hits, and it's a rundown of some science and tech stories from around the globe, compiled by assistant news editor Tanya Lewis.
From the U.S.
Hawaii's state legislature announced it wants to get 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2045. The state already gets more than a quarter of its electricity from such sources.
From the PACIFIC OCEAN
A whale shark set a new distance record for its species by swimming more than 20,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean in 841 days. The creature traveled from off the western coast of Panama to near the Mariana Trench.
From the U.K.
Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth invaded London's parks this spring. The creatures' long white hairs can irritate eyes and skin and cause sometimes deadly allergic reactions.
From JAPAN
A Japanese engineer built a giant robot inspired by the animated TV show Mobile Suit Gundam, fulfilling a childhood dream. The robot, made by farming machinery company Sakakibara Kikai, stands 8.5 meters tall and weighs more than seven metric tons.
From SWEDEN
Archaeologists discovered the remains of a bloody slaughter in a Swedish fort from the fifth century A.D. The 26 skeletons they excavated (including those of an old man and a teenager) show wounds from behind, suggesting a surprise attack.
And from SUDAN
New high-resolution images of a meteorite found in the Nubian Desert in 2008 revealed it contains diamonds - possibly from a "lost" planet that orbited the sun during the solar system's formation.
That was Quick Hits by Tanya Lewis.
Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201901/577118.shtml
VOCABULARY
1. rundown n. rundown (on / of sth.) an explanation or a description of sth. 解释；描述。例如：I can give you a brief rundown on each of the applicants. 我可以给你简单介绍一下每名申请人的情况。
2. legislature n. (formal) a group of people who have the power to make and change laws 立法机关。例如：
a democratically elected legislature民主选举产生的立法机关
the national / state legislature国家 / 州立法机构
3. trench n. ( also ocean trench) a long deep narrow hole in the ocean floor 海沟；大洋沟。例如：the Mariana Trench 马里亚纳海沟
4. caterpillar n. a small creature like a worm with legs, that develops into a butterfly or moth (= flying insects with large, sometimes brightly coloured, wings). Caterpillars eat the leaves of plants. 毛虫，蠋（蝴蝶或蛾的幼虫）
5. moth n. a flying insect with a long thin body and four large wings, like a butterfly , but less brightly coloured. Moths fly mainly at night and are attracted to bright lights. 蛾；飞蛾
6. allergic adj. allergic (to sth.) having an allergy to sth. （对…）变态反应的，变应的，过敏的。例如：I like cats but unfortunately I'm allergic to them. 我喜欢猫，但遗憾的是我对猫过敏。
7. metric adj. based on the metric system 米制的；公制的。例如：
metric units / measurements / sizes公制单位 / 尺寸 / 大小
British currency went metric in 1971. 英国的货币于1971年实行公制。
8. excavate v. to dig in the ground to look for old buildings or objects that have been buried for a long time; to find sth. by digging in this way 发掘，挖出（古建筑或古物）。例如：
The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
pottery and weapons excavated from the burial site从墓地挖掘出的陶器和兵器
9. meteorite n. a piece of rock from outer space that hits the earth's surface 陨石
QUESTIONS
Read the table. Then listen to the news and complete the table.
Quick Hits by Tanya Lewis
| Country or Region | Detail |
| From the U.S. | Hawaii's state legislature announced it wants to get 100 percent of its energy from (Q1) _________________ sources by 2045. The state already gets more than (Q2) __________________ of its electricity from such sources. |
| From the Pacific Ocean | A whale shark set a new distance record for its species by swimming more than 20,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean in (Q3) _________days. The creature traveled from off the (Q4) ___________________ of Panama to near the Mariana Trench. |
| From the U.K. | Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth invaded London's parks this spring. The creatures' long white hairs can irritate (Q5) _______________ and cause sometimes deadly (Q6) __________________ reactions. |
| From Japan | A Japanese engineer built (Q7) __________________ inspired by the animated TV show Mobile Suit Gundam, fulfilling a childhood dream. The robot, made by farming machinery company Sakakibara Kikai, stands 8.5 meters tall and weighs more than seven metric tons. |
| From Sweden | Archaeologists discovered the remains of a bloody slaughter in a Swedish fort from the fifth century A.D. The 26 (Q8) ____________ they excavated (including those of an old man and a teenager) show wounds from behind, suggesting (Q9) _____________________. |
| From Sudan | New high-resolution images of a meteorite found in the Nubian Desert in 2008 revealed it contains (Q10) __________________ - possibly from a "lost" planet that orbited the sun during the solar system's formation. |
KEY
Read the table. Then listen to the news and complete the table.
Quick Hits by Tanya Lewis
| Country or Region | Detail |
| From the U.S. | Hawaii's state legislature announced it wants to get 100 percent of its energy from (Q1) renewable sources by 2045. The state already gets more than (Q2) a quarter of its electricity from such sources. |
| From the Pacific Ocean | A whale shark set a new distance record for its species by swimming more than 20,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean in (Q3) 841 days. The creature traveled from off the (Q4) western coast of Panama to near the Mariana Trench. |
| From the U.K. | Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth invaded London's parks this spring. The creatures' long white hairs can irritate (Q5) eyes and skin and cause sometimes deadly (Q6) allergic reactions. |
| From Japan | A Japanese engineer built (Q7) a giant robot inspired by the animated TV show Mobile Suit Gundam, fulfilling a childhood dream. The robot, made by farming machinery company Sakakibara Kikai, stands 8.5 meters tall and weighs more than seven metric tons. |
| From Sweden | Archaeologists discovered the remains of a bloody slaughter in a Swedish fort from the fifth century A.D. The 26 (Q8) skeletons they excavated (including those of an old man and a teenager) show wounds from behind, suggesting (Q9) a surprise attack. |
| From Sudan | New high-resolution images of a meteorite found in the Nubian Desert in 2008 revealed it contains (Q10) diamonds - possibly from a "lost" planet that orbited the sun during the solar system's formation. |