VOA慢速英语(翻译+字幕+讲解):模仿苍蝇来制造新一代助听器
日期:2014-08-12 08:50

(单词翻译:单击)

kRdA!_TQ8_+,EGQR4F!ZTmcR[bzmw.eU

听力文本

59dAPtQ%za,nbV+

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

kB0b-=n-9rTaiN

A fly with an extremely unusual ability to hear is the model for what may be the future of new and improved hearing aids. The insect behaves like a parasite -- an organism that lives on or in another organism called a host. This exceptional fly places larvae -- a young fly onto a cricket host. The larvae digs into the cricket and eats the insect from the inside out.

_0QHgALsS]~HI[v|HZm

The tiny yellow fly lives in Central America and the southern United States. It finds its host by listening for the cricket's high chirping voice. The fly can easily find a cricket from as far away as 91 meters.

Xs6bT_2,w3V(Y+1gRz


k+g!q|CLt*SI;%S

Ormia ochracea has an acute sense of hearing dedicated to pinpointing a cricket where it lays its larva. (Credit: Ronald Hoy Lab/Cornell University)

5)E*u-FA+h.(C

Neal Hall is a sound engineer who worked on the new hearing aid model. He says the fly's behavior is very strange. Mr. Hall and his team at the University of Texas made a copy of the fly's hearing structure.

)HzJUs5VOri

"And they discovered that the fly has a clever mechanism that instead of using two independent ears, like a human would, the fly's ears are actually coupled," says Hall.

yj7RpVuVN%6s3

The fly's ears are two millimeters apart. That distance is so small, that sound reaches one ear just four millionths of a second before arriving at the other. Experts say it should be impossible to identify where a sound is coming from. But inside this fly's ear is a 1.5 millimeters long structure similar to a see-saw -- a piece of children's party equipment.

-.SEU^rgI_FqA*t)esi.

Like the see-saw, the fly's ear structure goes up and down from a central point. Pressure waves against the structure increase the time it takes for sound to travel and permit the fly to find its host.

B1n.Y@NnekIo02

Mr. Hall and his team used the chemical element silicon to copy the fly's ear structure. They also used special electric materials that enable them to measure its movements at the same time.

i+UgX#Kflx.HwP59znX

Hall says the hearing aid device could be used in two ways. One way would be to help the military on the battle field, there, sensors could find where shots are coming from. The second way would be to remove unwanted noise from a person's surroundings.

r=rIp(0N;4=PD

"That is a feature that is incredibly useful for hearing aids, for example, where right now, if you turn up the gain of a hearing aid or turn up the volume to hear someone across from you, it also amplifies everything else in the room," said Hall.

4xSuKalj7*KsTE

Hall says the next test in marketing the hearing aid device is to make it usable. He says the device must be handled carefully because it is so small. He notes that the fly does not have this concern.

bZuuXsNAY&~vP91

And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. I'm Jonathan Evans.

o%#Mk,+odDD_7R@6+Q]

文本来自51voa,译文属可可原创,仅供学习交流使用,未经许可请勿转载

)Tz26_!Id+=-uWKk

词汇解释

85f)tlg!phPziT

1.parasite n. 寄生虫;食客

L.rw10G;oQ37zV3+k_Q&

Kangaroos harbour a vast range of parasites.
袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫ea--iK6)a.103d*)bcBL

9fX^~VUvOO5BWj,NG8Yb

2.larvae n. 幼虫;幼体(larva的复数形式)

The eggs quickly hatch into larvae.
虫卵很快孵化成幼虫KTEGMEcP(BrN[Tg

F[a4SyMmBb1A

3.sensor n. 传感器

o1_^%wi!;F6!e&

The latest Japanese vacuum cleaners contain sensors that detect the amount of dust and type of floor.
日本最新款吸尘器装有传感器,能测出灰尘量和地板类型8Hn3rI+d&K

VxdGl]2l88R#|5t

4.amplify vt. 放大,扩大;增强;详述 vi. 详述

fnGx#I.Wupd4f

The music was amplified with microphones.
那音乐被麦克风扩大了OkXWIa7X;q##UyHjId~

LLX9l4(VNga^4(h

内容解析

u71J;XEGM5~hjyy

1.for example, where right now, if you turn up the gain of a hearing aid or turn up the volume to hear someone across from you, it also amplifies everything else in the room,

O~UEZcE-k=V1#

turn up 出现;发生;开大;发现;卷起;使仰卧

.NnfDHs9CsJEDs;Z

Richard had turned up on Christmas Eve with Tony.
理查德在圣诞前夜与托尼一起出现YL9lI-2&ff63iab[5^#

oPfoYp.4jl

Can you turn up the TV?
你能把电视机的声音调大点吗?

_Ms4TnkFud6J+X8Ig-,

参考译文

k_itwJ7A3o^T44

这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道1DcwXHxs7+

*sRnbN-|[Ssv.!U

一种具备不同寻常听力的苍蝇可能是未来新的改进型助听器的原型,这种昆虫行为特点像寄生虫,就是寄生在宿主身上的生物eCw|HY^I@Gnyrkd。这种不寻常的苍蝇将幼虫放在宿主蟋蟀身上,这种幼虫挖进蟋蟀体内,然后从内向外将蟋蟀吃了]ZP61y.;]9wX_W=^JEg

x,Z].;gKiO&3l

这种黄色的小苍蝇生活在中美和美国南部,靠听蟋蟀高声鸣叫来寻找宿主,这种苍蝇可以在91米远的地方轻易找到一只蟋蟀s9&(@AC(pwESRo

tMIW%uCk^hSj-B|

尼尔·霍尔是一位专门研究新型助听器模型的声音工程师,他说苍蝇的行为特点很奇怪pKuNrq6ErYs~wr][2EE。霍尔和他在德克萨斯大学的团队制作出这种苍蝇听力器官的模型v&et%.!611l.7qB%

[C!~A4afzV@

“他们发现这种苍蝇不像人类有两个独立的耳朵,而是有着一对一对的耳朵U#Kh0mVD=WSsogEf;*&^。”

N][&7gyb[sfKxEl#k

这种苍蝇的耳朵相距两毫米,距离很近,这样听力达到一只耳朵的4毫秒后就传入另一只耳朵[M1+9|9rS[q5sTC]j)2&。专家说不可能识别出声音的来源,但在苍蝇的耳朵内有个1.5毫米的结构类似儿童玩具跷跷板3iO-W1lC8NrSJxrg*lj

#Lqja@O,8uJ%w

苍蝇的这种耳朵结构像跷跷板一样从中间点上下移动,传到该结构的压力波增加了声音传输的时间,让苍蝇能寻找到宿主_wFVayBrbMBeYN

ts3%kwJS2.i+Y%^d

霍尔和他的团队使用化学物质硅来复制苍蝇的耳朵结构,还使用能同时测量其运动的特殊电子材料!fh*;L2ZxjRj&6LexW+

Zbmr+|+;-B,

霍尔说这种助听结构有两种用途,一是帮助战场上的军队,感应器能找到子弹来自哪里;第二个是从人周围移除掉不想要的噪音ZHEW9gCru&M

Q8T-fEnER%,z;^

“这种结构对助听器来说非常有用,比如,就在现在,如果你加大助听器的音量,那么房间其他的声音也会加大jT&&g49v)W%Rgok&;-k。”

yOm#oN-Y!dDUf29RwrS

霍尔说推广这种助听器的下一个考验是确保其有用性,他说这种设备太小了,所以必须小心操作,他说苍蝇就没有这种担心m~q8DDH.0QBb

ddtp+&^yr)EbL!q&

这就是美国之音慢速英语科技报道,我是乔纳森·伊万斯TLx[F3=f%NQw

HvL44~j3ngcuzY]_[

点击此处下载本期VOA慢速新闻讲解PDF与音频字幕

OyR.y#;;PK#is2-8fi.,.d5K_FB7h0,K45KqTkIeLE-|Y)ERl7
分享到
重点单词
  • removev. 消除,除去,脱掉,搬迁 n. 去除,间距
  • exceptionaladj. 例外的,异常的,特别的,杰出的
  • rangen. 范围,行列,射程,山脉,一系列 v. 排列,归类于
  • mechanismn. 机制,原理 n. 机械,机构,结构
  • unwantedadj. 不必要的,空闲的
  • acuteadj. 敏锐的,剧烈的
  • devicen. 装置,设计,策略,设备
  • militaryadj. 军事的 n. 军队
  • hatchn. 孵化,舱口 vt. 孵,孵出 vi. 孵化,破壳
  • amplifyv. 扩大,详述,使 ... 增幅