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《環保達人》
It''s good to keep in mind that people are working hard on exciting possibilities for solutions to the problems of global warming and environmental destruction. This month on the National Geographic Channel, the series Planet Mechanics follows two eco-engineers, Dick Strawbridge and Jem Stansfield, as they travel around Europe and the UK. They meet up with various people along the way and help them come up with ways to make their technology environmentally friendly.
In the town of Bath in England, Dick and Jem hang out with a sandwich shop owner who is looking for a good way to deliver sandwiches around town. The hills and cobblestone roads of Bath present a bit of a challenge, so Dick and Jem need to create something small and agile. Motorcycles are convenient, but most of them cause pollution. Their solution: an air-propelled motorbike. Sounds like a great idea, but for it to work, they must manage to fit 5,000 litres of air into a tank that will fit on a bike. At normal pressure, this amount of air would take up the space of an elephant, so the task is tricky—and dangerous. That much compressed air could cause an explosion in a collision. Be sure to watch "Air-Propelled Sandwich" to see if it works out, and watch Jem testing the idea by catapulting himself and his bike from an air-powered cannon!
Another episode in the Planet Mechanics series is "Surf Power." In this episode, Jem and Dick travel to the coast of Ireland. Here they attempt to harness the tremendous power of the ocean waves. Their goal is to use the energy of the waves to power a "surf shack" for two surfers who travel around in their portable home.
單字解釋：
1. mechanics n. 機械學；技術；技巧
2. destruction n. 破壞；毀滅
3. eco-engineer n. 生態工程師
4. environmentally friendly 環保的
5. cobblestone n. 鵝卵石
6. agile a. 靈活的，敏捷的
7. air-propelled a. 以空氣推進的
propel vt. 推進，使前進
8. tricky a. 棘手的，難處理的
9. compressed a. 壓縮的
10. collision n. 碰撞
11. catapult vt. 彈射；發射
12. cannon n. 大砲
13. episode n.（電視連續劇、電影等的）一集
14. harness vt. 控制，駕馭
15. shack n.（作某種用途的）小屋；簡陋木屋
16. pressurized a. 耐壓的
highly pressurized 耐高壓的
17. container n. 容器
18. mobile a. 可移動的
片語解釋：
1. meet up with... 偶然遇見……
2. a bit of... 一點點……
3. lift one''s spirits 提振某人的精神
4. belong to... 屬於……
補充解釋：
1. keep/bear in mind + that 子句 牢記……
keep/bear...in mind 將……牢記在心
例: Keep in mind that you have to drive home. Don''t drink alcohol at the party.
（記住你得開車回家。在派對上千萬別喝酒。）
例: I always keep my father''s advice in mind.
（我始終牢記父親的忠告。)
2. come up with... 想出……
例: Susan came up with a great title for her novel.
（蘇珊為自己的小說想了一個很棒的書名。）
3. hang out with... 和……閒混在一起
例: It''s nice to hang out with friends after being gone for so long.
（離開這麼久後，能和朋友在一起閒晃是件不錯的事。）
4. manage to V 設法（做到）……
例: Regardless of how busy she is, Lulu always manages to find time to go shopping with her friends.
（不管她有多忙，露露總會設法找時間和朋友們去購物。）
5. fit A into B 將 A 裝進 B
例: I don''t think I can fit all my clothes into this suitcase.
（我覺得這個手提箱裝不進我全部的衣服。）
6. take up... 佔據……
例: The work took up most of his time.
（那項工作佔去了他大部分的時間。）
7. work out 有好結果，成功
work out... 解決……
例: For fear that things might not work out, Amy didn''t even try.
（唯恐事情不會有圓滿的結果，所以愛咪連試都不試。）
例: I hope both of you will eventually work out your problems.
（我希望你們之間的問題最後能順利解決。）
8. attempt to V 企圖（做）……
例: Jenny attempted to take credit for work her colleague had actually done.
（珍妮企圖從同事完成的工作中居功。）
9. remind vt. 提醒；使想起
remind sb + that 子句 提醒某人……
remind sb to V 提醒某人做……
remind sb of sth 提醒某人某事；使某人想到某事物
例: You have to remind Jane to take out the garbage or she''ll forget.
（你得提醒珍把垃圾拿出去，要不然她會忘記。）
例: This photo reminds me of the time I went traveling in Spain.
（這張照片使我想起在西班牙旅行的時光。）
10. change A into B 將 A 改變∕轉變成 B
= turn A into B
= transform A into B
例: The witch transformed the princess into a parrot.
（巫婆把公主變成了鸚鵡。）
11. work on... 致力於……；從事……
例: After spending hours working on that math problem, John finally gave up.
（在花了好幾個小時解那道數學題後，約翰最後放棄了。）
12. attach A to B 使 A 附著於 B 之上
例: The serviceman attached a label to each piece of luggage.
（服務生在每件行李上都繫上標籤。）
13. provide A for B 提供 A 給 B
= provide B with A
例: The Red Cross provided earthquake victims with blankets, tents, and food.
（紅十字會提供毛毯、帳蓬和食物給地震災民。）
