Text Analysis

(Directions:) In this part, the author lists the features of smart cars. Can

you summarize these features?

(Tips:    1.   Smart cars can eliminate most car accidents.

2.   Smart cars can alert the police and provide precise location if stolen.

3.    Smart cars can monitor one’s driving and the driving conditions nearby.

4.      Smart cars alert the sleepy driver.

5.      Smart cars can locate your car precisely and warn of traffic jams.)

Language Focus

       We may encounter some difficult words or phrases in reading. Shall we consult the dictionary immediately? An efficient reader will make a guess based on knowledge of word-formation or knowledge of the word in the context.

For example, can you guess the meaning of “blink spot” in the following sentence?

Should you make a serious driving mistake (e.g., change lanes when there is a car in your “blind spot”) the computer would sound an immediate warning.

There might be an accident if you change lanes when there is a car in your “blind spot”. How could it happen? How come you don’t know the existence of the car? It must be that you cannot observe the car from the rear-view mirror. Here comes the possible meaning of “blind spot”: a portion of the road behind a car, which a driver cannot observe from the rear-view mirror.

       Now try to guess the meaning of “Global Positioning System”(Para. 7) and “atomic clocks”(Para. 7).  

       Word-formation may also provide much information about the meaning of the word.

       For example, what is telematics? The prefix “tele-” means “distant”, the suffix “-matics” may be the end part of “informatics”. So telematics must be a branch of knowledge concerned with long-distance transmission.

       Now try to guess the meaning of “prototype” (Para. 6) and “interstate” (Para. 12).

Detailed Reading

1. Difficult Sentences

Sales of the automobile industry stand at about a trillion dollars, making it the world’s biggest manufacturing industry.

How do you understand the word stand?

(= Stand is used to show a particular level or amount.

For example:

Inflation currently stands at nine per cent.

Your bank balance stands at $460.)

Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=汽车工业的销售额达一万亿美元左右，从而成为世界上最大的制造业。)

The key to tomorrow’s “smart cars” will be sensors.

Paraphrase the sentence and pay attention to the structure the key to sth.

(=The crucial element of the future smart cars will be sensors.)

Should you make a serious driving mistake (e.g., change lanes when there is a car in your “blind spot”) the computer would sound an immediate warning.

Analyze the structure of this sentence.

(= “Should” is often used in subordinate clauses after if--it makes an event sound less probable.

For example: If you should see Harry, give him my regards. (You might see him.)

In British English, the structure “if subject should verb” is often replaced by “Should subject verb”.

For example: Should you see Harry, give him my regards.)

To eliminate this, a tiny camera hidden in the dashboard can be trained on a driver’s face and eyes.

    You must be familiar with the word train, but how do you understand the word in this sentence?

       (= Here train means to focus on or aim at.)

Sensors in your car tuned to radio signals from orbiting satellites can locate your car precisely at any moment and warn of traffic jams.

       Analyze this sentence.

       (= There are sensors in the car and they are tuned to radio signals which come from orbiting satellites. The sensors can locate the car and warn of traffic jams.)

They make it possible to determine your location on the earth to within about a hundred feet.

       Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(= 通过这些卫星我们有可能以小于100英尺的误差确定你在地球上的方位。)

Some of them locate a car’s position by correlating the rotations in the steering wheel to its position on a map.

       Explain how the navigational facilities help locate the car’s position.

    (= They locate the car’s position by establishing the relation between the rotations in the wheel and the car’s position on a map. )

The commercial industry is poised to explode.

       1.    What does the commercial industry refer to?

       (= It refers to the industry to which GPS is applied commercially.)

2.    Paraphrase the sentence.

       (= The commercial industry is bound to develop rapidly and be prosperous.)

On an eight-mile stretch of Interstate 15 ten miles north of San Diego, …

1.    How much do you know about the Interstate in theU.S.?

(= Interstate is one of a system of highways extending between and connecting the major cities of theUnited States.)

       2.    What does stretch mean?

       (=It means a continuous or unbroken length.)

       3.    Translate this part into Chinese.

       (= 在圣迭戈以北10英里的15号州际公路一段8英里长的路面上……)

By 2010, telematics may well be incorporated into one of the major highways in theUnited States.

       1.    Paraphrase the structure may well be …

       (= It is very likely that…)

1. Translate this sentence into      Chinese.

(= 到2010年，远程信息技术很可能应用于美国的一条主要公路。)

2. Words and Expressions

lucrative: adj. producing much money; profitable

 (=This is a lucrative business.)

我们和一家美国公司做大米进口的生意，赚了些钱。

(= We made a lucrative business with the American company on rice imports.)

manufacture: vt.

1) make goods on a large scale using machinery

*This firm manufactures cars.

在工厂制造产品

(= to manufacture goods in a factory)

2) invent; make up

*You’ll have to manufacture some kind of excuse.

她编了一段谎话来掩盖事实。

(= She manufactured a false story to hide the facts.)

CF: manufacture & make

       这两个词都是动词，都有制造之意。

manufacture 使用范围较窄，既可指通过使用工业机械，亦指粗制滥造以一种机械的方式创作、制作或完成。例如：

*His books seem to have been manufactured rather than composed. 他的作品像是被机器加工出的，而不是创作的。

make    通用且非正式，可用于所有的制造过程。例如：   

              *He made a model plane out of wood. 他用木头做了一架模型飞机。

approximately: adv. more or less exactly

 (=The car accident happened at approximately 7:45 a.m.)

approximate: adj. fairly correct or accurate but not completely so

*The approximate number of demonstrators in front of the municipal office building was 900.

大概的时间是三点钟。

(=The approximate time is three o'clock.)

eliminate: vt. remove, esp. sb./sth. that is not wanted or needed; get rid of

*The police have eliminated all the other suspects.

她已被取消了参加游泳比赛。

(=She has been eliminated from the swimming race.)

Pattern: eliminate sth. from sth.

*Can we ever eliminate hunger from the world one day?

in the air: in the earth’s atmosphere; uncertain, not yet decided

*There is a strange smell in the air.

 (= Hundreds of birds suddenly rose in the air.)

我们的计划尚未确定。

(= Our plans are still in the air.)

start up:  begin or begin working, running, happening, etc.

*Put the key in the ignition and turn it to start the car up.

玛丽发动引擎，向她的家乡驶去。

(= Mary started up the engine and drove for her hometown.)

alert: 

1．vt. warn sb. that there may be danger, trouble, etc.

Pattern: alert sb. to sth.

*The doctor alerted me to the dangers of smoking.

警察警告我有危险。

(=The policeman alerted me to the danger.)

2．adj. attentive; watchful

Pattern: be alert to danger

*The squirrels are quite alert to dangers.

CF: alert & attentive

alert 指思维敏捷而高度集中，注视着可能发生的事件，尤其是危险的、恐怖的事件，并迅速做出反应。例如：

              *A hunting-dog must be alert. 猎犬必须很机警。

              *The guards were alert to any danger. 哨兵警惕着一切危险的情况。

attentive 强调能够把注意力集中于某事上而不分心、不走神。例如：

*I wish you would be more attentive to what your teacher has told you. 希望你能多注意老师对你说的话。

*He was absolutely attentive to research into the cause of cancer. 他专心致志研究癌症的起因。

3．n. a condition or period of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action

Pattern: on the alert

*The hunters are on the alert for wolves.

prototype: n. the first model or design of sth. from which other forms are copied or developed

*prototype equipment

*prototype machine

*prototype model

NB: proto- 前缀，表示“最初的，原始的”

例：    protocluster原星团 (cluster 丛)

protogalaxy 原星系 ( galaxy星系, 银河)

protovirus 原始病毒 (virus病毒)

monotonous: adj. dull and never changing or varying; constant and boring

 (=The teacher’s voice was so monotonous that it sent me to sleep.)

我在汽车工厂的工作颇为单调乏味。

(= My job in the car factory is rather monotonous.)

hazard: n. a thing that can be dangerous or cause damage; a danger or risk

*There are many serious hazards associated with smoking.

穿越非洲的旅行有许多危险。

 (= There are many hazards in a journey across Africa.)

Collocation:      at all hazards不顾一切风险; 在任何情况下

in hazard在危险中, 受到威胁

by hazard偶然, 碰运气

                            be on the hazard 在危险中

vibrate: v. (cause sth. to) move rapidly and continuously backwards and forwards; shake

 (=Tom’s heavy footsteps upstairs made the old house vibrate.)

*The hammers strike the piano strings and vibrate them.

当司机发动了发动机时，公共汽车颤动着。

(= The bus vibrated when the driver started up the engine.)

frequency: n. the rate at which sth. happens or is repeated, usu. measured over a particular period of time

*Accidents are happening with increasing frequency.

*This radio signal has a frequency of 800,000 cycles per second.

科学家正试图计算出这个地区地震发生的频率。

(= The scientists are trying to calculate the frequency of earthquake in this district.)

convert: v. change from one form or use to another

Pattern: convert sth. to/into sth.

*I want to convert some Hong Kong dollars into American dollars.

 (= Coal can be converted to gas.)

那座楼房改成学校了。

(= That building has been converted into a school.)

correlate: vt. have a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another

*Research workers find it hard to correlate the two sets of figures.

*Smoking and lung cancer are closely correlated.

Pattern: correlate sth. with sth.

*They are trying to find out if these behavior patterns correlate with particular changes in diet.

把理论与实践联系起来

(= correlate the theory with practice)

drastically: adv. in a drastic way

drastic: adj. having a strong or violent effect

*Drastic measures are needed to improve the performance of the company.

法国革命带来剧烈的社会变动。

(= The French Revolution brought about drastic social changes.)

application: n. the action or an instance of putting a theory, discovery , etc to practical use

*The application of new scientific discoveries to industrial production methods usually increases efficiency.

这项新发明的应用将给公司带来巨大的利润。

(= The application of the new invention will bring great profits to the company.)

be poised to do: be ready to take action at any moment  

 (= It is reported thatU.S.forces are poised to attackIraq.)

*The automobile company is poised to launch its new advertising campaign.

mount: v. fix (sth.) in position for use, display or study; put (sth.) into place on a support

*Mounting the engine in this way was in improvement.

*She mounted the photograph on the back of her diary book.

她把照片裱贴在她的日记本上。

magnetic: adj.

1) having the properties of a magnet

(=The iron has lost its magnetic force.)

*Cotton is not magnetic.

2) having an unusual power or ability to attract

*He has magnetic personality.

他有吸引人的个性。

take control of: control

*The new manager didn’t know how to take control of his company.

 (= The government has taken control of all the newspapers.)

bunch:

1. v. group together (both active and passive)

*The captain told the players not to bunch together.

*The children were all bunched together in the corner of the room.

我们聚在火炉周围取暖。

(= We bunched around the fire for warmth.)

2. n. a group of items or individuals gathered or placed together

*a bunch of grapes

*a bunch of keys

*a bunch of flowers

incorporate: vt. make (sth.) part of a whole

*His newly published book incorporates his earlier essay.

他成为该大学的一员。

(=He was incorporated a member of the college.)

我们将把你的建议编到新计划中去。

(= We will incorporate your suggestion in the new plan.)

decrease: v. become or make sth. smaller or fewer

 (=They are making further efforts to decrease military spending.)

今年在校的儿童人数减少了。

(=The number of children in the school has decreased this year.)

Opposite: increase

CF: decrease, reduce & lessen

        这几个词都是动词，都有“减少”之意。

decrease 一词使用广泛，特指数量的减少。例如：

                     *The number of traffic accidents decreased last year. 去年交通事故的数量减少了。

*Water consumption had to decrease to avoid a drought. 水的消费量必须减少，以避免水荒。

reduce 词义很广。既可指大小、数量、范围或程度的缩小，也可指等级、地位或经济状况的下降。例如：

                     *They reduced the size of the apparatus by two-thirds. 他们把该装置的体积缩小了三分之二。

                     *This has greatly reduced the threat presented by typhoons. 这大大减少了台风造成的威胁。（插入图片reduce）

lessen 是比较正式的用词，用于客观地表示程度、价值或数量的减少，而不带任何偏见。例如：

              *Production in the textile industry has also lessened sharply. 纺织工业的产量也已急剧下降。

               *The value of money lessens during inflation. 通货膨胀时货币贬值。

24. (L.80) expansion: n. the process of becoming greater in size, extent or importance

*Under heat, the metal undergoes considerable expansion.

*His book is an expansion of the play he wrote before.

这些是扩大我们学校建筑的计划。

(=These are plans for the expansion of our school building.