时间:2018-12-27 作者:英语课 分类:英语时差8,16


英语课

Don: Hey Yaël, what do locusts 2, neurons, robots and the movie Star Wars have in common? Yaël: You got me, Don. D: The answer is: Doctor Claire Rind, a [dict]biologist[/dict] and robotics expert at the University of Newcastle, England. Dr. Rind wanted to design a collision-avoidance system for cars. So she decided 3 to investigate the collision-avoidance system of locusts. Y: Why locusts? D: Locusts have fairly simple eyes and brains but still manage to fly in [dict]dense[/dict] swarms 4 of many millions without bumping into each other. She hoped that by understanding how locusts managed this feat 5, she could design a robotic system based on their neural 6 [dict]machinery[/dict]. Now here is where it gets a little wacky--she made locusts watch Star Wars while monitoring the reactions of their visual systems. Dr. Rind discovered that locusts have special neurons that respond specifically to looming 7 objects--or objects moving straight toward the locust 1, like on-screen spaceships. These movement-detector neurons [dict]distinguish[/dict] between approaching and receding 8 objects by the way the edges of the object's image seem to grow or [dict]shrink[/dict] in their field of vision. Y: Neat! D: Then Rind and her [dict]colleague[/dict]s translated the locust's [dict]neural [/dict]processing to a small robot with cameras for eyes and had it [dict]zoom [/dict]through an obstacle course. The robot was able to avoid collisions 91% of the time! Now a team of neurobiologists, engineers, and designers is working on an automatic collision avoidance system for cars. The so-called "Locust Project" uses the knowledge gained from Star Wars-watching locusts. One day your car may be able to avoid collisions with the speed and accuracy of flying locusts! Y: Now that's science in action!



1 locust
n.蝗虫;洋槐,刺槐
  • A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
  • This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。
2 locusts
n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 );贪吃的人;破坏者;槐树
  • a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
  • In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西,什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 decided
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • 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。
4 swarms
蜂群,一大群( swarm的名词复数 )
  • They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
  • On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天,这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。
5 feat
n.功绩;武艺,技艺;adj.灵巧的,漂亮的,合适的
  • Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
  • He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。
6 neural
adj.神经的,神经系统的
  • The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
  • The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。
7 looming
n.上现蜃景(光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼)v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
  • The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看,在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
8 receding
v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 );向后倾斜;自原处后退或避开别人的注视;尤指问题
  • Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远,他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
  • Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句
学英语单词
a dead - end job
acacia wattle
ack.
Aimitus
albino-
algebraic representation
alley-oop
ambulatory blood pressure
anenst
auxier
available per mu yield
biological warfare defenses
block plane
branching alpha
brand personality
burning duration
caloyers (greece)
cardinal fish
Ceylonocotyle
chelseys
chemistry of Io
Chinese cheese
cissier
close-runs
coldbooting
comparative slaughter technique
contemporanea
cross streets
cross-product deviation matrix
danish capitals
data flow instruction
digenous
encephalo-arteriography
engraffs
Eyeties
feeder airline
flip chip bonder
foetid-
function trigger
functionalists
furnace manoeuver
gemmiparously
goshute
hemlock looper
hoyne
hydrogen gas fire arrester
incomposure
inkpads
iron plating at lower temperature
Kaddhafi
Kapitza expander
khayr
Kobayashi Hideo
lacquerworks
lamb splitter
lapped steel plate joint
lutjanus griseuss
Luveve
macrophoma corchori saw
magistrates
Marquand, John P(hillips)
mass diagram
medium pressure mercury lamp
microdick
middle-ranking
Monochoria hastata
munification
nasal septum knife
natural increase and decrease
neurokinetic
open sedan
outer lead bonding window
parameter of an analytic model
physiochemical biology
pneumatic process
proctostasis
quadratic-cost model
radar triangle navigation aid
Rhizoma seu Herba Bergeniae
rusted
sad colored
selective network
self-biased triode
self-floating steel jacket
semer
severe weather
silvatic
soda-hornblendes
sokambis
sonz
start-up time
statcoulowb
stompily
suberoylanilide
sucker-rod socket
terrestrial link
throwing over
tile nail
turbanize
uniform polymer
wood casing
wrathiest