Lesson 7-1 Bats
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.
To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding apparatus, now in general use in ships.
serve as 作。。。之用
echo-location /ˈekoʊ loʊˈkeɪʃn/ 回声定位;回声探测
strictly 明确地
utilitarian /ˌjuːtɪlɪˈteriən/ 实用的;功利的;实惠的
turn to 求助于
appreciation /əˌpriːʃiˈeɪʃn/ 欣赏;理解;体谅;同情;感激;
vicinity /vəˈsɪnəti/ 周围地区;邻近地区;附近 in the vicinity of 在。。。的附近
mountainside /ˈmaʊntnsaɪd/ 山坡
play a role in 在。。。方面起作用
echo /ˈekoʊ/ 回响;回声;回音
obstruction /əbˈstrʌkʃn/ 障碍物;障碍;阻碍;
elapse /ɪˈlæps/ 逝去;(时间)消逝，流逝
hull /hʌl/ 船身;船体
reflect /rɪˈflekt/ 反映;映出(影像);反射(声、光、热等);
interval /ˈɪntərvl/ 间隔;
receipt /rɪˈsiːt/ 收据;收条;接收;收到;
apparatus /ˌæpəˈrætəs/ 仪器;器械;装置
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