我们都知道从大炮里飞出来的是炮弹。可是有这么一个奇特的“大炮”，从里面飞出来的是一条又一条的三文鱼。那么，这个“大炮”是做什么用的呢？
The salmon cannon
by Scottie Andrew
The internet is losing its collective mind over a video of Whooshh Innovations' salmon cannon – yes, that's its real name – built to zip fish over hydroelectric（水力发电的） dams that block their migration paths.
lose one's mind 失去理智、疯了
collective /kəˈlektɪv/ adj. 集体的
salmon /ˈsæmən/ n. 三文鱼（单数和复数都是salmon）
cannon /ˈkænən/ n. 大炮
zip /zɪp/ v. 快速移动、使快速移动
dam /dæm/ n. 大坝
block /blɒk/ v. 阻挡
migration /maɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 迁徙
The video shows a man throwing a salmon into a tube. The semi-transparent channel is suspended mid-air, and the fish's speeding shadow tells a harrowing（悲惨的） story of a life in upheaval（动荡）. It goes on for what probably feels like years in fish time but is in reality only a few seconds, until the fish is spat out on the other side of a dam.
tube /tjuːb/ n. 管子、管道
semi- 前缀，意思是“半”
transparent /trænˈspær(ə)nt/ adj. 透明的
channel /ˈtʃæn(ə)l/ n. 水渠、水道
suspend /səˈspend/ v. 悬挂、吊着
mid- 前缀，意思是“在…中间”（mid-air就是在空中）
speed /spiːd/ v. 快速移动
reality /rɪˈæləti/ n. 现实、事实（由real加后缀-ity变成名词）
spit /spɪt/ v. 吐（spat是过去分词）
People were immediately fascinated by the fish contraption（奇特的机器）, and they've quickly capitalized on the bizarre flying-fish machine. "Pack my body in the salmon cannon and shoot me into the sun. I want to be among the stars," someone said, realizing the fish cannon's ultimate potential.
fascinate /ˈfæs(ə)neɪt/ v. 使着迷
capitalize /ˈkæpɪt(ə)laɪz/ on 充分利用
bizarre /bɪˈzɑː(r)/ adj. 稀奇古怪的
ultimate /ˈʌltɪmət/ adj. 终极的
potential /pəˈtenʃ(ə)l/ n. 潜力
What does the man behind the fish-flinger think about his contraption's viral fame? "It's sort of been outrageous how long this has taken to catch on."
flinger /ˈflɪŋə/ n. 投掷机
viral /ˈvaɪər(ə)l/ adj. 病毒般快速传播的
fame /feɪm/ n. 名气
sort of 在某种程度上、有点
outrageous /aʊtˈreɪdʒəs/ adj. 反常的、令人惊讶的
catch on 变得流行
Whooshh Innovations CEO Vince Bryant said the video, created by streaming news network Cheddar, was stitched together with footage dating back to 2014, when its first cannon was sold. The first system required workers to hand-feed fish into the tube to bypass the dam, but today's version lets fish swim into it themselves, he said.
stream /striːm/ v. 流媒体播放（指直接播放网上的音视频而不是先下载再播放）
network /ˈnetwɜːk/ n. 网络
stitch /stɪtʃ/ v. 缝合、拼接
footage /ˈfʊtɪdʒ/ n. 视频片段
date back 追溯
feed /fiːd/ v. 给机器投料
bypass /ˈbaɪpɑːs/ v. 绕过
version /ˈvɜːʃ(ə)n/ n. 版本
Not to be lost among all of the fish jokes is the fact that making a salmon fly dozens of meters in the air is a significant feat of engineering.
significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪk(ə)nt/ adj. 显著的
feat /fiːt/ n. （体现高超技艺的）成果、成就
engineering /ˌendʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ/ n. 工程
The salmon are propelled by the differential pressure between the front and the back of the fish and sent into the flexible tube that expands to their size. Once inside, the fish are misted with water to keep them breathing. And within a few seconds, they've splash-landed on the other side of a dam, Bryant said, where they can safely reach their spawning（产卵） grounds.
propel /prəˈpel/ v. 推进、推着走
differential /ˌdɪfəˈrenʃ(ə)l/ adj. 有差别的
pressure /ˈpreʃə(r)/ n. 压力
flexible /ˈfleksəb(ə)l/ adj. 有弹性的
expand /ɪkˈspænd/ v. 扩大、扩张
mist /mɪst/ v. 给…喷水雾
splash /splæʃ/ n. （东西落入水中发出的）啪的一声
ground /ɡraʊnd/ n. 地域、水域
What bugs Bryant the most is the claim that the fish are in pain, he said. He cited an April study from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that found salmon going through the cannon sustained fewer injuries than traditional systems like fish ladders, which force salmon to jump up "rungs" upstream. "There's no stress for the fish," he said. "It should be a comfortable ride for them."
bug /bʌɡ/ v. 使烦恼、使困扰
claim /kleɪm/ n. 说法
cite /saɪt/ v. 援引、引用
sustain /səˈsteɪn/ v. 经受、遭受
injury /ˈɪndʒ(ə)ri/ n. （受的）伤
traditional /trəˈdɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 传统的
ladder /ˈlædə(r)/ n. 梯子
force /fɔːs/ v. 迫使
rung /rʌŋ/ n. （梯子的）横档
upstream /ʌpˈstriːm/ adv. 逆流而上
A fish ladder.
The salmon are zipping at an average speed of 35 kilometers per hour, so at least the trip's a quick one. The contraption moves about 50,000 fish every 24 hours, and it's an efficient way to help shift salmon to the upper reaches of rivers where they lay their eggs, Bryant said.
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的、效果好的
shift /ʃɪft/ v. 转移、移动
reach /riːtʃ/ n. （河流的）一段
lay /leɪ/ v. 产（卵）
The company has sold 20 of its salmon cannon systems – which are much cheaper than traditional fish ladders, Bryant says – to government agencies across the United States and Europe. The longest one it has built was more than 500 meters, he said.
agency /ˈeɪdʒ(ə)nsi/ n. 政府机构、政府部门
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