用法学习: 1. 灯泡烧了说法: The bulb's (has) fused! If someone wants me to fix a light that won't turn on, they'd typically point at it and say: That light bulb burned out! That light bulb has blown out! That light bulb has died! That light bulb went out! If you are holding a light bulb that no longer works because the filament is broken you could say: This light bulb is burned out. This light bulb is blown out. This light bulb is dead. The bulb has blown. blow a fuse If you blow a fuse, you suddenly become very angry and are unable to stay calm. [informal] For all my experience, I blew a fuse in the quarter-final and could have been sent off. fry [up] I. [transitive] to cook food in hot oil or fat. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. a. [intransitive] to be cooked in hot oil or fat. the smell of chicken frying in the kitchen. II. [intransitive] informal to get too hot, for example because the sun is very strong. To suffer because of too much heat. You'll fry 烧焦 if you go out in this sun with no sunblock on. Wear a hat or you'll fry 烤糊. III. [intransitive/transitive] American informal to kill or be killed by electrocution, esp in the electric chair. to kill someone officially as a punishment using the electric chair, or to be killed in this way. To be executed by the electric chair. Don't give it too much power, it might fry the servo 烧坏, 烧毁 motor. It might blow the USB cable as well. He's guilty of murder — he's going to fry电死. small fry I. American
very young children. II. people or things that are not important.
people or things that are not considered to be important. Small fry is
used to refer to someone or something that is considered to be
unimportant. What
they owe to the tax people is small fry compared to the overall £1.2
million debt. It's the small fry who are usually the last to get paid. They may be key players in their own company, but they're small fry in the industry itself. 2. shun (ʃʌn ) 躲开, 躲避 If you shun someone or something, you deliberately avoid them or keep away from them. From that time forward everybody shunned him. All his family have tried to shun him after he left Scientology. He has always shunned publicity. This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics. 3. pillage [ˈpɪlɪdʒ] (loot) I. to strip ruthlessly of money or goods by open violence, as in war; plunder: The barbarians pillaged every conquered city. If a group of people pillage a place, they steal property from it using violent methods. Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. ...the boldness to pillage and rape. There were no signs of violence or pillage. ...pillaging by people looking for something to eat. II. to take as booty. He is still only 30, meaning his career of pillaging big money for modest results may not be over yet. dalliance [dæliəns] I. If two people have a brief romantic relationship, you can say that they have a dalliance with each other, especially if they do not take it seriously. a short sexual relationship, especially one involving people who are married to other people. ...my dalliance with a certain footballer. ...sexual dalliances. II. Someone's dalliance with something is a brief involvement with it. a short period of time when someone is involved or interested in something but not in a serious way. ...my brief dalliance with higher education. [+ with] NFL quarterback Sam Bradford has been released by the Arizona Cardinals, continuing his pattern of being paid extraordinary money for doing ... not much. Bradford is a journeyman play-caller in American football, yet now boasts earnings of around $US130 million. For that incredible sum, his teams have played exactly zero playoff games under his watch and his per-game income is mind-boggling. It was an expensive dalliance for the team. 4. Kyle Sandilands: "I've got blood pressure medication and I've got sleep apnea and I'm a fat thing," he revealed. "So I'm getting in the cycle of gasping for breath 喘不上气来, not getting enough oxygen and getting a migraine [ˈmaɪˌɡreɪn](margarine [ˈmɑrdʒərɪn] a stick of butter/margarine phrase. a yellow substance made from vegetable oil or animal fat that can be used instead of butter. migraine: a very bad headache that often makes you unable to bear strong light. He suffers from migraines.)." Sandilands went on to explain that his absence was due to new medication that he was taking which would make him off-kilter as his body adjusted. "I told everyone a couple of weeks ago it will make me funny for a couple of weeks and then they all forgot about that." mouth off British informal to give an opinion or speak emotionally, often without much care or consideration. to talk loudly, excessively, indiscreetly, or impudently. to give your opinions about something in a very annoying way, especially when you are complaining or criticizing something. He's always mouthing off about how terrible he thinks everything is. glass jaw 易受伤, 受不了打击, 受不了批评, 脆弱 boxing informal a jaw that is excessively fragile or susceptible to punches. A fighting vulnerability where one is easily knocked out via a single hard blow to the chin or jaw (due to lack of conditioning, insufficient training or damage from past cerebral concussions). 5. Cage-free eggs: The RSPCA has found consumers are being hoodwinked ( hoodwink 欺骗: to make someone believe something that is not true. If someone hoodwinks you, they trick or deceive you. People expect others to be honest, which is why conmen find it so easy to hoodwink people. Many people are hoodwinked by the so-called beauty industry. ) by a loophole which sees caged eggs used in packaged foods 包装好的商品(in pre-packaged foods) including biscuits and cake-mixes. "It's hypocritical to make a conscious decision to decide from the shelves, to pay a bit more to do the right thing, and then be oblivious to the fact that you're consuming it elsewhere in your life. I was completely ignorant," Ms Sutch said. "It has really struck a chord with me, I won't be risking it anymore, I have two boys – I'm time poor 时间不充裕的, 没有多少时间的, 没有空闲的, but( Money-rich, time-poor 有钱无闲 ( not having enough time to do things: Increasingly, both men and women in the professional middle classes are work-rich and time-poor. ) is an expression which arose in Britain at the end of the 20th century to describe groups of people who, whilst having a high disposable income through well-paid employment, have relatively little leisure time as a result. Time poverty has also been coined as a noun for the phenomenon. Many people accept time poverty as a necessary condition of employment; others have sought to solve the problem through downshifting or through adoption of flexible working arrangements. The problem affects both salaried workers who work long hours even though they might be well compensated as well as hourly low-wage workers who work long hours to earn more money. downshifting 放慢脚步, 享受生活: I. If someone downshifts, they leave a job that is well-paid but stressful for a less demanding job and a more enjoyable way of life. [British] Lynda now sees many of her clients downshifting in search of a new way of living. The latest lifestyle trend is downshifting. Downshifters are being tempted to leave the sophisticated city and go simple. II. If you downshift 减速 while driving, you change to a lower gear. [mainly US] He downshifted and turned the steering wheel. wiki: The term down-shifting in the English language refers to the act of reducing the gear of a motor vehicle while driving a manual transmission. This title or term has now been re purposed and applied to describe a social behavior or trend in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from what critics call the rat race. Down-shifters are people that adopt long-term voluntary simplicity in their lives. A few of the main practices of down-shifters include accepting less money for fewer hours worked, while placing an emphasis on consuming less in order to reduce their ecological footprint. One of the main results of these practices is being able to enjoy more leisure time in the company of others, especially loved ones. rat race 疲于奔命. 为生活而劳碌奔波: A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, to no avail. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is commonly associated with an exhausting, repetitive lifestyle that leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment. ) I am going to start cooking my own cakes and biscuits from now on," she told nine.com.au. There are 10 million hens whose entire lives are spent in a barren wire cage the size of an iPad. With the support of the major supermarkets in the bag, the RSPCA have now turned their attention to major food suppliers as their next big fish to convert. 6. in progress If something is in progress, it has started and is still continuing. The game was already in progress when we took our seats. The diaries are a mixture of confession, work in progress and observation. be in process (比in progress 较少用, 有些人认为in process是错的) if something is in process, it is happening now. There was an armed revolt in process. in the process of = in the course of, in the middle of, in the midst of If you are in the process of doing something, you have started to do it and are still doing it. The administration is in the process of drawing up a peace plan. Her novel is in the process of being turned into a television series. under way = underway = ongoing If an activity is under way, it has already started. If an activity gets under way, it starts. An investigation is underway to find out how the disaster happened. It was a cold evening, winter well underway. The conference gets under way later today with a debate on the family. 6. overdrawn[ˌoʊvərˈdrɔn] 透支 (to overdraw one's account) if you are overdrawn, or if your bank account is overdrawn, you owe your bank money that you have spent when there was no money in your account. I'm overdrawn by more than $200. Nick's bank sent him a letter saying he was £100 overdrawn. Talk to the bank before you go overdrawn. overdraft 透支额度, 透支数额: the amount of money that someone owes their bank when they have spent more money than they had in their account. II. an amount your bank allows you to borrow when you have no money left in your account. If you have an overdraft, you have spent more money than you have in your bank account, and so you are in debt to the bank. When I left Cambridge I had a £600 overdraft. Her bank warned that unless she repaid the overdraft she could face legal action. Banks typically charge a one-time fee for each overdraft paid. A bank may also charge a recurring daily fee for each day during which the account has a negative balance. Critics argue that because funds are advanced to a consumer and repayment is expected, that bounce protection is a type of loan. Overdrawn fee (also referred to as Honour fee) — if a payment or withdrawal would mean your account is overdrawn and you and the debit both satisfy ANZ's criteria for the Informal Overdraft Facility, ANZ will allow the payment to be processed using the Informal Overdraft Facility. 7. billing 排名顺序(first billing 排在第一, 第一作者) I. the relative importance of a performer or act as reflected in the prominence given in programmes, advertisements, etc. II. public notice or advertising (esp in the phrase advance billing). Billing is the order in which people are listed in the credits. So a cast overview giving the first billed is going to give you the first people listed in the credits and then cut off at some point, usually after covering the major stars/characters. However, if people are billed in alphabetical order in the credits and the cast overview stops at the c's or d's, then the major stars may not be listed in that overview if their names come after the overview cuts off. top billing I. prominent emphasis, featuring, or advertising. II. the position at the top of a theatrical bill usually featuring the star's name. 8. beef jerky 牛肉干: Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed. The word "jerky" is derived from the Quechua word ch'arki which means "dried, salted meat". All that is needed to produce basic "jerky" is a low-temperature drying method, and salt to inhibit bacterial growth. Biltong 南非牛肉干 is a form of dried, cured meat that originated in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Various types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef and game meats to fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle, or flat pieces sliced across the grain. It is related to beef jerky in that they are both spiced, dried meats; however, the typical ingredients, taste and production processes may differ. The word biltong is from the Dutch bil ("buttock”") and tong ("strip" or "tongue"). 9. could go for something 想要... I could/would go for something spoken used to say that you would like to do or have something A full meal for less than five bucks! I could go for that! I could really go for a taco right now. the same goes for somebody/something (also that goes for somebody/something too) spoken used to say that a statement you have just made is true about someone or something else too Close all doors and lock them when you go out. The same goes for windows. go for 选择 I. British English to choose something I think I’ll go for the chocolate cake. II. British English to attack or criticize someone The dog suddenly went for me. III. informal to like a particular type of person or thing Annie tends to go for older men. go for broke 堵上一切 I. To wager everything. II. (idiomatic) To try everything possible or do every last thing possible in a final attempt. to risk everything in the hope of having great success.10. living evidence/proof: In the simplest terms, proof is conclusive but evidence isn't. Evidence is more of a suggestion. I should want not merely to see the outline of her face, so that I could cherish it in my memory, but to study that face and find in it the living evidence of the sympathetic tenderness and patience with which she accomplished the difficult task of my education. Proof is conclusive (I definitely know, 100% for sure, that she had sympathetic tenderness and patience). Evidence gives reason to believe that something is true, but is not conclusive (From what I see in her face, I believe that she had sympathetic tenderness and patience). 12. drink throw 泼水, 泼饮料. throw a drink in one's face. Drink-slapping—colloquially known as "throwing a drink in someone's face"—is an act that may seem exclusive to the fantasy world of the Hollywood screen and the even more fantastical realm of reality television. The first drinks hurled in ire, which graced the screens of Old Hollywood, were typically tossed by women and targeted at men; with the advent of reality TV, however, it's become somewhat more of an equal opportunity maneuver. 13. 机场建设: It's hard to believe that construction only started in 2015. It always makes me wonder how the Turkish can construct an airport of this scale in the space of 4 years 花...时间, 用...的时间 yet it takes us 8 years to build one a fraction of the size at Badgery's Creek. 争议: As her colleague Kyle Sandilands has been battered and bruised from countless controversies, bans and scandals over the years, Henderson's image always manages to remain relatively unscathed, despite being by his side through most of it. Henderson has previously made a joke about her alleged marital woes on air. It's part of the daily fodder of controversy 爆料, 猛料, 谈资, 每天的必备笑料 ( Naturally, this frustrating situation provides fuel 提供了无尽的笑料和资源 (fodder) for comedy. ) dished up on her breakfast show, from her jealous outbursts over sexy Brazilian nannies, to Swedish cleaners in hotpants vying for her husband's attention. frisky (frisk search) 精力旺盛的, 活泼异常的, 活蹦乱跳的 (of a person or an animal) liking to play or full of activity. feeling lively and full of fun.: He had his hands full, with three frisky kittens in the house. It's a beautiful horse but a bit too frisky for an inexperienced rider. II. feeling that you want to have sex. 14. on all/several/both etc counts 在每一方面, 每一点上 in every way, in several ways etc It was important that they secured a large and widespread audience. They failed on both counts. "BA's customer service was disgusting, absolutely abhorrent," said the mother-of-four. "The passengers were treated inhumanely, all we wanted was some food and drink, somewhere to sleep and to be kept informed - and they failed on all counts 在哪一方面 no matter what they claim." by/from all accounts = according to all accounts According to the information or reports that are available or from what people are saying. By all accounts the party was a great success. They spent a fortune on their cruise, according to all accounts. I don't know how we survived that plane crash; by all accounts, we should be dead right now! By all accounts, this film is the best one of the year! on one's own account = on one's own hook/initiative 自愿的, 根据自己的意志(at will), 根据自己的意愿, 为了自己, 自己主动, 为了我, 因为我, 以我的名义 If you take part in a business activity on your own account, you do it for yourself, and not as a representative or employee of a company. For oneself; also, by one's own efforts. Few things impress employers more than implementing business solutions on your own account. I just think Jennifer needs to do things on her own account more, instead of waiting to see what her boyfriend wants to do all the time. She had plans to set up in business on her own account. "I guess I'll go, then." Melman不服输"Don't bother", Gloria说"Don't get up on my account. 不用送我, 不用为了我起身相送了." at will 看自己方便, 随自己意 If you can do something at will, you can do it when you want and as much as you want. at one's own desire, inclination, or choice. at any time that you want or choose. Children were allowed to enter and leave at will 随便的, 随意的, 随心所欲的. ...scientists who can adjust their experiments at will. 14. tannoy [ˈtanɔɪ] (in AM, use public address system. PA system) n. a type of public address system. a brand name for a system of equipment that is used for making speech loud enough for a large number of people to hear, especially in order to give information. v. transmit or announce over a tannoy. "the news was tannoyed one afternoon". raucous [ˈrɔkəs] I. rude, noisy, and violent. a raucous gang of teenagers. II. a raucous voice or noise is loud and sounds rough. Raucous laughter came from inside. They heard a bottle being smashed, then more raucous laughter. ...the raucous cries of the sea-birds. ...a raucous crowd of 25,000 delirious fans. Ninety minutes later on Saturday Night Live, Davidson made his own statement during the show's 'Weekend Update' segment, concluding his raucous guest spot by saying, "I know some of you are curious about the breakup, but the truth is, it's nobody's business. Sometimes things just don't work out and that's okay. She's a wonderful, strong person and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world. Now please go vote on Tuesday, alright?" 15. decorate I. If you decorate something, you make it more attractive by adding things to it. He decorated his room with pictures of all his favorite sports figures. Use shells to decorate boxes, trays, mirrors or even pots. II. If you decorate a room or the inside of a building, you put new paint or wallpaper on the walls and ceiling, and paint the woodwork. We decorated the guest bedroom in shades of white and cream. The boys are planning to decorate when they get the time. I had the flat decorated quickly so that Philippa could move in. ...a small, badly decorated office. III. to reward or honour a person by giving them something, especially a medal. If someone is decorated, they are given a medal or other honour as an official reward for something that they have done. He was decorated for bravery in battle. They were decorated for their part in the rescue. Getting dumped by your pop star girlfriend is no excuse for lashing out at a decorated war hero who lost his eye serving our country. mean-spirited 不怀好意的, 恶意的 inconsiderate and unsympathetic. characterized by or displaying a propensity to be mean; selfish, malicious, etc. Washington is a mean-spirited town. He's an egotistical, mean-spirited, abusive man.
Big Bang Theory: 1. When the Ranger mission finally had a successful launch, there were peanuts in the room. Ever since then, they have them at every launch. That sounds like a silly superstition. It's more of a tradition. Oh! I do love a tradition. Could you pull over 停一下 at the next peanut store? I don't think that's a real thing. Oh, don't be pedantic 死扣细节的, 死扣字眼的, 循规蹈矩(If you think someone is pedantic, you mean that they are too concerned with unimportant details or traditional rules, especially in connection with academic subjects. [disapproval] His lecture was so pedantic and uninteresting.). Any nut store will do. I don't think we can get peanuts out here. Ah, well, then this whole day's ruined. Now that I think about it, maybe it is more of a superstition. Whew! That was close. 2. Got a lot on my mind. Would you like to talk about it? Not really. Grape Nuts for breakfast, quiet car ride, things are really breaking my way 顺利, 符合我的意愿 today( break one's way: used most often in sports. We talk about a ball or puck "breaking" a particular way, and in that case it means "change direction." So what Sheldon is implying is that things have not been going their way, but the fact that he has the correct amount of money is a sign that circumstances have changed and are now in their favor. Sheldon: Well, it better not be more than a thousand dollars; that's all I've got on me. Guy: That's exactly how much it is. Sheldon: Finally, something breaks our way. make one's way When you make your way somewhere, you walk or travel there. He made his way to the marketplace, as he had been instructed to do. He made his way home at last. break (one's) fall 接住某人 To interrupt, prevent, or soften one's fall, either physically or figuratively. Interrupt a tumble or descent. It's a long way down over this cliff, with nothing to break your fall. She stumbled off the balcony, but luckily, a hedge below her broke her fall. Be careful not to alienate your friends as you climb to the top of the company, because if things don't work out, you'll have no one there to break your fall.). It's just Penny hit me with some pretty big news and it's a lot to process. And you'd like to do that quietly. I respect that. 3. I wanted to look my best for our date, and I made a series of bad decisions one of which is hidden by my pants. Wow. (laughs) Do you still want to go out with me? Absolutely. Hey, maybe we can go find Nemo together. That's a good one. (clears throat) Do your 63 other crayon friends know you're out? Are you just gonna make fun of me all night? Probably. Great. So what are we thinking 想吃什么, Chinese? Yeah, I'm in the mood for orange chicken. 4. Turns out, when Amy took over Penny's apartment, she was put on the lease, not you. PENNY: Yeah, and when I moved across the hall, you got taken off the lease and I got added. Well, what are you saying? That Sheldon's not technically a tenant at all and therefore, has no standing to be president of the tenants association no matter who votes for him? I don't know how you found that out, but I am guessing all on your own. So, looks like we need to figure out who the new president should be. I nominate myself. I second it. Huh. Well, as a woman in love, I want to stand by my man. Too bad that's been rendered bureaucratically impossible. Well, this is hard for me because I do love a legal technicality 法律条文细节( I. The technicalities of a process or activity are the detailed methods used to do it or to carry it out. ...the technicalities of classroom teaching. [+ of] II. A technicality is a point, especially a legal one, that is based on a strict interpretation of the law or of a set of rules. The earlier verdict was overturned on a legal technicality 法律条文.) and this is a good one. Although, not quite as good as the provision in California law, which states a person who occupies a dwelling for 30 consecutive days becomes a tenant at will and as such I vote for Leonard! You What? I'm sorry, Sheldon. With minimal power comes minimal responsibility, and you couldn't handle it. Don't you misquote Spider-Man to me. It's not your fault. I mean, what man wouldn't be seduced by the power to decide how late the laundry room stays open? Wait, you're the reason I had to come back and get my jeans the next morning? I can't believe you expect me to give that up. Sheldon, it's the American way, the peaceful transfer of power. I don't know. Think about Ant-Man. I'm always thinking about Ant-Man. Michael Douglas had the suit and then he passed it on to Paul Rudd. Maybe you're right. Really? The Ant-Man thing? That's what won you over? Yes. He got the details right. That's how you use a superhero. Mm. I suppose it is time I passed this on to Leonard. I know that's hard for you. Well, it was. But you know what? Instead of being in charge, I can now be the vocal opposition, criticizing and badgering the president at every turn 每一个机会, 一有机会. I think you'll be really good at that. 5. What are you doing? Leonard and Penny are trying to turn the tenants against me, so they are about to see just what kind of power the president of the tenants association wields. €œYou must be at least this tall to use washing machine€? I'm gonna hang it up higher than Leonard. And then his clothes will smell. And nobody's voting for a man with smelly clothes. No, not when there's a perfectly unscented incumbent on the ballot. Sheldon, I have an advanced degree in the study of the human brain, so if my fiance is a raving lunatic, it's kind of a ding on my reputation 名声的污点, 名誉损失(ding a small dent on the surface of something, especially a car. ). If leaders just stepped aside every time they didn't have the consent of the governed, what would we have? Democracy. Not on my watch. 6. That's Cynthia. Wha so, she's a customer? Yeah, yeah, but I haven't seen her in a while. And before you say anything, there is a lot of reasons women stop coming here. It's not just me. But this time It was me. Yeah. I was trying out a flirty new smile. Now, I don't use the word 'ghoulish' (ghoulish [gu:lɪʃ ] 阴森恐怖的 I. Ghoulish people and things show an unnatural interest in things such as human suffering, death, or dead bodies. morbidly interested in death or disaster. "she told the story with ghoulish relish". They are there only to satisfy their ghoulish curiosity. ...the ghoulish modern passion for torture. II. Something that is ghoulish looks or behaves like a ghoul. ...the ghoulish apparitions at the window. ghoul [guːl] 恶魔, 吃人恶魔 I. A ghoul is an imaginary evil spirit. Ghouls are said to steal bodies from graves and eat them. II. If you describe someone as a ghoul, you mean that they show an unnatural interest in things such as human suffering, death, or dead bodies. wiki: A ghoul, is a demon or monster originating in pre-Islamic Arabian religion associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. In modern fiction, the term has often been used for a certain kind of undead monster. By extension, the word ghoul is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who delights in the macabre, or whose profession 职业, 工作 is linked directly to death, such as a gravedigger or graverobber. Goulash [ˈɡuˌlɑʃ] 匈牙利炖牛肉 is a stew of meat, usually seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating from the medieval Hungary, goulash is a popular meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. macabre 阴森森的, 吓人的, 气氛诡异的: You describe something such as an event or story as macabre when it is strange and horrible or upsetting, usually because it involves death or injury. Police have made a macabre discovery. Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'. Wiki: In works of art, macabre (US: [məˈkɑːb] mə-KAHB or UK: [məˈkɑːbrə]) is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere 气氛阴森森的. The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in nature. ) a lot, but I just can't think of another word. Wait, do you know how to find her? Yeah. I think I have her address on my mailing list. 7. Look, there are a bunch of other tenants in this building. All you need is for one of them to vote your way, and then Sheldon's out and I didn't betray him. Hey, you know, that's actually a good plan. That you came up with all by yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me, told Sheldon I was going to the market, so I'm taking some of your stuff. I was never here. Sometimes you don't see it 'cause she's next to Sheldon, but she's pretty weird. 8. It's bad enough I had to give in to my urge to create a rigid schedule. You know, why don't I just go down to the food truck and ask them to move? Why are you taking cash? No reason. Oh, this is the life. What could be better than this 还有什么比这个更好的? If you weren't wearing one of my swimsuits. I'll give it back. (chuckles) You know the rule -- once it touches hiney, it's no longer miney. You're such a prude(brood I. A brood is a group of baby birds that were born at the same time to the same mother. II. You can refer to someone's young children as their brood when you want to emphasize that there are a lot of them. [emphasis] ...a large brood of children. [+ of] III. If someone broods over something, they think about it a lot, seriously and often unhappily. I guess everyone broods over things once in a while. [V over/on/about n] She constantly broods about her family. [V + over/on/about] I continued to brood. Would he always be like this? ).
Peanuts: The Traditional Space Launch Snack - Next to the Deep Space Network's main control room at JPL is the aptly named Mission Supply Area. It's an area used for major mission events like launches, landings, and orbit insertion burns, and if you go there on a tour someone will offer you peanuts. It's tradition, a tradition that gained a lot of popularity when the world watched engineers eating peanuts during Curiosity's 2012 landing on Mars. There's even a cardboard cutout of NASA's very own mohawk guy, Bobak Ferdowsi, behind the glass-encased bottle of peanuts that was in the room that night! But the tradition is far older. It dates back to 1964 when America was desperate for a successful lunar mission. Before sending men to the Moon, NASA had to figure out what exactly it would be dealing with when it got there. Thus was born the Ranger program, the first program to study the Moon up close and in detail. Management of the program fell to JPL since this was the centre with robotic experience; Explorer 1, America's first satellite, was a JPL success story. Ranger 2 followed in Ranger 1's footsteps at 3:12 am on the morning of November 18. This time engineers didn't even have the silver lining of a good spacecraft; nothing on this mission was working. Ranger 2's orbit decayed and it fell back to Earth two days later. Nevertheless 尽管如此, JPL engineers pressed on with more ambitious missions. With three consecutive failures, the press was starting to publicly doubt that JPL could get to the Moon. NASA was questioning management 管理团队 behind the Ranger program, but there were still more planned launches, which were more chances for the program to succeed. This fifth failure was the first nail in Ranger's coffin. The last four missions were cancelled and those that remained, Rangers 6 through 9, were simplified. These Block III incarnations of the Ranger spacecraft had no science goals. Their only purpose was to transmit high-resolution images of the Moon before impacting the surface. To the end ( to this end 为了这个目的, 为了达到这个目的 in order to achieve a particular aim He wanted to discuss his position, and arranged a meeting to this end. to what end For what purpose We will never know to what ends he was working. To what end are you spending so much time reading the newspaper? They put so much effort into it, but to what end? to the bitter end 直到撞南墙 If you say that you will continue doing something to the bitter end, especially something difficult or unpleasant, you are emphasizing that you will continue doing it until it is completely finished. [emphasis] The guerrillas would fight to the bitter end, he said, in order to achieve their main goal.), these missions had an all camera payload: six television vidicon cameras, 2 full-scan cameras, and 4 partial scan cameras. The cameras were divided into separate channels with separate power sources, timers, and transmitters to reduce potential failures. Ranger 6 launched towards the Sea of Tranquility at 10:49 in the morning on Thursday, January 30, 1964. The Atlas performed flawlessly and the Agena sent the spacecraft hurtling towards the moon. A mid-course correction trimmed the flight path and put Ranger 6 on a perfect course for its target. There was only one malfunction on this mission and it came from the onboard RCA TV camera. After six consecutive failures, morale was at an all-time low. There was talk that JPL should be shut down, that a university-affiliated centre couldn't handle a rigorous spaceflight program. Higher-ups 高层 at NASA were considering replacing the whole program management since the problems had to be originating somewhere. Others were certain the problems dogging 摆脱不掉的 Ranger were nothing short of sabotage. When a worker found a small polyethylene bag with 14 screws and a lock washer in one of the sealed electronic modules in Ranger 7's the television subsystem it seemed to confirm fears that people were going to great lengths to have Ranger fail. It was through this cloud of doubt and anxiety that Ranger 7 launched towards the Sea of Clouds on July 28, 1964. Seeking to help his team relax a little, mission manager Harris Schurmeier handed out peanuts. It was an arbitrary choice. He figured that chewing on something or just fidgeting with them on the table would give his team something else to focus on. Everyone knew that another failure might kill Ranger and JPL. Distraction was key. With peanuts on desks and in hands, engineers watched as telemetry ([tɪˈlɛmɪtri] the process of recording and transmitting the readings of an instrument. "measurements will be transferred by radio telemetry to the shore station". Telemetry is an automated communications process by which measurements and other data are collected at remote or inaccessible points and transmitted to receiving equipment for monitoring.) from the spacecraft came back. Everything was working perfectly, the mission was right on target, but given past experiences, the team figured the mission had a 50-50 chance of succeeded when they went home for the night. The next morning, mission scientists sent a command for a mid-course correction. The burn was executed perfectly. Engineers changed their odds of success to 80-20. The gathered crowd sat behind rows of tense engineers with eyes locked on to consoles. Ranger 7's telemetry still looked good, and it only had to stay good for another 20 minutes. The lunar impact 冲击 was imminent. Data came back that the cameras had turned on and were warming up. Then JPL got a strong signal from all six on board. At 6:25 am, the hum of Ranger 7's telemetry stopped. The spacecraft had impacted the Moon right on target, and the images started trickling in. The silence was immediately replaced by applause as visitors and engineers alike realized they had just captured the first ever close-up images of the Moon's surface. The stunning success of Ranger 7 had nothing to do with peanuts, but it's been a tradition for the legume ( [ˈleˌɡjum] [ləˈɡjum] a seed such as a pea or bean that grows in a pod. ) to be on hand for every major mission event — launches, landings, and orbit insertion burns. Superstitions and rituals of all sorts permeate 弥漫 ( [ˈpɜː(r)mieɪt] I. [transitive] if an attitude or feeling permeates something, you can feel or see its influence clearly in every part of that thing. A sense of deep loss permeates Frost's poetry. II. [intransitive/transitive] if gas, liquid, or a smell permeates something, it spreads into and through every part of it. The unpleasant odour permeated every room. permeate through/into: Water had permeated into the old walls. ) through various space agencies, from jars of peanuts to urinating on bus tyres. Both the Russians and Americans have a number of rituals they perform for launches and during missions that range from the quite normal to the bizarre. For example, the fear of the number 13 - known as Triskaidekaphobia - may seem unusual and irrational for someone involved in space travel. On 12 April 1961 it's alleged that Soviet Yuri Gagarin, who would become the first man in space, stopped to 'relieve' himself on the tyre of the bus taking him to the launchpad. Of course back then it was done out of necessity - modern spacesuits and pressure suits are equipped with nappies to prevent making such a task necessary. But it is now traditional for male Russian cosmonauts to urinate on the tyre of the bus taking them to the launchpad whenever they launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, just as Gagarin did all those years ago. Female cosmonauts aren't obliged to participate, but they have been known to bring along urine in vials to splash on the tyre.
