Part I
Professor: Hi, everyone. Good to see you all today. Actually, I expected the population to be a lot lower today. It typically runs between 50 and 60 percent on the day the research paper is due. Um, I was hoping to have your exams back today, but, uh, the situation was that I went away for the weekend, and I was supposed to get in yesterday at five, and I expected to fully complete all the exams by midnight or so, which is the time that I usually go to bed, but my flight was delayed, and I ended up not getting in until one o'clock in the morning. Anyway, I'll do my best to have them finished by the next time we meet.
说实话，我以为今天来的人会少很多，因为通常在该交论文的这一天，来上课的人数大概在 50% 到 60% 之间。
1. run|rʌn|
verb. to be at or near a particular level 达到，接近（某程度）
E.g.: Inflation was running at 26%.
通货膨胀达到了26%。
2. get in
to arrive at a place 到达
E.g.: The train got in late.
火车晚点到达。
Part II
OK. In the last class, we started talking about useful plant fibers. In particular, we talked about cotton fibers, which we said were very useful, not only in the textile industry, but also in the chemical industry, and in the production of many products, such as plastics, paper, explosives, and so on. Today we'll continue talking about useful fibers, and we'll begin with a fiber that's commonly known as “Manila hemp.”
Now, for some strange reason, many people believe that Manila hemp is a hemp plant. But Manila hemp is not really hemp. It's actually a member of the banana family—it even bearslittle banana-shaped fruits. The “Manila” part of the name makes sense, because Manila hemp is produced chiefly in the Philippine Islands and, of course, the capital city of the Philippines is Manila.
名字里的“马尼拉”部分是有道理的，因为马尼拉麻主要产自于菲律宾群岛，显然，菲律宾的首都就叫马尼拉。
1. fiber|ˈfaɪbə(r)|
noun. one of the many thin threads that form body tissue , such as muscle, and natural materials, such as wood and cotton （人或动物身体组织及天然物质的）纤维
E.g.: (literary)She loved him with every fibre of her being.
她一心一意地爱他。
2. textile|ˈtekstaɪl|
noun. any type of cloth made by weaving or knitting 纺织品
E.g.: They import fine silk textiles from China.
他们从中国进口上好的丝绸织品。
3. bear |beə(r)|
verb. (formal) to produce flowers or fruit 开（花）；结（果实）
E.g.: As the plants grow and start to bear fruit they will need a lot of water.
当植物生长并开始结果的时候，它们需要大量的水。
4. chiefly |ˈtʃi:fli|
adv. not completely, but as a most important part 主要地；首要地
E.g.: We are chiefly concerned with improving educational standards.
我们主要关心的是提高教育水平。
Part III
Now, as fibers go, Manila hemp fibers are very long. They can easily be several feet in length and they're also very strong, very flexible. They have one more characteristic that's very important, and that is that they are exceptionally resistant to salt water. And this combination of characteristics—long, strong, flexible, resistant to salt water—makes Manila hemp a great material for ropes, especially for ropes that are gonna be used on ocean-going ships. In fact, by the early 1940's, even though steel cables were available, most ships in the United States Navy were not moored with steel cables; they were moored with Manila hemp ropes.
这种长、结实、柔韧、耐盐水等特性的组合使马尼拉麻成为一种很好的绳索材料，尤其是应用于远洋轮船的绳索。
1. as people, things, etc. go
in comparison with the average person, thing, etc. 和一般人（或事物等）相比
E.g.: As teachers go, he's not bad.
和一般教师相比，他是不错的。
2. resistant|rɪˈzɪstənt|
adj. not affected by sth; able to resist sth 有抵抗力的;不受…损害的
E.g.: Microfibre fabrics are both water resistant and windproof.
微纤维织物既防水又防风。
3. moor|mɔ:(r)|
verb. to attach a boat, ship, etc. to a fixed object or to the land with a rope, or anchor it （使）停泊；系泊
E.g.: We moored off the north coast of the island.
我们停泊在岛的北部岸边。
Part IV
Now, why was that? Well, the main reason was that steel cables degrade very, very quickly in contact with salt water. If you've ever been to San Francisco, you know that the Golden Gate Bridge is red. And it's red because of the zinc paint that goeson those stainless steel cables. That, if they start at one end of the bridge and they work to the other end, by the time they finish, it's already time to go back and start painting the beginning of the bridge again, because the bridge was built with steel cables, and steel cables can't take the salt air unless they're treated repeatedly with a zinc-based paint.
On the other hand, plant products like Manila hemp, you can drag through the ocean for weeks on end. If you wanna tie your anchor to it and drop it right into the ocean, that's no problem, because plant fibers can stand up for months, even years, in direct contact with salt water.
也就是说，如果工人从桥的一端开始粉刷到桥的另一端，等到他们刷完，已经是时候再回到桥的起点重新开始再粉刷一遍了，因为这座桥是用钢缆建造的，除非用锌基涂料不断反复处理，否则那些钢缆事承受不住含盐的空气的。
1. degrade|dɪˈgreɪd|
verb. (technical) to change or make sth change to a simpler chemical form （使）退化，降解；分解
E.g.: This substance degrades rapidly in the soil.
这种物质在土壤里会迅速降解。
2. go|gəʊ|
verb. to have as a usual or correct position; to be placed 被放置，被置于，被安放（在通常或合适的位置）
E.g.: This dictionary goes on the top shelf.
这部词典放在书架最上层。
3. take|teɪk|
verb. (not usually used in the progressive tenses 通常不用于进行时) to experience or be affected by sth 遭受；经受；承受
E.g.: The school took the full force of the explosion.
爆炸的全部破坏力都集中在这所学校。
4. treat|tri:t|
verb. to use a chemical substance or process to clean, protect, preserve, etc. sth （利用化学物质或反应）处理，保护，保存
E.g.: to treat crops with insecticide
给庄稼喷洒杀虫剂
5. on end
for the stated length of time, without stopping 连续地；不断地
E.g.: He would disappear for weeks on end.
他常常是连续几周不见人影。
6. stand up to sth
(of materials, products, etc.) to remain in good condition despite rough treatment 能承受，经受得住，耐（…）
E.g.: The carpet is designed to stand up to a lot of wear and tear.
这种地毯设计得十分耐用，耐磨又耐撕。
Part V
OK. So how do you take plant fibers that individually you could break with your hands and turn them into a rope that's strong enough to moor a ship that weighs thousands of tons? Well, what you do is you extract these long fibers from the Manila hemp plant, and then you take several of these fibers, and you group them into a bundle, because by grouping the fibers you greatly increase their breaking strength—that bundle of fibers is much stronger than any of the individual fibers that compose it.
And then you take that bundle of fibers and you twist it a little bit, because by twisting it, you increase its breaking strength even more. And then you take several of these little bundles, and you group and twist them into bigger bundles, which you then group and twist into even bigger bundles, and so on, until eventually, you end up with a very, very strong rope.
那么如何能将可以用手扯断的一根根的植物纤维变成一条强度足以系泊一艘重达数千吨船只的绳子？
1. extract |ˈekstrækt|
verb. (formal,or technical) to take or pull sth out, especially when this needs force or effort （用力）取出，拔出
E.g.: The dentist may decide that the wisdom teeth need to be extracted.
牙医可能会认为智齿需要拔掉。
2. group|gru:p|
verb. to gather into a group; to make sb/sth form a group （使）成群，成组，聚集
E.g.: The children grouped themselves around their teacher.
孩子们聚集在老师周围。
3. breaking strength
breaking strength is the ability of a material to withstand a pulling or tensile force. 断裂强度是材料承受拉力或张力的能力。
E.g.: The breaking strength and elongation decreased as the degree of oxidation of cotton fiber increased.
氧化棉纤维的断裂强度和断裂伸长率随氧化程度的提高不断降低。
4. compose|kəmˈpəʊz|
verb. (not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时) [无被动态](formal) to combine together to form a whole 组成，构成（一个整体）
E.g.: Ten men compose the committee.
委员会由十人组成。
10个月宝宝每天需要喝多少奶粉？
