Step by Step 3000 第1册 Unit10:Happy New Year(3)

 　　Part 3. The Time Ball.

　　Keywords. time ball, drop, time signals, tradition.

　　Vocabulary. install, observatory¹, revive, sweep, viable², hoist³,

　　gravity, mechanism⁴, aluminum⁵, flavor, sponsor, Greenwich, Miami, Atlanta.

　　A. Listen to some statements about the time ball, fill in the blankets with what you hear on the tape.

　　The time ball was originally used as a maritime⁶ time-keeper.

　　The Greenwich time ball is said to be the world's first public time signal.

　　The ball is automatically raised halfway⁷ up the mast at 12:55 pm to the top at 12:58 pm, and drops at 1:00pm.

　　Around 150 public time balls are known or reported to have be installed around the world after that at Greenwich in 1833.

　　The U.S Naval⁸ Observatory dropped the first time ball in the United States in 1844.

　　Time balls were used in many cities around the U.S during the 19 century.

　　At the turn of the 20th century, dozens of time balls were being dropped around the world.

　　A few time balls are still ceremonially dropped around the world, ranging from New Zealand to the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

　　B. Listen to a news report about the lowering of the time ball, answer the questions with keywords.

　　In this age of ultra-high technology, many places around the world will mark the start of the new year in an old fashioned way.

　　They will revive an 19th century naval tradition by dropping time balls when 2000 arrives.

　　20 sites on 6 continents will observe a tradition best exemplified by the lowering of lighted time ball in New York city.

　　As the new year sweeps around the world, beginning at the International Date Line, we are going to have the time balls dropping.

　　Steven Dick is a historian at the U.S naval observatory, the institution that maintains the U.S master clock.

　　Everyone is familiar with the time ball in New York's Times Square, but they had a real function in the past.

　　In the 19th century, these were visual time signals which were used to give the time.

　　Mr Dick says the British Navy dropped the first time ball in Portsmouth, England in 1829.

　　The first U.S time ball fell in Washington in 1844.

　　This remained a viable signaling method through much of the 19th century.

　　They were dropped well into the 20th century.

　　At the turn of the century, 100 years ago, there were approximately 2 dozen in the United States that were still in use.

　　Time balls normally fell at noon local time in the United States, and 1:00 pm in Europe, the beginning of the fall marking the exact time.

　　But this year would see them drop at midnight locally.

　　The first time balls, about one and a half meters in diameter, were made of wood and leather and hoisted⁹ manually by rope to drop by gravity.

　　Eventually in several instances, electrical motors or mechanisms¹⁰ using water or air pressure were employed.

　　And in some time, materials changed.

　　The Greenwich ball is now aluminum.

　　For this new year, some time balls have local flavor.

　　"Miami will be raising an orange, I understand Atlanta will drop a peach."

　　Steven Dick said San Francisco is to join the event next year, when the U.S naval observatory again sponsors an international time ball drop to signal what he says is the real start of the millennium¹¹.

　　C. Now listen to a faster presentation of the material, check your answers.

1 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

2 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

3 hoist   

n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起

参考例句：

• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
• Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole,please!请在旗杆上升起中国国旗！

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

6 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

7 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

9 hoisted   

把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
• The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

10 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。