托福听力短文 I-08-1

(woman) Word comes from California of a new weapon in the war on household pests. Two scientists working for a firm in Anaheim, California, have developed a method to eliminate insects without using dangerous chemicals. The new poison? Hot air.

The basic idea is that insects cannot adjust to temperatures much above normal. In laboratory experiments, cockroaches¹ and termites² can't survive much more than a quarter of an hour at 125 degrees Fahrenheit³, or about 50 degrees centigrade.

The new method involves covering a house with a huge tent and filling it with air heated to around 65 degrees centigrade. Hot air is forced in with fans, and the tent keeps the heat inside the house. Since termites try to escape by hiding in wooden beams, the heat treatment must be continued for a full six hours. But when it's all over, and the insects are dead, there are no toxic⁴ residues⁵ to endanger humans or pets, and no funny smells.

Scientists claim that there is no danger of fire, either, since very few household materials will burn at 65 degrees centigrade. In fact, wood is prepared for construction use by drying it in ovens at 80 degree centigrade, which is substantially hotter than the air used in this procedure.

1 cockroaches   

n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句
• It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

2 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

3 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 residues   

n.剩余，余渣( residue的名词复数 )；剩余财产；剩数

参考例句：

• pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables 残留在水果和蔬菜中的杀虫剂
• All organic and metallic residues on the wafers must be removed. 片子上所有的有机和金属残留物均必须清除。 来自辞典例句