英语听力：自然百科 地球力场 Earth's Force Field—16

 During its magnetic cycle, the Sun undergoes periodic changes in activity. Every 11 years, it enters solar maximum.

 

 

 

“This 11 years cycle of solar activity has peaks where there’s lots of solar storms. And right now where the sun is taking a little nappy, but in about 4 years it will head back for solar max, big storms, big disruptions.”

 

 

 

In 2012, the Sun's Activity will peak. For 3 years, the built-up / magnetic energy will generate dark sunspots and increase in solar flares¹, and hurricane-force solar winds.

 

 

 

“Almost every solar max, there are satellites that are killed. The last solar max destabilized the North American power grid² and caused massive blackouts during one of the storms. These are not small storms inconsequential.” 

 

 

 

Earth's magnetic field continues to weaken. Soon this intense solar bombardment could kill more than just power.

 

 

 

The imminent³ field reversal will have a radical⁴ effect on human civilization. But it will also threaten the survival of a number of species. 

 

 

 

Dr. Richard Holland has discovered that as well as using sonar, bats use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate⁵. Holland wants to know how their navigation will be affected⁶ by a reversal of polarity.

 

 

 

“We catch bats here in this barn at the Princeton University field station and we subject them to a manipulation of the Earth's magnetic field, or perhaps we’ve just ripped the sensory⁷ cells that might be responsible for the detection of the Earth's magnetic field by bats.” 

 

 

 

Holland places individual bats inside this coil. It delivers a very short harmless magnetic pulse which scrambles⁸ their internal compass. 

 

 

 

“And pulse as goes to poles, so he's been magnetized, hopefully that should reverse the polarity of the magnetite in the sensory cell, and now we are going to get out there, release him, so we…

1 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

3 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

8 scrambles   

n.抢夺( scramble的名词复数 )v.快速爬行( scramble的第三人称单数 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• The breaking of symmetry scrambles the underlying order of nature. 对称性的破坏会打乱自然界的根本秩序。 来自互联网
• The move comes as Japan scrambles for ways to persuade women to have more babies. 这一行动的出现正值日本政府想尽各种办法鼓励妇女多生育孩子。 来自互联网