听播客学英语 230 硬件

 　　You are listening to this podcast on a computer, or perhaps you have downloaded it from a computer to an MP3 player. So I am sure that you know what the words “hardware” and “software” mean.

　　“Hardware” means the computer itself and other machines which are connected to the computer such as printers or external disk drives. “Software” means the electronic programmes which make the computer do what you want it to do (or, sometimes, what the computer wants to do!)

　　But the word “hardware” has an older meaning from before the days of computers. To explain what it means, I walked to the end of my road, to my local hardware shop. Walid, who owns the shop, kindly¹ agreed that I might take some photographs. I have put these on the website. And now to test your English vocabulary. Hardware means nails, screws, hooks and rope; it means tools such as saws, hammers, and screwdrivers²; it means paint, polish and cleaners to make your house shine; it means plugs, wires, bulbs and fuses for electrical equipment; it means brushes, cloths and mops to keep your house clean; it means pans, sieves³, colanders⁴ and baking trays for your kitchen: it means forks, trowels, hoes, seeds and compost for your garden. Walid’s hardware shop contains all these and much more. It may look a bit chaotic⁵ to you, but I can assure you that he knows exactly where everything is.

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 screwdrivers   

n.螺丝刀( screwdriver的名词复数 )；螺丝起子；改锥；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒

参考例句：

• No, I have everything: hammer, screwdrivers, all that stuff. 不用了，我什么都有了：锤子、螺丝刀，全套家伙。 来自休闲英语会话
• Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers. 每年有58个澳洲佬因使用锋利的刀子来代替螺丝刀而受伤。 来自互联网

3 sieves   

筛，漏勺( sieve的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This thesis emphasized on the preparation of mesoporous molecular sieves MSU. 中孔分子筛MSU是当今认为在稳定性方面很有发展前途的一种催化新材料。
• The mesoporous silica molecular sieves Zr-MCM-41 were synthesized in ethylenediamine. 以乙二胺为碱性介质合成了Zr-MCM-41介孔分子筛。

4 colanders   

n.滤锅，漏勺( colander的名词复数 )

参考例句：

5 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。