VOA标准英语2011--Smart Turkeys 'Pop' When They're Cooked

Smart Turkeys 'Pop' When They're Cooked

 

You’ve heard of “smart phones,” but what about smart turkeys?

First of all, it’s a myth that turkeys are so dumb that they actually drown if they look upward with their beaks¹ open during a rainstorm. In the wild, they’re fast, sociable² and smart enough to hide from most humans.

But the really smart turkeys are dead and plucked, unfortunately. They’re the ones more than 45 million Americans will be roasting for Thanksgiving. And the people who roast them don’t have to rely on guesswork and experience - or even juice-splattered meat thermometers - to determine when the golden-brown bird is done.

That’s because of a little pop-up bird timer, perfected by Tony Volk, a California turkey farmer, half a century ago.

Others actually beat him to the idea of a spring-loaded plastic sensor³ that you’d stick into the thigh⁴ of the bird before shoving it in the oven. A little metallic⁵ bead⁶ deep in the device held a spring in place, and the soft metal was supposed to liquefy when Tom Turkey reached 82 degrees Celsius⁷ - the temperature when fowl⁸ is safe to eat. This would free the spring, and up would pop a plunger to announce the bird was ready.

The heirs of the turkey farmer who perfected the spring-loaded plastic sensor, which signals when the bird is cooked, sell more than 100 million of the timers annually9.

But early versions had problems with weak springs that would clog¹⁰ with the honey and barbecue sauce people used to baste¹¹ their birds. So the plunger wouldn’t pop, birds came out overdone¹² and dry, and many a Thanksgiving was ruined.

Volk put a stronger spring in the contraption, combined materials to make a better triggering bead, and made sure it would not melt until the bird came within a half-degree of 82 degrees.

Originally, he and his family assembled each pop-up timer by hand around a kitchen table. Now, machines do it in a big California factory. Volk’s heirs sell more than 100 million poultry¹³ timers annually. That makes for a lot of smart turkeys, or turkey lovers, this Thanksgiving.

1 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

2 sociable   

adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的

参考例句：

• Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
• Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。

3 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

4 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

5 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

6 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

9 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

10 clog   

vt.塞满，阻塞；n.[常pl.]木屐

参考例句：

• In cotton and wool processing,short length fibers may clog sewers.在棉毛生产中，短纤维可能堵塞下水管道。
• These streets often clog during the rush hour.这几条大街在交通高峰时间常常发生交通堵塞。

11 baste   

v.殴打，公开责骂

参考例句：

• The paper baste the candidate for irresponsible statement.该报公开指责候选人作不负责任的声明。
• If he's rude to me again,I'll baste his coat.如果他再对我无礼的话，我就要揍他了。

12 overdone   

v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• The lust of men must not be overdone. 人们的欲望不该过分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The joke is overdone. 玩笑开得过火。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?