英语听力文摘 English Digest 173、如鱼得水

　　D: OK, Yael, you want to build an aquatic¹ robot,and you're trying to figure out the most efficient way to move it through water, what do you do?
Y: I am guessing the answer isn't to build a robot using a lot of root-force to move forward?
D: Anyone who has tried walking or running in water knows how much effort that can take compared to swimming, which by the way is a hint.
Y: It is?
D: Look at the fish, my friend. Many fish after all, live in turbulent waters.
Y: I see where this is going. Over time, fish have made adaptations to conserve² energy when swimming against the current.
D: And researchers at Harvard figured out the underlying³ physics.
Y: So they literally⁴ understand what it means to swim like a fish?
D: Yes. You see, when water hits objects like branches, rocks, or other fish, it forms strings⁵ of little whirlpools, or vortices. So researchers set up a tank with water flowing in one direction, and dropped a cylinder⁶ in it that generated vortices.
Y: So what did they find out?
D: The researchers observed that rather than fighting the current, the fish simply slalomed between vortices, using a swimming style that resembles a flag flapping in the wind. The advantage of all the side-to-side movement is that it requires very little muscle activity. In fact, fish can use this technique to hold their position and rest while in rough patches of water.
Y: I bet that comes in handy for swiming up a fish letter.
D: These findings have applications ranging from technology to conservation.
Y: And it gives us a whole new dimension of what it means to swim like a fish.

1 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

2 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

3 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

6 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。