VOA标准英语2013--太阳能十项全能竞赛的成功团队合作至关重要

 

Teamwork Critical To Solar Decathlon Success 太阳能十项全能竞赛的成功团队合作至关重要

LOS ANGELES — Homes of the future are being displayed in Irvine, California at the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.  It's a biennial¹ event in which 20 collegiate teams from around the world compete to build the most energy efficient solar-powered home that is also affordable² and attractive.  One of the teams is representing the University of Southern California. 

As the minutes go by, the pressure builds.

In a home powered by the sun, Evyn Larson and her teammates, from the University of Southern California, are hosting a dinner party for their opponents.  This is one of 10 competitions in the Solar Decathlon.  From the food to the ambience, everything will be judged by members of other teams.

While Larson and her teammates are in the kitchen, project manager Justin Kang is monitoring other parts of the house.  “It’s quite stressful to see numbers and screens every hour,” he said.

The numbers come from sensors³ that record temperature and and humidity. The team can earn points based on those numbers.

Just a few days ago, Team USC was still finishing the inside of the home and checking to make sure everything works.  That includes a sun roof that opens and closes with the push of a button. Each team had nine days to assemble a house on the runway of a former Marine⁴ Corps⁵ base.  

”You’d be surprised that, over a year and a-half of seeing each other every day, every waking hour, we still have a very amicable⁶ relationship. We like to go out together," Kang stated. "We crack jokes and we’re very close. It’s like a solar family that we created within our community.”

That experience taught them a lesson. “In the real world, nothing is perfect. There’s always glitches⁷ and snags I hit everyday," explained Kang. "Instead of complaining and whining⁸ you have to roll with the punches and find ways around it."  

With lessons learned and the house finished, it's time to show it to the judges and the public.

Most American homes do not run on solar power for a good reason, said Richard King, director of the Solar Decathlon. “Cost is a factor absolutely, and it’s because you’re buying equipment, and they’re fairly expensive," he said.

But a few houses, including this one, will become real homes.  USC is donating this house to a family near the university.  

“I think it’s very exciting to think about somebody just living in it and it’s their home and they’re super comfortable in it," Larson  noted.

A California family will give the home a purpose beyond the competition and hopefully love it as much as Team USC does. 

1 biennial   

adj.两年一次的

参考例句：

• The workers were strongly against the biennial election.工人们强烈反对两年一次的选举。
• His is a biennial,and one of the most useful pasture plants we have.这是两年生植物，也是我们最有用的牧草之一。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 amicable   

adj.和平的，友好的；友善的

参考例句：

• The two nations reached an amicable agreement.两国达成了一项友好协议。
• The two nations settled their quarrel in an amicable way.两国以和睦友好的方式解决了他们的争端。

7 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

8 whining   

n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚

参考例句：

• That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
• The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。