The story of silk
site:The story of silk
The history of the world’s most luxurious fabric, from ancient China to the present day
luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊr.i.əs/ adjective. 豪华的; 奢侈的
She also devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon into a single thread so that they would be strong enough to be woven into fabric.
devise /dɪˈvaɪz/ verb. 设计; 发明
woven /ˈwoʊ.vən/ verb. 织
While it is unknown just how much of this is true, it is certainly known that silk cultivation has existed in China for several millennia.
cultivation /ˌkʌl.təˈveɪ.ʃən/ noun. 培养; 耕种
Originally, silkworm farming was solely restricted to women, and it was they who were responsible for the growing, harvesting and weaving.
solely /ˈsoʊl.li/ adverb. 完全地
Silk quickly grew into a symbol of status, and originally, only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk.
entitle /ɪnˈtaɪ.t̬əl/ adjective. 享有权利
The rules were gradually relaxed over the years until finally during the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911 AD), even peasants, the lowest caste, were also entitled to wear silk.】
gradually /ˈɡrædʒ.u.ə.li/ adverb. 逐渐地 +1
caste /kæst/ noun. 种姓制度
- to lose caste 失去社会地位
Silk was also used as diplomatic gifts by the emperor.
diplomatic /ˌdɪp.ləˈmæt̬.ɪk/ adjective. 外交的
- diploma /dɪˈploʊ.mə/ noun. 毕业文凭
Demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route now known as the Silk Road, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East.
exotic /ɪɡˈzɑː.t̬ɪk/ adjective. 来自异国的 +3
lucrative /ˈluː.krə.t̬ɪv/ adjective. 赚大钱的
The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese, however, and for many centuries the weaving and trading of silk fabric was a strict imperial monopoly.
imperial /ɪmˈpɪr.i.əl/ adjective. 帝国的
monopoly /məˈnɑː.pəl.i/ noun. 垄断
Even now, silk processed in the province of Como in northern Italy enjoys an esteemed reputation.
esteemed /ɪˈstim/ adjective. 受尊重的
The two world wars, which interrupted the supply of raw material from Japan, also stifled the European silk industry.
stifle /ˈstaɪ.fəl/ verb. 扼杀; 阻止
Great Migrations
site:Great Migrations
They are prolonged movements that carry animals outside familiar habitats;
prolonged /prəˈlɑːŋd/ adjective. 持久的; 长期的
- prolong /prəˈlɑːŋ/ verb. 延长
And one more: migrating animals maintain an intense attentiveness to the greater mission, which keeps them undistracted by temptations and undeterred by challenges that would turn other animals aside.
attentiveness /əˈten.t̬ɪv.nəs/ noun. 专心
temptation /tempˈteɪ.ʃən/ noun. 诱惑
undeterred /ˌʌn.dɪˈtɝːd/ adjective. 不屈不挠的
While local gulls will dive voraciously for such handouts, the tern flies on.
gull /ɡʌl/ noun. 海鸥(a bird that lives near the coast with black and white or gray and white feathers)
voraciously /vəˈreɪ.ʃəs.li/ adverb. 狼吞虎咽地; 大量地
tern /tɝːn/ noun. 燕鸥(a small black and white sea bird with long, pointed wings and a divided tail)
its undivided intent is arrival.
undivided /ˌʌn.dɪˈvaɪ.dɪd/ adjective. 专一的
Reaching some gravelly coastline in the Arctic, upon which other arctic terns have converged, will serve its larger purpose as shaped by evolution: finding a place, a time, and a set of circumstances in which it can successfully hatch and rear offspring.
gravelly /ˈɡræv.əl.i/ adjective. 粗哑的; 由砂砾构成的
hatch /hætʃ/ verb. 孵 noun. 开口; 舱口
rear /rɪr/ verb. 抚养; 喂养 adjective. 后部的 noun. 后部
offspring /ˈɑːf.sprɪŋ/ noun. 幼崽
So can the movement of aphids when, having depleted the young leaves on one food plant, their offspring then fly onward to a different host plant, with no one aphid ever returning to where it started.
deplete /dɪˈpliː.t̬ɪ/ adjective. 耗尽
onward /ˈɑːn.wɚd/ adjective. 继续的; 向前的
The pronghorn, which resembles an antelope, though they are unrelated, is the fastest land mammal of the New World.
resemble /rɪˈzem.bəl/ verb. 像; 类似于 +1
These pronghorn are notable for the invariance of their migration route and the severity of its constriction at three bottlenecks.
severity /səˈver.ə.t̬i/ noun. 严重; 剧烈 +1
At one of the bottlenecks, forested hills rise to form a V, leaving a corridor of open ground only about 150 metres wide, filled with private homes.
corridor /ˈkɔːr.ə.dɚ/ noun. 走廊
Increasing development is leading toward a crisis for the pronghorn, threatening to choke off their passageway.
choke /tʃoʊk/ verb. 掐住… 脖子; 使窒息
We will require wisdom and resoluteness to ensure that migrating species can continue their journeying a while longer.
resoluteness /ˈrɛzəˌlutnəs/ noun. 坚定
- resolution /ˌrɛzəˈluʃ(ə)n/ noun. 坚定; 决心
- resolute /ˈrɛzəˌlut/ adjective. 有决心的
- resolutely /ˈrez.ə.luːt.li/ adverb. 坚决地
Adventures in mathematical reasoning
site:Adventures in mathematical reasoning
Thus all readers will have the chance to participate in a mathematical experience, to appreciate the beauty of mathematics, and to become familiar with its logical, yet intuitive, style of thinking.
intuitive /ɪnˈtuː.ɪ.t̬ɪv/ adjective. 凭直觉的
I hope this book will help bridge that notorious gap that separates the two cultures: the humanities and the sciences, or should I say the right brain (intuitive) and the left brain (analytical, numerical).
notorious /noʊˈtɔːr.i.əs/ adjective. 臭名昭著的; 声名狼藉的
As I wrote, I kept in mind two types of readers: those who enjoyed mathematics until they were turned off by an unpleasant episode, usually around fifth grade, and mathematics aficionados, who will find much that is new throughout the book.
aficionado /əˌfɪʃ.i.əˈnɑː.doʊ/ noun. 狂热爱好者