Cork
site: Cork
It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes.
elastic /iˈlæs.tɪk/ adjective. 有弹性的
buoyant /ˈbɔɪ.ənt/ adjective. 有浮力的; 看涨的; 乐观的
the ancient Egyptians sealed then sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals.
beehive /ˈbiː.haɪv/ noun. 蜂窝
sandal /ˈsæn.dəl/ noun. 凉鞋
Like grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep root in search of moisture and nutrients.
thrive /θraɪv/ verb. 茁壮成长
moisture /ˈmɔɪs.tʃɚ/ noun. 水汽; 潮气 +1
From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes 25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an individual tree.
sapling /ˈsæp.lɪŋ/ noun. 幼树
Over 60% of cork then goes on to be made into traditional bottle stoppers, with most of the remainder being used in the construction trade, Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of concrete.
thermal /ˈθɝː.məl/ adjective. 热的; 保暖的
acoustic /əˈkuː.stɪk/ adjective. 音响的; 听觉的
insulation /ˌɪn.səˈleɪ.ʃən/ noun. 隔热; 隔音; 绝缘 +1
granule /ˈɡræn.juːl/ noun. 颗粒
concrete /ˈkɑːn.kriːt/ noun. 混凝土
Recent years have seen the end of the virtual monopoly of cork as the material for bottle stoppers, due to concerns about the effect it may have on the contents of the bottle.
monopoly /məˈnɑː.pəl.i/ noun. 垄断; 独占
Moreover, cork forests are a resource which support local biodiversity, and prevent desertification in the regions where they are planted.
biodiversity /ˌbaɪ.oʊ.dɪˈvɝː.sə.t̬i/ noun. 生物多样性
desertification /dɪˌzɝː.t̬ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ noun. 沙漠化
Collecting as a hobby
site: Collecting as a hobby
Many forms of collecting have been dignified with a technical name: an archtophilist collects teddy bears, a philatelist collects postage stamps, and a deltiologist collects postcards.
dignified /ˈdɪɡ.nə.faɪd/ adjective. 尊贵的
Similarly, in the 19th century, many collectors amassed fossils, animals and plants from around the globe, and their collections provided a vast amount of information about the natural world.
amass /əˈmæs/ verb. 聚集; 收集
fossil /ˈfɑː.səl/ noun. 化石; 老顽固
Without those collections, our understanding would be greatly inferior to what it is.
inferior /ɪnˈfɪr.i.ɚ/ adjective. 较差的
This might involve trying to see every locomotive of a particular type, using published data that identifies each one, and ticking off each engine as it is seen.
locomotive /ˌloʊ.kəˈmoʊ.t̬ɪv/ noun. 火车头
Stamp collectors, for instance, arrange their stamps in albums, usually very neatly, organising their collection according to certain commonplace principles-perhaps by country in alphabetical order, or grouping stamps by what they depict -people, birds, maps, and so on.
alphabetical /ˌæl.fəˈbet̬.ɪ.kəl/ adjective. 按字母顺序的
What’s the purpose of gaining knowledge?
site: What’s the purpose of gaining knowledge?
But what would the founders of these two institutions have thought of a course called ‘Arson for Profit’?
arson /ˈɑːr.sən/ noun. 纵火
Naturally, the course is intended for prospective arson investigators, who can learn all the tricks of the trade for detecting whether a fire was deliberately set, discovering who did it, and establishing a chain of evidence for effective prosecution in a court of law.
deliberately /dɪˈlɪb.ɚ.ət.li/ adverb. 故意地 +1
prosecution /ˌprɑː.səˈkjuː.ʃən/ noun. 起诉
The regular instructor is a colleague who appreciates the kind of ethical perspective I can bring as a philosopher.
ethical /ˈeθ.ɪ.kəl/ adjective. 伦理的
perspective /pɚˈspek.tɪv/ noun. 见解
After all, a subject matter can have principles in the sense of being codified, having rules, as with football or chess, without being principled in the sense of being ethical.
codified /ˈkɑː.də.faɪ/ verb. 编纂的
I made the suggestion, which may sound downright crazy in light of the evidence, that perhaps marketing is by definition principled.
downright /ˈdaʊn.raɪt/ adjective. 完全的
Each person comes to the program and course with his or her own plans, and these need not even concern the acquisition of marketing expertise as such.
acquisition /ˌæk.wəˈzɪʃ.ən/ noun. 获得
When I ask fire science students to articulate the end, or purpose, of their field, they eventually generalize to something like, ‘The safety and welfare of society,’ which seems right.
articulate /ɑːrˈtɪk.jə.lət/ adjective. 善于表达的
Kant gives the example of a doctor and a poisoner, who use the identical knowledge to achieve their divergent ends.
divergent /dɪˈvɝː.dʒənt/ adjective. 有分歧的