Understanding how nature responds to climate change will require monitoring key life cycle1 events — flowering, the appearance of leaves, the first frog calls of the spring — all around the world. But ecologists can't be everywhere so they're turning to non-scientists, sometimes called citizen scientists, for help.
Climate scientists are not present everywhere. Because there are so many places in the world and not enough scientists to observe all of them, they're asking for your help in observing signs of climate change across the world. The citizen scientist movement encourages ordinary people to observe a very specific research interest — birds, trees, flowers budding, etc. — and send their observations to a giant database to be observed by professional scientists. This helps a small number of scientists track a large amount of data that they would never be able to gather on their own. Much like citizen journalists helping large publications cover a hyper-local beat2, citizen scientists are ready for the conditions where they live. All that's needed to become one is a few minutes each day or each week to gather data and send it3 in.
A group of scientists and educators launched an organization last year called the National Phenology4Network. “Phenology” is what scientists call the study of the timing of events in nature.
One of the group's first efforts relies on scientists and non-scientists alike to collect data about plant flowering and leafing every year. The program, called Project Bud Burst, collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. People participating in the project — which is open to everyone — record their observations on the Project Bud Burst website.
“People don't have to be plant experts — they just have to look around and see what's in their neighborhood,” says Jennifer Schwartz, an education consultant with the project. “As we collect this data, we'll be able to make an estimate of how plants and communities5 of plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.”
2.hyper-local beat：beat在此做名词用，意思是：某类新闻报道，如a business beat：商业专题报道。这是近年来出现的新词。hyper-local beat即hyper-local news，指的是被传统新闻报道方式所忽略的小型社区或居民居住区里发生的相关信息报道。在美国由此而诞生了hyper- local news websites，专门对主流媒体没有覆盖的地区所发生的事件进行报道，其形式多以网民，即短文中所提及的citizen journalists，上传所在社区发生的事件报道、照片或视频为主。这是网络时代产生的又一种新生事物。
3.data是复数形式，但常用作单数，所以这里的代词是it。另参见最后一段：“As we collect this data…”这里的data也用作单数。
1 If someone says to you your music CDs don't really hold any music on them, and they only have numbers recorded on them, you may not believe it. In fact, he is right in that sound is actually recorded onto the CDs as special numbers — a digital code.1 The code is pressed onto the CD as bumps on a long spiral track almost five kilometers long. These bumps are an average of 0.5 microns wide.
2 A small laser beam shines onto the bumps as the CD turns. The light is reflected back to a receiver that records how the laser light bounces back. This lets the CD player2 turn the reflected light back into the original code. This means you can hear the original code as music.
3 Digital codes are used with many technologies. E-mail needs these kinds of code numbers. Space probes communicate with their ground station on earth using digital codes. Bar codes are read as digital codes in computer systems. Digital communications with cell phones need digital codes. Weather radios also tune into specific signals using these codes.
4 There are many types of compact disks. One format is called CD-RWs. They can be recorded on and re-recorded on(rewritten on)as you would do with a floppy disk3. Another format is the CD-ROM. The technology for recording on these disks is different from other CDs. These CDs have a dye layer that the CD writer can darken or leave clear. The clear and dark spots are the digital code. CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc — Read Only Memory4. This disk is like a "super" floppy disk that can hold lots of information. One CD-ROM can hold the same amount of data as 500 floppy disks. Information is permanently recorded onto it. Computer games and other programs are considered to be CD-ROMs.
5 CDs were first sold to the public in 1982 These CDs still play well and sound fine. Current CDs are expected to last between 70 to 200 years. Of course, you can make sure your CDs last a long time by taking care of them.
6 Science keeps on developing. It may not be many more years before a completely new technology is invented5 and introduced to the public for music recording. In the meantime, there is no doubt you will continue to enjoy listening to your favorite music on CDs6 and playing your favorite computer games on CD-ROMs.
1.... he is right in that sound is actually recorded onto the CDs as special numbers – a digital code：他说的对，因为实际上声音以特殊的数字形式，即数码，刻录在CD碟片上。in that是“因为”，如：Water is essential in that without it all living things would die.水是基本要素，因为没有水，所有生物都要死亡。
2.CD player：CD播放机
3.as you would do with a floppy disk：就像你使用软磁盘一样
4.CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc – Read Only Memory：CD-ROM是Compact Disc – Read Only Memory这五个词首字母组成的缩写词。
5.It may not be many more years before a completely new technology is invented：过不了几年，说不定又会发明一种全新的技术。many more years是“再过许多年”。
6.“there is no doubt you will continue to enjoy listening to your favorite music on CDs”语法上可以理解为“there is no doubt(about the fact that)you will continue to enjoy listening to your favorite music on CDs”。
练习：
A Digital Code Has Wide Applications
B Floppy Disks Are Outdated
C CDs Are Durable
D CD's Working Principle Is Explained
E. CD-RWs Play Better Than CD-ROMs
F. CDs Are of Many Formats
1. Paragraphs l & 2 ________
2.Paragraph 3 ________
3.Paragraph 4 ________
4.Paragraph 5 ________
5.One advantage of CD-RWs is that they can ________ like floppy disks.
6.The author predicts it will not ________ before a new technology is invented for music recording.
7.The laser beam-emitting device and the receiver are considered to ________ of a CD player.
8. Space probes could not ________ without using digital codes.
A shine on bumps
B take many more years
C be the key parts
D restore the original code
E be written on and rewritten on
F keen contact with their ground station efficiently
2014年职称英语教材理工类概括大意与完成句子
2.A 第三段第一句“Digital codes are used with many technologies.”是主题句。本段其他句子提供例证，即应用领域。作者列举了五个领域：电邮、航天通讯、条码、手机和天气预报。选项A的 “Digital code has wide applications”与主题句的意思完全吻合，所以是答案。
3.F 第四段第一句“There are many types of compact disks.”是主题句。本段其他句子列举了两种常用的CD格式(format)：—种是CD-RW，另一种是CD-ROM。选项F的“CDs are of many formats”概括了本段的大意，是答案。
发表于 2025-5-15 15:40:46
