核心词汇 (Target Vocabulary)

学习 4A 仿生工程核心生词，点击语音按钮可听纯正美音发音，掌握精选释义与真题例句。

biological [ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkl] adj.
Connected with the processes that take place within living things.
生物的；生物学的
"Parker had come to solve the riddle of how the lizard drinks, not from biological curiosity, but to design a device."
device [dɪˈvaɪs] n.
An object or machine that has been invented for a particular purpose.
设备；装置
"Engineers aim to create a portable water-collection device that draws moisture directly from desert air."
fund [fʌnd] v./n.
To provide money for an event, activity, or research project.
资助；拨款；基金
"The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has funded multiple biomimetic robotics programs."
gap [ɡæp] n.
An empty space between two things, or a difference between two states or situations.
差距；缺口；缝隙
"Nonetheless, the technological gap between man-made mechanisms and natural efficiency is gradually closing."
gradually [ˈɡrædʒuəli] adv.
Slowly, over a period of time or in stages.
逐步地；渐渐地
"As outdoor temperatures gradually rise and fall, internal building vents open and close to maintain equilibrium."
insight [ˈɪnsaɪt] n.
A clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or subject.
深刻见解；洞察力
"This biological insight into termite mounds inspired architect Mick Pearce to design an air-conditioned office complex."
nonetheless [ˌnʌnðəˈles] adv.
Despite what has just been said or done; nevertheless.
尽管如此；依然
"The Eastgate Centre doesn't use conventional heating, but is nonetheless regulated so it is never too hot or cold."
phase [feɪz] n.
Any stage in a series of events or in a process of development.
阶段；时期
"In the initial phase of the project, engineers studied the microscopic grooves across the gecko's toes."
vertical [ˈvɜːtɪkl] adj.
Pointing straight up from a surface; standing upright.
垂直的；立式的
"Stickybot utilizes directional synthetic adhesives to climb smooth, completely vertical sheets of glass."
vital [ˈvaɪtl] adj.
Necessary for the success, survival, or continued existence of something; extremely important.
极其重要的；不可或缺的
"The ability to harvest moisture from morning fog is a vital competitive survival advantage in arid climates."
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Design by Nature: Biomimetics

师法自然：仿生设计学如何从澳洲棘蜥到壁虎机器人重塑现代科技

Paragraph A
One cloudless mid-summer day biologist Andrew Parker, knelt in the baking red sun of an Australian desert, and gently placed the right back leg of a thorny devil into a dish of water. The thorny devil, a small lizard that has learned to survive in the extreme heat of the Australian desert, has a secret that fascinated Parker. Look, look, he exclaimed. It's back is completely drenched. Sure enough, in less than a minute, water from the dish had travelled up the lizards leg across its skin and into its mouth. It was, in essence, drinking through its foot. The thorny devil can also do this when standing on wet sand, a vital competitive advantage in the desert. Parker had come here to solve the riddle of how it does this, not from purely biological interest, but with a specific purpose in mind, to make a device to help people collect water in the desert.
Paragraph B
From natural wonder to useful tool Parker is a leading scientist in the field of biomemetics, applying designs from nature to solve problems in engineering, material science, medicine and other fields. He studies of the body coverings of butterflies and beetles have led to brighter screens for cell phones, he has even drawn inspiration from nature's past. While visiting a museum in Poland, he noticed a 45 million year old fly trapped in amber and observed how the shape of its eyes surface reduced light reflection. This shape is now being used in solar panels to make them more efficient. As part of the next phase in his plan to create a water collection device inspired by a lizard, Parker sent his observations to Michael Robner and Robert Cohen to colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Parker is full of enthusiasm about the many possibilities of biomemetics. Robner and Cohen, on the other hand, are much more practical. They focus on the ideas that have a chance of being applied successfully.
Paragraph C
This combination of biological insight and engineering pragmatism is vital to success in biomemetics, and it has led to several promising technologies. The Robner and Cohen are certainly impressed by biological structures, they can sit in nature just a starting point for innovation. Cohen says the natural structure provides a clue to what is useful, but maybe you can do it better. They consider a biomemetics project a success only if it has the potential to make a useful tool for people. Looking at pretty structures in nature is not sufficient, says Cohen. What I want to know is can we actually transform these structures into something with true utility in the real world? Unlocking nature's secrets. The work of Parker, Robner and Cohen is only one part of a growing global biomemetics movement.
Paragraph D
Scientists around the world are studying and trying to copy a wide variety of nature's design secrets. In the United States, researchers are looking at the shape of humpback whale fins in order to help wind turbines generate more electric energy. The shape of the body of a certain fish has inspired designers at Mercedes-Benz to develop a more efficient car design. By analyzing how termites keep their large mounds at the right temperature and humidity, architects in Zimbabwe have built more comfortable buildings. And in Japan, medical researchers have developed a painless needle that is similar in shape to the proposses of a mosquito. The bio-inspired robot. Potentially one of the most useful applications of biomemetics is the robot. Robots can perform tasks that might be too boring or dangerous for humans, but they can be extremely difficult to build.
Paragraph E
Professor Ronald Fearing of the University of California is creating a tiny robot fly that can be used in surveillance or rescue operations. Fearing's fly is a simplified copy of the real thing. Some things are just too mysterious and complicated to be able to replicate, he says. It will still be years before his robot fly can perform anything like an actual fly, but Fearing is confident that over time, he will close the gap between nature and human engineering. At Stanford University in California, Mark Kudkotsky is working on a robot gecko. Kudkotsky studied the extremely small structures on the tiny lizards' feet that allow it to run up and down vertical walls. He applied what he learned to create sticky bot, a robot that can walk up and down smooth vertical surfaces. The US military, which funds the project, hopes that one day sticky bot will be able to climb up a building and stay there for days, monitoring the area below.
Paragraph F
Kudkotsky believes there will be a range of non-military uses as well. I'm trying to get robots to go places where they've never gone before, he says. For now, sticky bot can only climb extremely smooth surfaces, unlike a real gecko, which can run up just about any surface very quickly. Despite the promise of the field and the brilliant people who work in it, biomemetics has led to surprisingly few business successes. Perhaps only one product has become truly famous, Velcro. The material was invented in 1948 by Swiss engineer George Demestral, who copied the way seeds called cocklebirds, stuck to his dog's fur. Some blame industry, who short-term expectations about how sooner projects should be completed and become profitable, conflict with the time-consuming nature of biomemetics research. But the main reason biomemetics hasn't yet been at business success, is that nature is incredibly complex.
Paragraph G
Nonetheless, the gap with nature is gradually closing. Researchers are using more powerful microscopes, high-speed computers, and other new technologies to learn more from nature. A growing number of biomemetic materials are being produced, and although the field of biomemetics has yet to become a very successful commercial industry, it has already developed into a powerful tool for understanding nature's secrets. More nature-inspired innovations. A type of glass has been created that draws inspiration from spiderwebs, birds can see the ultraviolet reflective strands in the glass, and thus avoid flying into it. Water does not stick to a lotus leaf because of its surface structure. Copying this process, one company has developed a water repelling sealant that can be sprayed on surfaces. Swimmers can now swim faster because of new suits that mimic the design of shark skin. This design is also used to reduce friction on ships, submarines, and airplanes. High-speed trains have long, big-shaped noses, modeled after the Kingfisher bird. This reduces noise and allows the train to travel much faster. A new fan on the market is based on the spiral shapes seen in tornadoes and well-pools. The fan calls the air more efficiently than traditional fans.

课文原版配套练习 (Reading Exercises)

严格对应教材 Page 62–68 官方练习：Before You Read、Reading Comprehension 及 Scanning for Information 技能。

1.
Definitions (p.62) to get ideas
2.
Definitions (p.62) extremely difficult to understand
3.
Definitions (p.62) to possess the capability
4.
Definitions (p.62) a definite goal or aim
5.
Detail (Para A, p.67) Why did Andrew Parker go to the Australian desert?
6.
Detail (Para E, p.67) What has the study of termite mounds inspired?
7.
Reference (Para F, p.67) What does 'things' in Ronald Fearing's quote 'Some things are just too mysterious and complicated ...' (paragraph F) refer to?
8.
Detail (Para G, p.67) According to the passage, what is a limitation of Stickybot?
9.
Detail (p.67) Which of these statements about biomimetics is NOT true?
10.
Matching Trait (p.67) Which animal trait inspired engineers to make rail travel quieter and faster?
11.
Matching Trait (p.67) Which animal trait inspired engineers to develop brighter cell phone screens?
12.
Matching Trait (p.67) Which animal trait inspired engineers to create a type of glass that is more bird-friendly?
13.
Matching Trait (p.67) Which animal trait inspired engineers to design new swimwear that helps swimmers move faster?
14.
Matching Sentence Type (p.68) 'Cutkosky believes there will be a range of nonmilitary uses as well.' — This sentence contains:
15.
Matching Sentence Type (p.68) 'For now, Stickybot can only climb extremely smooth surfaces—unlike a real gecko...' — This sentence contains:
16.
Matching Sentence Type (p.68) 'The main reason biomimetics hasn't yet been a business success is that nature is incredibly complex.' — This sentence contains:
17.
Scanning (p.68) Where does a DEFINITION of biomimetics appear in Reading A?
18.
Scanning (p.68) Where does a PREDICTION about the future of robot flies appear?
19.
Scanning (p.68) Where does the REASON the U.S. military is financing a biomimetic project appear?
20.
Scanning (p.68) Where does an EXAMPLE of a biomimetic product that has become truly famous appear?

Critical Thinking · Applying Ideas
Imagine you are tasked with inventing a new biomimetic application. Look at the animal attributes below. Choose one and brainstorm an engineering application:
• worms that glow in the dark
• beavers that have waterproof fur
• snakes that shed their skin
• octopuses that can change color