This SD-40 locomotive has hauled freight across North America’s heartland for over 40 years. Now it’s reached the end of the line. One hundred tonnes of steel, six sets of wheels and a fourteen-and-a-half-tonne engine must be salvaged, melted or refurbished, so it can be reborn and returned to the rail industry.
這列SD-40火車頭在北美中部拖貨櫃已超過四十年,如今已屆退休之年。一百公噸鋼鐵、六對車輪及十四點五公噸重的引擎必須被拆解、鎔化或翻新,如此才能再生,然後返回鐵路工業。
Railroads are the backbone of American industry. Over 270,000km of track crisscross the country from coast to coast moving nearly two billion tonnes of freight every year. At the center of it all sits Kansas City, the second largest rail junction in the US. Two hundred thousand trains pass through this location every year. But today, two locomotives owned by Kansas City Southern — or KCS — will stop running. Numbers 672 and 605 have been on the rails for over 40 years. But now their engine technology is inefficient and fuel prices are at an all-time high so these locomotives are headed for the scrap yard to be broken down.
鐵路是美國工業的骨幹,從東岸到西岸,超過二十七萬公里長的鐵軌交叉遍布全國,每年搬運將近二十億公噸貨物。其中心是美國第二大鐵路樞紐堪薩斯市,每年有二十萬列火車經過此地,但如今堪薩斯市南方鐵路公司(簡稱KCS),所擁有的兩列火車頭將停止營運。672和605號火車頭,已在鐵軌上跑了四十多年,但如今它們的引擎技術效能不彰,加上燃料價格來到歷史新高,因此這兩列火車頭要前往報廢場被分解。
Scrap and recycling company Erman usually scraps much lighter train equipment so this locomotive pair is almost too much for the rails to handle. They’ll need to systematically dismantle the locomotives, cutting through solid steel without damaging the internal components or their auxiliary parts. A locomotive is designed to be almost indestructible — in this case, a 160-tonne construction of cast and welded steel. Each piece must be taken out by hand with blowtorches. The breakdown will happen from the top down in three steps. Step one, the strip down: cut and skin the steel outer shell of the locomotive to expose its power core. Step two, the gut out: remove the locomotive’s internal organs — the prime mover and generator. And step three, the final breakdown: cut away the cab, and torch up the over seven-centimeter-thick solid steel locomotive bed to salvage the wheels and supports. It’s a job that takes experience, skill and a healthy respect for locomotives.
爾曼企業拆解的多半是比較輕的火車設備,這對火車頭對鐵軌而言是過於沉重的負擔。他們需要有計畫地拆解火車頭,以不破壞內部組件或附屬零件的方式切割鋼鐵,火車頭的設計幾乎無法破壞。這列火車頭是由一百六十公噸的鑄鋼製造而成,每塊鑄鋼都要用焊槍精準地拆解開來,拆解方式由上而下,分為三個步驟。第一步,拆除外殼:切割拆除火車頭的鋼鐵外殼,露出內部的動力核心。第二步,取出內部裝置:移除火車頭的內部機件──原動機和發電機。第三步,最後的解體:切除駕駛室,用焊槍切開超過七公分厚的鋼鐵火車頭底層,好拆解輪胎和支架。這是一項需要經驗、技術和對火車頭心存敬意的工作。
Number 672 will be the first to go. The team needs to cut through layers of solid steel and blowtorches are the only way to do it. The flame is 50 percent acetylene gas and 50 percent oxygen — the only mixture that burns hot enough to cut steel, 3,480ºC to be exact. Direct contact with this heat could be deadly, so each worker must wear a face shield and protective clothing. But the flames aren’t the only hazard. A machine this old is a potential powder keg. Oil and fuel residues are all over this locomotive. One wrong move with a blowtorch could ignite an explosion.
首先要拆解的是672號。工作團隊要切開鋼鐵,唯一可行的方式是使用焊槍,火焰含有百分之五十乙炔和百分之五十氧氣,這是唯一能燃燒到可切割鋼鐵的混合物,正確的溫度是攝氏三千四百八十度。直接接觸如此的高溫有致命危險,每個工人都必須穿戴面部防護罩和稱為皮衣的防護衣。但火焰並非唯一的危險,如此老舊的機器很容易變成火藥桶,火車頭上到處都有油和燃料的殘餘物,焊槍一個不小心就會引爆。
疫情之下國旅興盛,近幾年露營(camping)更是成為不少人休閒娛樂的首選。而露營的設備、器具和方式也越來越多元,不同形式都有各自的擁護者。本次就讓我們來學習露營度假相關的英文吧! Go camping camp (n)「營」可用在許多地方,例如summer camp「夏令營」、boot camp「戰鬥營」、甚至concentration camp「集中營」也是用這個字;而Camp David「大衛營」則是美國總統度假的地方。此外,camp也可當動詞「紮營」,camping當名詞是「露營」,紮營的地點「營地」則是campsite。 Fans of the world-renowned rock band, Crazy Noise, camped out the night before the band’s first concert in Europe. (世界知名搖滾樂團Crazy Noise的歌迷,在樂團首場歐洲演唱會的前一晚,就在外紮營徹夜等待。) Rebecca and I met at a summer camp in Florida when we were 12 years old. (十二歲那年,我和瑞貝卡在佛羅里達州的夏令營首次相遇。) 露營重要須知 若想在國家公園內露營,需要事先登記或申請許可證(permit),也因為在野外過夜,要準備充足的裝備與食物,重要配備像是帳篷、手電筒、睡袋…等,或者有些營地也有提供camping gear「露營裝備」的租借服務,gear是「設備」的意思,與equipment同義;此外,腳踏車或汽車的變速段數也可用gear來形容。 The demonstration video on the company’s Web site shows customers how to use bicycle gears properly. (公司網頁的示範影片展示如何正確使用腳踏車的變速設備。) Smith & Smith Outdoors offers a collection of rental camping gear such as tents, trekking poles, sleeping bags and so on. (史密斯戶外用品店提供一系列的露營用具租借,例如帳篷、登山杖、睡袋…等。) 手電筒的美式英文是flashlight,這個字同時也可解釋為「(手機或相機中的)閃光燈」。要注意「手電筒」在英式英文裡是torch (n),在美式英文中torch則是「火把」的意思,因此奧運開幕式的火炬就稱為Olympic Torch。 It’s important to include a battery-powered flashlight, bottled water, and non-perishable food in the emergency survival kit. (在緊急救難袋中放置一個電池供電的手電筒,瓶裝水和不容易腐壞的食物是很重要的。) 搭帳篷(pitch a tent)也是露營的重要過程,pitch可當動詞或名詞,而且有多重字義,pitch在這裡是「搭」,也就是put up的意思。此外pitch也可解釋為「投擲」,如投手就是pitcher,而在多益測驗中,pitch常用作名詞使用,例如sales pitch「銷售宣傳、口號」。 You need
Tigers are the largest cats in existence. Below you’ll learn some lesser-known facts about these awe-inspiring creatures. 1. Tigers have an excellent memory. Did you know that tigers have one of the best memories of any animal? In fact, their short-term memory is even better than that of humans. Studies show that tigers can remember information for 30 seconds longer than we can. 2. A group of tigers is called an ambush or a streak. You can remember these terms if you keep in mind that tigers attack their prey by ambushing them, and that they have streaks of black on their orange fur.
Taipei Performing Arts Center opens this week (3/3) 「大貢丸」北藝中心開幕(三) A: During the trial operation period, some audience members reported broken seats, poorly marked seat numbers, high steps, stuffy auditoriums and a lack of facilities for disabled people. B: That’s quite a lot of problems! A: There’s more: residents living nearby have complained of noise from outdoor activities at the center’s plaza. B: Well, it seems like the “meatball” needs to up its game. A: 不過試營運期間有觀眾反映︰北藝中心座椅破損、標示不清、樓梯陡峭、場地悶熱、無障礙規畫也不佳。 B: 問題還真不少。 A: 而且附近居民也抱怨,該中心在戶外廣場辦活動時噪音太吵。 B: 看來「大貢丸」要加油了。 (Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Arriving on Aug. 2, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi shone out from the darkness in a pink pantsuit. Pelosi is famous for bringing her fashion A-game in punchy blazers and suits. Having a penchant for pops of color, the speaker often takes things a step further by coordinating her outfits from head to toe. Here are a few tips for building a chic wardrobe like Pelosi: Matching shoes to your outfit: Pelosi’s outfit tells us there are three guidelines for choosing the right shoes. You can either match your shoe color with your outfit, your tops underneath or simply