原文

Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.

To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a comparatively simple step from locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other well-known fish, by the pattern of its echo.

It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles -- or locate flying insects on which they feed. This echo-location in bats is often compared with radar, the principle of which is similar.

--MAURICE BURTON Curiosities of animal --

译文

并非所有的动物发出的声音都用作语言,我们只需回想蝙蝠回声定位(echo-location)这一非凡发现,就能看到声音发挥严格实用作用的一个例子。

要充分理解这一现象,我们首先必须转向一些人类最近的发明。大家都知道,如果在墙壁或山坡附近喊叫,会听到回声。这个坚固障碍物越远,回声返回的时间就越长。用船体敲击发出的声音会从海底反射回来,通过测量敲击声与回声之间的时间间隔,就能计算出该处海水的深度。于是,回声探测器便应运而生,现在已在船舶上广泛使用。每一种固体物体都会反射声音,其反射方式视物体的尺寸和性质而异。一群鱼也会如此。因此,从定位海底到定位鱼群,只是一个相对简单的步骤。随着经验的积累和仪器的改进,现在不仅能定位鱼群,还能根据回声的模式辨别它是鲱鱼、鳕鱼或其他常见鱼类。

人们发现,某些蝙蝠会发出尖叫声,并通过接收回声来定位并避开障碍物——或者找到它们赖以 feeding 的飞行昆虫。这种蝙蝠的回声定位常常与雷达相比,其原理相似。

--MAURICE BURTON Curiosities of animal --

词汇表

echo

名词, 动词
英:/ˈekəʊ/
美:/ˈekoʊ/
定义
1. 回声 - A sound that is reflected off a surface and heard again.

例子: The echo of his shout bounced back from the mountainside.

例子: In a large cave, even a whisper can produce a clear echo.

2. 回荡或重复声音 - To repeat or reflect a sound.

例子: The walls of the hall echo every word spoken.

例子: Her voice echoed through the empty room.

近义词
reverberation: 强调声音的持续回荡,常用于描述更持久的音效,而 'echo' 更侧重于反射的重复。
resonance: 更侧重于声音的振动和共鸣,适用于音乐或物理语境,而 'echo' 更具体地指反射声。
repetition: 泛指任何形式的重复,不限于声音;'echo' 专指声波反射。
反义词:
silence, absorption, dampening
用法
常用于描述声音反射的物理现象,或比喻性地表示重复或回应;在科学、日常对话中常见,搭配如 'echo of a sound' 或 'echo back',语境通常是非正式的。
形式:
复数: echoes, 过去式: echoed, 现在分词: echoing, 形容词形式: echoic

关键句型 "If [condition], [main clause]"

定义

这个句型用于表达条件与结果的逻辑关系,结构为:If(如果)+ [condition](条件从句)+ , + [main clause](主句,表示结果)。根据《剑桥英语语法》权威教材,这种句型通常是第一类条件句,表示真实或可能的条件,条件从句常用一般现在时,主句常用将来时或一般现在时。例如,在文章中:“If he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back.”这里,**If [he shouts]是条件,[an echo will come back]**是结果。

它是一种常见的假设性表达,帮助学习者构建因果联系。

用法

此句型广泛用于描述真实条件下可能发生的事件,如预测天气、给出建议或解释科学现象。在语法体系中,它属于条件句类型,常用于口语和书面语中。规则包括:条件从句通常用一般现在时(e.g., "If it rains"), 而主句根据语境使用一般将来时(e.g., "it will be cold")或其他时态,但要保持逻辑一致。横向比较:与第二类条件句(如 "If I were rich, I would travel")相比,这个句型更侧重现实可能性,而非虚拟假设;与时间状语从句(如 "When it rains, I stay home")相比,它强调条件而非时间顺序。此外,它可以与其他语法点结合,例如与情态动词(如 "If you study hard, you can succeed"),建立跨语法联系,帮助学生理解条件句在整体句法中的位置。

在文章如“如果他大喊,echo就会回来”中,这个句型连接了动作和后果,促进科学说明的清晰表达。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括时态不一致,例如在条件从句中使用将来时(如 "If he will shout",应为 "If he shouts"),这会使句子显得不自然;另一个常见偏误是遗漏逗号,导致句子阅读困难,或错误地将主句时态改为过去时(e.g., "If he shouts, an echo came back")。纠正建议:始终记住条件从句用一般现在时,并通过练习强化逗号的使用。具体例句如下:

错误示例:If he shouts, the echo comes back yesterday.  // 错误:时态混淆,过去时不合适。
正确示例:If he shouts in the vicinity of a wall, an echo will come back.  // 正确:条件现在时,结果将来时。

此外,要注意语境适用,避免在虚拟场景中使用这个句型,而误用第二类条件句。

练习

一个原创的例子是:在讨论蝙蝠回声定位时说:“If a bat emits squeaks, it can locate obstacles easily.”学生可以替换关键词,比如将 [condition] 改为 "If you tap on the ship",并将 [main clause] 改为 "you can measure the depth",这样练习成:“If you tap on the ship, you can measure the depth of the sea.”这能帮助学生在实际场景中应用句型,比如在科学实验或日常对话中,鼓励他们创建自己的句子,如在旅游中说:“If it rains tomorrow, we will stay indoors.”通过这种替换,学生能加深对句型灵活性的掌握,并提升语言自信。

额外内容

背景知识:这个句型起源于英语中条件从句的演变,受拉丁语影响,在现代英语中广泛用于科学和教育领域。文化背景上,它反映了英语逻辑推理的传统,如在莎士比亚作品中常见。对比分析:与中文的 "如果...就..." 类似,但英语更严格要求时态一致;与法语的 "Si... alors..." 相比,英语句型更简洁,不需要额外连接词。这能丰富学生的跨文化理解,并为学习更高级条件句(如混合条件句)奠定基础。