Pushbike Peril

　　Low speed bicycle crashes can badly injure 一 or even kill 一 children if they fall onto the ends of the handlebars. So a team of engineers is redesigning the humble handlebar in a bid to make it safer.

　　Kristy Arbogast, a bioengineer at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, began the project with her colleagues after a study of serious abdominal injuries in children in the past 30 years showed2 that more than a third were caused by bicycle accidents. The task was to identify how the injuries occurred and come up with some countermeasures,3 she says.

　　By interviewing the children and their parents，Arbogast and her team were able to4 reconstruct many of the accidents and identified a common mechanism responsible for serious injuries. They discovered that most occur when children hit an obstacle at a slow speed，causing them to topple over5. To maintain their balance they turn the handlebars through 90 degrees 一 but their momentum forces them into the end of the handlebars. The bike then falls over and the other end of the handlebars hits the ground, ramming it into their abdomen6.

　　The solution the group came up with is a handgrip fitted with a spring and damping system.

　　The spring absorbs up to 50 per cent of the forces transmitted through the handlebars in an impact. The group hopes to commercialize the device，which should add only a few dollars to the cost of a bike. But our task has been one of education because up until now, bicycle manufacturers were unaware of the problem, says Arbogast.

　　The team has also approached the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to try to persuade manufacturers to adopt the new design. A decision is expected later this year.

　　注釋：

　　1. So a team of engineers is redesigning the humble handlebar in a bid to make it safer.因此，一些 工程師正在重新設計這種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。humble意為在級別上、質量上、 位置上低的bid在這里應作努力，企圖,爭取解。

　　2. after a study of serious abdominal injuries in children in the past 30 years showed:是一個時間狀 語從句，主語是a study，謂語是showed。

　　3. The task was to identify how the injuries occurred and come up with some countermeasures.要 做的工作就是找出受傷的原因及其對策。be to +不定式可以表示按計劃、安排將要發生的 事情。come up with意為找到。

　　4.were able to:在此句中表示過去曾經做成某事，相當于succeeded in doing sth. 。

　　5.topple over：翻倒

　　6. ramming it into their abdomen:把它壓入他們的腹部。ram sth. into sth.意為將某物壓入、打入或填入某物。

　　練習：

　　1.According to the passage, some engineers are trying to improve the handlebars because

　　A they are not noble enough.

　　B they may kill children.

　　C they are likely to crash.

　　D they make the bike move at a low speed.

　　2.In paragraph 2，the author mentions a study of serious abdominal injuries A to discuss how abdominal injuries in children occur.

　　B to show that more than a third injuries were caused by bicycle accidents.

　　C to point out what the countermeasures can be.

　　D to tell us why Kristy Arbogast began the project.

　　3.Paragraph 3 mainly discusses

　　A why the children and their parents were interviewed.

　　B when the children turn the handlebars through 90 degrees.

　　C what causes the children to topple over.

　　D how serious injuries occur.

　　4.The passage implies that

　　A it is not easy to persuade manufacturers to adopt the new design.

　　B the team of engineers has not found any countermeasures.

　　C children like to ride bicycles at a very low speed.

　　D a lot of children were killed in bicycle accidents in the past 30 years.

　　5. In which of the following ways the handgrip work?

　　A It can be commercialized.

　　B It reduces the dangerous forces in bicycle accidents.

　　C It adds a few dollars to the cost of a bike.

　　D It changes the direction of the handlebars in an impact.

　　答案與題解：

　　1.B文章i開始處就講，兒童騎慢車跌倒時，如果撞在車把兩端，會受重傷甚至喪命。因此， 一些工程師正在重新設計這種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。前面是因，后面是果。重新設計意味著試圖改進。

　　2. D第二段講Kristy Arbogast開始做這個項目是在一項研究有了結果之后，這項研究的結果 表明在過去的30年里，超過1/3的兒童腹部受重傷的情況起因于自行車事故。這個研究結 果是開始做項目的促動因素之一。

　　3. D第三段的第一個句子是這一段的主題句，它指出了這一段的中心：受重傷的機理。第二、 三、四個句子具體描述了這一機理。選項D與此相一致。

　　4.A這是一個推理題。從第四段的最后一個句子和第五段的第一個句子可以推出A，即說服 生產廠家釆納新設計并非易事。根據第四段第一個句子，我們可以斷定選項B是錯的。選 項C的內容孩子們喜歡騎慢車無法從文章中推出。根據文章的開頭，自行車事故致使 孩子們喪生只是一種可能性，我們無法就此推出選項D。

　　5.B此題問及握柄的工作原理。文章第四段第二個句子講到，在撞擊過程中，握柄上的彈簧 會吸收掉50%沿車把傳遞的沖撞力，據此，答案應該選B。

　　譯文：自行車的危險

　　兒童騎慢車跌倒時，如果撞在車把兩端，會受重傷甚至喪命。因此，一些工程師正在重新設計這 種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。

　　賓夕法尼亞in費城的兒童醫院的生物工程師Kristy Arbogast和她的同事開始做這個項目是在 一項研究有了結果之后，這項研究的結果表明在過去的30年里，超過1/3的兒童腹部受重傷的情況 起因于自行車事故。她說:要做的工作就是找出受傷的原因及其對策。

　　通過訪問這些孩子和他們的家長，Arbogast和她的同事得以推想其中的許多事故，并且確認一 個共同的機械裝置造成了這些嚴重傷害。他們發現大部分傷害發生在孩子慢速撞到某種使他們跌 倒的障礙物的時候。為了保持平衡，他們把車把轉過90度但是他們的沖力使他們壓進車把一 端中。然后車子摔倒,車把的另一頭碰到地面，把它壓入他們的腹部。

　　這個團隊得出的解決方法是裝有彈簧和減幅系統的手抦。在撞擊過程中，握柄上的彈簧會吸收 掉50%沿車把傳遞的沖撞力。這個團隊希望能夠便這種裝置商業化，這只需要自行車的價格提高 幾美元。Arbogast說:但是我們的任務是教育，因為迄今為止，自行車制造商還沒有意識到這個問 題。這個團隊還通過美國消費產品安全委員會努力說服制造商采納新設計。今年晚些時候可望有 所決定。

　　Pushbike Peril

　　Low speed bicycle crashes can badly injure 一 or even kill 一 children if they fall onto the ends of the handlebars. So a team of engineers is redesigning the humble handlebar in a bid to make it safer.

　　Kristy Arbogast, a bioengineer at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, began the project with her colleagues after a study of serious abdominal injuries in children in the past 30 years showed2 that more than a third were caused by bicycle accidents. The task was to identify how the injuries occurred and come up with some countermeasures,3 she says.

　　By interviewing the children and their parents，Arbogast and her team were able to4 reconstruct many of the accidents and identified a common mechanism responsible for serious injuries. They discovered that most occur when children hit an obstacle at a slow speed，causing them to topple over5. To maintain their balance they turn the handlebars through 90 degrees 一 but their momentum forces them into the end of the handlebars. The bike then falls over and the other end of the handlebars hits the ground, ramming it into their abdomen6.

　　The solution the group came up with is a handgrip fitted with a spring and damping system.

　　The spring absorbs up to 50 per cent of the forces transmitted through the handlebars in an impact. The group hopes to commercialize the device，which should add only a few dollars to the cost of a bike. But our task has been one of education because up until now, bicycle manufacturers were unaware of the problem, says Arbogast.

　　The team has also approached the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to try to persuade manufacturers to adopt the new design. A decision is expected later this year.

　　注釋：

　　1. So a team of engineers is redesigning the humble handlebar in a bid to make it safer.因此，一些 工程師正在重新設計這種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。humble意為在級別上、質量上、 位置上低的bid在這里應作努力，企圖,爭取解。

　　2. after a study of serious abdominal injuries in children in the past 30 years showed:是一個時間狀 語從句，主語是a study，謂語是showed。

　　3. The task was to identify how the injuries occurred and come up with some countermeasures.要 做的工作就是找出受傷的原因及其對策。be to +不定式可以表示按計劃、安排將要發生的 事情。come up with意為找到。

　　4.were able to:在此句中表示過去曾經做成某事，相當于succeeded in doing sth. 。

　　5.topple over：翻倒

　　6. ramming it into their abdomen:把它壓入他們的腹部。ram sth. into sth.意為將某物壓入、打入或填入某物。

　　練習：

　　1.According to the passage, some engineers are trying to improve the handlebars because

　　A they are not noble enough.

　　B they may kill children.

　　C they are likely to crash.

　　D they make the bike move at a low speed.

　　2.In paragraph 2，the author mentions a study of serious abdominal injuries A to discuss how abdominal injuries in children occur.

　　B to show that more than a third injuries were caused by bicycle accidents.

　　C to point out what the countermeasures can be.

　　D to tell us why Kristy Arbogast began the project.

　　3.Paragraph 3 mainly discusses

　　A why the children and their parents were interviewed.

　　B when the children turn the handlebars through 90 degrees.

　　C what causes the children to topple over.

　　D how serious injuries occur.

　　4.The passage implies that

　　A it is not easy to persuade manufacturers to adopt the new design.

　　B the team of engineers has not found any countermeasures.

　　C children like to ride bicycles at a very low speed.

　　D a lot of children were killed in bicycle accidents in the past 30 years.

　　5. In which of the following ways the handgrip work?

　　A It can be commercialized.

　　B It reduces the dangerous forces in bicycle accidents.

　　C It adds a few dollars to the cost of a bike.

　　D It changes the direction of the handlebars in an impact.

　　答案與題解：

　　1.B文章i開始處就講，兒童騎慢車跌倒時，如果撞在車把兩端，會受重傷甚至喪命。因此， 一些工程師正在重新設計這種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。前面是因，后面是果。重新設計意味著試圖改進。

　　2. D第二段講Kristy Arbogast開始做這個項目是在一項研究有了結果之后，這項研究的結果 表明在過去的30年里，超過1/3的兒童腹部受重傷的情況起因于自行車事故。這個研究結 果是開始做項目的促動因素之一。

　　3. D第三段的第一個句子是這一段的主題句，它指出了這一段的中心：受重傷的機理。第二、 三、四個句子具體描述了這一機理。選項D與此相一致。

　　4.A這是一個推理題。從第四段的最后一個句子和第五段的第一個句子可以推出A，即說服 生產廠家釆納新設計并非易事。根據第四段第一個句子，我們可以斷定選項B是錯的。選 項C的內容孩子們喜歡騎慢車無法從文章中推出。根據文章的開頭，自行車事故致使 孩子們喪生只是一種可能性，我們無法就此推出選項D。

　　5.B此題問及握柄的工作原理。文章第四段第二個句子講到，在撞擊過程中，握柄上的彈簧 會吸收掉50%沿車把傳遞的沖撞力，據此，答案應該選B。

　　譯文：自行車的危險

　　兒童騎慢車跌倒時，如果撞在車把兩端，會受重傷甚至喪命。因此，一些工程師正在重新設計這 種欠合理的車把，以使其更安全。

　　賓夕法尼亞in費城的兒童醫院的生物工程師Kristy Arbogast和她的同事開始做這個項目是在 一項研究有了結果之后，這項研究的結果表明在過去的30年里，超過1/3的兒童腹部受重傷的情況 起因于自行車事故。她說:要做的工作就是找出受傷的原因及其對策。

　　通過訪問這些孩子和他們的家長，Arbogast和她的同事得以推想其中的許多事故，并且確認一 個共同的機械裝置造成了這些嚴重傷害。他們發現大部分傷害發生在孩子慢速撞到某種使他們跌 倒的障礙物的時候。為了保持平衡，他們把車把轉過90度但是他們的沖力使他們壓進車把一 端中。然后車子摔倒,車把的另一頭碰到地面，把它壓入他們的腹部。

　　這個團隊得出的解決方法是裝有彈簧和減幅系統的手抦。在撞擊過程中，握柄上的彈簧會吸收 掉50%沿車把傳遞的沖撞力。這個團隊希望能夠便這種裝置商業化，這只需要自行車的價格提高 幾美元。Arbogast說:但是我們的任務是教育，因為迄今為止，自行車制造商還沒有意識到這個問 題。這個團隊還通過美國消費產品安全委員會努力說服制造商采納新設計。今年晚些時候可望有 所決定。