2006年英語(二)課文輔導：課文詳解
三.課文詳解Improving Industrial Efficiency through Robotics
(鏈接，出現機器人的畫面)
Robots, becoming increasingly prevalent in factories and industrial plants throughout the developed world, are programmed and engineered to perform industrial tasks without human intervention.①
Most of today’s robots are employed in the automotive industry, where they are programmed to take over such jobs as welding and spray painting automobile and truck bodies. ② They also load and unload hot, heavy metal forms used in machines casting automobile and truck frames. ③
Robots, already taking over human tasks in the automotive field, are beginning to be seen, although to a lesser degree, in other industries as well. ④ There they build electric motors, small appliances, pocket calculators, and even watches. The robots used in nuclear power plants handle the radioactive materials, preventing human personnel from being exposed to radiation. ⑤These are the robots responsible for the reduction in job-related injuries in this new industry.
What makes a robot a robot and not just another kind of automatic machine? Robots differ from automatic machines in that after completion of one specific task, they can be reprogrammed by a computer to do another one. ⑥As an example, a robot doing spot welding one month can be reprogrammed and switched to spray painting the next.⑦ Automatic machines, on the other hand, are not capable of many different uses; they are built to perform only one task.
The next generation of robots will be able to see objects, will have a sense of touch, and will make critical decisions. Engineers skilled in microelectronics and computer technology are developing artificial vision for robots. With the ability to "see", robots can identify and inspect one specific class of objects out of a stack of different kinds of materials.⑧ One robot vision system uses electronic digital cameras containing many rows of light-sensitive materials. When light from an object such as a machine part strikes the camera, the sensitive materials measure the intensity of light and convert the light rays into a range of numbers.⑨ The numbers are part of a grayscale system in which brightness is measured in a range of values. One scale ranges from 0 to 15, and another from 0 to 255. The 0 is represented by black. The highest number is white. The numbers in between represent different shades of gray. The computer then makes the calculations and converts the numbers into a picture that shows an image of the object in question. It is not yet known whether robots will one day have vision as good as human vision. ⑩Technicians believe they will, but only after years of development.
Engineers working on other advances are designing and experimenting with new types of metal hands and fingers, giving robots a sense of touch. ⑾Other engineers are writing new programs allowing robots to make decisions such as whether to discard defective parts in finished products. To do this, the robot will also have to be capable of identifying those defective parts.
These future robots, assembled with a sense of touch and ability to see and make decisions, will have plenty of work to do. ⑿They can be used to explore for minerals on the ocean floor or deep areas of mines too dangerous for humans to enter. ⒀They work as gas station attendants, firemen, housekeepers, and security personnel. Anyone wanting to understand the industry of the future will have to know about robotics. (老師停頓)
(以下課文詳解分別與上面劃線部分內容相鏈接)
課文詳解：
1.此句中 “ becoming increasingly prevalent in factories and industrial plants throughout the developed world” 是現在分詞短語作伴隨狀語，插在主語和謂語中間(也可放在句首)。
在翻譯時可以按照原文語序，即“機器人在所有發達國家的工廠和其他工業部門日益普遍得到應用，通過編程和策劃在無人干預的條件下完成工業生產任務。”
2.Most of today’s robots are employed in the automotive industry, where they are programmed to take over such jobs as welding and spray painting automobile and truck bodies. where 引導非限制性定語從句，對主句起補充說明作用。翻譯時，按照原文語序即可。“目前大多數機器人用于汽車工業，它們按編程去承擔轎車和卡車車身的焊接和噴漆這樣的工作。”
3.They also load and unload hot, heavy metal forms used in machines casting automobile and truck frames. 此句中， “ casting automobile and truck frames” 是現在分詞詞組作定語修飾machines, 意思是：“鑄造轎車和卡車框架的機械”；而 “ used in machines casting automobile and truck frames” 又是 “ metal forms” 的定語，因此本句的意思是：“機器人還可用來裝卸鑄造轎車和卡車框架的機械上使用的熾熱、笨重的金屬鑄模。”
4.Robots, already taking over human tasks in the automotive field, are beginning to be seen, although to a lesser degree, in other industries as well. 本句中， “already taking over human tasks in the automotive field” 是現在分詞詞組作非限定性定語，相當于一個非限制性定語從句。其中 “ although to a lesser degree” 是狀語。 “ to … degree” 表示“在某種程度上”。
翻譯：“除了在汽車生產領域替代工人勞動外，機器人也開始在別的工業部門應用，雖然應用的程度上低一些。”
5.The robots used in nuclear power plants handle the radioactive materials, preventing human personnel from being exposed to radiation句中 “used in nuclear power plants” 是過去分詞短語作定語修飾 “ the robots” 此句話謂語是 “ handle” 意思是搬運，處理。“preventing human personnel from being exposed to radiation” 是分詞作狀語。 “ prevent … from doing sth. ” 是固定搭配表示 “ 阻止… 做… ”
6. 在此句中， “ in that” 是復合連詞。表示：“原因是…，因為，在于..” 可以看作是引導原因狀語從句。
與“in that” 相類似的復合連詞還有：but that (若不是) now that (既然)等。
(參看教材P.145的注釋4中的例句)
7. As an example, a robot doing spot welding one month can be reprogrammed and switched to spray painting the next 。句中doing spot welding one month 是分詞短語作定語修飾robot；the next相當于 the next month 與前邊的one month 相呼應。本句意思是：“例如，一個機器人這個月做點焊工作，下個月可以重新編程去做噴漆工作。”
8. With the ability to "see", robots can identify and inspect one specific class of objects out of a stack of different kinds of materials 。介詞短語中“to see” 是動詞不定式作定語修飾 “ ability” 。 “ out of …”表示 “ 從…里” 。 句中with the ability to see是作全句的狀語。
9. “ when light from an object such as a machine part strikes the camera,” 是一個狀語從句。句中的 “from an object such as a machine part” 是介詞短語作后置定語修飾light。 意為：“當一個物體(如機器零件)上的光線照射到攝像機上時，… …
主句中“ convert … into” 意思是“把… 轉換成.. ”
例： We converted the small bedroom into a second bathroom. 我們把這個小臥室改成了另一個浴室。
10. 本句的真正主語是 “ whether” 引導的主語從句， it 是形式主語； “ as good as human vision” 是后置定語修飾 “ vision” 。注意此句按照原語序翻譯較好。“迄今尚不清楚機器人會不會有朝一日具有人眼那樣的視力。”
11 Engineers working on other advances are designing and experimenting with new types of metal hands and fingers, giving robots a sense of touch.。句中 working on other advances是現在分詞短語作后置定語修飾engineers. giving robots a sense of touch 是現在分詞短語作結構狀語。
12. These future robots, assembled with a sense of touch and ability to see and make decisions, will have plenty of work to do. deep此句中 “ assembled … decisions” 是一個過去分詞作狀語。 “ to see and make decisions” 是不定式短語作定語修飾ability。
13 They can be used to explore for minerals on the ocean floor or in deep areas of mines too dangerous for humans to enter. 句中explore 是不及物動詞，詞義是“勘探，勘察”，后面跟介詞for, 全句大意是：“它們可用在海底探礦或進入對人有危險的礦井深處。
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