Unit Seven
Reading Comprehension
Ⅰ.Questions for discussion
1.Why do vehicle styling teams today persist in using clay to make sculpted models when they have supercomputers and virtual reality at their disposal?
Answer:Because a sculpted model can present the designers’ideas freely;using a sculpted clay model is just like using an erasable pencil so that you can make changes,adding something or taking it away at any moment;a sculpted model can help clients get a feel for the proposed design in a way that sketches and diagrams on the computers couldn't;it's three-dimensional and better serves as a collaborative tool in the discussion of all the team members.
2.Dehner compares clay to an erasable pencil in automotive design.But do you agree that computers,specialized design software and things alike make changes easier in designing?
Answer:Dehner compares it to using an erasable pencil versus permanent ink,and clay lets one go back and make changes.In fact,computers and modern designing tools make changes easier at will.When Dehner makes the comparison,he might only take the convenience of adding and taking clay away into consideration,which might not be totally justifiable in proving the advantage of clay models in auto designing.
3.Why is clay sculpting not a reductive process?
Answer:At the very beginning of clay modeling,hand modeler attaches adjustable fittings to the rough shape of a vehicle,which weighs probably ten tons,instead of removing everything.Clay models aren't simply output;clay can be an input medium as well.Clay is flexible when testing is done in wind tunnel.As Dehner puts it,“It's easy to slap on a little more clay and make a shape,so you get more runs and get more data.”Therefore,clay sculpting is not only a reductive process,but a creative and adjusting one.
4.Why and how will clay models be disposed?
Answer:Since the clay models embody the latest design of one automobile company,which is confidential in this intensely competitive industry,they are bound to be disposed of when they fulfill their tasks.The full-size models will be whisked off to a secret storage facility called The Tomb,taken apart,and recycled as well once the program is sure to move on.
5.Is clay modeling old-fashioned or irreplaceable in today's automobile designing?
Answer:open for discussion
Ⅱ.Judge,according to the text,whether the following statements are true(T)or false(F).
1.A sculpted model helped us get a feel for a proposed design in a way that 3-D sketches and diagrams couldn't.(T)
2.Clay isn't actually clay.It is made of waxes with some filler in it.(F)
3.On car shows,a model of fiberglass or resin is made for people to see.(T)
4.The process of clay modeling takes about a year.(F)
5.Clay models are,and will be,better than anything else in auto design.(F)
Vocabulary
Ⅰ.Fill in the blanks with words that best complete the sentences.
1.D 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.A 6.D 7.C 8.B 9.C 10.D
Ⅱ.Fill in each blank with a word chosen from the box in its appropriate form.
1.collaborators 2.constrained 3.recruiting 4.defiant 5.approval 6.disposed 7.transitional 8.flexible 9.permanently 10.marvelled
Cloze
Of the four choices given below for each blank,choose the one that best fits into the passage.
1.D 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.A 6.D 7.A 8.B 9.C 10.B 11.B 12.B 13.C 14.D 15.A 16.B 17.A 18.B 19.D 20.B
Translation Exercises
A.Translate the following sentences into Chinese according to the tips given in the brackets.
1.接到你的来信,非常高兴。(增补代词主语)I was very glad to have received your letter.
2.谁都知道西部山区确实艰苦。(增补暗含的名词主语)Everyone knows that life in the mountainous areas in West China is rather hard.
3.同学们在等我,我得走了。(增补连词)My classmates are waiting for me,and I have to go now.
4.她生动地描述了在英国的学习经历。(词类转换)She made a vivid description of her experiences of learning in Britain.
5.旅客登记须有证明本人身份的证件。(主题句)Guests are requested to show valid papers to prove their identities when they check in at a hotel.
6.去年发明了一种新的工艺。(主题句)A new process was invented last year.
7.成败得失他不放在心上。(主题句)He doesn't care much for gains and losses.
8.据推测,该公司下个月将在中国投资。(无主句)It is estimated that this company will begin its investment in China.
9.他打开抽屉拿出一本字典。(连动式)He opened the drawer to take out a dictionary.
10.医生表扬这个护士有耐心。(兼语式)The doctor praised the nurse for her patience.B.Translate the following sentences from Text A into Chinese.
1.Harley Earl,legendary vehicle stylist for General Motors from 1927 through the end of the 1950s,revolutionised the design of mass-produced automobiles by thinking of the car as a work of art—or,at least,fashion—rather than a purely utilitarian product.大名鼎鼎的汽车设计师哈利·厄尔从1927年直至20世纪50年代末供职于通用汽车,他将汽车视为艺术品(或至少是时尚产品),而不是一种仅供实用的产品,从而彻底变革了大规模生产的汽车的设计。
2.There are half a dozen companies that make plasticine clay suitable for full-scale design modelling(a few car companies make their own blends),and they deliver their product to design shops on flatbed trucks by the pallet-load.有五六家公司生产适于制作与实物同样大小的汽车设计模型的橡皮泥黏土(有些汽车公司按自己的配方生产),并用平板车将托盘装的产品运送到设计车间。
3.The entire design process takes about a year,starting with concept sketches and working to delivery of what Dodge's Dehner calls a“toolable surface for the engineering team.”设计始于概念草图,一直到完成道奇公司的德纳所说的“可供工程小组进行修型的表面”,整个过程大约用时一年。
4.The design remains flexible,though,with clay being smoothed on or scraped off until the final design is approved by corporate executives milling around in some secret interior courtyard.然而,设计保持了灵活性,直到公司高管在某处秘密的内院围观模型、批准最终的设计之前,黏土都可以抹平或刮掉。
5.Not a lot of future designers think about clay on their career path,according to Vanden Brink,so Ford sends recruiters to colleges and offers training internships.据范登·布林克所言,未来的设计师中没有多少人想到他们的职业生涯中会用到黏土,所以福特公司送新手去进修,给他们提供实习训练的机会。