Engineers uncover the secrets of fish fins工程师揭开鱼鳍的秘密

徐立华

研究人员发现了鱼鳍背后的工程学秘密。这一新发现有望促成新的飞机机翼设计——只需按下一个按钮就可以改变机翼的形状。

1 New research led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found the engineering secrets behind what makes fish fins （鳍） so strong yet flexible. The teams findings could one day lead to new designs for airplane wings that can change their shape with the push of a button.

2 Francois Barthelat， senior author of the study， noted that fins can “do wonders” even though they dont contain a single muscle. “A fin is made of many ‘rays，” said Barthelat. “Each of those rays can be controlled individually just like your fingers， but there are 20 or 30 of them in each fin.”

3 Barthelat and his colleagues drew on a range of approaches， including computer simulations （模擬） and 3D?printed materials， to dive deep into the secrets of these structures. They reported that the key to fish fins may lie in their unique design. Each ray in a fin is made up of multiple segments （段） of a hard material that lie on top of much softer collagen （胶原）， making them the perfect balance between bouncy and strong.

4 The engineer and his team decided to use computer simulations to examine the mechanical functions of fins. They discovered that those segments could make all the difference.

5 “Pretend for a moment，” Barthelat explained， “that fish fins are made up entirely of collagen. They could bend easily， but wouldnt give fish much pulling force in the water. Rays made up of solid material would have the opposite problem—theyd be too hard.”

6 The researchers further tested the theory by using a 3D printer to produce model fish fins made from plastic. The team found that the design of segments provided better combinations of strength and flexibility.

7 Barthelat added that he and his colleagues had only scratched the surface of the wide diversity of fins in the fish world. Flying fish， for example， use their fins effectively to “fly” above the water， while mudskippers use their fins like legs to “walk” on land.

8 “We like to pick up where the biologists and zoologists have left off， using our background in the mechanics of materials to further our understanding of the amazing possessions of nature，” Barthelat said.

[Reading][Check]

Choose the best answers according to the text

Inference    1. What contributes most to fish fins ability to “do wonders”？

A. The great number of tiny fingers in them.

B. The special structure of the muscle in them.

C. Their smart use of the suns rays during the day.

D. The delicate combination of hard and soft tissues.

Detail 2. How did the researchers test their new findings？

A. By applying them to airplane models.

B. By creating and examining fish fin models.

C. By comparing rays made of different materials.

D. By simulating the fins mechanics on computer.

Inference    3. Why did the author mention flying fish？

A. To explain the great importance of fins for animals.

B. To show the wide diversity of fins in the animal world.

C. To prove the existence of numerous secrets in the fish world.

D. To explore the possibility of new designs for airplane wings.

[Language][Study]

Ⅰ. Analyze the difficult structure in the text

New research led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found the engineering secrets behind what makes fish fins so strong yet flexible. 由科羅拉多大学博尔德分校领导的新研究发现了鱼鳍如此坚固而又灵活背后的工程学秘密。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，句子的主语是New research。what makes fish fins so strong yet flexible是宾语从句，作介词behind的宾语，what在宾语从句中作主语。

Ⅱ. Memorize some text?centered chunks

secrets behind 背后的秘密 lead to 导致

even though 即使 draw on 凭借;利用;动用

a range of 一系列;一大片 lie in 在于

make all the difference 非常重要 be made up of 由……组成

pick up 拿起;学会;发现;找到 leave off 排除（在名单之外）;中断（做某事）