High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 22 · A Quiet Sensor on the Bridge
Audio track 22
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Our technology club placed a small temperature sensor under a bridge with permission from the town. It sent a reading every hour. During the first week, the line on our screen jumped each afternoon, and we announced that the river was getting warmer.
A visiting engineer asked where the sensor was fixed. In the afternoon sun, its metal case became warm. We had measured the case's surroundings, not necessarily the water. We moved the sensor into a shaded protective holder and compared it with a hand measurement at the same time.
The new readings were steadier, although they still changed. Rain, air temperature, and the position of the device could all matter. We kept notes each time someone checked or moved it.
The sensor was quiet, but it did not speak for itself. A number needed a story about the instrument, its position, and its limits. Our mistake made the next graph less dramatic and more useful.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
科技社征得镇政府许可，把一只小温度传感器装在桥下，每小时发送一个读数。第一周，我们屏幕上的线每到下午就突然上跳，于是宣称河水在变暖。
一位来访工程师问传感器固定在哪里。午后的阳光会晒热它的金属外壳。我们测到的是外壳周围的环境，不一定是水温。我们把传感器移到有遮阴的保护套内，并在同一时间用手持设备对照测量。
新的读数平稳了些，仍然会变化。降雨、气温和设备的位置都可能影响结果。每次有人检查或移动传感器，我们都记下来。
传感器虽然静静工作，数字却不会自己说明意义。读数需要配合仪器、位置与限制条件来理解。那次错误让下一张图没那么戏剧化，却更有用。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- sensor
- 传感器；每小时传回温度。
- reading
- 读数；屏幕上出现下午峰值。
- engineer
- 工程师；询问设备装在哪里。
- fixed
- 固定的；安装位置决定受热情况。
- case
- 外壳；金属受太阳晒热。
- necessarily
- 未必；测到的不一定是水温。
- protective
- 保护用的；移入遮阴套。
- steadier
- 更平稳的；新读数波动减小。
- instrument
- 仪器；理解数字必须了解设备。
- dramatic
- 戏剧化的；旧图看起来变化很大。
Background notes (Chinese)
传感器测量受到安装位置和外壳受热的影响。工程师指出下午异常升高可能来自阳光，而非河水；学生调整位置并与现场测量对照。