Level 1 · Reading series
Lesson 28 · The Rusty Bicycle
Audio track 28
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Listen once before opening the English passage.
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“My bicycle has a reddish-brown mark,” says Ren.
“That is rust,” his sister says. “The iron in the metal can react with oxygen and moisture.”
“Can I stop it?”
“Keep the bicycle dry. Paint and oil can also cover the metal and keep water and oxygen away.”
Ren wipes the bicycle after the rain. “A small job now can save a bigger job later.”
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
“我的自行车上有一块红褐色的斑，”Ren 说。
“那是锈，”姐姐说，“金属里的铁会和氧气、水分发生反应。”
“我能阻止它生锈吗？”
“保持自行车干燥。油漆和油也能覆盖金属，使水和氧气难以接触到它。”
雨后，Ren 擦干自行车。“现在花点小工夫，就能省去以后更大的麻烦。”
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- bicycle
- 自行车；也可说 bike。
- reddish-brown
- 红褐色的。
- rust
- 铁锈；生锈。
- metal
- 金属。
- react
- 发生反应。
- oxygen
- 氧气。
- moisture
- 水分；湿气。
- dry
- 干燥的；弄干。
- paint
- 油漆；颜料。也可指‘涂漆’。
- cover
- 覆盖；盖住。
Background notes (Chinese)
铁在同时接触水分和氧气时可能生锈。海边的盐分会加速这一过程。上漆、涂油、镀层等方法，都能减少铁与水和氧气接触。
资料来源：American Chemical Society 关于腐蚀的教育资料。