The amazing shipping container 灵活实用的集装箱

时间:2024-03-28 02:21:24

(单词翻译:单击)

  The amazing shipping1 container 灵活实用的集装箱
 
  集装箱是一种用于存储和运输货物的大型金属容器。它容积巨大,方便长途运输大批货物,让人们有机会接触到来自世界各地的商品,对贸易全球化做出了贡献。本文介绍集装箱的奇妙之处。
  词汇:shipping 海运
  Look at many of the items around your home and some will probably have been imported from abroad by ship. Moving goods around the world by sea is the easiest and most cost-effective way to do it. But what has made it more practical is the invention of the shipping container. They're not the most amazing thing to look at, but because of their design, and especially their universal size, it means they can be loaded and unloaded on to huge vessels2 at any port that is big enough to accommodate them. The standardisation of these simple metal containers in the 1950s and 60s marked a turning point in world trade, driving down costs and ultimately leading to globalisation.
  Inside these versatile3 metal boxes could be anything from nappies to cars, and they are transported on container ships that ply4 our seas and oceans. They have been described as 'the monsters of the seas' because of their huge size. The very biggest are almost half a kilometre long and are piled high with more than 20,000, 20-foot-long (6.06m) boxes. In fact, the world's largest, The Port of Rotterdam, has a capacity of 24,346 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) – an exact unit of measurement used to determine cargo5 capacity for container ships and terminals. With around 5,500 container ships globally, it's incredible to think about the amount of goods being moved around the world.
  However, because we now rely so much on these global shipments of goods, there can be problems when things go wrong. In 2021, the Ever Given, loaded with 18,000 containers, got stuck in the Suez Canal – blocking an important trade route. Countless6 businesses were affected7 by the delay in receiving their goods. One shipping company, Maersk, said the "ripple8 effects on global capacity and equipment" were significant.
  Despite the occasional problems, our demand for goods is increasing, and so the shipping container is here to stay. George Griffiths from S&P Global Platts told the BBC: "We're seeing a lot more of the ultra-large container ships being built… the proportion of new ships that are moving over 14,000 containers is staggering." Each container can have a lifespan of up to 25 years. And even when the effects of wind, waves and loading takes its toll9, some find a new lease of life as land-based storage units or even used as houses and hotels!
  词汇表
  imported 进口
  goods 商品,货物
  cost-effective 划算的
  container 集装箱
  universal 通用的,广泛适用的
  vessel 船,大船
  port 港口
  world trade 世界贸易
  globalisation 全球化
  versatile 多功能的,多用途的
  ply 定期往返(于)
  cargo (轮船或飞机装载的)货物
  terminal 码头
  shipment 运输
  trade route 贸易路线
  ripple effect 连锁反应
  staggering 惊人的,令人震惊的
  take its toll 造成破坏
  a new lease of life “重获新生”,使用寿命延长storage 储物,储藏
 

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1 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
2 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 versatile 4Lbzl     
adj.通用的,万用的;多才多艺的,多方面的
参考例句:
  • A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
  • He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。
4 ply DOqxa     
v.(搬运工等)等候顾客,弯曲
参考例句:
  • Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
  • Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。
5 cargo 6TcyG     
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
参考例句:
  • The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
  • A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
6 countless 7vqz9L     
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
参考例句:
  • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
  • I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
7 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
8 ripple isLyh     
n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进
参考例句:
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
  • The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来,碎在沙滩上。
9 toll LJpzo     
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟)
参考例句:
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

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