Have you ever looked up into the sky on a clear day and seen an airplane flying high in the clouds? If so, you’ve probably also noticed the long white streaks it leaves behindin its path. They are called contrails, and there’s more tothese white lines in the skythan meets the eye.
The jet fuel that powers the engines of a plane is intenselyhot, often burning at more than 500°C. In contrast, the air temperature at high altitudes where commercial flights typically cruisecan reach as low as -56°C. When the hot exhaustgases, which include water vapor produced by the burning of fuel, encounterthe frigid surrounding air, they cool rapidly. This rapid cooling causes the water vapor to condenseinto tiny water droplets or freeze into ice crystals, forming visible trails known as contrails.
Contrails can help us make predictionson the weather based on their appearance. If a contrail is short and thin, it means low humidityat high altitudes, which is a sign of fair weather. A thicker, more persistent contrail suggests higher moisturelevels in the air and can be a potential indicator of approaching storms. Also, contrails that look curvier and more stretched can indicate high winds in the upper atmosphere.
However, these contrails are not without impact on the environment. They trap heat that would normally escape Earth and lead to a warming effect. With such a high volumeof flights occurring every day all over the world, the contrails we generate are having a measurableimpact on climate change. For this reason, more companies are nowlooking into renewable fuels and hybridairplane engines. With a little luck, these contrails can become a sign of better flying ahead.
What Did You Learn?
1. If you see a contrail that lasts for an extended period of time, what kind of weather does it indicate?
2. How do contrails pose a threat to the environment?
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
intensely
[ɪnˋtɛnslɪ]
adv. 強烈地
Noise annoys me intensely, so I prefer studying at the library.
噪音會強烈地煩擾到我，所以我偏好去圖書館讀書。
●
cruise
[kruz]
vi. (乘船、飛機) 航行 ; (車緩慢) 巡行，巡邏
n. 乘船遊蕩
The airplane is now cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
飛機現在正在3萬英尺的高度航行。
We spent the whole night cruising down the highway in our truck.
我們整晚開著小卡車在公路上閒晃。
A police car cruised through the street each night.
每晚都有輛警車在街上巡邏。
My dream is to take a round-the-world cruise.
我的夢想是搭船航遊全世界。
高中 Level 5
●
exhaust
[ɪgˋzɔst]
.vt. 使筋疲力盡；耗盡
n. 排出的氣體（不可數）
The traveler exhausted himself on the long walk.
這名旅行者走了這麼長的路而使自己筋疲力盡了。
We overspent and exhausted our savings.
我們過度花費而把儲蓄都耗盡了。
We overspent and used up our savings.
我們過度花費而把儲蓄都耗盡了。
The machine gave off noxious exhaust.
這部機器排放出有害廢氣。
The machine gave off noxious waste gases.
這部機器排放出有害廢氣。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
encounter
[ɪnˋkaʊntɚ]
.vt. 遭遇
n. 與……不期而遇（名詞時常與介詞 with 並用）
We encountered a small problem during the
trial period.
我們在測試階段時遭遇到一個小問題。
I first encountered my wife in Tokyo.
我和我太太第一次邂逅在東京。
Arthur’s first encounter with Alice was when
he was in Taipei.
亞瑟和愛莉絲的第一次相會是他在臺北的時候。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
condense
[kənˋdɛns]
vt. . 縮減
The student condensed a great deal of material into
a 10-page report.
那學生把大量的資料縮減成一篇 10 頁的報告。
Steam condenses into water when it cools.
蒸氣冷卻時凝結為水。
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
prediction
[prɪˋdɪkʃən]
n. 預測
So far it’s still very difficult for scientists to makeaccurate predictions about earthquakes.
到目前為止，科學家要對地震做出準確的預測仍然很困難。
高中 Level 4
●
humidity
[hjuˋmɪdətɪ]
n. 溼氣，溼度
=
moisture
I hate summer because of the humidity.
我討厭夏天，因為溼氣太重。
高中 Level 4
●
moisture
[ˋmɔɪstʃɚ]
n. 溼氣，水分
Moisture is taken out of the air by this machine, after which it turns into water. 溼氣被這臺機器從空氣裡抽出，之後便轉變成水。
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
curvy
[ˋkɝvɪ]
a. 彎彎曲曲的
The road through the mountain is curvy, requiring cautious driving.
穿越該座山的那條道路蜿蜒曲折，需要小心駕駛。
●
volume
[ˋvɑljəm]
n. 量，容量；冊；音量
The volume of traffic reaches its peak during rush hour.
交通流量在上下班尖峰時間會達到高峰。
The history of the Roman Empire is in volumes 3 and 4.
羅馬帝國的歷史收錄在第 3、4 冊中。
Would you mindturning the volume down? I’m studying.
你介意把音量關小嗎？我正在唸書。
多益綠色
英檢初級
高中 Level 3
●
measurable
[ˋmɛʒərəb!]
n. 可測量的；相當多 / 大的
The pollution in this area is not measurable.
這地區的汙染是無法測量的。
We have made measurable progress in three months.
3 個月來我們已有相當大的進展。
高中 Level 4
●
hybrid
[ˋhaɪbrɪd]
n. （動 / 植）混種；混合物；油電混合動力車
a. （動 / 植）混種的；混合的；油電混合動力車的
=
mixture
=
compound
Would you like to try this delicious fruit? It's a hybrid of a tangerine and an orange.
你想嚐嚐這美味的水果嗎？它是橘子和柳丁的混種。
Gordon uses a management style that is a hybrid of two famous theories, and it is quite effective.
戈登使用的管理風格是結合了兩種知名的理論，而這混合過的理論非常有效。
Today, some cars are completely electric, but hybrids that use both gas and electricity are still more common.
現在有些汽車完全是電動的，但同時使用汽油和電力的油電混合動力車仍更常見。
Mason's dog is a hybrid breed―it is a cross between a poodle and a cocker spaniel.
梅森的狗是混種，是貴賓犬和可卡長毛獵犬的混種狗。
In order to come up with a hybrid solution that would satisfy everyone, Henry considered suggestions from various managers.
亨利為了提出一個每個人都滿意的混合解決方案，他認真考慮了不同經理們的建議。
One of the most popular hybrid vehicles is the Prius, which has been manufactured by Toyota since 1997.
普銳斯是最受歡迎的油電混合動力車之一，豐田從 1997 年開始生產此車款。
高中 Level 6
Extra Words
●
contrail
[ˋkɑn͵trel]
n. (飛機航行中形成的)凝結尾
●
streak
[strik]
n. 條紋 / 痕
●
altitude
[ˋæltə͵tjud]
a. . （海拔）高度
=
attitude
The airplane is now cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
這架飛機正在 3 萬英尺高空飛行。
英檢中級
高中 Level 6
●
frigid
[ˋfrɪgɪd]
a. 寒冷的
●
persistent
a. （人）堅持的，執著的；（不喜歡的事）持續存在的
How did you manage to get rid of that persistent
salesman?
你是怎麼擺脫那糾纏不休的推銷員的？
There’s been a persistent rumor about the singer’s
sexual orientation.
關於那位歌手性取向的謠言持續不斷。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
renewable
[rɪˋnjuəb!]
a. 可再生的
Practical Phrases
●
leave... behind / leave behind...
拋下⋯⋯；留下⋯⋯
Sam could not leave behind the fun of city life, so he chose to work in the big city.
山姆無法拋下都市生活的樂趣，所以選擇在大城市工作。
●
There’s more to N than meets the eye.
⋯⋯不如表面所見的那麼簡單。
There's more to the city than meets the eye; it has a rich cultural history.
這座城市不如表面所見的那麼簡單；它有豐富的文化歷史。
●
in contrast
相對地，相較之下
Sarah is usually quiet. In contrast, her brother is always noisy.
莎拉通常很安靜。相較之下，她弟弟一向很吵。
●
look into sth
調查某事物
= examine
= investigate
= inquire into...
The detective is looking into the past record of the man.
警探正在調查這名男子過去的記錄。
The detective is investigating the past record of the man.
警探正在調查這名男子過去的記錄。
The detective is examining the past record of the man.
警探正在調查這名男子過去的記錄。
