趣味英語(yǔ)知識(shí)：為何窨井蓋是圓的？
你或許會(huì)很不解，小愛(ài)為什么會(huì)問(wèn)你一個(gè)這么奇怪的問(wèn)題。區(qū)區(qū)一個(gè)窨井蓋，誰(shuí)曾想過(guò)為什么會(huì)這么設(shè)計(jì)?可能你覺(jué)得這個(gè)問(wèn)題不值得去思考，但是請(qǐng)先聽(tīng)聽(tīng)著名哲學(xué)家Descartes(笛卡爾)的名言吧：
I think, therefore I am.
“我思故我在”，這并非故弄玄虛，因?yàn)樗伎疾拍墚a(chǎn)生自我意識(shí)。思考得越多，我們就越完善，也越聰明。相反的，如果對(duì)什么事都懶得去思考，缺乏好奇心和求知欲，那么最終我們會(huì)變成同一種東西：笨蛋。
像窨井蓋之類(lèi)的東西，在我們生活中隨處可見(jiàn)，一點(diǎn)也不新鮮，大家都懶得去想為什么會(huì)這樣。但正因被我們忽視，此類(lèi)的思考才彌足珍貴。甚至你還可以借這種方式去鍛煉英語(yǔ)，比如嘗試用英語(yǔ)思考和解讀“為什么窨井蓋是圓的，而不是方的或三角的”。
這絕非是一個(gè)無(wú)聊的問(wèn)題，看看答案，你一定會(huì)從中收獲到別人不知道的知識(shí)，并從中獲得靈感和啟發(fā)，變得比別人更聰明。
Why Are Manhole Covers Round?
If you’re in the habit of looking down at your feet as you walk, you may have noticed that most manholes, and their covers, are round. Or perhaps you’ve been in a job interview where your prospective employer asked this question (which apparently happens enough that it was included in the third edition of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Job Interviews”). He wants to know about your ability to think on your feet, and isn’t so much interested in the correct answer, but it is a good question. Of all of the potential shapes for manholes, why was a circle chosen?
There are a number of reasons, according to Larry Scheckel in his book “Ask A Science Teacher: 250 Answers to Questions You've Always Had About How Everyday Stuff Really Works”. Manholes are round because “it is the best shape to resist the compression of Earth around it.” Round shapes are easier to manufacture than square or rectangular shapes, and because manhole covers are heavy, being round makes them easier to move from place to place (just roll them!). As an added benefit, workers don’t need to line up the covers with any angles, making round covers easy to slip into place.
But perhaps the biggest reason that manhole covers are round is that round covers can’t fall through a circular opening. “For all manholes, there is a ‘lip’ around the rim of the hole, holding up the cover, which means that the underlying hole is smaller than the cover,” Scheckel writes. “A round manhole cover can’t fall through its circular opening, because no matter how you position it, the cover is wider than the hole. But a square, rectangular, or oval manhole cover could fall in if it was inserted diagonally into the hole,” which would be bad news for unobservant pedestrians and drivers alike.
圓形窨井蓋的三大好處：
1. 使沉重的金屬井蓋易于搬動(dòng)
2. 均勻承受土地壓力
3. 大小環(huán)設(shè)計(jì)與均勻半徑使其不可能掉落井中
你或許沒(méi)有想到，區(qū)區(qū)一個(gè)小小的窨井蓋設(shè)計(jì)成圓形，竟然還有這么多講究和門(mén)道吧?千萬(wàn)不要忽視我們生活中看似平凡的那些東西，其實(shí)它們都是智慧和經(jīng)驗(yàn)的結(jié)晶�！按嬖诩春侠怼�，如果你能掌握每個(gè)事物背后的原因和道理，毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)你的思想和力量會(huì)因此無(wú)限膨脹。
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趣味英語(yǔ)腦筋急轉(zhuǎn)彎09-22