VAN ALLEN 注：通过长期与网友交流，发现有很多的人学习 VOA Special English 都只是停留上随便听听，随便看看的层次。以这样消极的方式学习越久，你就越会发现虽然自己花了相当的时间学习英语，但除了知识面有所增长，英语语言能力水平几乎没有提高，导致丧失学习兴趣，最后逐步放弃，以失败告终。

孔夫子说“学而不思则罔”真是太有道理了，其实事事洞明皆学问，细细品读、分析 VOA Special English 的每篇文章，我们学到了文章主题所透露的知识，更能学到了英语英语语言的词汇、短语、表达技巧等。学习英语不要贪多，太多了就会消化不良，细嚼慢咽，真正用心去学，就能体验到学习的乐趣。

欢迎大家通过回帖的形式发表自己的学习笔记。

阅读时遇到生词推荐使用牛津高阶英语词典（英英版）查询：
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 7th Edition

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阅读原文：DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Secret of DEET Could Lead to New Insect Products

There are new findings about an old method for keeping away insects. Scientists have uncovered the molecular workings of DEET.

DEET is the most widely used product for preventing insect bites. The scientists say their findings could lead to better insecticide products.

Fifty years ago, the United States Army and the Department of Agriculture developed DEET to protect soldiers from disease-carrying insects. Since then, it has been used to guard against blood-sucking insects, like mosquitoes carrying malaria. DEET has been shown to work on almost all insects, including ticks, which spread Lyme disease.

Until recently, no one had explained exactly how the product keeps insects away from skin. Some people thought that because DEET's strong smell is not pleasing to human beings, it also smelled bad to insects. But the new study shows that DEET temporarily interferes with an insect's ability to smell.

This week our subject is the presidential campaign. The seemingly endless campaign for the Democratic Party nomination is nearing and end. Only five states and territory of Puerto Rico have yet to vote. Illinois Senator Barack Obama moved closer to victory last Tuesday. A win by forteen points in North Carolina increased his lead in delegates and the popular vote. New York Senator Hillary Clinton had a two-point victory in Indianan, the other state that voted last Tuesday. Still many political commentators declared the race over. But speaking in Indianan, Hillary Clinton promised continue to her fight.
HILLARY CLINTON: "I am going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month and I intend to win them in November…”

correct: continue her fight

West Virginia will vote this Tuesday, then Kentucky and Oregon on May twentieth. The primary season ends on June third. Barack Obama captured fify-six precent of the North Caroline vote, led by his strong support among African- American voters. If elected, he would be American's first black president. After the results were in, he talked about defeating Republican Candidate John McCain in the general election.
BARACK OBAMA :"We can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term. We need change in America, and that's why we will be united in November."
Hillary Clinton argues that she is the Democrat more likely to defeat John McCain in big and often unpredictable states. Her campaign has faced a shortage of money, and she has helped finance it lately with personal loans. Hillary Clinton would be American's first female president..........

TO Tracy: 你回复的内容都不是关于上面的 DEVELOPMENT REPORT 的啊，你看看是不是回复错地方了。

是错了阿！我从This is American里进来的哦，怎么会看到Development Report。嘻嘻！

麻烦你把它们重新回复到 THIS IS AMERICA 帖子里吧. THIS IS AMERICA - 5/12/2008

insecticide: a chemical used for killing insects
guard against: to take care to prevent sth or to protect yourself from sth
blood-sucking insects; the insects that take blood by mouth
tick: a small insect that bites humans and animals and sucks their blood
Lyme disease: a serious disease that causes fever and pain in the joints of the body, caused by bacteria carried by ticks
interfere with: to prevent sth from succeeding or from being done or happening as planned
temporarily: last only for a short time; not permanent
neurogenetics: neuro- is related to nerve, so the neurogenetics may be means “神经遗传学” in chinese;
fruit fly: a kind of fly that eats plants that are decaying, especially fruit
smell: emit by sth that people and animals sense through their noses
sweat: drops of liquid that appear on the surface of your skin when you are hot, ill/sick or afraid
receptor: a sense organ or nerve ending in the body that reacts to changes such as heat or cold and makes the body react in a particular way

what's the meaning of antennae and "the molecular workings", thanks in advance!

听起来，第一句话There are new findings about an old method for keeping away insects. 应该是an old method of keeping away insects

诚邀大家一起来听辨！

补充一下，嘿嘿
antennae: it is the plural form of antenna. Antenna means that the two long thin parts on the heads of some insects and some animals that live in shells, used to feel and touch things with

molecule：the smallest unit into which any substance can be divided without losing its own chemical nature, usually consisting of two or more atoms
insecticide: a chemical substance used for killing insects
deet：
suck：to take air, liquid etc into your mouth by making your lips form a small hole and using the muscles of your mouth to pull it in
mosquito： a small flying insect that sucks the blood of people and animals, sometimes spreading the disease malaria
tick：a very small animal like an insect that lives under the skin of other animals and sucks their blood
Lyme arthritis 莱姆关节炎(伴有疼痛、发热与皮肤红斑)
neurogenetics [复]n.[用作单] 神经遗传学
antennae：one of two long thin parts on an insect's head, that it uses to feel things

ScientistS have uncovered the molecular workings of DEET.

The scientistS say their findings could lead to better insecticide products.

①为什么这两个scientists一个加the一个不加the呢？

②在第1个句子中的workings作何解？

③protect soldiers from disease carrying insects.
这句的意为：保护士兵脱离疾病，后面的carrrying insects作何解？


我的英语基本差，但一直在学习，今天晚上听development report 1H，仍然有很多不明白的地方，且反复看也不能听下来。
请朋友们帮助释疑。
Thanks.

To rebacca :

U are right ,I thiink so too,it should be "of",not "for"

ScientistS have uncovered the molecular workings of DEET.

The scientistS say their findings could lead to better insecticide products.

①为什么这两个scientists一个加the一个不加the呢？
根据上下文可以看出，第一句话是对这种情况作了一个泛泛的介绍，只是说有一些科学家发现这个事情了，但是不确定是谁，因此没有特指，所以不加the, 而第二句话已经确切地知道是那些（前面已经提及的）科学家们做的这个发现，发表的言论，所以用the来特指
②在第1个句子中的workings作何解？

我也不理解，等高人指点，嘻嘻！
③protect soldiers from disease carrying insects.
这句的意为：保护士兵脱离疾病，后面的carrrying insects作何解？
我觉得实际上应该是disease-carrying 携带病毒的。。。

以上都是个人见解，仅供参考，如有不当之处，欢迎大家指正！

TO yours_snow:

Scientists have uncovered the molecular workings of DEET.
这里的workings是个很不错的知识点。

牛津词典对working的解释：working [noun] [usually pl.] the way in which a machine, a system, an organization, etc. works: an introduction to the workings of Congress ● the workings of the human mind ● the machine's inner workings

再回到原句：Scientists have uncovered the molecular workings of DEET.这样它的意思其实已经很明显了。Scientists have found how does DEET work by a molecular.

（个人理解，谨供参考）

TO rebacca
The word should be ‘of’, you are so careful.

‘The molecular workings, I think the short phrase in Chinese should be ‘分子的工作方式’. If you have a better translation, please tell me.

By the way, I want to know which dictionary you use. I use Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, some of the words I could not look for in the dictionary, but you can translate them in English.

workings (of sth)
( process invovled in ) the way a mathine ,an organization,a part of the body ,etc operates.
（机器、组织、身体某部分的）工作方式或过程

working
我明白此意了
谢以上诸位同学