原文：Many strange new means of transport have been developed in our century, the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft.
本世纪已研制出许多新奇的交通工具，其中最新奇的要数气垫船了。
1) the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft 是现在分词being 的独立主格结构。
(资料图片仅供参考)
hovercraft n. [ˈhɒvə(r)ˌkrɑːft] n. 气垫船
原文：In 1953, a former electronics engineer in his fifties, Christopher Cockerell, who had turned toboat-building on the Norfolk Broads, suggested an idea on which he had been working for many years to the British Government and industrial circles.
1953年，有一位50多岁名叫克里斯托弗.科克雷的原电子工程师，改行在诺福克郡的湖泊地区从事造船业，他向英国政府和工业界提出了他研究多年的一项计划。
2) who引导的是非限定性定语从句,修饰 Christopher Cockerell。
Norfolk Broads诺福克大沼泽区，位于英格兰东部。
on which引导定语从句,由于该从句中的动词 work 与介词on 连用, 表示“研究”,所以将介词 on 置于关系代词之前。
3) in his fifties 在他五十多岁的时候。
in one's+基数词复数 表示在某人几十岁时。注：基数词复数中基数词为整十的数！
eg: He had a second child in his forties. 他在四十多岁的时候有了第二个孩子。
turn to (~sb )向(某人)求助;求助于; 注意力转向...;思维转向...;开始讨论; 开始做(另一件事)
eg: Many people here are turning to solar power. 这儿的很多人都开始使用太阳能了。
原文：It was the idea of supporting a craft on a 'pad', or cushion, of low-pressure air, ringed witha curtain of higher pressure air.
他的设想是：用一个低压空气或软垫来支撑船体，软垫周围用高压空气环绕。
4) of supporting... cushion 为介词短语， 作定语，修饰 idea。
of low-pressure air 作定语, 修饰 pad 和cushion。
ringed with...air 为过去分词短语，作定语,也修饰 pad 和cushion。
5) cushion ['kʊʃ(ə)n] n. 座垫
v. 缓和冲击；缓和打击；（用垫子）使柔和
ring v. 包围；环绕；给…戴上金属环（以便将来辨认）；绕…画圆
eg: Thousands of people ringed the court building to demans the release of Mr. Cox.
数千人包围了法院，要求释放考克斯先生。
be ringed with/by sth.
eg: Her eyes were ringed with stiff black lashes. 她的眼睛上有一圈硬硬的黑睫毛。
原文：Ever since, people have had difficulty in deciding whether the craft should be rangedamong ships, planes, or land vehicles -- for it is something in betweena boat and an aircraft.
自那以后，人们很难决定是否应该将这种运载工具列为轮船、飞机，或是陆上交通工具，因为它是介于船和飞机之间。
6） for 引导的是原因状语从句,说明为什么很难确定气垫船到底是属于轮船、飞机还是陆上交通工具的原因。
in between 介于......之间。这是一种组合介词，常用的还有 from among(从中)、from under(来自下面)、in front of(在......前面)、up to(达到)等。
range [reɪndʒ] v. 徘徊；变动；包括（从…到…）之间的各类事物
n. 区间；射程；靶场；一系列
eg: Technology has penetrated into every corner of modem society, ranging from manufacturing industry to family life.
技术已经渗透到现代社会的每一个角落，从制造业到家庭生活。
原文：As a shipbuilder, Cockerell was trying to find a solution to the problem of the wave resistance which wastes a good deal of a surface ship's power and limits its speed.
作为一个船舶技师，科克雷尔在寻找解决波浪阻力的方法，因为波浪阻力浪费掉了船在水面行驶的大量动力，从而限制了船的速度。
7) of the wave resistance 作定语，修饰 the problem, 意即“波浪阻力的问题”。
which 引导定语从句，修饰 wave resistance。
a surface ship,水面船只。
原文：His answer was to lift the vessel out of the water by making it ride on a cushion of air, no more than one or two feet thick.
他的解决办法是把船体提离水面，让船在一个气垫上行驶，气垫只有一两英尺厚。
9） by making it... air作方式状语。no more than one or two feet thick 作非限定性定语从句,修饰 a cushion of air
原文：This is done by a great number of ring-shaped air jets on the bottom of the craft.
船底装上大量环状喷气嘴以实现这一目的。
10) This 指前句中的 to lift the vessel out of the water。
原文：It 'flies', therefore, but it cannot fly higher -- its action depends on the surface, water or ground, over which it rides.
这样，船就能飞了，但飞不高。它的飞行限决于它所悬浮的水面或地面。
11) It "flies" 中的it 指 the vessel。flies 用引号表明这是一种夸张的手法,形容它行进得非常快。破折号后面的部分是对该船的行进所作的进一步说明。
water or ground 作 surface 的定语，意即“水面或地面”。
over which it rides 作非限定性定语从句，修饰surface
原文：The first tests on the Solent in 1959 caused a sensation. The hovercraft travelled first over the water, then mountedthe beach, climbed up the dunes, and sat down on a road.
1959年，在苏伦特海峡进行的首次试航引起了轰动，气垫船先是在水面上行驶，后又登上海岸，爬上沙丘，最后停在路上。
12) sensation [senˈseɪʃn] n. 感觉；知觉；轰动；觉察；感觉能力；引起轰动的人
eg: His arrest for poisoning caused a sensation. 他因投毒被捕引起了极大的轰动。
mount [maʊnt] v. 登上；爬上；攀登；准备 n. 山；坐骑；山峰；衬纸板
eg: I am sometimes driven to wish that you and I could mount upon a cloud (as we used to fancy in those heavenly walks of ours).
我不时产生一个愿望，我多么想和你驾上一朵白云（我们在醉人的漫步中常常这样幻想），
dune [djuːn] n. 沙丘
eg:It took us about 10 minutes to climb up to the top of that dune.
爬到那座沙丘的顶部大约花掉了我们10分钟时间。
原文：Later it crossed the Channel, riding smoothly over the waves, which presented no problem.
后来气垫船跨越英吉利海峡，平衡地在波浪上方行驶，波浪不再产生阻力。
13) the Channel 指英吉利海峡。
riding smoothly over the waves 为现在分词短语，作方式状语，修饰动词 crossed。which presented no problem 作非限定性定语从句，修饰waves，意即“波浪不再产生阻力”
present [ˈprez(ə)nt] v.
eg: If you carry your passport in a protective wallet, please take it out before you present it to a Border Force officer.
如果你的护照在钱包里，请在呈现给海关工作人员的时候拿出来。
原文：Since that time, various types of hovercraft have appeared and taken up regular service.
从那以后，各种各样的气垫船出现了，并开始了定期航行服务。
14) take up 开始从事,开始; 占据, 吸引(注意力)；继续, 进行下去
eg: Some people might say they are going to take up a hobby like painting or taking photos.
有些人可能会说他们打算从事一项爱好，比如画画或拍照。
regular service 定期航行服务。
eg: At present there is no regular air service between the two cities.
目前，这两个城市没有班机来往。
原文：The hovercraft is particularly useful in large areas with poor communications such as Africa or Australia;
气垫船在非洲、澳大利亚等交通不发达地区特别有用。
原文：it can become a 'flying fruit-bowl', carrying bananas from theplantationsto the ports; giant hovercraft liners could spanthe Atlantic;
它能成为“飞行水果盘子”，把香蕉从种植园运到港口。大型的气垫班轮或许能跨越大西洋。
15) flying fruit-bowl 是比喻的说法，将气垫船比作“飞行的水果盘子”。
carrying bananas... ports 为现在分词短语作定语, 修饰 flying fruit-bowl
plantation [plɑːnˈteɪʃ(ə)n] n. 种植园
eg: There was a labourer working at a fence round a plantation, on the borders of the grounds.
在庄园边上有个工人在一块林地四周筑篱笆。
span [spæn] v. 持续；贯穿；包括（广大地区）；涵盖（多项内容）
n. 持续时间；范围；包括的种类；跨度
eg: They typically do not try to span the globe, but their work is so good that clients will keep paying handsomely for it.
这种所的典型特征就是没有全球撒网的打算。但他们的业务做得很好，以至于客户愿意为他们不断大把花钱。
原文：and the railway of the future may well bethe 'hovertrain', riding on its air cushion over a single rail, which it never touches, at speeds up to 300 m.p.h. -- the possibilities appear unlimited.
未来的火车或许能成为“气垫火车”，靠气垫在单轨上行驶而不接触轨道，时速可达每小时300英里。气垫船的前途是不可限量的。
16) may well be很可能是。
eg: It may sound far-fetched, but given historical precedents and current rates, such a world may well be far from fantasy.
听起来遥不可及，但是鉴于历史进程和当前速率，这样的世界将不再仅仅是幻想。
hovertrain 用引号引上表明当时尚没有这种“汽垫火车”。riding on its rail 作定语，修饰hovertrain。
which it never touches 作非限定性定语从句，修饰rail。
at speeds up to...m.p.h为介词短语,作状语,修饰现在分词 riding,意即“时速可达每小时 300 英里”。m.p.h.相当于miles per hour(英里/小时)。
破折号起到强调的作用，其后面的部分是对前面内容所作的补充说明
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