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Some Low-Tech Fixes for High-Tech Problems:
Cellphone in the Toilet
from March 10, 2009, The New York Times

 

It could happen to anyone: you drop1 your cellphone in the toilet2. Take the battery3 out immediately4, to prevent5 electrical6 short circuits7 from frying8 your phone’s fragile9 internals10. Then, wipe11 the phone gently12 with a towel13, and shove14 it into a jar15 full of uncooked16 rice.

It works for the same reason you may keep few grains17 of rice in your salt shaker18 to keep the salt dry. Rice has a high chemical19 affinity20 for water—that means the molecules21 in the rice have a nearly magnetic22 attraction23 for water molecules, which will be soaked24 up into the rice rather than beading25 up inside the phone.

 

1. drop (v) 滴下;落下;掉下

2. toilet (n) 沖洗式馬桶

3. battery (n) 電池;蓄電池

4. immediately (adv) 立即,即刻,馬上

5. prevent (v) 防止,預防

6. electrical (adj) 電的;用電的

7. circuit (n) 【電】電路;回路;線路圖

 

short circuit 短路
Ex: A short circuits put the machine out of action. 短路使機器停轉。

 

8. fry (v) 油煎,油炸,油炒

9. fragile (adj) 易碎的;脆的;易損壞的

Ex: They carefully packed the fragile china into the cartons. 他們小心地將易碎瓷器裝入紙箱。

 

10. internal (n) 內的,內部的

11. wipe (v) 揩,擦;揩乾;擦淨

12. gently (adv) 溫柔地;溫和地; 輕輕地;和緩地;小心地

13. towel (n) 毛巾,手巾;紙巾

14. shove (v) 亂塞,亂放

Ex: He shoveled his clothes into the drawer. 他將衣服胡亂塞進抽屜。

 

15. jar (n) 罐,罈,(寬口的)瓶

16. uncooked (adj) 未烹調的;生的

17. grain (n) 穀物,穀類

18. salt shaker (n) 【美】(瓶蓋有細孔用於勻撒的)鹽瓶

19. chemical (adj) 化學的,化學上的,化學用的

20. affinity (adj) 【化】親合性,親和力; 喜好,本性,傾向

21. molecule (n) 【化】【物】分子

22. magnetic (adj) 有吸引力的,有魅力的; 有磁性的

23. attraction (n) 吸引;吸引力; 【物】引力

24. soak (v) 浸泡,浸漬[(+in)]; 吸,吸收[(+in/up)]

25. bead (v) 使成串珠狀; 用珠裝飾; 形成珠狀;起泡

Ex: Sweat beaded up on his forehead. 他額頭上滲出點點汗珠。

 


True or False:

1. If you happen to drop your cellphone in the toilet, the first thing you should do is to take out the battery right away.

2.The reason we take the battery out from the phone is to keep the battery safe.

3.After drying the phone, we may put it into a jar full of cooked rice.

4.We put the rice into the salt shaker is to keep the salt dry.

5.Rice has a high chemical affinity for water.