人类发明飞机已经一百多年了，但是现在的飞机在飞行时仍然没有小鸟那么灵活。有人把小鸟的翅膀装在模型飞机上做研究，希望能得到启发从而造出更好的飞机。
An airplane that flies like a bird
by Rob Verger
Pigeons are so ubiquitous（无处不在的）, they've earned the urban nickname of "rats with wings." But they do have at least one thing going for them: They're strong, muscular（肌肉发达的） fliers, naturally suited for handling the gusty（强阵风的） winds that blow between buildings.
pigeon /ˈpɪdʒən/ n. 鸽子
urban /ˈɜːb(ə)n/ adj. 城市的
flier /ˈflaɪə(r)/ n. 飞行者（由fly加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
naturally /ˈnætʃ(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 天然地、很自然地（由natural加后缀-ly变成副词）
suited /ˈsjuːtɪd/ adj. 合适的
And now engineers are turning to the species for research by adding pigeon flight feathers to an airborne robot. The resulting fusion is called, naturally, PigeonBot.
turn to 转向、转而做某事
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ n. 物种
feather /ˈfeðə(r)/ n. 羽毛
airborne /ˈeəbɔːn/ adj. 在空中的
resulting /rɪˈzʌltɪŋ/ adj. 做为结果的、由此产生的
fusion /ˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/ n. 融合之物
PigeonBot cleverly integrates tried-and-true elements of traditional flying machines with tried-and-true elements of evolution. The researchers behind the project weren't trying to build a machine that flaps like a bird, which would be much harder to do from an engineering perspective; they were using the mishmash（大杂烩） of the biological and the mechanical to learn more about how avians（鸟） fly.
cleverly /ˈklev(ə)li/ adv. 巧妙地（由clever加后缀-ly变成副词）
integrate /ˈɪntɪɡreɪt/ v. 整合、集成
tried-and-true 经过检验靠得住的
element /ˈelɪmənt/ n. 元素、组成部分
evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ n. 进化
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目、研究项目
flap /flæp/ v. 拍动（翅膀）
engineering /ˌendʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ/ n. 工程学
perspective /pəˈspektɪv/ n. （看问题的）角度
biological /ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 生物的、生物学的（由biology加后缀-ical变成形容词）
mechanical /məˈkænɪk(ə)l/ adj. 机械的、机械学的
"I really wanted to understand how birds change the shape of their wings," says David Lentink, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and a co-author on a new study in the journal Science Robotics.
assistant professor 助理教授（比副教授低一级）
co- 前缀，表示“共同”
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
A propeller（螺旋桨） pulls PigeonBot through the sky, and a fuselage（机身） and tail like you might see on a typical model airplane or commercial jetliner（喷气式客机） comprise the body. The difference, of course, is the wings, which hold 20 feather per side. To hold the feathers together on the artificial wings, the engineers used rubber bands.
tail /teɪl/ n. 尾巴
commercial /kəˈmɜːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 商业的、商用的
comprise /kəmˈpraɪz/ v. 组成、构成
artificial /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 人造的
rubber /ˈrʌbə(r)/ n. 橡胶
band /bænd/ n. 带子（rubber band就是橡皮筋）
To control the bot, Lentink's team gave PigeonBot motors – a pair per side – that can adjust each artificial wing and the attached flight feathers at two different joints. The researchers could then use a remote to move the wing, causing the robot bird to turn and bank. This mimics（模仿） the way a real pigeon controls its trajectory（轨迹） in the air, although the bot's wings don't have all the movable joints and degrees of freedom an actual avian has.
bot /bɒt/ = robot 机器人
motor /ˈməʊtə(r)/ n. 马达、电动机
adjust /əˈdʒʌst/ v. 调整
attach /əˈtætʃ/ v. 附着
joint /dʒɔɪnt/ n. 关节、连接点
remote /rɪˈməʊt/ = remote control 遥控器
cause /kɔːz/ v. 使得、造成
bank /bæŋk/ v. （飞机转弯时）倾斜飞行
movable /ˈmuːvəb(ə)l/ adj. 可移动的、活动的（由move加后缀-able变成形容词）
degree of freedom 自由度
actual /ˈæktʃuəl/ adj. 实际存在的
"We determined that birds can steer using their fingers alone," Lentink says. In fact, bird wings and human arms share some basic structural similarities: a wing has a humerus（肱骨）, radius（桡骨）, and ulna（尺骨） bones, for example. And at each wing tip they have finger-like anatomy（身体结构） that can move about 30 degrees, controlling their flight with subtle motion.
determine /dɪˈtɜːmɪn/ v. 确定、查明
steer /stɪə(r)/ v. 控制方向
structural /ˈstrʌktʃ(ə)r(ə)l/ adj. 结构的（由structure加后缀-al变成形容词）
similarity /ˌsɪmɪˈlærəti/ n. 相似、相似性（由similar加后缀-ity变成名词）
subtle /ˈsʌt(ə)l/ adj. 细微的
motion /ˈməʊʃ(ə)n/ n. 移动、动作
Lentink is certain that airplanes of the future could make use of morphing（渐变的） wings – perhaps a segment of each wing would flex（屈伸） in some way – by incorporating lessons from pigeons and other birds.
make use of 利用
segment /ˈseɡmənt/ n. 片段、部分
incorporate /ɪnˈkɔːp(ə)reɪt/ v. 包含、吸收
"You won't see a feathered airplane like our robot," he says, "but you'll find smart materials in them that have similar properties that better match the engineering constraints and achieve more of what birds do than current aircraft can."
feathered /ˈfeðəd/ adj. 有羽毛的
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ n. 原材料
property /ˈprɒpəti/ n. 性质、特性
constraint /kənˈstreɪnt/ n. 约束、限制条件
current /ˈkʌr(ə)nt/ adj. 现在的、目前的
aircraft /ˈeəkrɑːft/ n. 飞机、飞行器（单数和复数都是aircraft）
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