2008年7月11日星期五

air bladders, rice husks, traction, gripping

Jul 10, 11:35 am

IPhone fever has yet again gripped the nation. This time around, it isn’t just Apple’s device that people are excited about: It’s also the software. Most of the reviewers who’ve had a chance to play around with a new iPhone say the improvements are minimal: The new version connects to the Internet at a faster speed; [...]

Later this month, Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor of the United States plan to begin testing the latest design from the distance-running equivalent of Manolo Blahnik. Their shoemaker is a Japanese master craftsman whose soles are renowned not for space-age gels or air bladders but for the gripping properties of rice husks.

The husks, which are ground and imbedded in the rubber soles of racing flats, are designed to absorb water and to provide up to 10 percent better traction along the 26.2-mile marathon course at the Beijing Olympics in August.

blad・der

━━ n. 膀胱(ぼうこう); （魚の）浮き袋; （海草の）気胞; （ボールなどの内部にあるゴム製の）空気袋; 【地学】気孔.

husk

━━ n., vt. n. （普通pl.）（果実・トウモロコシなどの）外皮（をむく）; （一般に）無用の外側の部

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grip (INTEREST)

Hide phonetics
verb [T] -pp-
to keep someone's attention completely:
This trial has gripped the whole nation.
I was gripped throughout the entire two hours of the film.

gripping

Hide phonetics
adjective
describes something that is so interesting or exciting that it holds your attention completely:
I found the book so gripping that I couldn't put it down.

grip (HOLD) Show phonetics
verb [I or T] -pp-
to hold very tightly:
The baby gripped my finger with her tiny hand.
Old tyres won't grip (= stay on the surface of the road) in the rain very well.

grip Show phonetics
noun [C usually singular]
She tightened her grip (= tight hold) on my arm.
She would not loosen her grip on my arm.

traction (HOLDING) Show phonetics
noun [U]
the ability of a wheel or tyre to hold the ground without sliding:
In deep snow, people should use snow tyres on their vehicles to give them better traction.