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1Hey guys! It's Nov 26th, 2024. Today’s news is about robots! As robotic technology develops, more and more robots are being used in different industries – particularly those labour-intensive ones. Recently, UK farmers are thinking about using robots to pick up grapes, an important ingredient for wine production. Let’s hear more from the news.
【新闻】Britain’s grape-picking robots
英国的葡萄采摘机器人
【逐句解析】
Makers of sparkling wine in Britain will soon pluck their delicate crop, while the sugar levels are just right for fermentation and before the grapes get overripe, or fall prey to pests, frosts or mildew. Typically the industry’s labour force swells fivefold in the ten-day picking period. Workers contend with variable weather and early sunsets.
英国的起泡酒生产商很快就会采摘这种娇嫩的葡萄，因为此时葡萄的含糖量正好适合发酵，而且还没有过熟，也没有成为害虫、霜冻或霉菌的牺牲品。通常，在10天的采收期内，该行业的劳动力会膨胀到5倍。工人们要与多变的天气和提早的日落作斗争。
Sparkling: adj. 起泡的 SYN fizzy.
Sparkling wine/water: 汽酒/气泡水
Fizzy drink: 碳酸饮料
Pluck: v. to pull out hairs with your fingers or with tweezers摘；拔
Crop: n. 庄稼；作物
n. 谷物/水果等一季度的收成/产量：
Fermentation: n. 发酵
Ferment: [/fəˈment/ ] v. （使）发酵
Overripe: adj. 过熟的
Ripe: adj. 成熟的
Ripen: v. 变熟
Be/fall prey to: to be harmed or affected by sth bad受害；受坏影响
Contend with: to have to deal with a problem or difficult situation（不得不）处理问题，对付困境 SYN deal with, tackle, solve.
The job has been too delicate to automate: grapes, particularly those that go into fine wine, are soft and valuable. But that could change. Saffron Grange vineyard, Queen Mary University London and Extend Robotics, a British startup, are building a robotic farmer. 这项工作过于精细，无法实现自动化：葡萄，尤其是那些用于酿造优质葡萄酒的葡萄，柔软而有价值。但这种情况可能会改变。Saffron Grange葡萄园、伦敦玛丽女王大学（Queen Mary University London）和英国初创企业Extend Robotics正在打造一个机器人农场主。
Automate: v. to use machines and computers instead of people to do a job or task使自动化
Automation: [U] n. 自动化：Automation meant the loss of many factory jobs.自动化意味着许多工厂工人失业。
Go into: 1)详述; 细查
2)进入 (某行业)
3) (时间、精力或钱等) 被投入
有大量精力和金钱在被投入到这种研究中吗？
Vineyard: [/ˈvɪnjəd/] n. （为酿酒而种植的）葡萄园；（以葡萄园自种葡萄进行生产的）酿酒厂
Startup: n. 初创公司
The machine will have cameras that use artificial intelligence to assess sugar levels, ensuring that it picks just the perfectly ripe grapes. It also has pressure-sensitive fingers that will not crush the fruit. The vineyard is planning to plant half a field for the robot to pick in a future harvest. It could be a vintage to remember.
这台机器将配备摄像头，使用人工智能来评估糖含量，确保它只采摘完全成熟的葡萄。它还有压敏手指，不会压碎水果。葡萄园计划种植半块地，让机器人在未来的收获中采摘。这可能是一个值得纪念的年份。
Assess: v. 评估，评定（性质、质量）
Evaluate: v. 估计；评价；评估
Crush: v. 压坏；压伤；挤压变形
n. a strong feeling of love, that usually does not last very long, that a young person has for sb older（通常指年轻人对年长者的短暂的）热恋，迷恋
我对她爱慕至极。
Vintage: n. 特定年份（或地方）酿制的酒；酿造年份 SYN wine.
n. the period or season of gathering grapes for making wine采摘葡萄酿酒的期间（或季节）；葡萄收获期（或季节）
