加油站背後的隱藏工程：英語精讀講義

It's 1913.

現在是1913年。

You're driving along in your brand new Ford Model T.

你正開著你嶄新的福特T型車兜風。

The roof is down,

車頂敞開著，

the sun is out,

陽光明媚，

life is good.

生活如此美好。

But you're running out of gas. 片語動詞

但你的汽油快用光了。

Luckily, the world's first gas station just opened up around the corner.

幸運的是，世界上第一家加油站就在轉角處剛開幕。

So you pull in and fill up your car in seconds. 片語動詞

於是你駛入加油站，幾秒鐘就給車加滿了油。

This was a brand new concept at the time

在當時這是一個全新的概念，

and it planted a seed that would go on to change the world. 講解

它埋下了一顆將改變世界的種子。

The car market exploded 慣用語

汽車市場隨後迎來了爆發，

and soon more than 150,000 gas stations had been built all across the country,

很快，全國各地建起了超過15萬家加油站，

giving people the freedom to travel like never before. 片語搭配

賦予了人們前所未有的出行自由。

Since then, gas stations went from being dangerous fire hazards at the side of the street 文法

從那時起，加油站從路邊危險的火災隱患，

to ultra efficient pit stops,

變成了超高效的補給站，

pumping out 3 billion gallons of fuel around the world every day.

每天向全球輸送30億加侖的燃料。

We modeled the entire thing to show you the hidden engineering behind gas stations,

我們對整個系統進行了建模，以向你展示加油站背後隱藏的工程學，

the 100-year quest to master them,

以及人類掌握它們所經歷的百年探索，

and the incredible mechanisms that make them work.

還有讓它們運作的不可思議的機械原理。

In order to understand how gas stations work today,

為了理解當今加油站的運作方式，

we need to go back to a time before they even existed.

我們需要回溯到它們還未出現的時代。

Most people didn't have cars yet,

當時大多數人還沒有汽車，

but kerosene was being widely used to power lamps and stoves. 文法

但煤油被廣泛用於點燈和生爐子。

To get it,

要買煤油，

you'd go to a hardware store

你得去五金行，

where an employee would pour it straight into a can

員工會直接把煤油倒進一個罐子裡

and sell it to you.

然後賣給你。

When cars started coming along, 片語動詞

當汽車開始普及時，

the kerosene would go from the store into a can

煤油一樣會從店裡裝進罐子裡，

and the customer would pour it into their car using a funnel.

然後顧客再用漏斗把它倒進車裡。

This was slow and dangerous,

這樣做既緩慢又危險，

and so there needed to be a safer and more efficient way to pour kerosene. 文法

因此需要一種更安全、更高效的方法來傾倒煤油。

That's when American inventor Sylvanus Bowser came up with the fuel pump. 講解

就在那時，美國發明家 Sylvanus Bowser 發明了燃料幫浦。

This was a hand-driven mechanism that squeezed kerosene

這是一個手動機械裝置，可以將煤油

from its container through a one-way valve and out of a nozzle on top.

從容器中通過單向閥擠壓，然後從頂部的噴嘴流出。

One full crank would dispense exactly 1 gallon of fuel.

搖滿一圈剛好能排出1加侖的燃料。

Soon, these pumps started being placed on city streets,

很快，這些幫浦開始被安置在城市街道上，

allowing cars to be filled up conveniently by an attendant.

讓工作人員可以方便地給汽車加油。

But customers had no idea if they were actually getting all of the fuel they paid for. 片語搭配

但顧客完全不知道他們是否真的得到了自己花錢買的所有燃料。

And so, a few years later,

於是，幾年後，

the visible fuel pump was invented.

可視燃料幫浦被發明了出來。

The attendant would first pump the fuel into a glass tank on top of the pump,

工作人員會首先將燃料泵入位於幫浦頂部的玻璃罐中，

measuring it to an exact amount.

測量出精確的數量。

Then, by opening a valve,

然後，通過打開一個閥門，

gravity would drain all of the fuel into the customer's car.

重力會將所有的燃料排入顧客的車裡。

These small curbside gas pumps worked well in the early days,

這些路邊的小型加油幫浦在早期非常實用，

when in 1900,

當時是1900年，

there were only 8,000 cars in the whole US.

整個美國只有8000輛汽車。

But just 12 years later,

但僅僅12年後，

that number increased to 1.2 million,

這個數字就增加到了120萬，

and suddenly cars were everywhere.

突然間汽車無處不在。

Traffic jams started building up around every pump, 片語動詞

每一個加油幫浦周圍都開始出現交通壅塞，

and the small 50-gallon tanks couldn't cope with the demand. 片語搭配

那些50加侖的小儲油槽根本無法滿足需求。

Worst of all, 表達脈絡

最糟糕的是，

having all of the fuel stored above ground 文法

將所有的燃料儲存在地面上

meant that things could go catastrophically wrong.

意味著一旦發生意外將是災難性的。

And so, in 1913,

於是，在1913年，

the Gulf Oil Company opened up the first dedicated fueling station in Pittsburgh.

海灣石油公司（Gulf Oil Company）在匹茲堡開設了第一家專門的加油站。

Instead of a single pump, they placed a much larger storage tank underground 文法

他們沒有使用單個加油幫浦，而是在地下放置了一個大得多的儲油槽，

and connected it to six pumps, allowing multiple cars to fill up at the same time.

並將其連接到六個加油幫浦上，允許多輛汽車同時加油。

On its first day,

在開幕的第一天，

it sold just 30 gallons of kerosene.

它僅僅售出了30加侖的煤油。

But the word quickly spread, 慣用語

但消息迅速傳開，

and by the end of the week,

到週末時，

it was already selling 350 gallons per day for around 27 cents per gallon.

它已經每天售出350加侖，價格約為每加侖27美分。

Similar gas stations started opening up all over the country,

類似的加油站開始在全國各地湧現，

and the car became the ultimate key to freedom. 慣用語

而汽車也成了通向自由的終極鑰匙。

But by the 1920s,

但到了20世紀20年代，

most cars had switched from kerosene to gasoline,

大多數汽車已經從使用煤油改用汽油，

since it burned more easily and was more efficient.

因為它更容易燃燒且效率更高。

But this caused a new problem:

但這引發了一個新問題：

vapor.

蒸氣。

Kerosene had a flash point of 38 degrees,

煤油的閃火點是38度（攝氏度），

meaning that it wouldn't emit flammable vapor until it reached that temperature. 表達脈絡

意味著只有達到那個溫度，它才會散發出易燃蒸氣。

But for gasoline,

但對於汽油來說，

the flash point was -40 degrees,

閃火點是零下40度，

and so it was constantly emitting flammable vapor into the air.

因此它會不斷向空氣中散發易燃蒸氣。

This vapor would build up inside the tanks

這些蒸氣會在儲油槽內積聚，

and pollute the air whenever someone filled up their car.

並在有人給汽車加油時污染空氣。

All it took was one small spark, 文法

只需要一點小小的火花，

and the customer would quickly become history. 慣用語

顧客就會瞬間成為歷史。

To learn about your own history,

想要了解你自己的歷史，

you can use MyHeritage,

你可以使用 MyHeritage，

an online genealogy service that allows you to test your DNA,

這是一個線上的家譜服務，允許你測試自己的DNA，

discover your family origins,

發現你的家族起源，

and build your own family tree.

並建立你自己的家譜。

With their instant discoveries feature and over 33 billion historical records,

借助他們的即時發現功能和超過330億份的歷史記錄，

you can uncover incredible stories

你可以揭開令人難以置信的故事，

and piece together your own family tree.

拼湊出你自己的家譜。

We came across James Higgins Lang,

我們偶然發現了 James Higgins Lang，

born in the late 1800s.

出生於19世紀末。

He was a professional footballer,

他是一名職業足球員，

and like so many young men of his time,

和當時許多年輕人一樣，

enlisted to fight in World War I.

應徵入伍參加了第一次世界大戰。

He tragically died in France during the Battle of Arras in 1917,

1917年，他在法國的阿拉斯戰役中不幸陣亡，

just shy of his 20th birthday. 片語搭配

離他的20歲生日只差一點點。

Amazingly,

令人驚訝的是，

both of his two older brothers also served.

他的兩個哥哥也都參軍了。

They came from a family of coal miners.

他們來自一個煤礦工人家庭。

Andrew, who was wounded in action,

在行動中受傷的 Andrew，

served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,

曾在阿蓋爾和薩瑟蘭高地兵團（Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders）服役，

7th Battalion,

屬於第7營，

a regiment known for its courage and sacrifice.

這是一個以勇氣和犧牲而聞名的軍團。

Using MyHeritage's Smart Matches and Record Matches,

利用 MyHeritage 的智能匹配（Smart Matches）和記錄匹配（Record Matches）功能，

even more family members showed up,

更多的家庭成員浮現出來，

just waiting to be discovered.

正等待著被發現。

Once you've built your tree,

一旦你建好了你的家譜，

MyHeritage offers AI tools that can restore,

MyHeritage 還提供了AI工具，可以進行修復、

enhance,

增強、

colorize,

上色，

and even animate historical photos,

甚至讓歷史照片動起來，

making them feel incredibly real.

讓它們感覺無比真實。

To uncover your own story,

要揭開你自己的故事，

start with MyHeritage and use the link in the description

請從 MyHeritage 開始，並使用描述裡的連結

to get 14 days for free.

免費體驗14天。

In order to turn gas stations from dangerous fire hazards 文法

為了把加油站從危險的火災隱患

into efficient self-service pit stops,

變成高效的自助式補給站，

some clever engineering had to happen.

必須有一些巧妙的工程設計。

Up until this point, 表達脈絡

在此之前，

cars were always filled up by a trained attendant.

汽車總是由受過訓練的工作人員加油。

But as competition started to rise,

但隨著競爭開始加劇，

gas station owners were desperate to lower their prices.

加油站老闆們迫切希望降低價格。

And so, in 1947,

於是，在1947年，

Frank Olrich opened the first ever self-service gas station.

Frank Olrich 開設了有史以來第一家自助加油站。

By getting rid of the need for an employee, 片語動詞

透過省去僱用員工的需求，

he was able to lower the cost of gas from 23 cents per gallon

他能夠將汽油價格從每加侖23美分

to just 18 cents per gallon,

降至每加侖僅18美分，

drastically undercutting the competition around him. 用詞

大幅擊敗了周圍的競爭對手。

But the idea of customers handling their own gasoline seemed dangerous,

但讓顧客自己處理汽油的想法似乎很危險，

and so self-service stations were banned throughout most of the country.

因此自助加油站在全國大部分地區被禁用。

The problem was,

問題在於，

customers had no clue when their tanks were full,

顧客根本不知道他們的油箱什麼時候滿了，

and so gasoline would often spill out all over the gas station.

所以汽油經常會溢出，灑得加油站到處都是。

That's when engineers came up with the automatic shut-off valve.

就在那時，工程師們發明了自動截流閥。

This was a simple mechanical float placed inside the nozzle

這是一個放置在油槍噴嘴內的簡單機械浮筒，

that would rise and shut off the flow of fuel once the car was full. 片語動詞

一旦汽車加滿油，它就會升起並切斷燃料的流動。

But deep underground,

但在地下深處，

there was still one huge problem.

仍然存在一個巨大的問題。

Inside the huge storage tanks,

在巨大的儲油槽內，

gasoline vapor would build up,

汽油蒸氣會積聚，

forming a layer of flammable gas.

形成一層易燃氣體。

When it came time to refill the tanks, 片語搭配

到了要重新加滿儲油槽時，

the vapor would get pushed out into the atmosphere,

蒸氣就會被推出到大氣中，

creating an almighty fire hazard.

造成極大的火災隱患。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

此外，

the steel tanks would corrode over time,

鋼製儲油槽會隨著時間的推移而腐蝕，

leaking gasoline into the surrounding soil.

將汽油洩漏到周圍的土壤中。

Nowadays, these underground gas tanks are made from fiberglass

如今，這些地下儲油槽是由玻璃纖維製成的，

and they have dozens of hidden engineering details that all go into making them safe. 片語動詞

它們擁有數十個隱藏的工程細節，這一切都是為了使其變得安全。

Here's how it all works.

這就是它運作的原理。

When a truck comes to refill the tanks every few days,

當卡車每隔幾天來加滿儲油槽時，

it connects to a valve on the surface

它會連接到地面的一個閥門，

and gasoline starts flowing into the tanks.

汽油便開始流入儲油槽。

As the level within the tank reaches around 95%,

當儲油槽內的液位達到約95%時，

a flapper valve flips up and stops the flow of fuel,

一個擋板閥會向上翻轉並停止燃料流動，

making sure it can never be overfilled.

確保它永遠不會被裝得太滿。

To take care of the vapor, 片語動詞

為了處理蒸氣，

the truck connects to a second valve at the top of the tank.

卡車會連接到儲油槽頂部的第二個閥門。

As the gasoline is pumped from the truck into the tank,

當汽油從卡車泵入儲油槽時，

the vapor exits through this secondary valve and gets pushed back into the truck.

蒸氣會通過這個二級閥門排出，並被推回卡車裡。

That vapor is then returned to the processing plant,

然後這些蒸氣被送回加工廠，

cooled down,

進行冷卻，

and turned back into usable fuel. 片語動詞

並重新轉化為可用的燃料。

When a customer goes to fill up their car,

當顧客去給他們的汽車加油時，

a pump placed at the bottom of the tank activates

放置在儲油槽底部的幫浦會啟動，

and starts sending gas up through a series of pipes and filters

並開始透過一系列管線和過濾器將汽油向上輸送

into the fuel dispenser.

進入加油機。

From there,

從那裡，

it flows into the fuel nozzle,

它流入加油槍，

which is perhaps the most interesting piece of the puzzle. 慣用語

這也許是整個難題中最有趣的部分。

Back in the day, 慣用語

在過去，

this would have been a simple valve releasing gas into the car. 文法

這不過是一個把汽油釋放到車裡的簡單閥門。

Now,

而現在，

it's a mechanical work of art that makes it impossible to overfill a car. 慣用語

它是一件機械藝術品，讓汽車絕對不可能溢出燃油。

As the fuel enters the nozzle,

當燃料進入油槍時，

it pushes its way through a narrow opening. 片語搭配

它會擠過一個狹窄的開口。

Small holes around the opening

開口周圍的小孔

lead down a thin pipe to a small opening at the tip of the nozzle.

沿著一根細管通向油槍尖端的一個小開口。

As the fuel flows,

當燃料流動時，

a low-pressure region forms here thanks to the Venturi effect. 文化背景

由於文丘里效應（Venturi effect），這裡形成了一個低壓區。

Because of this,

正因為如此，

air starts being sucked in through the narrow pipe and into the opening, 文法

空氣開始透過細管被吸入開口，

where it mixes with the gasoline.

在那裡與汽油混合。

Another tube,

另一根管子，

also connected to the narrow opening,

同樣連接到這個狹窄的開口，

leads to a small compartment containing a sealed membrane.

通向一個包含密封薄膜的小隔間。

This is where the magic happens. 慣用語

這裡就是奇蹟發生的地方。

When the lever gets pressed,

當手把被按下時，

it pivots around here

它會繞著這裡旋轉

and opens up a valve, allowing fuel to pass through.

並打開一個閥門，讓燃料通過。

But the only thing holding this part in place 文法

但唯一能把這個部件固定在原位的，

is a set of ball bearings.

是一組滾珠軸承。

When your car is full,

當你的車加滿油時，

the fuel covers the hole at the top of the nozzle.

燃料會蓋住油槍頂部的小孔。

This cuts off the flow of air being sucked into the system, 片語動詞

這切斷了空氣被吸入系統的氣流，

and so the only other path to get more air is through the other tube.

因此要獲得更多空氣的唯一途徑就是透過另一根管子。

But it's completely sealed,

但它是完全密封的，

and so this negative pressure sucks the air out of the sealed compartment,

於是這種負壓將空氣從密封隔間中吸出，

creating a vacuum and lifting up the membrane.

產生真空並將薄膜向上吸起。

The ball bearings are now free to drop,

滾珠軸承現在可以自由掉落，

causing the whole lever system to fall,

導致整個槓桿系統落下，

closing the valve and cutting off the flow of fuel.

關閉閥門並切斷燃料流動。

After the '70s,

70年代以後，

cars became more efficient and required less trips to fill up. 文法

汽車變得更加高效，加油的次數也減少了。

And so,

因此，

the number of gas stations started to decline.

加油站的數量開始減少。

But thanks to 100 years of engineering,

但是由於100年來的工程學發展，

gas stations became safe and mundane. 用詞

加油站變得安全且日常。

Thanks to MyHeritage for supporting this video.

感謝 MyHeritage 對本影片的支持。

Get 14 days for free using the link below.

使用下方連結免費獲取14天體驗。

Thank you very much for watching

非常感謝你的觀看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我們下期影片再見。