Unit 1 The Basic Structure of an Automobile
Today’s average automobile contains more than 15,000 separate parts that they must work together. These parts can be grouped into four major categories: engine, body, chassis and electrical equipments. The layout of modern automobile is shown as Fig.1.1.
Fig.1.1 Layout of a Modern Automobile
? Engine
The engine supplies the power for the vehicle. Most automotive engines are located at the front of the vehicle and drive the wheels through a power train made up of gears, shafts, and other mechanical and hydraulic components. Most automotive vehicles are powered by a four-stroke-cycle internal combustion engine. The in-line four-cylinder engine and V-type six-cylinder engine are the most widely used, with V-8 engines are also common. Some passenger cars and trucks have diesel engines.
? Body
The automobile body is the assembly of sheet-metal, plastic or composite material panels together with windows, doors, seats, upholstery and other parts.
In older vehicle designs, the frame is a separate rigid structure; newer passenger-car designs have the frame and body structure combined into an integral unit.
汽车专业英语
? Suspension
The suspension supports the weight of the vehicle, absorbs road shocks, transmits brake-reaction forces, helps maintain traction between the tires and the road. The springs may be coil, leaf, torsion bar, or air. Most automotive vehicles have coil springs at the front and either coil or leaf springs at the rear.
? Steering
The steering system enables the driver to turn the front wheels left or right to control the direction of vehicle travel. Steering systems are classified as either manual steering or power steering, with power assist provided hydraulically or by an electric motor.
? Brake
A brake is a device that uses a controlled force to reduce the speed or to stop a moving vehicle, or to hold the vehicle stationary.
? Transmission
The transmission is the device in the power train that provides different forward gear ratios between the engine and drive wheels, as well as neutral and reverse. The two types of transmission are manual transmission, which the driver shifts by hand, and automatic transmission, which shifts automatically.
In power train, the final drive is the speed-reduction gear set that drives the differential. The differential is the gear assembly between axle shafts that permits one wheel to rotate at a speed different from that of the other (if necessary), while transmitting torque from the final-drive ring gear to the axle shafts.
? Electrical Equipment
Most automotive engines have electronic fuel injection instead of a carburetor. A computer-controlled engine managing system automatically manages various emissions devices and engine operation, including the fuel injection and spark timing.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
automobile[?????????????] average [????????]
categories[???????????] engine [???????] body[?????]
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n. 汽车
adj. 平均的，普通的，一般的 n. 种类，类别 n. 发动机 n. 汽车车身
Unit 1 The Basic Structure of an Automobile
chassis[?????]
layout[????????] power [?????]
automotive [???????????] vehicle [???????] power train gear [???] shaft [?????]
mechanical[?????????] hydraulic[???????????] combustion [???????????] stroke[??????] cylinder [????????] passenger [?????????] truck[????]
diesel[???????]
composite[????????????????]
material[??????????] panel[?????]
upholstery[????????????] frame[?????] rigid[???????]
integral[?????????] suspension[??????????] transmit[?????????] brake-reaction force
maintain[????????] traction[????????] tire[?????] spring[?????] coil[????] leaf[????]
torsion[???????] rear[???]
steering[????????] manual[????????]
transmission[???????????]
n. 底盘
n. 布局，安排 n. 动力, 功率
adj. 有关汽车的; 机动(车)的 n. 交通工具, 车辆 传动系
n. 齿轮，传动装置; vt. 齿轮传动；vi.换挡 n. 轴
adj. 机械学的; 力学的 adj. 液力的，液压的 n. 燃烧 n. 冲程 n. 汽缸 n. 乘客
n. 卡车, 载重汽车 n. 柴油
adj. 复合的，合成的 n. 材料
n. 仪表板；控制板；面板 n. 车身衬里，内饰 n. 车架 adj. 刚硬的
adj. 完整的, 整体的 n. 悬挂 vt. 传送 制动作用力 vt. 保持 n. 驱动力 n. 轮胎 n. 弹簧
n. 线圈，螺旋(弹簧) n. 叶片 n. 扭转 n. 后部 n. 转向装置
adj. 手动操作的；n. 手册 n. 传动装置, 变速器
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汽车专业英语
ratio[????????]
neutral[?????????] reverse[???????]
automatic[???????????]
automatically [????????????] final drive
speed-reduction
differential[????????????] axle[?????] torque[????]
electronic fuel injection
carburetor [?????????????] spark[?????] timing[???????] emission[???????]
n. 比；传动比
adj. 空挡的
adj. 相反的, 反向的 adj. 自动的 adv. 自动地 主减速器 减速装置 n. 差速器 n. 轴，车桥 n. 力矩
电子燃油喷射 n. 化油器 n. 火花
n. (点火、喷油等)正时 n. 排放
NOTES TO THE TEXT
1. Most automotive engines are located at the front of the vehicle and drive the rear wheels through a power train made up of gears, shafts, and other mechanical and hydraulic components.
大多数汽车发动机位于汽车的前部，通过传动系驱动车轮，动力传动系是由齿轮、轴和其他的机械与液压元件组成的。
made up of为分词，修饰power train。
2. The automobile body is the assembly of sheet-metal, plastic or composite material panels together with windows, doors, seats, upholstery and other parts.
汽车车身是由薄钢板、塑料或合成材料构成的带有车窗、车门、座椅、汽车内饰和其他部件的装配体。
3. The suspension supports the weight of the vehicle, absorbs road shocks, transmits brake-reaction forces, helps maintain traction between the tires and the road.
悬架支撑车体重量，吸收来自路面的冲击，传送制动作用力，从而有助于维持轮胎和路面之间的牵引力。
此句采用并列谓语。
4. The steering system enables the driver to turn the front wheels left or right to control the direction of vehicle travel.
转向系统使驾驶员以前轮向左或右转来控制汽车行驶的方向。 enable sb to do：某人可以干某事。
5. The transmission is the device in the power train that provides different forward gear ratios between the engine and drive wheels, as well as neutral and reverse.
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Unit 1 The Basic Structure of an Automobile
传动系中变速器的作用是在发动机和驱动轮之间的前进挡中提供不同的传动比，同时也有空挡和倒挡。
that 从句修饰的是the device。
6. The differential is the gear assembly between axle shafts that permits one wheel to rotate at a speed different from that of the other (if necessary), while transmitting torque from the final-drive ring gear to the axle shafts.
差速器是车轮半轴之间的齿轮总成，当把主传动环形齿轮的扭矩传送给车轮半轴时，它允许内、外车轮以不同的速度旋转(如果必要的话)。
EXERCISES
1. Translate the following expressions into Chinese．
automatic final drive automobile automotive frame axle body brake-reaction force carburetor manual chassis panel combustion power cylinder diesel differential electronic fuel injection emission engine 2. Translate the following expressions into English．
传动系 比；传动比 后部
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