Word comes from California of a new weapon in the war on household pests. Two scientists working for a firm in Anaheim, California, have developed a method to eliminate insects without using dangerous chemicals. The new poison? Hot air. The basic idea is that insects cannot adjust to temperatures much above normal. In laboratory experiments, cockroaches and termites can’t survive much more than a quarter of an hour at 125 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 50 degrees centigrade. The new method involves covering a house with a huge tent and filling it with air heated to around 65 degrees centigrade. Hot air is forced in with fans, and the tent keeps the heat inside the house. Since termites try to escape by hiding in wooden beams, the heat treatment must be continued for a full six hours. But when it’s all over, and the insects are dead, there are no toxic residues to endanger humans or pets, and no funny smells. Scientists claim that there is no danger of fire, either, since very few household materials will burn at 65 degrees centigrade. In fact, wood is prepared for construction use by drying it in ovens at 80 degree centigrade, which is substantially hotter than the air used in this procedure.

【生词摘录】

1. household: adj. connected with looking after a house and the people in it 家庭的,家用的,家务的
2. pest: n. [C]a small animal or insect that destroys crops or food supplies (毁坏庄稼或食物的)有害小动物(昆虫);害虫
3. cockroach: n. [C]a large black insect often found in old or dirty houses 蟑 螂
4. termite: n. [C]an insect that eats and destroys wood from trees and buildings 白蚁
5. centigrade: n. 摄氏度
6. beam: n. [C]a long heavy piece of wood or metal used in building houses,bridges etc 梁,横梁
7. toxic: adj. containing poison, or caused by poisonous substances 有毒的;由有毒物质引起的
8. residue: n. [C]technical a substance that is left after a chemical process【术语】(化学)残余物,渣滓
9. oven: n. [C]a thing inside which food is cooked, shaped like a box with adoor on the front 烘箱;烤箱,烤炉
10. substantially: adv. when considering the most important parts 主要地;大体上,基本上

文波讲词：

tox毒

toxic[ˈtɒksɪk]                         adj.  有毒的, 中毒的  poisonous

toxin [ˈtɒksɪn]                         n.  毒素, 毒质

intoxicate[ɪn’tɒksɪkeɪt]                   v.  使陶醉; 醉人

intoxicated by success, by a sense of power

intoxicating[ɪnˈtɒksɪkeɪtɪŋ]               adj. 令人沉醉的

breath-taking- mind-blowing