英语作为一门主流国际交流语言，其作用已日显重要。如何学好英语一直是人们关心的热点。近些年来，英语教学界基本认同了语言学习脱离不了文化这样一个道理。通过英语去更多地了解全球信息革命、科技突破、观念迭代、生活方式变更等已成为当今英语爱好者新的渴望和学习动力。
为适应英语学习这一新变化，许多新书已经面市，但是，总的来看，介绍社会生活方面的多，涉猎科技的少；而在科技读本中，内容综合的单本书多，按学科分类的丛书少。为了帮助大学四级以上英语水平的读者扩大知识面并能较系统地把握国外科技新进展，我们通过北京市高校研究生英语教学研究会组织了四所高等院校近二十位教师和专家编写了《科技英语选读》这套丛书。这套系列丛书共四卷，覆盖了十几门学科，如机电、化工、材料、信息、网络、生物技术、环境科学等。选材力求遵循新颖全面、理论与应用并重、旨趣性强三个原则。

制造业
1.制造业简介
2.制造系统的基本定义和设计活动
3.制造系统的规划和控制活动
4.测试机器人
5.具有感情的机器人
6.达芬奇与机器人
7.合作式机器人在产品装配线上大显身手
8.请允许我介绍一下另一个"我"
9.数字化电影放映机
10.喷气发动机
11."泰坦尼克号"沉没之谜(1)
12."泰坦尼克号"沉没之谜(2)
13.多功能滑动转向装卸机
14.从微型仪器到神奇粉尘
15.浏鉴的好处
16.对中:了解角度
17.塑料新用
18.工具制造工人的生活趋于轻松
19.鹿死谁手:产品数扰管理迎战企业资源规划
20.计算机三维动画模型用于减少内燃机排放物
21.给虚拟现实软件插上翅膀
22.CAD又上新台阶
23.人机程学,不仅仅是一个术语
24.微驱技术觅得“最佳击球点”
25.会飞的间谍：传感飞蛾
汽车技术
26.汽车技术的未来能否预测?
27.相约2000,全球最真实的模拟驾驶系统
28.汽车生产业的新潮流:资源共享
29.柴油发动机汽车和电动汽车市场逐鹿
30.操作上的改进:如何更为有效地制造汽车
31.适合于发展中国家的塑料汽车
32.扮演主角的线性感应发动机
33.末来铁路运输大王:磁悬浮列车
34.电力技术的巨大潜力
35.福特公司展望电动汽车前景
36.每月一车,礼物焦点
37.电动汽车,属于你,属于我
38.雨天的赛车轮胎
39.子夜的正午十二点
40.一个成功的发动机

1. Introduction to Manufacturing


制造业简介


The wealth of a nation depends on its ability to retrieve natural


resources and manufacture goods. Although the efficiency of


the distribution system and service system is also important,


the creation of goods is the most fundamental component of


economic wealth. A simple and naive way of measuring the


living standard of a culture is to divide the total goods produced


(dollars sold) by the population. Of course, we know the


matter is not so simple, because uneven distribution of wealth


is indeed the norm everywhere. There are rich nations and


poor nations, and rich people and poor people. However, the


bottom line for creating national wealth is still to rely on the


ability to manufacture. From history, we see that humanity


has enjoyed an improvement in the standard of living over


time. However, for thousands of years, the improvement has


been relatively minor. Our first major improvement occurred


during the stone age, when humans learned how to use hand


tools. Actually, the ability to use hand tools distinguishes


humans from other animals. Hand tools enable people to make


simple things instead of waiting for nature to provide them.


Hand tools are extensions of our hands. The next major


improvement was not long ago: the Industrial Revolution


brought another jump in the standard of living, and the


development of machine tools. Machine tools are a principal


product of the Industrial Revolution. They added power and


precision to humans. With machine tools, humans can


produce goods faster and more precisely. Human productivity


has increased drastically, and industnal goods have replaced


handmade products. They are both less expensive and of


higher quality.


Europeans, with their newly invented machines, were


able to expand their .influence throughout the world. At the


time of the Industrial Revolution, products were still custom


made with manually operated machine tools. Parts


interchangeability, developed by Eli Whitney, brought


another major improvement to manufacturing. By combining


jigs and gauges(1) developed for interchangeable manufacture,


and the concept of the production/assembly line and mass


production became a reality in the twentieth century. Never


before in human history had humanity enjoyed such an


improvement in the standard of living than in the twentieth


century. Mass production(2) and scientific management of


manufacturing helped to produce more, better, and less


expensive goods. Automated ( mechanically controlled )


machines and systems (i.e. , transfer lines) outproduced tens


of hundreds of human workers. Mass-produced identical goods


were plentiful and inexpensive. However, variety was limited


due to the high cost of changeover in the manufacturing


system. As Henry Ford so aptly put it, "You can have any


color Model T that you'd like-as long as it's black. "