Chinese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 4 of 12
Science and technology
科学和技术Kēxué hé jìshù
Explain how something works in Chinese: 利用, 通过, 把…转化成…, cause and effect with 由于…因此… and 从而, and the passive with 由 and 得到.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Explain how a machine or process works
- Link cause and effect with 由于…因此… and 从而
- Use the passive beyond 被: 由, 受到, 得到, 所
- Tell spoken words from their written partners
Listen
In Changsha, engineer Ms Liao explains rooftop solar panels to Mr Xiong, 68, whose son wants to install them. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mr Xiong
廖工，你好。我儿子说要在我家屋顶装太阳能电池板，我不太懂，想先问问你。这东西是怎么发电的？
Liào gōng, nǐ hǎo. Wǒ érzi shuō yào zài wǒ jiā wūdǐng zhuāng tàiyángnéng diànchíbǎn, wǒ bú tài dǒng, xiǎng xiān wènwen nǐ. Zhè dōngxi shì zěnme fādiàn de?
Hello, Ms Liao. My son wants to put solar panels on our roof. I don't really understand them, so I wanted to ask you first. How does this thing make electricity?
Ms Liao
熊叔叔，您好。原理其实不复杂。电池板利用阳光发电：阳光照在板上，板里的材料就把光能转化成电能。
Xióng shūshu, nín hǎo. Yuánlǐ qíshí bú fùzá. Diànchíbǎn lìyòng yángguāng fādiàn: yángguāng zhào zài bǎn shang, bǎn li de cáiliào jiù bǎ guāngnéng zhuǎnhuà chéng diànnéng.
Hello, Mr Xiong. The principle is actually quite simple. The panels use sunlight to make electricity: when the sun shines on a panel, the material inside turns the light energy into electrical energy.
Mr Xiong
那晚上没有太阳怎么办？
Nà wǎnshang méiyǒu tàiyáng zěnme bàn?
So what happens at night, when there's no sun?
Ms Liao
白天发的电，您家用不完的，可以卖给电网；晚上再用电网的电。通过这种方式，一年下来能节省不少电费。
Báitiān fā de diàn, nín jiā yòng bu wán de, kěyǐ mài gěi diànwǎng; wǎnshang zài yòng diànwǎng de diàn. Tōngguò zhè zhǒng fāngshì, yì nián xiàlai néng jiéshěng bù shǎo diànfèi.
Whatever electricity you make in the daytime and don't use can be sold to the grid, and at night you use power from the grid. That way you save quite a lot on your electricity bill over a year.
Mr Xiong
能省多少？装一套要多少钱？
Néng shěng duōshao? Zhuāng yí tào yào duōshao qián?
How much can I save? And how much does a set cost to install?
Ms Liao
像您家这样的房子，大概要三万块。由于长沙夏天晴天多，一年差不多能发一万度电，因此六七年就能把安装的钱省回来。
Xiàng nín jiā zhèyàng de fángzi, dàgài yào sānwàn kuài. Yóuyú Chángshā xiàtiān qíngtiān duō, yì nián chàbuduō néng fā yíwàn dù diàn, yīncǐ liù-qī nián jiù néng bǎ ānzhuāng de qián shěng huílai.
For a house like yours, about thirty thousand yuan. Because there are so many sunny days in Changsha in summer, you can produce about ten thousand kilowatt hours a year, so in six or seven years you'll have saved the cost of installation.
Mr Xiong
电池板装在屋顶，会不会被风吹坏？我们这儿夏天有时候风很大。
Diànchíbǎn zhuāng zài wūdǐng, huì bu huì bèi fēng chuīhuài? Wǒmen zhèr xiàtiān yǒushíhou fēng hěn dà.
If the panels are on the roof, won't the wind damage them? The wind here gets very strong in summer sometimes.
Ms Liao
您放心。电池板由我们公司的专业工人安装。这种电池板效率很高，已经在全国得到了广泛应用，质量有保证。
Nín fàngxīn. Diànchíbǎn yóu wǒmen gōngsī de zhuānyè gōngrén ānzhuāng. Zhè zhǒng diànchíbǎn xiàolǜ hěn gāo, yǐjīng zài quánguó dédàole guǎngfàn yìngyòng, zhìliàng yǒu bǎozhèng.
Don't worry. The panels are installed by our company's trained workers. This type of panel is very efficient and already widely used across the country, and the quality is guaranteed.
Mr Xiong
听起来不错。不过我年纪大了，这些高科技的东西，我怕用不好。
Tīng qǐlai búcuò. Búguò wǒ niánjì dà le, zhèxiē gāokējì de dōngxi, wǒ pà yòng bu hǎo.
Sounds good. But I'm getting on, and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle all this high-tech stuff.
Ms Liao
这个您不用担心。系统是自动的，您所需要做的，就是偶尔在手机上看看每天发了多少电。
Zhège nín bú yòng dānxīn. Xìtǒng shì zìdòng de, nín suǒ xūyào zuò de, jiùshì ǒu'ěr zài shǒujī shang kànkan měi tiān fāle duōshao diàn.
You don't need to worry about that. The system is automatic. All you need to do is check on your phone now and then how much electricity you've made each day.
Mr Xiong
这么说，又省钱又环保，我儿子的主意还真不错。
Zhème shuō, yòu shěng qián yòu huánbǎo, wǒ érzi de zhǔyi hái zhēn búcuò.
So it saves money and it's green. My son's idea isn't bad at all.
Ms Liao
是啊。太阳能用得越多，烧的煤就越少，从而使空气变得更干净。
Shì a. Tàiyángnéng yòng de yuè duō, shāo de méi jiù yuè shǎo, cóng'ér shǐ kōngqì biàn de gèng gānjìng.
Exactly. The more solar power we use, the less coal we burn, and that makes the air cleaner.
Understand
Explaining how something works
(lìyòng) X + verb means “to use X to do something”, often a natural resource: (lìyòng yángguāng fādiàn), to use sunlight to make electricity. (tōngguò) X means “by means of X, through X”: (tōngguò zhè zhǒng fāngshì), this way. 把 A 转化成 B (bǎ A zhuǎnhuà chéng B) is “to turn A into B”, the (bǎ) pattern you know with a new verb.
(cóng'ér), thereby, and so, adds the result of what you've just said; it's used in explanations and writing. (shǐ) + person or thing + result is the formal partner of (ràng): (cóng'ér shǐ kōngqì biàn de gèng gānjìng), and thereby makes the air cleaner.
- 电池板把光能转化成电能。Diànchíbǎn bǎ guāngnéng zhuǎnhuà chéng diànnéng.The panels turn light energy into electrical energy.
- 我们通过手机就能看到发了多少电。Wǒmen tōngguò shǒujī jiù néng kàndào fāle duōshao diàn.We can see on the phone how much electricity has been made.
Cause and effect: spoken and written
Many everyday words have a more formal partner used in explanations, reports and the news. (yóuyú) is the written “because”, and (yīncǐ) the written “therefore”. They often come as a pair: (yóuyú qíngtiān duō, yīncǐ néng fā hěn duō diàn), because there are many sunny days, a lot of electricity can be produced.
In conversation with friends, (yīnwèi … suǒyǐ …) is more natural. At B2 you should recognise both and choose the one that fits the situation.
| Everyday | Formal, written | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (yīnwèi) | (yóuyú) | because, due to |
| (suǒyǐ) | (yīncǐ) | so, therefore |
| (ràng) | (shǐ) | to make (someone or something do) |
| (yòng) | (lìyòng) | to use |
| (shěng) | (jiéshěng) | to save |
| (zhuāng) | (ānzhuāng) | to install |
The passive beyond 被
(bèi), from B1, is mostly used for something unpleasant: (bèi fēng chuīhuài), damaged by the wind. Neutral or positive passives use other words. (yóu) + person says who is responsible: (yóu gōngrén ānzhuāng), installed by workers. (dédào) and (shòudào) go before a noun-like verb: (dédào guǎngfàn yìngyòng), to be widely used; (shòudào huānyíng), to be popular.
(suǒ) + verb before (de) is written style for “what someone does”: (nín suǒ xūyào zuò de), what you need to do. It means the same as (nín xūyào zuò de).
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (bèi) + doer + verb | (bèi fēng chuīhuài le) | was damaged by the wind |
| (yóu) + doer + verb | (yóu zhuānyè gōngrén ānzhuāng) | is installed by trained workers |
| (dédào) + noun | (dédào guǎngfàn yìngyòng) | is widely used |
| (shòudào) + noun | (shòudào dàjiā de huānyíng) | is popular with everyone |
| (suǒ) + verb + (de) | (wǒmen suǒ liǎojiě de) | what we know |
More in the grammar: The passive with 被 · Spoken and written Chinese
New words
- 太阳能tàiyángnéngsolar energy · (tàiyáng), sun; (néng), energy
- 电池板diànchíbǎn(solar) panel · (wūdǐng), roof
- 发电fādiànto generate electricity · (yì nián néng fā yíwàn dù diàn), can make 10,000 kWh a year; (dù) is a kilowatt hour
- 原理yuánlǐprinciple (how something works) · (yuánlǐ bú fùzá), the principle isn't complicated
- 利用lìyòngto use, to make use of
- 转化zhuǎnhuàto transform, to convert · 把 A 转化成 B (bǎ A zhuǎnhuà chéng B)
- 通过tōngguòby means of, through · (tōngguò zhè zhǒng fāngshì), in this way; (zhǒng), kind, type
- 节省jiéshěngto save (money, energy) · spoken: (shěng)
- 电费diànfèielectricity bill, electricity costs
- 由于yóuyúbecause, due to (written) · spoken: (yīnwèi)
- 因此yīncǐtherefore, so (written) · spoken: (suǒyǐ)
- 安装ānzhuāngto install · spoken: (zhuāng)
- 效率xiàolǜefficiency · (xiàolǜ hěn gāo), very efficient
- 环保huánbǎoenvironmentally friendly; environmental protection · (yòu shěng qián yòu huánbǎo), saves money and is green too; (shāo méi), to burn coal
Practise
1.Which word fits? ___ (Diànchíbǎn ___ yángguāng fādiàn.)
2.Explain what the panel does. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.The panel turns light energy into electrical energy.
3.Match each everyday word with its formal partner.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Which sentence is written in a formal style?
5.You want to say “The panels are installed by trained workers”, a neutral fact. Which sentence is best?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
这个东西是怎么工作的？
Zhège dōngxi shì zěnme gōngzuò de?
How does this thing work?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.