集裝箱是一種用於存儲和運輸貨物的大型金屬容器。它容積巨大，方便長途運輸大批貨物，讓人們有機會接觸到來自世界各地的商品，對貿易全球化做出瞭貢獻。本文介紹集裝箱的奇妙之處。
詞匯：shipping 海運
Look at many of the items around your home and some will probably have been imported from abroad by ship. Moving goods around the world by sea is the easiest and most cost-effective way to do it. But what has made it more practical is the invention of the shipping container. They’re not the most amazing thing to look at, but because of their design, and especially their universal size, it means they can be loaded and unloaded on to huge vessels at any port that is big enough to accommodate them. The standardisation of these simple metal containers in the 1950s and 60s marked a turning point in world trade, driving down costs and ultimately leading to globalisation.
Inside these versatile metal boxes could be anything from nappies to cars, and they are transported on container ships that ply our seas and oceans. They have been described as ‘the monsters of the seas’ because of their huge size. The very biggest are almost half a kilometre long and are piled high with more than 20,000, 20-foot-long (6.06m) boxes. In fact, the world’s largest, The Port of Rotterdam, has a capacity of 24,346 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) – an exact unit of measurement used to determine cargo capacity for container ships and terminals. With around 5,500 container ships globally, it’s incredible to think about the amount of goods being moved around the world.
However, because we now rely so much on these global shipments of goods, there can be problems when things go wrong. In 2021, the Ever Given, loaded with 18,000 containers, got stuck in the Suez Canal – blocking an important trade route. Countless businesses were affected by the delay in receiving their goods. One shipping company, Maersk, said the “ripple effects on global capacity and equipment” were significant.
Despite the occasional problems, our demand for goods is increasing, and so the shipping container is here to stay. George Griffiths from S&P Global Platts told the AYYBLOG: “We’re seeing a lot more of the ultra-large container ships being built… the proportion of new ships that are moving over 14,000 containers is staggering.” Each container can have a lifespan of up to 25 years. And even when the effects of wind, waves and loading takes its toll, some find a new lease of life as land-based storage units or even used as houses and hotels!
詞匯表
imported 進口
goods 商品，貨物
cost-effective 劃算的
container 集裝箱
universal 通用的，廣泛適用的
vessel 船，大船
port 港口
world trade 世界貿易
globalisation 全球化
versatile 多功能的，多用途的
ply 定期往返（於）
cargo （輪船或飛機裝載的）貨物
terminal 碼頭
shipment 運輸
trade route 貿易路線
ripple effect 連鎖反應
staggering 驚人的，令人震驚的
take its toll 造成破壞
a new lease of life “重獲新生”，使用壽命延長
storage 儲物，儲藏
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What is it about the design of shipping containers that makes them so useful?
2. What can be transported inside a shipping container?
3. How long are the biggest container ships?
4. Why was it a major problem when the ship the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal?
5. True or false? Shipping containers are scrapped after 25 years.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. It’s not _______ to drive you to school every day – take the bus instead.
cost-effect cost-effective cost-effectives costly
2. We’re waiting for a _______ of coffee to arrive from the supplier.
shipping goods shipment imported
3. The closure of the factory has had a _______ on the whole community.
lease of life takes its toll ripple effect globalisation
4. The ship left the port yesterday with a large _______ of timber.
cargo ply storage goods
5. The island has to _______ most of its food because it hasn’t got the space to grow its own.
imported imports importing import
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What is it about the design of shipping containers that makes them so useful?
Shipping containers are made to a universal size so they can be loaded and unloaded on to huge vessels at any port that is big enough to accommodate them.
2. What can be transported inside a shipping container?
Anything can be carried in a shipping container, from nappies to cars.
3. How long are the biggest container ships?
The very biggest are almost half a kilometre long.
4. Why was it a major problem when the ship the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal?
The ship blocked an important trade route and meant a delay in delivering goods.
5. True or false? Shipping containers are scrapped after 25 years.
False. Some containers find a new lease of life as land-based storage units or even used as houses and hotels.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. It’s not cost-effective to drive you to school every day – take the bus instead.
2. We’re waiting for a shipment of coffee to arrive from the supplier.
3. The closure of the factory has had a ripple effect on the whole community.
4. The ship left the port yesterday with a large cargo of timber.
5. The island has to import most of its food because it hasn’t got the space to grow its own.
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