The Duet Tape
Among the contents of the toolboxes of most people in the western world you would expect to find a hammer and nails, a drill, screwdrivers(螺丝起子) and some screws. But if you were to ask people from North America what the most useful item in their toolboxes was, the majority of people would undoubtedly tell you that it was duct(输送管) tape. Indeed, it has become an indispensable addition to every person’s perception of what constitutes necessity.
Maybe you have never heard of duct tape. It is the brand name of a tape. Not only is it a tape, but also it is a special kind of tape.
The name of the tape comes from the fact that it was designed as an insulating(绝缘的) tape that can be used in duct work (channels or conduits[导管] that are used for heat to travel through to get to different areas of a building). Incredible though it seems, someone actually put a picture of a duck on the packaging of the tape from one manufacturer perhaps just as a joke or maybe because the design artist did not understand the origin of the name. Neither the word duck nor duct was on the label. Presumably, it was assumed that everyone could identify the product.
You can recognize the genuine tape because of its silver grey color. The color was likely chosen because it closely resembles the color of the pipes the color of the pipes it would be used on. That was the primary intended use of the tape. It was unlikely that the inventor realized how many other uses could be found for this product.
Ingenious(善于创造发明的) people have found many alternative uses for this tape. The binder(粘合剂) on the tape is of good quality and it will stick to most surfaces. The tape is of great strength. It is impossible to tear the tape. It must be cut. The durable nature of the tape is one of its main assets(益处,优点).
It comes in a variety of widths and the length of the tape on the roll will vary as well. The number of centimeters wide and the number of meters long will determine the price of the roll.
The duct tape is acquiring fame as the number of its uses for it exceeds the thoughts possible. The number of uses for this tape will amaze you. One internet Website(环球网的站点) started out trying to identify 101 uses for the duct tape and the list has well over 200 uses on it now. Maybe there are an infinite number of uses. Some of the items it lists involve an imagination but others are quite genuine. Not even a kindergarten student requires instruction on how to use it. One idea seems to generate(产生,引起) another, inspired by the unique way someone else has decided to make use of the tape. However, some of the uses are not feasible to execute. For instance, the use of the tape as a bandage is not recommended. It could cause injury when it is removed. You must evaluate the list with a sense of humor as some of the uses could embarrass a person. The commercial value of the tape is undoubtedly tremendous with huge profits resulting from the sales. The product practically promotes itself without much need for publicity.
Sometimes you see people, usually male rather than female, wearing shirts that have a slogan(标语) written on them that says, “I can fix anything”——and then there is a picture of a duct tape below the saying. The implication presumably is that the duct tape replaces skill.
Another good marketing strategy(策略,战略) that people enjoy is the use of a calendar. There is one page on the calendar for every day of the year and each page shows and describes a new use of the duct tape.
One of the typical uses of the duct tape is to repair a leak in a faucet(龙头) or water tap. If the hose(水龙软管) of a vacuum cleaner has a hole in it, the duct tape will come to rescue(援救,救助). Almost every household in North America has at least one roll of duct tape. People keep it handy and use it to repair almost everything. No one would think it necessary to justify the purchase of extra rolls of tape, so the sales continue to increase.
Many people like to boast about how often they use the tape. They say that the usage of duct tape has allowed them to simplify their life and to decrease the cost of repairs.
It can be used indoors in the interior of a house but there are abundant uses outside the house as well. If there is a chip out of a glass object, the duct tape can be used to protect the user from being injured.
Repairing or reinforcing a joint on an aluminum ladder that a person is using would be a valuable use of the tape.
The tape has proved to be bargain. Even if the manufacturers charged twice as much for the tape, it would still be a best seller in the western world. The retail price is very reasonable. In addition it is convenient to store, and despite the number of apparent uses, people are always finding more ways to utilize it. It has become a vital item for every household.
The glue on the tape is a wonderful adhesive(粘着的) agent and will bond well to anything from a piece of crystal to the handle of a broom. There have been reports of people using the tape to trap insects. Crickets(蟋蟀), for example, were found stuck to the tape by one person. Maybe the glue was able to attract them or maybe they just were in the wrong place. Criminals have been known to use the tape on their victims. During a robbery, a robber used the duct tape on the witnesses to keep them from reporting the crime until he had escaped. It was apparent that the robber came armed with the duct tape, anticipating the need for its use.
One evening a sea breeze was causing a window on a campus dormitory to crash repeatedly as the clasp(钩子) on it had been broken. The Duct tape put a swift end to the nuisance of the constant banging. Although it was obvious it was not a permanent solution of the problem, nevertheless, the temporary use of the duct tape was appreciated until the window could be replaced or someone could install a better latch.
You can even accomplish repairs on vehicles, which sometimes means the difference between being stopped in traffic or being able to continue your journey. Many motorists(汽车司机) have had to resort to the use of the duct tape in an emergency situation. Drivers often keep a roll of duct tape in the trunk of their car for that reason. It is a tremendous relief when you are able to wrap a piece of duct tape around a leaking hose that you discover at a time when it is not convenient to replace it. Thanks to the duct tape, the driver can become mobile again. The fear of being stranded(束手无策的) on a lonely stretch of highway is lessened when you carry a duct tape.
Other forms of transportation make good use of the tape as well. Usage for it can be found on boats, and also on airplanes. For instance, a sky driver once reported that jumping out of a small airplane did not scare her as much as riding in a small plane that appeared to have lots of duct tape.
Sports and recreational activities make good use of this tape as well. If you’re audio cassette player will not stay closed, use a piece of duct tape to position the tape holder. It might look odd but it will serve the purpose. If a hockey stick needs to be taped, use duct tape!
It can be used to compress a package, making more cargo fit in a carrier. You can use it repair a leaky toilet, or to fix a crack on a toilet seat.
If you wrap duct tape around a newspaper, it can be used to make a dog’s chew toy.
If you get an opportunity to use this product, you will also discover many uses for it and you will agree that it is one of the world’s best inventions.
管道胶带
在西方，多数人的工具箱中，你可望找到一把锤子和一些钉子，一把钻子，几把螺丝刀和一些螺丝钉。不过，你要是问北美人什么是他们工具栏里最有用的东西，多数人会肯定地告诉你那是管道胶带。的确，在每个人认为必备的东西中，管道胶带已经是必不可少的物品了。
也许你还没有听说过管道胶带吧。它是一种带子的商标名称。它不仅是带子，而且是一种很特殊的带子。
这种带子原是用于管道工程(用于将热能传送到大楼各个部分的管道或导管)的一种绝缘密封带子，并由此而得名。尽管看来不可思议，但确实有人将一幅鸭子的照片放在了一家生产这种带子的产品包装上。这也许只是一个玩笑，抑或是包装设计师不懂这个名称的由来。标签上既没有鸭子也没有管道字样。大概每个人都是能认得这种产品。
你可以认出这种真正的带子，它是银灰色的。之所以选择这种颜色，很可能是因为它与管道的颜色相似。那才是为这种带子设计的主要用途。发明人未必想到人们可能会为它找到许多其他用途。
聪明的人们发现了这种带子的许多其他用途。这种带子上的粘合剂质量很好，能够粘着在大多数物体的表面。带子的强度很大，不可能被撕破，所以必须用刀切割。耐久性是这种带子的最可贵之处。
它被制成多种宽度，一卷带子的长度也可以变化。一卷带子有几厘米宽和几米长决定了它的价格。
管道胶带之所以有名，在于它的用途超出人们的想象，多得让人吃惊。一个互联网站最开始为这种带子列举了101种用途，而现在这个清单上已经超过200种了。可能有数不完的用途。在这个清单上有的用途可能只是一种想象，但其他一些用途确实是相当实在的。甚至幼儿园的学童不用教就可以学会怎样使用。别人以独特的方式使用带子的富有灵感的一个念头似乎会引发另外的想法。不过，有些用途是不可行的。例如，将这种带子作为绷带就不值得推荐。去掉它时会造成伤害。你必须带着幽默感去评价这份清单，因为有些用途会给人带来麻烦。这咱带子的商业价值毫无疑问是巨大的，能带来丰厚的销售利润。实际上，这种产品不需要广泛宣传，本身就可以促销。
有时候你看到人们，通常是男性而非女性，穿的衬衫上写着：“我能维修一切”的字样，下面有张管道胶带的图片。其含义当然是这种管道胶带能取代技能。
另一个人们惯用的有效营销策略是利用日历。有种日历上一年中的每一天都有单独一页，每页上都展示和说明管道胶带的一种新用途。
管道胶带的一个典型的用途是修理水龙头。如果真空吸尘器上面的软管有个洞，管道胶带就派上用场了。几乎北美的每个家庭都至少有一卷管道胶带。人们身边有了它，可以修理几乎所有东西。人人都认为购买额外的带子是必要的，所以销量在继续攀升。
许多人喜欢夸耀他们是如何经常地使用这种带子。他们说使用管道胶带简化了他们的生活，并且减少了修理费用。
它不仅可用于室内，在室外也有广泛的用途。比如玻璃制品破裂后产生碎片，管道胶带可用于保护使用者不受伤害。
修理或加固一个人正在使用的铝制梯子的接头时，可以利用这种带子。
这种带子的确是廉价品。即使厂家把售价提高一倍，它在西方仍然是畅销货。它的零售价非常合理。此外，它容易储存，虽然有许多明显的用途，人们仍然可以发现更多新的使用方法。它已经成为每个家庭必备的物品。
这种带子的粘胶是一种极好的粘合剂，它能牢固地粘接到任何东西上，不论是一块水晶还是一个扫帚把。据报道，有人用这种带子诱捕昆虫。例如有人曾用带子粘住蟋蟀。也许是这种粘胶对昆虫有吸引力，也可能只是认错了地方。罪犯们也知道将这种带子用于受害者。在一次抢劫中，一个劫犯用管道胶带将目击者粘住，使他们不能去报案，直到罪犯逃之夭夭。显然，那个劫犯是带着管道胶带来的，事先考虑到它的用途。
一天晚上，一阵海风使校园宿舍的一扇窗子碰来碰去，响个不停，因为上面的钩子坏了。管道胶带很快就止住宅楼了那讨厌的持续不断的碰撞声。尽管那显然不是解决问题的长远之计，但在换掉那扇窗子或有人为它安装一个好插销之前，仍不失为一种值得赞许的临时办法。
你甚至可以成功地修理交通工具，有时候这就决定了你是停止前进还是继续你的行程。许多机动车驾驶员在紧急情况下不得不求助于管道胶带。为此，驾驶员们常常在他们的车厢里放上一卷管道胶带。当你发现管子漏了，又不便于更换，而你却能够用一段管道胶带包缠好时，该是多么的惬意啊。用了管道胶带，驾驶员又可以上路了。只要你备有管道胶带，对在公路的偏僻路段上束手无策的担心就会少多了。
在其他的交通方式上管道胶带也有它的用途。在船上有它的用途，在飞机上也有。比如，一个跳伞运动员曾说，如果所乘的小飞机上同时还载有很多管道胶带的话，从小飞机上跳出来比乘坐小飞机还安全。
运动和娱乐活动也是这种带子的用武之地。如果你的盒式磁带放音机不紧，就用一节管道胶带固定磁带卡吧。看起来有点怪怪的，却很管用。如果曲棍球棍需要用带子包缠，那就用管道胶带吧!运动员们，不管是职业的还是业余的，都喜欢用它。
它可以用来压紧包裹，使得一件行李中装进更多的东西。可以用它修补漏水的马桶，修理马桶座圈的裂缝。
如果用管道胶带缠卷一张报纸，就可以用做狗嚼棒。
你要是有机会使用这种产品，并发现它的许多用途，你就会同意说它是世界上最好的发明之一。
