Leo's grant proposal aimed to probe（探索、调查）/prәub/ how a volatile（有翅动物、挥发物）/'vɒlәtail/ pollutant（污染物质）/pә'lu:tәnt/ moved through Silver Marsh. His team would affix（附加物、词缀）/ә'fiks/ a tiny radioactive（放射性的、有放射能的）/.reidiәu'æktiv/ marker to each molecule（分子、些微）/'mɒlikju:l/, radiate（放射、散发）/'reidieit/ plant samples under controlled light（在受控光线下）/ˈəndər kənˈtroʊld laɪt/, and gauge（标准度量、计量器）/geidʒ/ change over an interim（过渡时期）/'intәrim/ month. An array（排列、衣服）/ә'rei/ of sensors（检测器）/'sensә/ would amplify（增强、放大）/'æmplifai/ a weak signal. The proposal sounded ultra-modern（语境补充词）/ultra-modern/, but reviewer Rina saw no homogeneous（同种的、同质的）/.hәumә'dʒi:niәs/ control cluster（成串、丛生）/'klʌstә/. Without one, two samples might collide（碰撞、互撞）/kә'laid/ by chance（偶然地）/baɪ ʧæns/ and create a cumulative（蓄积的、累积的）/'kju:mjulәtiv/ pattern that did not embody（具体表达、使具体化）/im'bɒdi/ cause.

The field plan combined botany（植物学）/'bɒtәni/ with animal observation（观察、注意）/.ɒbzә:'veiʃәn/. A hawk（鹰、掠夺者）/hɒ:k/ might ascend（上升、追溯）/ә'send/ above the marsh, a bass（低沉的声音、男低音）/bæs/ devour（吞食、挥霍）/di'vauә/ an insect, or a beak（鸟嘴、喙）/bi:k/ carry marked material away（带走标记材料）/ˈkɛri mɑrkt məˈtɪriəl əˈweɪ/. Leo had to differentiate（区别、区分）/.difә'renʃieit/ such movement from diffusion（散播、传播）/di'fju:ʒәn/ through water. He proposed to dilute（冲淡、稀释）/dai'lju:t/ the marker, disarm（解除武装、裁军）/dis'ɑ:m/ each device after use, and allocate（分派、分配）/'ælәukeit/ samples by zone（按区域）/baɪ zoʊn/. Yet the budget would allot（(按股或按规定)分配、配(拨)给）/ә'lɒt/ funds to a prototype（原型）/'prәutәtaip/ before an ethics board could certify（证明、保证）/'sә:tifai/ it. That order made the team's confidence look complacent（满足的、自满的）/kәm'pleisnt/.

Rina said, “You assert（主张、坚称）/ә'sә:t/ that the dose is safe, but where is the physiological（生理学的、生理学上的）/.fiziә'lɒdʒikl/ evidence?” Leo replied, “We can confer with the clinic（与诊所协商）/kənˈfər wɪθ ðə ˈklɪnɪk/ and add a non-radioactive analogue（增加非放射性类似物）/æd ə non-radioactive ˈænəˌlɔg/ as a control（作为对照）/ɛz ə kənˈtroʊl/.” Dr（语境补充词）/ˈdɑktər/. Sun warned, “Do not let deadline fury（愤怒、狂暴）/'fjuri/ turn a manageable（易办的、易管理的）/'mænidʒәbl/ menace（威胁、胁迫）/'menis/ into a ruthless（无情的、残忍的）/'ru:θlis/ decision.” Leo answered, “I vow（誓约、誓言）/vau/ to postpone submission（推迟提交）/poʊstˈpoʊn səbˈmɪʃən/ unless the revised design can reassure（使...安心、向...再保证）/.ri:ә'ʃuә/ the board.”

They rebuilt（语境补充词）/riˈbɪlt/ the study. One composite（合成物、复合材料）/kәm'pɒzit/ tray held（hold的过去式和过去分词）/held/ clean water; another received the marker. Sensors formed a parallel array, and a cloak（斗蓬、大氅）/klәuk/ covered equipment during a solar flare（闪光、闪耀）/'flєә/. The team would elicit（引出、推导出）/i'lisit/ baseline（基线、基准）/'beislain/ readings, embed（使插入、使嵌入）/im'bed/ them in a shared file, and unveil（揭开、揭幕）/.ʌn'veil/ each step. A visible label would designate（指定、指明）/'dezigneit/ radioactive material. If a storm became（语境补充词）/bɪˈkeɪm/ a menace, the protocol required a trek（牛车旅行、艰苦跋涉）/trek/ back to shelter. No outlaw（使...失去法律保护、将...逐出社会）/'autlɒ:/ shortcut（捷径、最短路线）/'ʃɒ:tkʌt/ could replace certification（证明）/.sә:tifi'keiʃәn/, and no researcher would persecute（迫害、虐待）/'pә:sikju:t/ a colleague for reporting a problem.

The revised budget aggregated（合计、总计）/'ægrigәt/ costs by epoch（新纪元、时代）/'i:pɒk/ and reduced the prototype's magnitude（巨大、重大）/'mægnitju:d/. Its summary stated: The proposal aimed to probe how a volatile pollutant moved through the marsh. Without a control, two samples might collide by chance. Rina's margin note asked, Where is the physiological evidence that the dose is safe? The team had to conceive（构思、认为）/kәn'si:v/ a defensible（可辩护的、能防卫的）/di'fensәbl/ test and testify（证明、作证）/'testifai/ honestly about uncertainty（不确定、不可靠）/.ʌn'sә:tnti/. It added a flow test because the marker could diffuse（散播、传播）/di'fju:z/ instead of（而不是）/ˌɪnˈstɛd əv/ staying in one tray. The design did not merely assert safety; it specified who would stop the work. A separate table named who would certify and monitor it. Rina approved a later submission（屈服、服从）/sәb'miʃәn/. The delay did not bury the project under a cloak of failure. Instead, it transformed a volatile idea into a study whose controls, allocation（配置、分配）/.ælәu'keiʃәn/, and ethical（伦理的、民族的）/'eθikәl/ limits could withstand scrutiny（经受审查）/wɪθˈstænd ˈskrutəni/.