What makes it tick?的中文意思

题目

What makes it tick?的中文意思
语境如下：Now that you know how to move from working directory to working directory,we're going to take a tour of your Linux system and,along the way,learn some things about what makes it tick.

答案

这是一种通俗的说法.
对比What makes the clock tick?（是什么让表走起来?）
在你的句子里it显然是指your Linux system,因此可以翻译成“是什么让系统运转起来”.