川農(nóng)專碩研究生特供 21世紀(jì)大學(xué)新英語讀寫譯教程4課堂ppt(含答案)Unit2

Unit2ScienceorSuperstitionProverbsandQuotationsThefullareaofignoranceisnotmapped:Weareatpresentonlyexploringitsfringes.

[Br.]JohnD.Bernal

無知的全部疆域并沒有畫成地圖：目前我們只是在探索其邊緣。

[英]

約翰·伯納爾 Twinkle,twinkle,littlestar,HowIwanderwhatyouare!Upabovetheworldsohigh,Likeadiamondinthesky. [Br.]JaneTaylor小星星，亮晶晶，你是啥，我搞不清！你在天空高高站，好像一顆金剛鉆。

[英]簡

·

泰勒 OutlineTeachingObjectivesPart1Lead-inPart2ReadingFocus—TextAPart3IntegratedExercisesPart4ReadingFocus—TextBPart5IntranetAssignmentsTeachingObjectives1.Wehumanbeingstakegreatinterestsinourownoriginandalsointheouterspace.Uptonow,manyexpertsinvariousfieldshavedoneagreatmanyjobstoexplorewhattheyhavenoclearknowledgeof.Hencetherehavebeenalotofaccountsaboutsomemysteriousphenomena,likeUFOstories.Effortsarealsotakentostudythepositionsofcelestialbodiesinthebeliefthattheyhaveaninfluenceonthecourseofnaturalearthlyoccurrences,whichisthoughtbysomeassuperstition.Inthisunit,you’regoingtoreadtwotexts.FromTextAweknowthattheflightofUFOsingeneralislinkedtohumanimagination,eccentricbutinquisitive.TextBsaysthatsuperstitionsproliferatewildlyfortheyhaverisenfromadepthofhuman’simaginativemind,whetherintheformofVainObservancesorIdolatry.

2.Bylearningthisunitstudentswillbeabletograspthemainideaandstructureofthetexts,masterthekeylanguagepoints,newwords,grammaticalstructuresandtranslationskills.Andstudentswillalsobeabletoimprovetheiroralcommunicationskillsandreadingcompetencethroughperformingtherelevanttasks.

3.WritingFocusinthisunitexplainshowtowriteaneffectiveparagraphfromtwoaspects—unityandcoherence.

A.Lookatthepictureanddiscusswithyourpartneronthefollowingquestions.Lead-in1.Doyoulikesciencefiction?Giveyourreasons.2.Itissaidthatsciencemakesmananaggressiveexploreroftheunknownbutnotacaringmaintaineroftheknown.What’syourview?3.Doyoubelievethatscientificdevelopmentmaybeoutofcontrolinthefuture?Lead-inB.ListeningPractice

Listentotheshortpassageabout“ApolloMission:ATraveltoDiscoverOurselves”.Pre-listeningTaskHowdoyouviewthemeaningofthefirstApollomission?Discusswithyourpartnerandgiveyouropinions.Lead-inB.ListeningPracticePost-listeningtaskAnswerthefollowingquestions.1.Accordingtothespeaker,whichmadethecrewofApollo8feelwonderful,theEarthortheMoon?2.WhatisthesurprisingtruthaboutApollomissions?TheyhavegivenpeopleabetterunderstandingoftheEarth.________________________________________________TheEarth._________3.HowhastheApollomissioninfluencedhumanbeings?4.WhendidtheEarthDaystart?5.Whatkindofpoliticaleffecthavethelunarlandingsbroughtus?Theyhavebroughtusaboominglobalization._____________________________________【Script】Ithasbroughtusashiftinourthoughtsandalsochangesinenvironmentalprotectionandpolitics.____________________________________________________________________________In1970.______ApolloMission:ATraveltoDiscoverOurselves

2009isthe40thanniversaryofthefirstlunarlandingin1969.WhenthecrewofApollo8becamethefirsthumanstoleavetheEarth,theirrealwonderwasnotatthedeadgreymoonbeneaththem,butattheblueplanetinthedistance.Seeinganearthrisefromanotherplanetmadethemfeelquiteexcited.ThesurprisingtruthabouttheApollomissionisthatitwasnotabouttheMoon.ThetravelhasgivenpeopleadeeperunderstandingoftheEarth.Ithasbroughtchangesinthefollowingthreeaspects.

Firstly,ithasbroughtashiftinourthoughts.Asamatteroffact,everyApolloastronautcamebackwithadeepsenseoftheEarth’sweakness.Whenweseeourselvesinthisbiggerperspectivefromanotherplanet,westarttothinkquitedifferently.【Script】Secondly,Apollohadexercisedadeepandlong-lastingeffectonmanyenvironmentalists.ThediscoverygaveabigboosttotheGreenMovement.AnorganizationcalledFriendsoftheEarthwasfoundedinthesameyearthatmanfirstwalkedontheMoon.TheEarthDaywasstartedayearlater.Thirdly,politicaleffectcannotbeignored,either.TheEarthfromspacelooksjustlikeamapwithoutthenationalborders.Inspiredbythelanding,thephrase“Thinkglobally,actlocally”hasbecomepopular.ThesuccessoftheApollomissionalsomarksaboominglobalization.TheveryessenceoftheApollomissioncanbesummedupinthefollowing:thatitisn’taboutwhereyou’regoing,it’saboutwhoyouare.Thatiswhythegreatestreasontocelebratethis40thanniversaryisnotonlyscientificorenvironmentalorpoliticalbutalsopersonal.ReadingFocus-TextAFirstReadingReadthetextandthenanswerthequestionsintheleftmargin.UFO1:anUndeniablyFading

ObsessionBenMacintyre〔Note1〕UFO:Unidentifiedflyingobject（不明飛行物）,commonlyabbreviated

asUFOorU.F.O.,isthepopulartermforanyaerialphenomenonwhosecausecannotbeeasilyorimmediatelyidentifiedbytheobserver.TheUnitedStatesAirForce,whichcoinedthetermin1952,initiallydefinedUFOsasthoseobjectsthatremainunidentifiedafterscrutinybyexpertinvestigators,thoughthetermUFOisoftenusedmoregenerallytodescribeanysightingunidentifiabletothereportingobservers.PopularculturefrequentlytakesthetermUFOasasynonymforalienspacecraft.〔Chinese〕不明飛行物：必將消退的迷戀In1985amanwrotetotheMinistryofDefence,politelyexplainingthathehadbeenincontactwithalienssincetheageof7.HehadvisitedalienbasesinCheshire2andWirral3,befriended

acharmingaliencalledAlgarandseenaUFOshotdownnexttoWallaseyTownHall4asifdonebyaninvisibleentity.ThewriterdescribedhowhehadarrangedforhisalienfriendtomeetrepresentativesoftheGovernment,butsadlyAlgarwaskilledbyrivalaliensbeforethemeetingcouldtakeplace.1〔Note2〕Cheshire（柴郡）isaceremonialcountyinNorthWestEngland.ApartfromthelargetownsalongtheRiverMerseyandthehistoriccityofChester,itismostlyrural,withanumberofsmalltownsandvillagesthatsupportanagriculturalindustry.ItishistoricallyfamousfortheproductionofCheshirecheese,salt,bulkchemicalsandtheweavingofsilk.〔Note3〕Wirral（威羅）isametropolitanboroughinMerseyside,NorthWestEngland,whichoccupiesthenorthernpartoftheWirralPeninsula,morecommonlyknownasWirral.WirralMetropolitanBoroughhasapopulationofabout311,235(2004estimate)inanareaof155km2.〔Note4〕WallaseyTownHall（沃拉西市政廳大樓）isamagnificentrenaissance-stylebuildinginbrickwithDarleyDalestonecladding.TheFoundationstonewaslaidintopositionbymeansofelectricity,byKingGeorgeVin1914.ItwasadaptedasamilitaryhospitalinWorldWarIandsufferedadirecthitinWorldWarII.WallaseybecamepartoftheMetropolitanBoroughofWirralin1974andcouncilmeetingsareheldhere.〔LanguagePoint〕“In1985amanwrotetotheMinistryofDefence,politelyexplainingthat...”Inthissentence,thepresentparticipleclause“politelyexplainingthat...”actsasadverbialsofaccompanyingcircumstances.ThepresentparticipleinEnglishhasthesameformasthegerund,butthegerundactsasanounratherthanaverboramodifier.e.g.Weadmiredthechoir’ssinging.(gerund)

IhaveafriendlivinginLondon.(presentparticiple)〔Chinese〕1985年，有人給國防部寫了一封信，在信中他很有禮貌的說明他從七歲開始就一直跟外星人有接觸。他曾經(jīng)參觀了外星人在柴郡和威羅的基地，還跟一個(gè)名叫阿爾加的有趣的外星人交了朋友。他曾目睹了一架飛碟在沃拉西大會(huì)堂附近被擊落，似乎是由一個(gè)隱形物體所致。寫信人描述了他怎樣安排他的外星朋友跟政府代表會(huì)晤，可是很不幸，阿爾加在會(huì)面開始前就被敵對(duì)的外星人殺害了。

Hehadbeenincontactwithalienssincetheageof7.HehadvisitedalienCheshireandWirral,befriendedacharmingaliencalledAlgarandseenaUFOshotdownnexttoWallaseyTownHallasifdonebyaninvisibleentity.ThewriterdescribedhowhehadarrangedforhisalienfriendtomeetrepresentativesoftheGovernment,butsadlyAlgarwaskilledbyrivalaliensbeforethemeetingcouldtakeplace.

WhatdidthemantelltheMinistryofDefenceinhisletter?

Thematter-of-facttoneiswhatmakesthisparticularlettersotouching,andsorepresentativeofthehundredsofsimilaralienandUFOsightings

reportedtotheMoDandnowmadepublicforthefirsttime.2〔Chinese〕正是這種紀(jì)實(shí)的語氣使得這封特別的信如此動(dòng)人、如此典型，它代表了成百上千個(gè)類似的有關(guān)外星人和不明飛行物的目擊事件。如今國防部首次將這些他們接收到的報(bào)告公布于世。

No.

ItisrepresentativeofthehundredsofsimilaralienandUFOsightingsreportedtotheMoD

IstheletterreportingthesightingofUFOunique?

ThestoryofAlgarismoredramaticthanmostUFOsightings.ThevastmajorityofUFOspotters,asrevealedintheMoDfiles,arenotfantasists,butordinarypeoplewhothoughttheysawsomethingextraordinaryinthesky.Thespacecrafttendtocomeinfamiliarforms,withsaucerandcigarshapesthebestfavourites.5Colouredlightsarealsopopular.(Whydoaliens,whoclearlyhavenowishtomakecontact,stilltendtoturnupherewithalltheirlightsflashing?Perhaps,likeus,theyjustforgettoturntheheadlightsofffromtimetotime.)3〔Note5〕Thespacecrafttendtocomeinfamiliarforms,withsaucerandcigarshapesthebestfavourites:MostoftheshapesofthespacecraftsreportedinMoDarefamiliartous,themostpopularofwhichisthatofsaucerorcigar.〔LanguagePoint〕Here“somethingextraordinary”isattributivepostposition.Whenadjectivesfunctionasattributive,andwhentheymodifyindefinitepronoun,suchassomething,anything,nothing,somebody,anybody,nobody,andetc,theyusuallyarepostponed.e.g.Thereisnothingimportantintoday’snewspaper.

Hewantedtogetsomeonereliabletohelpinthiswork.〔Chinese〕阿爾加的故事比起大多數(shù)的不明飛行物目擊事件更加具有戲劇性。正如國防部的檔案中所披露的，絕大多數(shù)不明飛行物的目擊者，并不是幻想家，而是普通百姓，他們認(rèn)為自己看到了一些奇特的東西出現(xiàn)在空中。飛行物往往是以人們熟悉的形狀出沒的，最常見的是碟形或圓形。五顏六色的燈光也較為普遍。（很顯然外星人毫無意愿跟地球人接觸，那為什么他們出現(xiàn)時(shí)卻燈火通明呢？也許，他們跟我們一樣，只是有時(shí)會(huì)忘記關(guān)掉汽車前燈吧。）

SomeUFOspottershavereasontoberesentful,liketheelderlyHampshire6fishermantakenonatourofaspaceshipbylittlemeningreenoveralls

butthenrejectedasacaptive

humanspecimenbecausehewastooold:anotorious

exampleofspace-ageism.Someareunwillingtobelievetheirowneyes,liketheWoking7policemenwhosawawhitelightdescendinginHorsell.84〔Note6〕Hampshire（漢普郡）isacountyonthesouthcoastofEngland.Hampshireisapopularholidayarea,withtouristattractionsincludingitsmanyseasideresorts.Itisblessedwithsomeofthemostbeautifulcountrysideandaccessiblecoastline,offeringawidevarietyofsportingfacilitiesandleisureactivities.〔Note7〕Woking（沃金）isalargetownandcivilparishthatsharesitsnamewiththesurroundinglocalgovernmentdistrict,locatedinthewestofSurrey,England.ItisadormitorytownintheLondoncommuterbeltandislocated23milessouthwestofCharingCrossincentralLondon.〔Note8〕Horsell（霍塞爾）inSurreyisanancientvillagenearbytothemoremodern19thcenturyWoking,probablybestknownbecauseofitsassociationwiththestoryTheWaroftheWorlds,writtenbyH.G.Wells.〔Chinese〕一些不明飛行物的目擊者有理由義憤填膺？例如在這樣一樁臭名昭著的太空老年歧視案中：漢普郡的一個(gè)老漁民，被穿著綠色防護(hù)服的小矮人們帶上飛船轉(zhuǎn)了一圈，但是后來由于他年事已高，作為俘獲的人類樣品不合格而慘遭拋棄。還有一些目擊者不愿相信他們自己的眼睛，例如那位沃金的警察，他曾看見一束白光在霍塞爾下降。

Afewsightingsaregenuinelycompelling

andintriguing,andsomearesweetlyboring:likethealienspacecraftrambling

alongtheA839toLairg9atasteadyandlaw-abiding

30mph.10Butmostareperfectlystraightforward,eachwritten

up

onadeterminedlyundramaticformbyMoDbureaucrats:time,date,angleofflight,backgroundofinformant,etc.5〔Note9〕Lairg（萊瑞）isavillageinSutherland,Highland,Scotland.Situatedatthesouth-easternendofLochShin,itisunusual,ifnotunique,inthenorthernHighlandsinbeingasizeablesettlementthatisnotsituatedonthecoast.〔Note10〕Afewsightingsaregenuinelycompellingandintriguing,andsomearesweetlyboring:likethealienspacecraftramblingalongtheA839toLairgatasteadyandlaw-abiding30mph:SomereportingsoftheUFOareveryinteresting,whileothersareveryboring.Forexample,analienspacecraftwasreportedflyingalongtheroadA839toLairgatasteadyspeedof30milesperhour,whichwaspermittedbythehumanlaw.〔LanguagePoint〕“andsomearesweetlyboring”.Here“sweetly”isusedasanintensifierbeforeanadjectiveorafteraverb,meaning“inahighdegree,extremely”.e.g.Ittookhimsweetlymuchtimetofinish.

Heearnssweetlyperyear.〔Chinese〕有些目擊事件真的是情節(jié)曲折、引人入勝，但有些卻是無聊至極：例如一架外星人飛船正沿著去萊瑞的A839號(hào)公路閑庭漫步，以法律規(guī)定的30英里每小時(shí)的速度穩(wěn)步前行。但是大多數(shù)的事件都是非常簡單明了，每一個(gè)都按照國防部官員規(guī)定的平鋪直敘的格式詳盡記錄：時(shí)間、地點(diǎn)、飛行角度、報(bào)告者的背景等。

Mostareperfectlystraightforward,eachwrittenuponadeterminedlyndramaticformbyMoDbureaucrats:time,date,angleofflight,backgroundofinformant,etc.

Whataremostreportsofthesightinglike?

ThesoleinterestoftheMoDinUFOreportsisnottoestablishwhethertheyrevealanythingofdefenceinterest.Instead,theyrevealsomethingmuchmoreinteresting:apassionatefascinationwiththemysteriesofspacethattranscendsgender,age,classandgeography,andanurgentdesiretobelieveinotherworldsthatamounts

to

asortofsecular

spiritualism.11Eventhemostsceptical

reportscomewithatouchofawe.6〔Note11〕...andanurgentdesiretobelieveinotherworldsthatamountstoasortofsecularspiritualism:Peoplestronglyhopethattherearesomeotherworldsintheouterspace,sothattheycouldescapefromtheuncertaintiesoftheearth.〔LanguagePoint〕“ThesoleinterestoftheMoDinUFOreportsisnottoestablishwhethertheyrevealanythingofdefenceinterest.”Inthissentence,theinfinitiveclause“toestablishwhethertheyrevealanythingofdefenceinterest”servesasthepredicativeinthesentence,explainingthecontentofthesubject.e.g.Thefirststepwillbetogetajobinsomeoffice.

MyplanwastogofromCornwalltoGlasgow.〔Chinese〕國防部對(duì)不明飛行物報(bào)告的唯一興趣并不在于證實(shí)它們是否具有國防意義。相反，它們揭示了一些更讓人感興趣的東西：一種對(duì)于宇宙秘密的無比向往，它超越了性別、年齡、階級(jí)和地理位置；和一股相信還有地球以外的世界存在的強(qiáng)烈的愿望，它相當(dāng)于一種世俗的精神寄托。即使是最可疑的報(bào)告也帶著一種讓人敬畏的神秘感。

Thesheerscaleofthealieninvasionisremarkable.TheBritishX-Files12containmorethen7,000separatesightings,150filesinall,ofwhichjusteighthavebeenreleasedsofar.TheflightoftheUFOisataledeeplyembedded

inourculturalDNA13,apartofmodernfolklore

butalsoanancientportent,reflectingthegripoftheouterspaceunknownonhumanimaginationdowntheages.147〔Note12〕TheX-Files（《X檔案》）isaCanadian/AmericansciencefictiontelevisionseriesandapartofTheX-Filesfranchise,createdbyscreenwriterChrisCarter.ItfirstairedinSeptember1993andendedinMay2002.TheshowwasahitfortheFoxnetwork,anditscharactersandslogansbecamepopculturetouchstonesinthe1990s.Seenasadefiningseriesofitsera,TheX-Filestappedintopublicmistrustofgovernmentsandlargeinstitutions,andembracedconspiracytheoriesandspiritualityasitcentredoneffortstouncovertheexistenceofextraterrestriallife.〔Note13〕DNA:Deoxyribonucleicacid（脫氧核糖核酸）isanucleicacidthatcontainsthegeneticinstructionsusedinthedevelopmentandfunctioningofallknown

livingorganismsandsomeviruses.ThemainroleofDNAmoleculesisthelong-termstorageofinformation.TheDNAsegmentsthatcarrythisgeneticinformationarecalledgenes,butotherDNAsequenceshavestructuralpurposes,orareinvolvedinregulatingtheuseofthisgeneticinformation.〔Note14〕TheflightoftheUFOisataledeeplyembeddedinourculturalDNA,apartofmodernfolklorebutalsoanancientportent,reflectingthegripoftheouterspaceunknownonhumanimaginationdowntheages:ThefantasiesoftheUFOareenrootedprofoundlyinourculture.Althoughtheyemergeinmoderntimes,theydemonstratehowhumansponderovertheworldbeyondtheearthandbeyondourimaginationthroughoutthehistory.〔LanguagePoint〕“TheBritishX-Filescontainmorethen7,000separatesightings,ofwhichjusteighthavebeenreleasedsofar.”Itisanon-restrictiverelativeclause.Itisgenerallyseparatedfromtheheadbyaclearbreakinspeechorbyacommainwriting.Restrictiveclausesformanindispensablepartofthenounphrase,whileifanon-restrictiverelativeclauseistakenaway,theantecedentcanstillbeidentifiedasthespecificobject.e.g.Thewayinwhichyouansweredthequestionwasadmirable.

(restrictiveclause)

Hisspeech,whichboredeveryone,wentonandon.(non-

restrictiveclause)〔Chinese〕光是外星人侵?jǐn)_的程度就非比尋常。英國的X檔案中總共包含了超過7,000起的獨(dú)立的目擊案件和150個(gè)檔案。到目前為止，只有其中的八個(gè)被公布。不明飛行物是一個(gè)深深植根于我們文化基因中的傳說，它是現(xiàn)代民間傳聞中的一部分，也是古老的征兆，反映了從古至今人們始終為超乎其想象力之外的外太空而深深吸引。

TheBritishX-Filescontainmorethen7,000separatesightings,150filesinall,ofwhichjusteighthavebeenreleasedsofar.

HowmanysightingsofalieninvasionarecontainedintheBritishX-Files?

TheUFOstoryhasevolvedovertime,butthefundamentalsremainthesame.Theuncertaintiesofwarandrapidtechnologicaladvancestendtobreed

UFOsinlargenumbers.“Whatdoesallthisstuff

aboutflyingsaucersamountto?”WinstonChurchill15wonderedin1951.“Whatcanitmean?”8〔Note15〕WinstonChurchill:SirWinstonLeonardSpencer-Churchill(30November1874-24January1965)wasaBritishpoliticianknownchieflyforhisleadershipoftheUnitedKingdomduringWorldWarII.HeservedasPrimeMinisterfrom1940to1945andagainfrom1951to1955.Anotedstatesmanandorator,ChurchillwasalsoanofficerintheBritishArmy,historian,writer,andartist.HewastheonlyBritishPrimeMinistertohavereceivedtheNobelPrizeinLiteratureandthefirstpersontoberecognisedasanHonoraryCitizenoftheUnitedStates.〔Chinese〕不明飛行物故事的發(fā)展已歷經(jīng)歷史長河，但是基本原則還是保持不變。戰(zhàn)爭引起的動(dòng)亂和科技的快速發(fā)展往往滋生了大量的不明飛行物?！斑@些關(guān)于飛碟的玩意兒到底有什么用？”溫斯頓·丘吉爾在1951年曾問道，“這些到底意味著什么？”

Spacetravelbroughtotherplanetsclosertoearth,andarapidincreaseinalienvisitation,butinterestinUFOshaswaxed

and

waned,oftenpropelled

bypopularculture.ThenumberofBritishUFOsightingsalmostdoubledafterthereleaseofCloseEncountersoftheThirdKind16in1977.9〔Note16〕CloseEncountersoftheThirdKind(《第三類接觸》）isa1977sciencefictionfilmwrittenanddirectedbyStevenSpielberg.IttellsthestoryofRoyNeary,anIndianaelectricallineman,whoselifechangesafterhehasanencounterwithanunidentifiedflyingobject.However,theUnitedStatesgovernmentisalsoawareoftheUFOsasateamofinternationalscientificresearchers.〔LanguagePoint〕“butinterestinUFOshaswaxedandwaned,oftenpropelledbypopularculture.”Inthissentence,thepastparticipateclause“propelledbypopularculture”servesasanadverbial,modifyingthepredicate.e.g.Hesoonfeltasleep,exhaustedbythejourney.

Tomcouldsaynothing,horrifiedatwhathehadseen.〔Chinese〕太空航行拉近了地球和其他星球的距離，也使得外星人出現(xiàn)的事件激增。然而通常在通俗文化的驅(qū)使下，人們對(duì)于不明飛行物的興趣也是幾度潮起潮落。1977年，在《第三類接觸》這本書發(fā)行之后，英國不明飛行物出現(xiàn)的數(shù)量幾乎翻了一倍。

Soonafter,theMoDfeltobligedtodismissufology

as“claptrap”.17Somepsychologistsbelievealienabduction

canbediagnosedasasyndrome

oftemporarysleepparalysis.UFOsightingshavevariouslybeenput

down

towishfulthinking,credulity

andtoomuchbeer.18Butatroot,thephenomenonreflectssomethingmoreprofound:asortofantidote

tocosmicloneliness,theage-oldurgetopeerintothedarkandwonderwhatorwhomightbeoutthere.1910〔Note17〕Soonafter,theMoDfeltobligedtodismissufologyas“claptrap”:AftertherapidincreaseinthenumberofUFOsightings,theMinistryofDefensewascompelledtodeclarethestudyofUFOasworthlessandmeaningless.〔Note18〕UFOsightingshavevariouslybeenputdowntowishfulthinking,credulityandtoomuchbeer:Ondifferentoccasions,UFOsightingsweredespisedasimaginaryideas,fabricatedliesordrunkenwords.〔Note19〕Butatroot,thephenomenonreflectssomethingmoreprofound:asortofantidotetocosmicloneliness,theage-oldurgetopeerintothedarkandwonderwhatorwhomightbethere.:Fundamentally,suchaphenomenonshowsussomethingmorefar-reaching’inthattheyserveasaneffectivewaytorelievehumans’lonelinessintheuniverse,andsignifyalong-termdesiretodiscoverintelligentlifeintheouterspace.〔Chinese〕不久之后，國防部感到有責(zé)任把不明飛行物學(xué)貶為“空談”。一些心理學(xué)家認(rèn)為被外星人劫持的這種說法能夠被診斷為一種暫時(shí)性昏睡麻痹綜合癥。不明飛行物目擊事件已經(jīng)被不一而足的駁斥為妄想、輕信和酒后胡言。但是歸根結(jié)底，這種現(xiàn)象揭示了更為深遠(yuǎn)的意義：一種對(duì)抗宇宙孤獨(dú)感的手段；一項(xiàng)古老的本能，當(dāng)我們凝望夜空，猜想可能會(huì)有什么東西或者什么人在那里。

Soonafter,theMoDfeltobligedtodismissufologyas“claptrap”.Somepsychologistsbelievealienabductioncanbediagnosedasasyndromeoftemporarysleepparalysis.UFOsightingshavevariouslybeenputdowntowishfulthinking,credulityandtoomuchbeer.

Howhavepeoplechangedtheirattitudetowardufology?

Youdonothavetobelieveinflyingsaucerstobelieveintheflightsofimaginationtheyinspire.ManyofthepeoplereportingUFOssimplysawsomethingunexpectedandwondered,likeChurchill,whatitcouldmean.11〔LanguagePoint〕“believein”.When“believe”functionsasanintransitiveverb,followedbyapreposition“in”,itmeans“tohavefirmfaith”,e.g.:Ibelieveinyourabilitytosolvetheproblem.Asatransitiveverb,“believe”means“toacceptastrueorreal”.e.g.Doyoubelievethenewsstories?〔Chinese〕你可以不必相信飛碟本身的存在，但是你卻不能不信飛碟所激起的想象力的迸發(fā)。許多報(bào)告不明飛行物的人僅僅是看到了一些出人意料的東西，然后，就像丘吉爾一樣，疑惑那到底意味著什么。

Wewonderstill,butarenotlikewhatweusedtodo.ForthelastdecadeUFOsightingshavesteadilydeclined.TheBritishFlyingSaucerBureauclosedin2003.ThenumberofUFOsdipped

withtheinventionofthecolourtelevisionandplunged

withtheadvent

oftheinternet.Perhapsinacomplexanduncertainsociety,peoplehavemorepracticalconcerns.12〔Chinese〕我們?nèi)匀灰苫?，但是跟以前不一樣。因?yàn)榻暌詠?，不明飛行物的目擊事件已經(jīng)逐步下降。英國飛碟局在2003年被撤消。不明飛行物的數(shù)量在彩色電視出現(xiàn)后有所下降，而在網(wǎng)絡(luò)面世后急轉(zhuǎn)直下。也許在這個(gè)錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜、紛紛擾擾的社會(huì)，人們有更多切乎實(shí)際的擔(dān)憂吧?！睱anguagePoint〕Andevenifwedid,withthespreadoflightpollution,itwouldtakeaspaceshipwithverybrightlightstobespottedatall.Inthissentence,“evenif”introducesanadverbialclauseofconcession.Concessiveclausesareusedtoconcedeagivenpointinanargument.

ForthelastdecadeUFOsightingshavesteadilydeclined.

WhathashappenedtoUFOsightingsforthelastdecade?

WenolongerlookintotheskyandponderoverthechancesofanythingcomingfromMars.Andevenifwedid,withthespreadoflightpollution,itwouldtakeaspaceshipwithverybrightlightstobespottedatall.13Theprincipleconcessiveconjunctionsintroducingaconcessiveclauseare:though,although,eventhough,while,andevenif.e.g.Althougheveryoneplayedwell,theylostthegame.

HeisanhonestmaneventhoughIhaveopposedhim.〔Chinese〕我們不再眺望天空，不再覬覦任何從火星來的生物。而且即便我們這樣做了，隨著燈光污染的擴(kuò)散，一架飛船可能需要極其明亮的燈光才能被發(fā)現(xiàn)。

ThedeclineinUFOsightingsmayreflectahealthyscepticism,butaworldwithoutextraterrestrials

wouldbedullindeed.TheBritishX-Filesrevealapeoplealerttothesky,imaginative,eccentric,slightlyembarrassedandaboveallinquisitive.Perhapsthisnewproofofourformerfascinationwiththemysteriesofspacewillrekindle

thecuriosity.Morelikely,ourremainingsenseofwonderwilldiminishstillfurther;theflyingobjectsofthefuturewillbenotonlyunidentifiedbutunnoticed.Andthat,ofcourse,willbethat.2014〔Note20〕Andthat,ofcourse,willbethat:Andthereisnodoubtthatsuchwillbethetrendirreversible.〔LanguagePoint〕“TheBritishX-Filesrevealapeoplealerttothesky,”Herewhen“people”servesasacountablenoun,itmeans“allthepersonsbelongingtoa(nation,race,tribeorcommunity)”.e.g.TheSpanishwereawarlikepeople.〔Chinese〕不明飛行物目擊事件的下降也許反映了一種健全的懷疑論，但是一個(gè)沒有外星人的世界豈非乏味。英國的X檔案揭露了一種人，他們密切關(guān)注太空，想象力豐富、行為怪異、輕度害羞，而且最重要的是，愛刨根問底。也許這個(gè)我們過去對(duì)于宇宙秘密著迷的新證據(jù)將會(huì)重新點(diǎn)燃我們的好奇心。而更有可能的是，我們剩余的好奇感將會(huì)進(jìn)一步逐漸消失；未來的飛行物將不單單是不明來路的，而且是不被察覺的。那么，當(dāng)然，就這樣吧。ReadingFocus-TextANewWordsandExpressions（標(biāo)注*的為四級(jí)詞匯；標(biāo)注▲的為六級(jí)詞匯,其余為超綱詞匯。）*fade/feId/v.

todisappeargradually;vanish逐漸消失

Thelightsandmusicfadedaswesetsailfromtheharbour.Allmemoryofthepasthasfaded.textobsession/Eb5seFEn/n.

compulsivepreoccupationwithafixedideaoranunwantedfeelingoremotion,oftenaccompaniedbysymptomsofanxiety不由自主地被某一定式的想法或某種不想要的感情困擾，常伴有焦慮的癥狀

Theyoungmanwasunderanobsessionofinheritingagreatsumofmoneyfromhisuncle.hesufferedfromanobsessionofbecomingagreatballetdancer.befriend/bI5frend/v.

tobehaveasafriendto像朋友一樣對(duì)待……

Theybefriendedtheyounggirl,providingwithherfoodandshelter.Nicholaswasamanwhowouldalwaysbefriendme.texttextentity/5entItI/n.

sth.thatexistsasaparticularanddiscreteunit實(shí)體

Personsandcorporationsareequivalententitiesunderthelaw.Acompanyisaseparateeconomicandlegalentity.sightingn.

theactofcatchingsightofsth.,especiallysth.unusualorsearchedfor看見某物的動(dòng)作，尤指見到不尋?；蛘趯ふ业臇|西Somefishersdescribedasightingofawhaleintheharbour.HelaughedatareportedsightingofUFOonthenewspaper.spotter/5spCtE/n.

personwholooksforandwritesdowndetailsofaspecifictypeofthingoraperson,asahobbyorjob尋找某事物或某人并作記錄的人（作為嗜好或職業(yè)）anaircraftspotteratrain-spotteratalent-spottertexttexttextresentful/rI5zentfUl/a.

fullof,characterizedby,orinclinedtofeelindignantillwill充滿憤恨的

Hewasdeeplyresentfulofherinterference.Shegavearesentfulstareatthesculpture.*overall/5EUvErR:l/n.

aloose-fittingprotectiveoutergarment;asmock防護(hù)服，罩衫*captive/5kAptIv/a

keptunderrestraintorcontrol;confined受控制的，被監(jiān)禁的captivebirdsacaptivemarket▲notorious/nEU5tR:rIEs/a.

knownwidelyandu