新概念英語第4冊課文(中英文對(duì)照)

外語下載中心外語下載中心Lesson1Findingfossilman發(fā)現(xiàn)化石人Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowrite.Buttherearesomepartsofthewordwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas--legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofanother.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.ThesagasofthesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromButthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefrom.Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithouttrace.參考譯文我們從書籍中可讀到5,000年前近東發(fā)生的事情，那里的人最早學(xué)會(huì)了寫字。但直到現(xiàn)在,世界上有些地方，人們還不會(huì)書寫。他們保存歷史的唯一辦法是將歷史當(dāng)作傳說講述，由講述人一代接一代地將史實(shí)描述為傳奇故事口傳下來。人類學(xué)家過去不清楚如今生活在太平洋諸島上的波利尼西亞人的祖先來自何方，當(dāng)?shù)厝说膫髡f卻告訴人們：其中一部分是約在2,000年前從印度尼西亞遷來的。但是，和我們相似的原始人生活的年代太久遠(yuǎn)了，因此，有關(guān)他們的傳說既使有如今也失傳了。于是，考古學(xué)家們既缺乏歷史記載，又無口頭傳說來幫助他們弄清最早的“現(xiàn)代人”是從哪里來的。然而，幸運(yùn)的是，遠(yuǎn)古人用石頭制作了工具，特別是用燧石，因?yàn)殪菔^之其他石頭更容易成形。他們也可能用過木頭和獸皮，但這類東西早已腐爛殆盡。石頭是不會(huì)腐爛的。因此，盡管制造這些工具的人的骨頭早已蕩然無存，但遠(yuǎn)古時(shí)代的石頭工具卻保存了下來。Lesson2Sparethatspider不要傷害蜘蛛Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheharmtousorourbelongings.Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthedifferencealmostataglance,foraspideralwayshaseightlegsandinsectnevermorethansix.Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworknoourbehalf?OneauthorityonspidersmadeacensusofthespidersingrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre;thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthewildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythreemealsaday.IthasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightofallthehumanbeings參考譯文你可能會(huì)覺得奇怪，蜘蛛怎么會(huì)是我們的朋友呢？因?yàn)樗鼈兡芟麥缒敲炊嗟睦ハx，其中包括一些人類的大敵，要不是人類受一些食蟲動(dòng)物的保護(hù)，昆蟲就會(huì)使我們無法在地球上生活下去，昆蟲會(huì)吞食我們的全部莊稼，殺死我們的成群的牛羊。我們要十分感謝那些吃昆蟲的鳥和獸，然而把它們所殺死的昆蟲全部加在一起也只相當(dāng)于蜘蛛所消滅的一小部分。此外，蜘蛛不同于其他食蟲動(dòng)物，它們絲毫不危害我們和我們的財(cái)物。許多人認(rèn)為蜘蛛是昆蟲，但它們不是昆蟲，甚至與昆蟲毫無關(guān)系。人們幾乎一眼就能看出二者的差異，因?yàn)橹┲攵际?條腿，而昆蟲的腿從不超過6條。有多少蜘蛛在為我們效力呢？一位研究蜘蛛的權(quán)威對(duì)英國南部一塊草坪上的蜘蛛作了一次調(diào)查。他估計(jì)每英畝草坪里有225萬多只蜘蛛。這就是說，在一個(gè)足球場上約有600萬只不同種類的蜘蛛。蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃昆蟲。它們一年中消滅了多少昆蟲，我們簡直無法猜測，它們是吃不飽的動(dòng)物，不滿意一日三餐。據(jù)估計(jì)，在英國蜘蛛一年里所消滅昆蟲的重量超過這個(gè)國家人口的總重量。Lesson3Matterhornman馬特霍恩山區(qū)人Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemoredifficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthepioneeringdays,however,thiswasnotthecaseatall.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetop,becausethesummitwastheprizetheysought,especiallyifitandneverbeenattainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwithwouldmakeamodernclimbershudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.Theyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal--thetop!Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneers.ExceptforoneortwoplacessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagetendedtobeimpoverishedsettlementscutofffromcivilizationbythehighmountains.Suchinnsasthereweregenerallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoftentwelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarsewine.Oftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould--sometimeswiththelocalpriest(whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners),sometimeswithshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtandpoverty,andveryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedtoeatingseven-coursedinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlpsmusthaveveryhardindeed.參考譯文現(xiàn)代登山運(yùn)動(dòng)員總想找一條能夠給他們帶來運(yùn)動(dòng)樂趣的路線來攀登山峰。他們認(rèn)為，道路愈艱險(xiǎn)愈帶勁兒。然而，在登山運(yùn)動(dòng)的初期，全然不是這種情況。早期登山者所尋找的是通往山頂?shù)淖罘奖愕耐緩?，因?yàn)轫敺逄貏e是前人未曾到過的頂峰--才是他們尋求的目標(biāo)。確實(shí)，在探險(xiǎn)中他們經(jīng)常遇到驚心動(dòng)魄的困難和危險(xiǎn)，而他們裝備之簡陋足以使現(xiàn)代登山者一想起來就膽戰(zhàn)心驚。但是，他們并非故意尋求這種刺激，他們只有一個(gè)目標(biāo)，唯一的目標(biāo)--頂峰！我們今天很難想像昔日的登山先驅(qū)們是多么艱苦。除了澤曼特和夏蒙尼等一兩個(gè)很快出了名的地方外，阿爾卑斯山山區(qū)的小村幾乎全是高山環(huán)抱、與世隔絕的窮鄉(xiāng)僻壤。那里的小客棧一般都很骯臟，而且跳蚤猖獗。食物是當(dāng)?shù)氐母衫液屯ǔ４娣帕艘荒曛玫拿姘?，人們就著劣酒吞下這種食物。山谷里常常沒有小客棧，登山者只好隨遇而安。有時(shí)同當(dāng)?shù)啬翈煟ㄋǔ：退慕堂褚粯痈F）住在一起，有時(shí)同牧羊人或制乳酪的人住在一起。無論住在哪兒，情況都一樣：骯臟、貧窮，極其不舒適。對(duì)于過慣了一頓飯吃7道菜、睡亞麻細(xì)布床單的人來說，變換一下生活環(huán)境來到阿爾卑斯山山區(qū)，那一定是很艱難的。Lesson4Seeinghands能看見東西的手SeveralcaseshavebeenreportedinRussiarecentlyofpeoplewhocandetectcolourswiththeirfingers,andevenseethroughsolidandwalls.Onecaseconcernsandeleven-year-oldschoolgirl,Verabetweenthetapsandthereceiptoftheechoes,thedepthoftheseaatthatpointcanbecalculated.Sowasborntheecho-soundingapparatus,nowingeneraluseinships.Everysolidobjectwillreflectasound,varyingaccordingtothesizeandnatureoftheobject.Ashoaloffishwilldothis.Soitisacomparativelysimplestepfromlocatingtheseabottomtolocatingashoaloffish.Withexperience,andwithimprovedapparatus,itisnowpossiblenotonlytolocateashoalbuttotellifitisherring,cod,orotherwell-knownfish,bythepatternofitsecho.Ithasbeenfoundthatcertainbatsemitsqueaksandbyreceivingtheechoes,theycanlocateandsteerclearofobstacles--orlocateflyinginsectsonwhichtheyfeed.Thisecho-locationinbatsisoftencomparedwithradar,theprincipleofwhichissimilar.參考譯文動(dòng)物發(fā)出的聲音不都是用作語言交際。我們只要看一看蝙蝠回聲定位這一極不尋常的發(fā)現(xiàn)，就可以探究一下聲音在什么情況下有絕對(duì)的實(shí)用價(jià)值。要透徹理解這句話的意義，我們應(yīng)先回顧一下人類最近的幾項(xiàng)發(fā)明。大家都知道，在墻壁或山腰附近發(fā)出的喊聲，就會(huì)聽到回聲。固體障礙物越遠(yuǎn)?；芈暦祷厮脮r(shí)間就越長。敲打船體所發(fā)了的聲音會(huì)從海底傳回來，測出回聲間隔的時(shí)間，便可算出該處海洋的深度。這樣就產(chǎn)生了目前各種船舶上普遍應(yīng)用的回聲探測儀。任何固體者反射聲音，反射的聲音因物體的大小和性質(zhì)的不同而不同。魚群也反射聲音。從測定海深到測定魚群，這一進(jìn)展比較容易。根據(jù)經(jīng)驗(yàn)和改進(jìn)了的儀器，不僅能夠確定魚群的位置，而且可以根據(jù)魚群回聲的特點(diǎn)分辨出是鯡魚、鱈魚，這是人們所熟悉的其他魚。人們發(fā)現(xiàn)，某些蝙蝠能發(fā)出尖叫聲，并能通過回聲來確定并躲開障礙物，或找到它們賴以為生的昆蟲。蝙蝠這種回聲定位常?？膳c雷達(dá)相比較，其原理是相似的。Lesson8Tradingstandards貿(mào)易標(biāo)準(zhǔn)ChickensslaughteredintheUnitedStates,claimofficialsinBrussels,arenotfittograceEuropeantables.No,saytheAmerican:ourfowlarefine,wesimplycleantheminadifferentway.Thesedays,itisdifferencesinnationalregulations,farmorethantariffs,thatputsandinthewheelsoftradebetweenrichcountries.Itisnotjustfarmerswhoarecomplaining.AnelectricrazorthatmeetstheEuropeanUnion'ssafetystandardsmustbeapprovedbyAmericantestersbeforeitcanbesoldintheUnitedStates,andanAmerican-madedialysismachineneedstheEU'sokaybeforeishitsthemarketinEurope.Asithappens,arazorthatissafeinEuropeisunlikelytoelectrocuteAmericans.So,askbusinessesonbothsidesoftheAtlantic,whyhavetwolotsoftestswhereonewoulddo?Politiciansagree,inprinciple,soAmericaandtheEUhavebeentryingtoreachadealwhichwouldeliminatetheneedtodouble-testmanyproducts.TheyhopetofinishintimeforatradesummitbetweenAmericaandtheEUonMay28TH.Althoughnegotiatorsareoptimistic,thedetailsarecomplexenoughthattheymaybehard-pressedtogetadealatall.Why?Onedifficultyistoconstructtheagreements.TheAmericanswouldhappilyreachoneaccordonstandardsformedicaldevicesandthemhammeroutdifferentpactscovering,say,electronicgoodsanddrugmanufacturing.TheEU--followingfinecontinentaltraditions--wantsagreementongeneralprinciples,whichcouldbeappliedtomanytypesofproductsandperhapsextendedtoothercountries.參考譯文布魯塞爾的官員說，在美國屠宰的雞不適于用來裝點(diǎn)歐洲的餐桌。不，美國人說，我們的家禽很好，只是我們使用了另一種清洗方式。當(dāng)前，是各國管理?xiàng)l例上的差異，而不是關(guān)稅阻礙了發(fā)達(dá)國家之間的貿(mào)易。并不僅僅是農(nóng)民在抱怨。一把符合歐洲聯(lián)盟安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的電動(dòng)剃須刀必須得到美國檢測人員的認(rèn)可，方可在美國市場上銷售；而美國制造的透析儀也要得到歐盟的首肯才能進(jìn)入歐洲市場。碰巧在歐洲使用安全的剃須刀不大可能使美國人觸電身亡，因此，大西洋兩岸的企業(yè)都在問，當(dāng)一套測試可以解決問題時(shí)，為什么需要兩套呢？政治家在原則上同意了，因此，美國和歐洲一直在尋求達(dá)成協(xié)議，以便為許多產(chǎn)品取消雙重檢查。他們希望盡早達(dá)成協(xié)議，為5月為什么呢？困難之一是起草這些協(xié)議。美國人很愿意就醫(yī)療器械的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)達(dá)成一個(gè)協(xié)議，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵蓋--比如說--電子產(chǎn)品和藥品的生產(chǎn)。歐洲人遵循優(yōu)良的大陸傳統(tǒng)，則希望就普遍的原則取得一致，而這些原則適用于許多不同產(chǎn)品，同時(shí)可能延伸到其它國家。Lesson9Royalespionage王室諜報(bào)活動(dòng)AlfredtheGreatactedhisownspy,visitingDanishcampsdisguisedasaminstrel.Inthosedayswanderingminstrelswerewelcomeeverywhere.Theywerenotfightingmen,andtheirharpwastheirpassport.Alfredhadlearnedmanyoftheirballadsinhisyouth,andcouldvaryhisprogrammewithacrobatictricksandsimpleconjuring.WhileAlfred'slittlearmyslowlybegantogatheratAthelney,thekinghimselfsetouttopenetratethecampofGuthrum,thecommanderoftheDanishinvaders.TherehadsettleddownforthewinteratChippenham:thitherAlfredwent.Henoticedatoncethatdisciplinewasslack:theDaneshadtheself-confidenceofconquerors,andtheirsecurityprecautionswerecasual.Theylivedwell,ontheproceedsofraidsonneighbouringregions.Theretheycollectedwomenaswellasfoodanddrink,andalifeofeasehadmadethemsoft.AlfredstayedinthecampaweekbeforehereturnedtoAthelney.TheforcethereassembledwastrivialcomparedwiththeDanishhorde.ButAlfredhaddeducedthattheDaneswerenolongerfitforprolongedbattle:andthattheircommissariathadnoorganization,butdependedonirregularraids.So,facedwiththeDanishadvance,Alfreddidnotriskopenbattlebutharriedtheenemy.Hewasconstantlyonthemove,drawingtheDanesafterhim.Hispatrolshaltedtheraidingparties:hungerassailedtheDanisharmy.NowAlfredbeganalongseriesofskirmishes--andwithinamonththeDaneshadsurrendered.Theepisodecouldreasonablyserveasauniqueepicofroyalespionage!參考譯文阿爾弗雷德大帝曾親自充當(dāng)間諜。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麥軍隊(duì)的營地里偵察。當(dāng)時(shí)，浪跡天涯的吟游歌手到處受歡迎，他們不是作戰(zhàn)人員，豎琴就是他們的通行證。阿爾弗德年輕時(shí)學(xué)過許多民歌，并能穿插演一些雜技和小魔術(shù)使自己的節(jié)目多樣化。阿爾弗雷德人數(shù)不多的軍隊(duì)開始在阿塞爾納慢慢集結(jié)時(shí)，他親自潛入丹麥入侵司令官古瑟羅姆的營地。丹麥軍已在切本哈姆扎下營準(zhǔn)備過冬，阿爾弗雷便來到此地。他馬上發(fā)現(xiàn)丹麥軍紀(jì)律松弛，他們以征服者自居，安全措施馬馬虎虎。他們靠掠奪附近的地區(qū)的財(cái)物過著舒適的生活。他們不僅搜刮吃的喝的，而且搶掠?jì)D女，安逸的生活已使丹麥軍隊(duì)變得軟弱無力。阿爾弗雷德在敵營呆了一個(gè)星期后，回到了阿塞爾納。他集結(jié)在那里的軍隊(duì)和丹麥大軍相比是微不足道的，然而，阿爾弗雷德斷定，丹麥人已不再適應(yīng)持久的戰(zhàn)爭，他們的軍需供應(yīng)處于無組織狀態(tài)，只是靠臨時(shí)搶奪來維持。因此，面對(duì)丹麥人的進(jìn)攻，阿爾弗雷德沒有貿(mào)然同敵人作戰(zhàn)，而是采用騷擾敵人的戰(zhàn)術(shù)。他的部隊(duì)不停地移動(dòng)，牽著敵人的鼻子，讓他們跟著跑。他派出巡邏隊(duì)阻止敵人搶劫，因而饑餓威脅著丹麥軍隊(duì)。這時(shí)，阿爾弗雷德發(fā)起一連串小規(guī)模的進(jìn)攻，結(jié)果不出一個(gè)月，丹麥人就投降了。這一幕歷史可以說是王室諜報(bào)活動(dòng)中最精彩的篇章。.Lesson10Siliconvalley硅谷TechnologytrendsmaypushSiliconValleybacktothefuture.CarverMead,apioneerinintegratedcircuitsandaprofessorofcomputerscienceattheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology,notestherearenowwork-stationsthatenableengineerstodesign,testandproducechipsrightontheirdesks,muchthewayaneditorcreatesanewsletteronaMacintosh.Asthetimeandcostofmakingachipdroptoafewdaysandafewhundreddollars,engineersmaysoonbefreetolettheirimaginationssoarwithoutbeingpenalizedbyexpensivefailures.Meadpredictsthatinventorswillbeabletoperfectpowerfulcustomizedchipsoveraweekendattheoffice--spawninganewgenerationofgaragestart-upsandgivingtheU.S.ajumponitsforeignrivalsingettingnewproductstomarketfast.'We'regotmoregarageswithsmartpeople,'Meadobserves.'Wereallythriveonanarchy.'AndonAsians.Already,orientalsandAsianAmericansconstitutethemajorityoftheengineeringstaffsatmanyValleyfirms.AndChinese,Korean,FilipinoandIndianengineersaregraduatingindrovesfromCalifornia'scolleges.Astheheadsofnext-generationstart-ups,theseAsianinnovatorscandrawoncustomsandlanguagestoforgerighterlinkswithcrucialPacificRimmarkets.Forinstance,AlexAu,aStanfordPh.D.fromHongKong,hassetupaTaiwanfactorytochallengeJapan'snearlockonthememory-chipmarket.India-bornN.DamodarReddy'stinyCaliforniacompanyreopenedanAT&TchipplantinKansasCitylastspringwithfinancingfromthestateofMissouri.Beforeitbecomesaretirementvillage,SiliconValleymayproveaclassroomforbuildingaglobalbusiness.參考譯文技術(shù)的發(fā)展趨勢有可能把硅谷重新推向未來。卡弗.米德--集成電路的一位先驅(qū)，加州理工學(xué)院的計(jì)算機(jī)教授--注意到，現(xiàn)在有些計(jì)算機(jī)工作站使工程技術(shù)人員可以在他們的辦公桌上設(shè)計(jì)、試驗(yàn)和生產(chǎn)芯片，就像一位編輯在蘋果機(jī)上編出一份時(shí)事通訊一樣。由于制造一塊芯片的時(shí)間已縮短至幾天，費(fèi)用也只有幾百美元，因此，工程技術(shù)人員可能很塊就可充分發(fā)揮他們的想像力，而不會(huì)因失敗而造成經(jīng)濟(jì)上的損失。米德預(yù)言發(fā)明者可以在辦公室用一個(gè)周末的時(shí)間生產(chǎn)了完美的、功能很強(qiáng)的、按客戶需求設(shè)計(jì)的芯片--造就新一代從汽車間起家的技術(shù)人員，在把產(chǎn)品推向市場方面使美國把它的外國對(duì)手們打個(gè)措手不及。“我們有更多的汽車間，那里有許多聰明人，”米德說?！拔覀兇_實(shí)是靠這種無政府狀態(tài)發(fā)展起來的?！笨康氖莵喼奕?。硅谷許多公司中工程技術(shù)人員的大多數(shù)是東方人和亞裔美國人。中國、韓國、菲律賓和印度的工程師一批批地從加州的大學(xué)畢業(yè)。作為新掘起一代的帶頭人，亞裔發(fā)明家可以憑借他們在習(xí)慣和語言上的優(yōu)勢，與關(guān)鍵的太平洋沿岸市場建立起更加牢固的聯(lián)系。比如說，亞歷克斯.奧，一位來自香港的斯坦福大學(xué)博士，已經(jīng)在臺(tái)灣建廠，對(duì)日本在內(nèi)存條市場上近似壟斷的局面提出了挑戰(zhàn)。印度出生的N.達(dá)莫達(dá).雷迪經(jīng)營的小小的加州公司在堪薩斯城重新啟用了美國電話電報(bào)公司的一家芯片工廠，并從密蘇里州獲取了財(cái)政上的支持。在硅谷變成一個(gè)退休村之前，它很可能成為建立全球商業(yè)的一個(gè)教學(xué)場地。Lesson11Howtogrowold如何安度晚年Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearofdeath.Intheyoungthereisajustificationforthisfeeling.Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthattheywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiablyfeelbitterinthethoughtthattheyhavecheatedofthebestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanoldmanwhohasknownhumanjoysandsorrows,andhasachievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,thefearofdeathissomewhatabjectandignoble.Thebestwaytoovercomeit--soatleastitseemstome--istomakeyourinterestsgraduallywiderandmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsoftheegorecede,andyourlifebecomesincreasinglymergedintheuniversallife.Anindividualhumanexistenceshouldbelikeariver--smallatfirst,narrowlycontainedwithinitsbanks,andrushingpassionatelypastbouldersandoverwaterfalls.Graduallytherivergrowswider,thebanksrecede,thewatersflowmorequietly,andintheend,withoutanyvisiblebreak,theybecomemergedinthesea,andpainlesslylosetheirindividualbeing.Themanwho,inoldage,canseehislifeinthisway,willnotsufferfromthefearofdeath,sincethethingshecaresforwillcontinue.Andif,withthedecayofvitality,wearinessincreases,thethoughtofrestwillbenotunwelcome.Ishouldwishtodiewhilestillatwork,knowingthatotherswillcarryonwhatIcannolongerdo,andcontentinthethoughtthatwhatwaspossiblehasbeendone.參考譯文有些老年人因?yàn)榕滤蓝械綗?。青年人有這種感覺是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己會(huì)死在戰(zhàn)場上的年輕人，想到自己被剝奪了生活所能給予的最美好的東西時(shí)，感到痛苦，這是可以理解的。可是老年人已經(jīng)飽嘗了人間的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有點(diǎn)兒可憐又可鄙?？朔滤赖淖詈棉k法--至少在我看來是這樣--就是逐漸使自己的興趣更加廣泛，逐漸擺脫個(gè)人狹小的圈子，直到自我的圍墻一點(diǎn)一點(diǎn)地倒塌下來，自己的生活慢慢地和整個(gè)宇宙的生活融合在一起。個(gè)人的存在應(yīng)該像一條河流，開始很小，被緊緊地夾在兩岸中間，接著熱情奔放地沖過巨石，飛下瀑布。然后河面漸漸地變寬，兩岸后撤，河水流得平緩起來，最后連綿不斷地匯入大海，毫無痛苦地失去了自我的存在。上了年紀(jì)的人這樣看待生命，就不會(huì)有懼怕死亡的心情了，因?yàn)樽约宏P(guān)心的一切事件都會(huì)繼續(xù)下去。再者，隨著精力的衰退，老年人的疲憊會(huì)增長，有長眠的愿望未嘗不是一件好事情，我希望工作到死為止，明白了有人會(huì)繼續(xù)我的未竟事業(yè)，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦然了。Lesson12Banksandtheircustomers銀行和顧客Whenanyoneopensacurrentaccountatabank,heislendingthebankmoney,repaymentofwhichhemaydemandatanytime,eitherincashorbydrawingachequeinfavourofanotherperson.Primarily,thebanker-customerrelationshipisthatofdebtorandcreditor--whoiswhichdependingonwhetherthecustomer'saccountisincreditorisoverdrawn.But,inadditiontothatbasicallysimpleconcept,thebankanditscustomerowealargenumberofobligationstooneanother.Manyoftheseobligationscangiveintoproblemsandcomplicationsbutabankcustomer,unlike,say,abuyerofgoods,cannotcomplainthatthelawisloadedagainsthim.Thebankmustobeyitscustomer'sinstructions,andnotthoseofanyoneelse.When,forexample,acustomerfirstopensanaccount,heinstructsthebanktodebithisaccountonlyinrespectofchequesdrawbyhimself.Hegivesthebankspecimensofhissignature,andthereisaveryfirmrulethatthebankhasnorightorauthoritytopayoutacustomer'smoneyonachequesonwhichitscustomer'ssignaturehasbeenforged.Itmakesnodifferencethattheforgerymayhavebeenaveryskilfulone:thebankmustrecognizeitscustomer'ssignature.Forthisreasonthereisnorisktothecustomerinthepractice,adoptedbybanks,ofprintingthecustomer'snameonhischeques.Ifthisfacilitatesforgery,itisthebankwhichwilllose,notthecustomer.

參考譯文任何人在銀行開一個(gè)活期賬戶，就等于把錢借給了銀行。這筆錢他可以隨時(shí)提取，提取的方式可以是取現(xiàn)金，也可以是開一張以他人為收款人的支票。銀行與儲(chǔ)戶的關(guān)系主要是債務(wù)人和債權(quán)人的關(guān)系。究竟誰是債務(wù)人誰是債權(quán)人，要看儲(chǔ)戶是有結(jié)余還是透支。除了這一基本的簡單的概念外，銀行和儲(chǔ)戶彼此還需承擔(dān)大量義務(wù)。其中許多義務(wù)往往引起問題和糾紛。但是儲(chǔ)戶不能像貨物的買主那樣來抱怨法律對(duì)自己不利。銀行必須遵照儲(chǔ)戶的囑托辦事，不能聽從其他人的指令。比如，儲(chǔ)戶首次在銀行開戶時(shí)，囑咐銀行他的存款只能憑本世人簽字的支票來提取。他把自己簽名的樣本交給銀行，對(duì)此有一條非常嚴(yán)格的規(guī)定：銀行沒有任何權(quán)利或理由把儲(chǔ)戶的錢讓偽造儲(chǔ)戶的支票取走。即使偽造得很巧妙，也不能付款，因?yàn)殂y行有責(zé)任辨認(rèn)出其儲(chǔ)戶的簽名。因此，某些銀行已采用把儲(chǔ)戶印在支票上的作法。這種做法對(duì)儲(chǔ)戶毫無風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。如果因這種作法出現(xiàn)了偽造的話，受損失的將不是儲(chǔ)戶，而是銀行。Lesson13Thesearchforoil探尋石油Thedeepestholesofallmadeforoil,andtheygodowntoasmuchas25,0000feet.Butwenotneedtosendmendowntogettheoilour,aswemustwithothermineraldeposits.Theholesareonlyborings,lessthanafootindiameter.Myparticularexperienceislargelyinoil,andthesearchforoilhasdonemoretoimprovedeepdrillingthananyotherminingactivity.Whenishasbeendecidedwherewearegoingtodrill,weputupatthesurfaceanoilderrick.Ithastobetallbecauseitislikeagiantblockandtackle,andwehavetolowerintothegroundandhauloutofthegroundgreatlengthsofdrillpipewhicharerotatedbyanengineatthetopandarefittedwithacuttingbitatthebottom.Thegeologistneedstoknowwhatrocksthedrillhasreached,soeverysooftenasampleisobtainedwithacoringbit.Itcutsacleancylinderofrock,fromwhichcanbeseenthestratathedrillhasbeencuttingthrough.Oncewegetdowntotheoil,itusuallyflowstothesurfacebecausegreatpressure,eitherfromorwater,ispushingit.Thispressuremustbeundercontrol,andwecontrolitbymeansofthemudwhichwecirculatedownthedrillpipe.Weendeavourtoavoidtheold,romanticideaofagusher,whichwastesoilandgas.Wewantittostaydowntheholeuntilwecanleaditoffinacontrolledmanner.參考譯文在所有洞穴中，為尋找石油所鉆出的洞是最深的，這些洞可深達(dá)25,000英尺。但是，我們不必像開采其他礦藏那樣，把人送到地下去把石油取出。這些洞只不過是一些鉆孔，直徑不到1英尺。我是專門搞石油的，尋找石油比其他任何采礦業(yè)對(duì)改進(jìn)鉆探作的貢獻(xiàn)都要大。當(dāng)確定鉆孔地點(diǎn)后，我們就在那里豎起一個(gè)井架。井架必須很高，因?yàn)樗褚粋€(gè)巨型滑輪組。我們必須把很長的鉆桿一節(jié)節(jié)地鉆入地下，然后再從地下拉出來。鉆桿頂部安裝的發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)帶動(dòng)鉆桿旋轉(zhuǎn)，它的底部裝有鉆頭。地質(zhì)學(xué)家需要知道鉆頭已以到達(dá)什么樣的巖層，因此時(shí)常要用芯鉆頭取樣。這種鉆頭能切割一段光滑的圓柱形巖石，從中能看出所鉆透的地層。一旦到達(dá)油層，石油就會(huì)由于地下巨大的壓力流到地面上來，這種巨大的壓力來自地下天然氣或水。這種壓力必須加以控制，我們讓泥槳順著鉆桿向下循環(huán)，用這種方法來控制壓力。我們盡量避免使用陳舊天真的噴井方法，那樣會(huì)浪費(fèi)石油和天然氣。我們要讓石油留在井下，直到我們能用一種有控制的方法把它引上來為止。Lesson14TheButterflyEffect蝴蝶效應(yīng)Beyondtwoorthreedays,theworld'sbestweatherforecastsarespeculative,andbeyondsixorseventheyareworthless.TheButterflyEffectisthereason.Forsmallpiecesofweather--andtoaglobalforecaster,smallcanmeanthunderstormsandblizzards--anypredictiondeterioratesrapidly.Errorsanduncertaintiesmultiply,cascadingupwardthroughachainofturbulentfeatures,fromdustdevilsandsquallsuptocontinent-sizeeddiesthatonlysatellitescansee.Themodernweathermodelsworkwithagridofpointsoftheorderofsixtymilesapart,andevenso,somestartingdatahastoguessed,sincegroundstationsandsatellitescannotseeeverywhere.Butsupposetheearthcouldbecoveredwithsensorsspacedonefootapart,risingatone-footintervalsallthewaytothetopoftheatmosphere.Supposeeverysensorgivesperfectlyaccuratereadingsoftemperature,pressure,humidity,andanyotherquantityameteorologistwouldwant.Preciselyatnoonaninfinitelypowerfulcomputertakesallthedataandcalculateswhatwillhappenateachpointat12.01,then12.02,then12.03...ThecomputerwillstillbeunabletopredictwhetherPrinceton,參考譯文世界上最好的兩三天以上的天氣預(yù)報(bào)具有很強(qiáng)的猜測性，如果超過六七天，天氣預(yù)報(bào)就沒有了任何價(jià)值。原因是蝴蝶效應(yīng)。對(duì)于小片的惡劣天氣--對(duì)一個(gè)全球性的氣象預(yù)報(bào)員來說，“小”可以意味著雷暴雨和暴風(fēng)雪--任何預(yù)測的質(zhì)量會(huì)很快下降。錯(cuò)誤和不可靠性上升，接踵而來的是一系列湍流的徵狀，從小塵暴和暴風(fēng)發(fā)展到只有衛(wèi)星上可以看到的席卷整塊大陸的旋渦?，F(xiàn)代氣象模型以一個(gè)坐標(biāo)圖來顯示，圖中每個(gè)點(diǎn)大約是間隔60英里。既使是這樣，有些開始時(shí)的資料也不得不依靠推測，因?yàn)榈孛婀ぷ髡竞托l(wèi)星不可能看到地球上的每一個(gè)地方。假設(shè)地球上可以布滿傳感器，每個(gè)相隔1英尺，并按1英尺的間隔從地面一直排列到大氣層的頂端。再假定每個(gè)傳感器都極極端準(zhǔn)確地讀出了溫度、氣壓、溫度和氣象學(xué)家需要的任何其他數(shù)據(jù)。在正午時(shí)分，一個(gè)功能巨大的計(jì)算機(jī)搜集了所有的資料，并算出在每一個(gè)點(diǎn)上12：01、12：02、12：03時(shí)可能出現(xiàn)的情況。計(jì)算機(jī)無法推斷出1個(gè)月以后的某一天，新澤西州的普林斯頓究竟是晴天還是雨天。正午時(shí)分，傳感器之間的距離會(huì)掩蓋計(jì)算機(jī)無法知道的波動(dòng)、任何偏平均值的變化。到12：01時(shí)，那些波動(dòng)就已經(jīng)會(huì)在1英尺遠(yuǎn)的地方造成偏差。很快這種偏差會(huì)增加到尺10英的范圍，如此等等，一直到全球的范圍。Lesson15Secrecyinindustry工業(yè)中的秘密Twofactorsweighheavilyagainsttheeffectivenessofscientificresearchinindustry.Oneisthegeneralatmosphereofsecrecyinwhichitiscarriedout,theotherthelackoffreedomoftheindividualresearchworker.Insofarasanyinquiryisasecretone,itnaturallylimitsallthoseengagedincarryingitoutfromeffectivecontactwiththeirfellowscientistseitherinothercountriesorinuniversities,oreven,oftenenough,inotherdepartmentsofthesamefirm.Thedegreeofsecrecynaturallyvariesconsiderably.Someofthebiggerfirmsareengagedinresearcheswhichareofsuchgeneralandfundamentalnaturethatitisapositiveadvantagetothemnottokeepthemsecret.Yetagreatmanyprocessesdependingonsuchresearcharesoughtforwithcompletesecrecyuntilthestageatwhichpatentscanbetakenout.Evenmoreprocessesareneverpatentedatallbutkeptassecretprocesses.Thisappliesparticularlytochemicalindustries,wherechancediscoveriesplayamuchlargerpartthantheydoinphysicalandmechanicalindustries.Sometimesthesecrecygoestosuchanextentthatthewholenatureoftheresearchcannotbementioned.Manyfirms,forinstance,havegreatdifficultyinobtainingtechnicalorscientificbooksfromlibrariesbecausetheyareunwillingtohavenamesenteredashavingtakenoutsuchandsuchabook,forfeartheagentsofotherfirmsshouldbeabletotracethekindofresearchtheyarelikelytobeundertaking.參考譯文有兩個(gè)因素嚴(yán)重地妨礙工業(yè)中科學(xué)研究的效率：一是科研工作中普遍存在的保密氣氛；二是研究人員缺乏個(gè)人自由。任何一項(xiàng)研究都涉及到保密，那些從事科研的人員自然受到了限制。他們不能和其他國家、其他大學(xué)、甚至往往不能與本公司的其他部門的同行們進(jìn)行有效的接觸。保密程度自然差別很大。某些大公司進(jìn)行的研究屬于一般和基礎(chǔ)的研究，因此不保密對(duì)他們才有利。然而，依賴這種研究的很多工藝程序是在完全保密的情況下進(jìn)行的，直到可以取得專利權(quán)的階段為止。更多的工藝過程根本就不會(huì)取得專利權(quán)，而是作為秘方保存著。在這化學(xué)工業(yè)方面尤為突出。同物理和機(jī)械工業(yè)相比，化學(xué)工業(yè)中偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)的機(jī)會(huì)要多得多。有時(shí)，保密竟達(dá)到了這樣的程度，即連研究工作的整個(gè)性質(zhì)都不準(zhǔn)提及。比如，很多公司向圖書館借閱科技書籍時(shí)感到困難，因?yàn)樗鼈儾辉缸屓思矣浵滤鼈児镜拿趾徒栝喌哪骋槐緯Ｋ麄兩聞e的公司的情報(bào)人員據(jù)此摸到他們可能要從事的某項(xiàng)科研項(xiàng)目。Lesson16Themoderncity現(xiàn)代城市Intheorganizationofindustriallifetheinfluenceofthefactoryuponthephysiologicalandmentalstateoftheworkershasbeencompletelyneglected.Modernindustryisbasedontheconceptionofthemaximumproductionatlowestcost,inorderthatanindividualoragroupofindividualsmayearnasmuchmoneyaspossible.Ithasexpandedwithoutanyideaofthetruenatureofthehumanbeingswhorunthemachines,andwithoutgivinganyconsiderationtotheeffectsproducedontheindividualsandontheirdescendantsbytheartificialmodeofexistenceimposedbythefactory.Thegreatcitieshavebeenbuiltwithnoregardforus.Theshapeanddimensionsoftheskyscrapersdependentirelyonthenecessityofobtainingthemaximumincomepersquarefootofground,andofofferingtothetenantsofficesandapartmentsthatpleasethem.Thiscausedtheconstructionofgiganticbuildingswheretoolargemassesofhumanbeingsarecrowdedtogether.Civilizedmenlikesuchawayofliving.Whiletheyenjoythecomfortandbanalluxuryoftheirdwelling,theydonotrealizethattheyaredeprivedofthenecessitiesoflife.Themoderncityconsistsofmonstrousedificesandofdark,narrowstreetsfullofpetrolfumesandtoxicgases,tornbythenoiseofthetaxicabs,lorriesandbuses,andthrongedceaselesslybygreatcrowds.Obviously,ithasnotbeenplannedforthegoodofitsinhabitants.參考譯文在工業(yè)生活的組織中，工廠對(duì)工人的生理和精神狀態(tài)的影響完全被忽視了?，F(xiàn)代工業(yè)的基本概念是：以最低成本獲取最多產(chǎn)品，為的是讓某個(gè)個(gè)人或某一部分人盡可能多地賺錢。現(xiàn)代工業(yè)發(fā)展起來了，卻根本沒想到操作機(jī)器的人的本質(zhì)。工廠把一種人為的生存方式強(qiáng)加給工人，卻不顧及這種生存方式給工人及其后代帶來的影響。大城市的建設(shè)毫不關(guān)心我們。摩天大樓完全是按這樣的需要修建的：每平方英尺地皮取得最大收入和向租房人提供使他滿意的辦公室和住房。這樣就導(dǎo)致了許多摩天大廈拔地而起，大廈內(nèi)眾多的人擠地一起。文明人喜歡這樣一種生活方式。在享受自己住宅的舒適和庸俗的豪華時(shí)，卻沒有意識(shí)到被剝奪了生活所必需的東西。大得嚇人的高樓和陰暗狹窄的街道組成了今日現(xiàn)代化的城市。街道上充斥著汽油味和有毒氣體，出租汽車、卡車、公共汽車的噪音刺耳難忍，絡(luò)繹不絕的人群擠來擠去。顯然，現(xiàn)代化的城市不是這居民的利益而規(guī)劃的。Lesson17IntheearlydaysofthesettlementofAustralia,enterprisingsettlersunwiselyintroducedtheEuropeanrabbit.ThisrabbithadnonaturalenemiesintheAntipodes,sothatitmultipliedwiththatpromiscuousabandoncharacteristicofrabbits.Itoverranawholecontinent.Itcauseddevastationbyburrowingandbydevouringtheherbagewhichmighthavemaintainedmillionsofsheepandcattle.Scientistsdiscoveredthatthisparticularvarietyofrabbit(andapparentlynootheranimal)wassusceptibletoafatalvirusdisease,myxomatosis.Byinfectinganimalsandlettingthemlooseintheburrows,localepidemicsofthisdiseasecouldbecreated.Lateritwasfoundthattherewasatypeofmosquitowhichactedasthecarrierofthisdiseaseandpasseditontotherabbits.Sowhiletherestoftheworldwastryingtogetridofmosquitoes,Australiawasencouragingthisone.Iteffectivelyspreadthediseasealloverthecontinentanddrasticallyreducedtherabbitpopulation.Itlaterbecameapparentthatrabbitsweredevelopingadegreeofresistancetothisdisease,sothattherabbitpopulationwasunlikelytobecompletelyexterminated.Therewerehopes,however,thattheproblemoftherabbitwouldbecomemanageable.Ironically,Europe,whichhadbequeathedtherabbitasapesttoAustralia,acquiredthisman-madediseaseasapestilence.AFrenchphysiciandecidedtogetridofthewildrabbitsonhisownestateandintroducedmyxomatosis.Itdidnot,however,remainwithintheconfinesofhisestate.ItspreadthroughFrance,Wherewildrabbitsarenotgenerallyregardedasapestbutassportandausefulfoodsupply,anditspreadtoBritainwherewildrabbitsareregardedasapestbutwheredomesticatedrabbits,equallysusceptibletothedisease,arethebasisofaprofitablefurindustry.ThequestionbecameoneofwhetherMancouldcontrolthediseasehehadinvented.參考譯文在澳大利亞移民初期，一些有創(chuàng)業(yè)精神的移民不明智地把歐洲兔子引進(jìn)了澳大利亞。這種兔子在澳大利亞及新西蘭沒有天敵，因此便以兔子所特有的雜亂交配迅猛繁殖起來。整個(gè)澳洲兔子成災(zāi)。它們在地下打洞，吃掉本可以飼養(yǎng)數(shù)百萬頭牛羊的牧草，給澳洲大陸造成了毀滅性的破壞。科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種特殊品種的兔子（顯然不包括別的動(dòng)物）易患一種叫“多發(fā)性粘液瘤”的致命毒性疾病。通過讓染上此病的動(dòng)物在洞內(nèi)亂跑，就可以使這種疾病在一個(gè)地區(qū)蔓延起來。后來又發(fā)現(xiàn)，