Unit 10 Section A The bermuda triangle phenomenon I Background Knowledge 1. the bermuda Triangle It should be d out that U.s. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. The" Bermuda or Devils Triangle"is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. which is noted for a high incidence of unexpected losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft. The apexes(Ji s )of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information http://www.historynavymil/faqs/faq8-1htmandhttp://www.bermuda-triangle.org 2. Florida Florida is Spanish for flower. It gained the Admission to Statehood on March 3, 1845 as the 27th state, now with an area of 65, 758 sq. mi. and a coastline of 1350 miles. Florida is not the southernmost state in the United States. Hawaii is farther south. For more information, please seehttp://www.myflorida.con 3. the Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's four oceans(after the Pacific Ocean, ut larger than the Indian Ocean and the arctic Ocean) 4. Bermuda Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia Now Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. For basic facts about Bermuda, web at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bd.html The website http://www.bermuda-online.org/providesmoredetailedinformationandonlineresourcesabout Bermuda 5. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is close to the deepest submarine depression in the North Atlantic Ocean. For oreinformationpleasecheckoutthewebsitesathttp://www.topuertorico.organd http://www.gotopuertorico.com/ 6. the gravevard of the Atlantic Over 600 ships have been wrecked along this treacherous stretch of coast since the 16th century, and a few remain visible at times on the beaches. David Stick's graveyard of the Atlantic Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast gives detailed accounts of these and other tragedies that were a daily occurrence. For more information, check out the websites at http://www.nps.gov/caha/graveyard.htm http://www.tarheeltales.com/graveyardoftheatlantichtm 7. Christopher Columbus(1451-1506) A Genoese(热那亚的) navigator and explorer for Spain, Christopher Columbus explored Caribbean islands, cost of central America, South America, etc in the 15th and 16th centurie 8. U.S. Navy
Unit 10 Section A The Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon I. Background Knowledge 1. the Bermuda Triangle It should be pointed out that U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. The “Bermuda or Devil’s Triangle” is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, which is noted for a high incidence of unexpected losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft. The apexes (顶点) of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information about the Bermuda Triangle, please visit http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm and http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/. 2. Florida “Florida” is Spanish for flower. It gained the Admission to Statehood on March 3, 1845 as the 27th state, now with an area of 65, 758 sq. mi. and a coastline of 1350 miles. Florida is not the southernmost state in the United States. Hawaii is farther south. For more information, please see http://www.myflorida.com/ 3. the Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world’s four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean). 4. Bermuda Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Now Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. For basic facts about Bermuda, check out the web page at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bd.html. The website at http://www.bermuda-online.org/ provides more detailed information and online resources about Bermuda. 5. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is close to the deepest submarine depression in the North Atlantic Ocean. For more information, please check out the websites at http://www.topuertorico.org/ and http://www.gotopuertorico.com/. 6. the Graveyard of the Atlantic Over 600 ships have been wrecked along this treacherous stretch of coast since the 16th century, and a few remain visible at times on the beaches. David Stick's Graveyard of the Atlantic, Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast gives detailed accounts of these and other tragedies that were a daily occurrence. For more information, check out the websites at http://www.nps.gov/caha/graveyard.htm and http://www.tarheeltales.com/graveyard_of_the_atlantic.htm. 7. Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) A Genoese (热那 亚的) navigator and explorer for Spain, Christopher Columbus explored Caribbean islands, cost of central America, South America, etc. in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. 8. U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy was founded on 13 October 1775, and the Department of the Navy was establishedon30April1798.Formoreinformationpleaseseehttp://www.navy.mill 9. Charles ber Charles berlitz is the grandson of Maximilian Berlitz, founder of the famous language His book, The Bermuda Triangle, published in 1974, popularized the idea of a deadl of the ocean into which planes and ships ventured at their peril. Among the theories advanced by Berlitz to explain the number of losses in the area are: (1)A large magnetic vortex through which a craft and its occupants could slip into a different point in time and space.(2)The action of the aliens from outer space or from inside the earth. (3)The activation of man-made power complexes on the seabed left by a previous civilization, perhaps the lost city of Atlantis Thewebpageathttp://www.gpgwebdesign.comau/wtoutatrace.covr.htmprovidesalistofhis books 10. Atla It is said that over 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which was the domain of poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and spread across the plain covering a circle of ll miles(17 km). This was a densely populated area where the majority of the population lived Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles(530 km)long and 110 miles(190 km) wide urrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains The climate was such that two harvests were possible each year, one in the winter fed by the rains and one in the summer fed by irrigation from the canal. Besides the harvests, the island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits, and nuts. An abundance of animals, including elephants, roamed the sland For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. But slowly they began to change. Greed and power began to corrupt them. When Zeus(E i)saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered the other gods to determine a suitable punishment Soon, in one violent surge it was gone. The island of Atlantis, its people, and its memory were swallowed by the sea Formoreinformationaboutthislegendaryislandspleaseseehttp://www.atlan.org II. Text Analysis Induction(归纳法) Specific details( Para. 1) A general introduction about the triangle and the public responses to it(Paras. 2-3) More specific details( Paras. 4-5) General explanations of the mystery and further efforts to be made( Paras. 6-9) The whole essay is written in a typical inductive or specific-general pattern Induction(归纳法) A general introduction of the Devils Triangle 1. On July 3, 1947, a U.S. Army airplane disappeared 100 miles off Bermuda without broadcasting any word of difficulty; and an immediate search failed to turn up a single piece of the missing
The U.S. Navy was founded on 13 October 1775, and the Department of the Navy was established on 30 April 1798. For more information please see http://www.navy.mil/. 9. Charles Berlitz Charles Berlitz is the grandson of Maximilian Berlitz, founder of the famous language schools. His book, The Bermuda Triangle, published in 1974, popularized the idea of a deadly region of the ocean into which planes and ships ventured at their peril. Among the theories advanced by Berlitz to explain the number of losses in the area are: (1) A large magnetic vortex through which a craft and its occupants could slip into a different point in time and space. (2) The action of the aliens from outer space or from inside the earth. (3) The activation of man-made power complexes on the seabed left by a previous civilization, perhaps the lost city of Atlantis. The web page at http://www.gpgwebdesign.com.au/wtoutatrace.covr.htm provides a list of his books. 10. Atlantis It is said that over 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her. The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and spread across the plain covering a circle of 11 miles (17 km). This was a densely populated area where the majority of the population lived. Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles (530 km) long and 110 miles (190 km) wide surrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The climate was such that two harvests were possible each year, one in the winter fed by the rains and one in the summer fed by irrigation from the canal. Besides the harvests, the island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits, and nuts. An abundance of animals, including elephants, roamed the island. For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. But slowly they began to change. Greed and power began to corrupt them. When Zeus (宙斯) saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered the other gods to determine a suitable punishment. Soon, in one violent surge it was gone. The island of Atlantis, its people, and its memory were swallowed by the sea. For more information about this legendary island, please see http://www.atlan.org/. II. Text Analysis Induction (归纳法) Specific details (Para. 1) A general introduction about the triangle and the public responses to it (Paras. 2-3) More specific details (Paras. 4-5) General explanations of the mystery and further efforts to be made (Paras. 6-9) The whole essay is written in a typical inductive or specific-general pattern. Induction (归纳法) A general introduction of the Devil’s Triangle: 1. On July 3, 1947, a U.S. Army airplane disappeared 100 miles off Bermuda without broadcasting any word of difficulty; and an immediate search failed to turn up a single piece of the missing
2. On January 30, 1948, a British airliner vanished over the triangle with 3 1 passengers and crew aboard. A year later, the missing airliner's sister plane disappeared in the same mysterious way 3. A 500-foot coal ship disappeared on March 4, 1918. Investigations revealed no evidence of bad eather, no messages for help, no wreckage and no sign of the 309 men aboard 4. Stranger yet are the numerous"ghost"ships that have been found floating crewless within the triangle. On one weird occasion in 1881, the cargo steamer Ellen Austin discovered a small sailing ship, sails waving uselessly in the wind (Paras. 4-5) Specific details: More mysterious facts recorded III. Language Points take off( of a plane,etc.) leave the ground and begin to fly(飞机等)起飞 t's exciting to feel the plane taking off.感受飞机起飞的一瞬是激动人心的。 We took off so smoothly that the passengers could hardly feel it 我们的飞机起飞时非常平稳,乘客们几乎都毫无感觉。 search for examine or go over carefully in order to find搜寻,探求,寻觅 For over 100 years, men have been searching for gold in the hills 百多年来,人们一直在这山中寻找金子 Many people spend years searching for peace of mind, often with little success 许多人多年追求平静超脱的心境,但往往收效甚微 without trace without any mark,sign,etc无影无踪地,了无痕迹地 He has disappeared without trace..他已销声匿迹了 The children were lost without trace in the forest.孩子们在森林里失踪了,没有留下痕迹。 tell of ention; describe讲述,述说,告诉 He told of having seen a strange creature in the lake.他讲述了看到湖中怪兽的事 He told us of having found a perfect place for the camp.他告诉我们他找到了一个最佳宿营地。 go so far as to make such a strong statement or take such strong action as to说或做到…强 烈程度 I would go so far as to say it's positively neurotic.我甚至会说这绝对是神经病 He went so far as to say that he would give up his life for the poor girl 他甚至说他愿意为这可怜的姑娘献出生命。 turn up l. discover发现,挖掘 The farmer turned up an ancient coin while ploughing the field那农民犁地时挖出一枚古币。 Just how do you intend to turn up the necessary proof? 只是你究竟打算怎样去找必要的证据呢? 2 happen without effort on one' s part发生,出现,到来 It's no good waiting for something to turn up, you have to take actions 守株待兔没用,你得采取点行动。 " In case anything turned up" was his favorite expression."万一有什么事"是他的口头禅。 attribute sth. to regard sth. as belonging to, caused by or produced by sb./sth.把…因于 把.咎于
plane. 2. On January 30, 1948, a British airliner vanished over the triangle with 31 passengers and crew aboard. A year later, the missing airliner’s sister plane disappeared in the same mysterious way. Back 3. A 500-foot coal ship disappeared on March 4, 1918. Investigations revealed no evidence of bad weather, no messages for help, no wreckage and no sign of the 309 men aboard. 4. Stranger yet are the numerous “ghost” ships that have been found floating crewless within the triangle. On one weird occasion in 1881, the cargo steamer Ellen Austin discovered a small sailing ship, sails waving uselessly in the wind… (Paras. 4 - 5) Specific details: More mysterious facts recorded III. Language Points take off (of a plane, etc.) leave the ground and begin to fly （飞机等）起飞 It's exciting to feel the plane taking off. 感受飞机起飞的一瞬是激动人心的。 We took off so smoothly that the passengers could hardly feel it. 我们的飞机起飞时非常平稳，乘客们几乎都毫无感觉。 search for examine or go over carefully in order to find 搜寻，探求，寻觅 For over 100 years, men have been searching for gold in the hills. 一百多年来，人们一直在这山中寻找金子。 Many people spend years searching for peace of mind, often with little success. 许多人多年追求平静超脱的心境，但往往收效甚微。 without trace without any mark, sign, etc 无影无踪地，了无痕迹地 He has disappeared without trace. 他已销声匿迹了。 The children were lost without trace in the forest. 孩子们在森林里失踪了，没有留下痕迹。 tell of mention; describe 讲述，述说，告诉 He told of having seen a strange creature in the lake. 他讲述了看到湖中怪兽的事。 He told us of having found a perfect place for the camp. 他告诉我们他找到了一个最佳宿营地。 go so far as to make such a strong statement or take such strong action as to 说或做到……强 烈程度 I would go so far as to say it's positively neurotic. 我甚至会说这绝对是神经病。 He went so far as to say that he would give up his life for the poor girl. 他甚至说他愿意为这可怜的姑娘献出生命。 turn up 1. discover 发现，挖掘 The farmer turned up an ancient coin while ploughing the field.那农民犁地时挖出一枚古币。 Just how do you intend to turn up the necessary proof? 只是你究竟打算怎样去找必要的证据呢？ 2. happen without effort on one's part 发生，出现，到来 It's no good waiting for something to turn up; you have to take actions. 守株待兔没用，你得采取点行动。 "In case anything turned up" was his favorite expression. "万一有什么事"是他的口头禅。 attribute sth. to regard sth. as belonging to, caused by or produced by sb./sth. 把... ...归因于， 把... ...归咎于
She attributed her great age to a carefully planned diet. 她认为她的高寿是精心安排饮食的结果 We attribute Edisons success to intelligence and hard work 我们把爱迪生的成功归因于他的天分和勤奋工作。 take place, happen发生 There s a wedding going on at the church.教堂里正在举行婚礼。 What's going on here?这儿出了什么事? on the contrary exactly the opposite, instead恰恰相反,相反地 It doesn 't seem ugly to me, on the contrary, I think it,'s rather beautiful 我并不觉得它丑,恰恰相反,我认为它相当美 He is not busy, on the contrary, he is out of work.他不忙,相反,他失业了 to the contrary: (saying the opposite)to the opposite effect Unless I hear anything to the contrary, I shall assume that the arrangements haven 't changed.除非接到更改的通知,否则我就假定一切安排 不变 If you dont hear something to the contrary I'll meet you at 7 o'clock outside the cinema. u hR 没有听到取消的通知,我们就7点在电影院外见 to date so far, up to now到目前为止,迄今 To date, we,ve received 40 bookings for the holiday, so we're doing quite well 到目前为止,我们已收到40份度假预定申请,所以情况相当不错 He left three weeks ago and we haven t had one single letter from him to date. 他于三周前离开这里。迄今为止,我们还未收到他一封信 up to date(up-to-date): newest; modern an up-to- date system现代制度 We want our methods to be up to date.我们希望我们的方法是最新的。 on display being displayed展览,陈列 A collection of photographs was on display in the hall..大厅里有图片展览 We were amazed by the rich variety of commodities on display 我们对陈列出来的丰富多彩的商品感到惊异 expand on/ upon develop or give more of( a story, an argument,etc.)(对故事、论据等进行) 补充 I'm quite satisfied with your explanation, so there's no need to expand on it 我对你的解释十分满意,因此不需要详细阐述了 ou mentioned the need for extra funding. Would you expand on that? 你提到需要额外的资金,你愿就此展开谈谈吗? from time to time now and then; occasionally不时,有时 From time to time he got up from the sofa and walked about the room 他时不时地从沙发上站起来,在房间里踱来踱去 We usually eat at home but from time to time we go out for lunch 我们通常在家吃饭,偶尔出去吃午餐 set off cause sth. to take place引起,启动 The instrument sets off an effect in the atoms of this substance, which causes it to produce power
She attributed her great age to a carefully planned diet. 她认为她的高寿是精心安排饮食的结果。 We attribute Edison's success to intelligence and hard work. 我们把爱迪生的成功归因于他的天分和勤奋工作。 go on take place; happen 发生 There's a wedding going on at the church. 教堂里正在举行婚礼。 What's going on here? 这儿出了什么事？ on the contrary exactly the opposite; instead 恰恰相反，相反地 It doesn't seem ugly to me; on the contrary, I think it's rather beautiful. 我并不觉得它丑，恰恰相反，我认为它相当美。 He is not busy; on the contrary, he is out of work. 他不忙，相反，他失业了。 Compare: to the contrary: (saying the opposite) to the opposite effect Unless I hear anything to the contrary, I shall assume that the arrangements haven't changed. 除非接到更改的通知，否则我就假定一切安排 不变。 If you don't hear something to the contrary I'll meet you at 7 o'clock outside the cinema. 如果你 没有听到取消的通知，我们就7点在电影院外见。 to date so far; up to now 到目前为止，迄今 To date, we've received 40 bookings for the holiday, so we're doing quite well. 到目前为止，我们已收到40份度假预定申请，所以情况相当不错。 He left three weeks ago and we haven't had one single letter from him to date. 他于三周前离开这里。迄今为止，我们还未收到他一封信。 Compare: up to date (up-to-date): newest; modern an up-to-date system 现代制度 We want our methods to be up to date. 我们希望我们的方法是最新的。 on display being displayed 展览，陈列 A collection of photographs was on display in the hall. 大厅里有图片展览。 We were amazed by the rich variety of commodities on display. 我们对陈列出来的丰富多彩的商品感到惊异。 expand on/upon develop or give more of (a story, an argument, etc.) （对故事、论据等进行） 补充 I'm quite satisfied with your explanation, so there's no need to expand on it. 我对你的解释十分满意，因此不需要详细阐述了。 You mentioned the need for extra funding. Would you expand on that? 你提到需要额外的资金，你愿就此展开谈谈吗？ from time to time now and then; occasionally 不时，有时 From time to time he got up from the sofa and walked about the room. 他时不时地从沙发上站起来，在房间里踱来踱去。 We usually eat at home but from time to time we go out for lunch. 我们通常在家吃饭，偶尔出去吃午餐。 set off cause sth. to take place 引起，启动 The instrument sets off an effect in the atoms of this substance, which causes it to produce power
that can be made into electricity 这种仪器使这种物质的原子产生反应,从而产生一种可以发电的新能量。 The owner accidentally set off the fire bell, and two fire engines arrived 主人偶然碰响了火警铃,结果来了两辆救火车 make contact with succeed in speaking to or meeting sb/sth.接触,联系,结识,会晤 We have succeeded in making radio contact with the ship 我们已与船只成功地取得了无线电联系。 The insurance salesman tried to make contact with wealthy people 经营保险业的人千方百计地与富人接触。 Words and phrases the triangle has claimed the lives of some 1,000 sailors and pilots.(Para. 2) claim the life of kill The war claimed the life of a UN interpreter yesterday.昨天,联合国的一位翻译死于那场战斗 Heart disease is the biggest killer, claiming 180,000 lives a year.心脏病是最大的杀手,每年夺 去18万人的生命 Whatever the truth may be, planes and ships regularly disappear in the triangle.(Para. 4) whatever: determiner pron 1)no matter what Whatever problems you have, you can al ways come to me for help.不论你碰到什么问题,你都 可以来找我帮忙 Whatever you do, I'll always love you.无论你做什么,我都爱你 Ke° p calm, whatever happens.不论发生什么,都保持镇静 Please note the word order whatever comes first in its clause, even if it is the object of the verb. Whatever you want is fine with me.无论你要什么我都觉得可以 Prisoners have to eat whatever they're given.囚犯只好给什么就吃什么。 Afier a second crew was assigned, the ship was again lost in a fog bank.(Para. 5) in a fog bank in a mass of fog bank. n a mass of snow clouds. mud etc The banks of dark clouds promised a heavy storm.一块块乌云预示着大风暴的来临。 These include the swifi Gulf Stream current,.(Para. 6) Gulf Stream current: a current of warm water which flows northeastward in the atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico toward Europe IV. Writins 写作模式(分析建议类) While we watch man' s ability to do sth. increase with each passing day, he is often at a loss what to do in the face of such challenges/ puzzles/problems as…(议论的主题)2)The mystery of .. for example, has cast much doubt on what we have long been proud of or firmly convinced of. 3)With a constant emergence of. in the future, in fact, man will have to be faced with more and more of such challenges/probl 4)If taken seriously/objectively, however, these challenges can shed new light on. 5)Fc thing, they can help as it is the nature of man to. (r 16) For another, they can remind
that can be made into electricity. 这种仪器使这种物质的原子产生反应，从而产生一种可以发电的新能量。 The owner accidentally set off the fire bell, and two fire engines arrived. 主人偶然碰响了火警铃，结果来了两辆救火车。 make contact with succeed in speaking to or meeting sb./sth. 接触，联系，结识，会晤 We have succeeded in making radio contact with the ship. 我们已与船只成功地取得了无线电联系。 The insurance salesman tried to make contact with wealthy people. 经营保险业的人千方百计地与富人接触。 Words and Phrases …the triangle has claimed the lives of some 1,000 sailors and pilots. (Para. 2) claim the life of: kill The war claimed the life of a UN interpreter yesterday. 昨天，联合国的一位翻译死于那场战斗。 Heart disease is the biggest killer, claiming 180,000 lives a year. 心脏病是最大的杀手，每年夺 去18万人的生命。 Whatever the truth may be, planes and ships regularly disappear in the triangle. (Para. 4) whatever: determiner & pron. 1) no matter what Whatever problems you have, you can always come to me for help. 不论你碰到什么问题，你都 可以来找我帮忙。 Whatever you do, I'll always love you. 无论你做什么，我都爱你。 Keep calm, whatever happens. 不论发生什么，都保持镇静。 (Please note the word order: whatever comes first in its clause, even if it is the object of the verb.) 2) anything that Whatever you want is fine with me. 无论你要什么我都觉得可以。 Prisoners have to eat whatever they're given. 囚犯只好给什么就吃什么。 After a second crew was assigned, the ship was again lost in a fog bank. (Para. 5) in a fog bank: in a mass of fog bank: n. a mass of snow, clouds, mud, etc. The banks of dark clouds promised a heavy storm. 一块块乌云预示着大风暴的来临。 These include the swift Gulf Stream current,... (Para. 6) Gulf Stream current: a current of warm water which flows northeastward in the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico toward Europe IV. Writing 写作模式（分析建议类） 1) While we watch man’s ability to do sth. increase with each passing day, he is often at a loss what to do in the face of such challenges/ puzzles/problems as … (议论的主题) 2) The mystery of …, for example, has cast much doubt on what we have long been proud of or firmly convinced of . 3) With a constant emergence of … in the future, in fact, man will have to be faced with more and more of such challenges/problems. 4) If taken seriously/objectively, however, these challenges can shed new light on ... 5) For one thing, they can help …, as it is the nature of man to...(分析 I) 6）For another, they can remind
man of…,thus…(分析m)7) And best of all, they can prove man to be.(分析ID8) In this light, man has every reason to…,(进一步阐述) 9)So most important for man now is how to respond to the challenges with positive/ effective action. 10)On the one hand, in my opinion, man must give full play to. (iix I)11)But on the other, man must prevent them from…(建议Ⅲ)12) As long as man sees/ treats them in perspective, therefore, they will serve as an ever-increasing force behind his…(结论句) What Enlightenment Can Be Gained from the Worlds Mysteries 1)人类社会面临着世界之谜的挑战。 2)分析该挑战给我们的启迪。 3)我们应怎样对待之? 1)While we watch man s ability to tame the nature increase with each passing day, the human world is often at a loss what to do in the face of such challenges as the worlds mysteries. (ix ie B E )2) The mystery of black holes, for example, has cast much doubt on what we have long been proud of or firmly convinced of. 3)With a constant emergence of the unknown in the future in fact. man will have to be faced with more and more of such challenges 4)If taken seriously, however, these challenges can shed new light on our ways of seeing and anging the world. 5) For one thing, they can help build up mans curiosity for the world around him, as it is the nature of man to seek for the better explanation of something foreign to him.(t 16) For another, they can remind man of his ignorance about the objective world, thus aking him aware of the fact that man is still far from perfect in knowledge acquisition (T ID) 7)And best of all, they can prove man to be a part of the nature rather than the master of the nature.( tT IID)8)In this light, man has every reason to take account of all the important factors concerning the nature in the course of his struggle for a better survival and attach to each its due weight.(进一步阐述) 9)So most important for us now is how to respond to the challenges with positive action. 10)On the one hand, in my opinion, we must give full play to their strong incentive for our further exploration of the unknown world. (3 iX I)11)But on the other, we must prevent them from becoming the breeding ground for pseudo-science or superstition (z iX Il)12) As long as we see them in perspective, therefore, they will serve as an ever-increasing force behind the human progress(结论句) Section B The ride of my life ng eader Denotation(本义) and Connotation(言外之意) Both denotation and connotation refer to the meanings of words. denotation is the literal meaning of a word- what you find in a dictionary. Connotation, on the other hand, is the implied meaning of a word- what a word suggests to you, or what it makes you feel or think of. For the word“die”, for example, the denotation is“ stop living”. But in the sentence“ Some die at30but are not buried until theyre7o”, the word“die” connotes“ stop living spiritually"or“ stop growing
man of …, thus … (分析 II) 7) And best of all, they can prove man to be ...(分析 III) 8) In this light, man has every reason to ... (进一步阐述) 9) So most important for man now is how to respond to the challenges with positive/ effective action. 10) On the one hand, in my opinion, man must give full play to...(建议 I) 11) But on the other, man must prevent them from … ( 建 议 II) 12) As long as man sees/ treats them in perspective, therefore, they will serve as an ever-increasing force behind his …(结论句) What Enlightenment Can Be Gained from the World’s Mysteries 1) 人类社会面临着世界之谜的挑战。 2）分析该挑战给我们的启迪。 3）我们应怎样对待之？ 1) While we watch man’s ability to tame the nature increase with each passing day, the human world is often at a loss what to do in the face of such challenges as the world’s mysteries. (议论的 主题) 2) The mystery of black holes, for example, has cast much doubt on what we have long been proud of or firmly convinced of. 3) With a constant emergence of the unknown in the future, in fact, man will have to be faced with more and more of such challenges. 4) If taken seriously, however, these challenges can shed new light on our ways of seeing and changing the world. 5) For one thing, they can help build up man’s curiosity for the world around him, as it is the nature of man to seek for the better explanation of something foreign to him.(分析 I) 6）For another, they can remind man of his ignorance about the objective world, thus making him aware of the fact that man is still far from perfect in knowledge acquisition.(分析 II) 7) And best of all, they can prove man to be a part of the nature rather than the master of the nature.(分析 III) 8) In this light, man has every reason to take account of all the important factors concerning the nature in the course of his struggle for a better survival and attach to each its due weight. (进一步阐述) 9) So most important for us now is how to respond to the challenges with positive action. 10) On the one hand, in my opinion, we must give full play to their strong incentive for our further exploration of the unknown world.(建 议 I) 11) But on the other, we must prevent them from becoming the breeding ground for pseudo-science or superstition. (建议 II) 12) As long as we see them in perspective, therefore, they will serve as an ever-increasing force behind the human progress. (结论句) Section B The ride of my Life I. Reading Skills Denotation（本义）and Connotation（言外之意） Both denotation and connotation refer to the meanings of words. Denotation is the literal meaning of a word — what you find in a dictionary. Connotation, on the other hand, is the implied meaning of a word — what a word suggests to you, or what it makes you feel or think of. For the word “die”, for example, the denotation is “stop living”. But in the sentence “Some die at 30 but are not buried until they’re 70”, the word “die” connotes “stop living spiritually” or “stop growing
intellectually” In Book 2(Unit 5 and Unit 10)and Book 3(Unit 4)we talked about the appreciation of figurative language. In order to fully understand figurative language, or figures of speech, we need to be aware of the context in which the words appear. Generally speaking, the more we perceive the connotations of the words the more we can understand how a writer wants us to feel or think. Read carefully the following sentences taken from Passage A, paying close attention to the underlined words. These words all have clear denotations. but each has a number of connotations Write the denotation of the word and at least one of its connotati Example 1 Among sailors, it is known as "the Graveyard of the Atlantic"because of the strange weather found there Denotation: a piece of ground, sometimes near a church, where dead people are buried Connotation(s): a place for the dead; a very dreadful place. It has a frighten horrifying sense Example 2 Stranger yet are the numerous"ghost ships that have been found floating crewless within the tr Denotation: a dead person who appears aga Connotation(s): mysterious; dreadful. It also has a frightening and horrifying sense Example 1: The captain of the Ellen Austin installed a new crew to sail it, but two days later, during a rough storm, the two ships temporarily lost sight of each other Denotation: set up an apparatus so that it is ready for use Connotation(s): assign; get... aboard It's implied here that the boat was empty on one hand, and on the other, the "new crew was treated as one of the cap Example 2: These include the swift Gulf Stream current, the unexplored submerged valleys of the Atlantic and the often violent weather within the mystery zone Denotation: (of a person) uncontrollably fierce(and dangerous)in action Connotation(s): too changeable to be predicted; with forces too strong to control. Here weather is personified, compared to a person who is uncontrollably fierce and dangerous in action II. Language Points Phrases hang over 悬浮于空中 There's a branch hanging over, can you reach it and pull yourself out of the water? 上面有一根树枝,你能够得着它,把自己拖出水吗? 插上插头 No wonder the lamp didn,'t come on, it's not plugged in 难怪电灯不亮,没有插上插头 fill with 充满,装满,盛满 The secret of happiness is to fill one's life with activity 幸福的秘诀在于有一个充实的人生
intellectually”. In Book 2 (Unit 5 and Unit 10) and Book 3 (Unit 4) we talked about the appreciation of figurative language. In order to fully understand figurative language, or figures of speech, we need to be aware of the context in which the words appear. Generally speaking, the more we perceive the connotations of the words, the more we can understand how a writer wants us to feel or think. Read carefully the following sentences taken from Passage A, paying close attention to the underlined words. These words all have clear denotations, but each has a number of connotations. Write the denotation of the word and at least one of its connotations. Example 1: Among sailors, it is known as “the Graveyard of the Atlantic” because of the strange weather found there. Denotation: a piece of ground, sometimes near a church, where dead people are buried Connotation (s): a place for the dead; a very dreadful place. It has a frightening and horrifying sense. Example 2: Stranger yet are the numerous “ghost” ships that have been found floating crewless within the triangle. Denotation: a dead person who appears again Connotation (s): mysterious; dreadful. It also has a frightening and horrifying sense. Example 1: The captain of the Ellen Austin installed a new crew to sail it, but two days later, during a rough storm, the two ships temporarily lost sight of each other. Denotation: set up an apparatus so that it is ready for use Connotation(s): assign; get … aboard. It’s implied here that the boat was empty on one hand, and on the other, the “new crew” was treated as one of the captain’s tools. Example 2: These include the swift Gulf Stream current, the unexplored submerged valleys of the Atlantic and the often violent weather within the mystery zone. Denotation: (of a person) uncontrollably fierce (and dangerous) in action Connotation(s): too changeable to be predicted; with forces too strong to control. Here weather is personified, compared to a person who is uncontrollably fierce and dangerous in action. II. Language Points Phrases hang over 悬浮于空中 There's a branch hanging over, can you reach it and pull yourself out of the water? 上面有一根树枝，你能够得着它，把自己拖出水吗？ plug in 插上插头 No wonder the lamp didn't come on, it's not plugged in! 难怪电灯不亮，没有插上插头！ fill with 充满，装满，盛满 The secret of happiness is to fill one's life with activity. 幸福的秘诀在于有一个充实的人生
(使)突然出来,出来一会儿 I had just popped out for a breath of fresh air, and missed your telephone call 我刚好出去呼吸点新鲜空气,于是就错过了你的电话 get going (使)开始运行 After I've been ill, I find it hard to get going again 生病后,我发现再开始有些困难。 go up 上升,攀升 Smoke was going up in a straight line, showing that there was no wind. 烟直线上升,说明无风 load with 装,装载 The air is loaded with smoke and dirt 空气中弥漫着烟雾和灰尘 (在空间或时间上)超前,在……前面 Jim was ahead of all the other runners 吉姆领先于其他所有的赛跑者 turn sth. over to sb 把(某事)交给(某人)处理 He turned the business over to his daughter 他把商行交给他女儿管理。 think of call to mind; remember想起,记得 I am glad that you thought of this hotel, where you stayed last year 我很高兴你记起了去年住过这家旅馆。 我记不起那本书的书名了,只记得是一本厚厚的红皮书,放在书架最高层的左边。 replace sb/sth.代替 I know that no one can take your mother's place, but I'll do my best to give you a good home 我知道谁也无法取代你母亲的位置,但我会尽力给你一个舒适的家。 开始(某活动) She went into fits of laughter 她发出阵阵笑声 装配,组装 You still have to learn how to put a sentence together properly 你还要学习如何恰当地连词成句。 force into 迫使进入 I can't force the key into this lock; it won't fit. 我无法把钥匙插进这个锁孔,钥匙不对 hang on 1. continue in spite of difficulties坚持 The town was surrounded by the enemy and the citizens did not know if they could hang on until help arrived 敌人包围了这个市镇,市民们不知能否坚持到援军到来 2. continue holding抓紧,抓牢 The climber had to hang on while his companions went to find a rope. 在同伴们去找绳子时,那个登山者只好紧紧抓牢
pop out （使）突然出来，出来一会儿 I had just popped out for a breath of fresh air, and missed your telephone call. 我刚好出去呼吸点新鲜空气，于是就错过了你的电话。 get going （使）开始运行 After I've been ill, I find it hard to get going again. 生病后，我发现再开始有些困难。 go up 上升，攀升 Smoke was going up in a straight line, showing that there was no wind. 烟直线上升，说明无风。 load with 装，装载 The air is loaded with smoke and dirt. 空气中弥漫着烟雾和灰尘。 ahead of （在空间或时间上）超前，在……前面 Jim was ahead of all the other runners. 吉姆领先于其他所有的赛跑者。 turn sth. over to sb. 把（某事）交给（某人）处理 He turned the business over to his daughter. 他把商行交给他女儿管理。 think of call to mind; remember 想起，记得 I am glad that you thought of this hotel, where you stayed last year. 我很高兴你记起了去年住过这家旅馆。 我记不起那本书的书名了，只记得是一本厚厚的红皮书，放在书架最高层的左边。 take sb.'s/sth.'s place replace sb./sth. 代替 I know that no one can take your mother's place, but I'll do my best to give you a good home. 我知道谁也无法取代你母亲的位置，但我会尽力给你一个舒适的家。 go into 开始（某活动） She went into fits of laughter. 她发出阵阵笑声。 put together 装配，组装 You still have to learn how to put a sentence together properly. 你还要学习如何恰当地连词成句。 force into 迫使进入 I can't force the key into this lock; it won't fit. 我无法把钥匙插进这个锁孔，钥匙不对。 hang on 1. continue in spite of difficulties 坚持 The town was surrounded by the enemy and the citizens did not know if they could hang on until help arrived. 敌人包围了这个市镇，市民们不知能否坚持到援军到来。 2. continue holding 抓紧，抓牢 The climber had to hang on while his companions went to find a rope. 在同伴们去找绳子时，那个登山者只好紧紧抓牢
Passage a 百慕大三角现象 1945年12月5日下午两点,天气非常适合飞行,五架海军飞机从佛罗里达州东南部的 个海军飞行基地起飞,在大西洋上空作一次例行飞行训练。不到两小时,飞行指挥官用无线电 报告说,他已"完全迷失了方向"。接着是一片寂静。一架救援飞机被派出去搜寻失踪的飞机, 但同样,它也消失得无影无踪。尽管美国海军发动了有史以来范围最大的一次搜寻,动用了300 多架飞机和几十艘战舰,依然一无所获,甚至没发现一点油迹漂在水上。 这仅是众多有关"百慕大三角"的恐怖故事之一。"百慕大三角"是大西洋的一处神秘地带,大 致范围从百慕大朝西南沿佛罗里达海岸再至波多黎各。由于这里的天气异常,水手当中传说它 是"大西洋中的墓地"。在过去的30年中,该三角已吞噬了近1,000名水手和飞机驾驶员的生 命。当年克里斯托弗·哥伦布进入这片大西洋的水域时,注意到"白色的海水"泛起一道道奇特的 光。这些神奇的光带如今仍然可见,而且明亮得连在绕地球轨道飞行的美国飞船里都可以看到。 这个三角地带通过三本畅销书、一部电视片和一个特别展览引起了公众极大的兴趣。这些 研究之作都未能令人信服地解答百慕大三角之谜,但其中不乏有趣的理论。有些科学家和通俗 作家居然猜测此三角地带是外星人为他们的"动物园”捕捉人类标本之地 不论真相如何,飞机和船只仍常常消失在这个三角地带。1947年7月3日,一架美国空 军飞机消失在百慕大附近100英里的地方,事先没有任何遇难警示。随后立即展开了范围宽达 100,000平方英里的海面搜索,但没有发现一片失踪飞机的残骸。1948年1月30日,一架 英国飞机消失在该三角地带上空,机上有31名乘客和机组人员。一年后,失踪飞机的姊妹机 也消失了。72架搜索飞机加上几十艘船,都没能找到失踪飞机的任何踪影 被这神秘三角吞噬的最大的船只之一,是一艘500英尺的运煤船,它于1918年3月4日 消失。调查发现没有恶劣天气的迹象,没有求救信号,没有船只残骸,也没有船上309人的踪 迹。更怪的是,无数"鬼船"被人发现漂浮在三角区域内,船上却杳无人迹。1881年一个诡异 的日子里,货轮"艾伦·奥斯丁"号发现了一艘小帆船,帆在风中无望地飘动。船长通过望远镜看 见甲板上没有人。船上载满了木材,但没有人类生命的迹象。"艾伦·奥斯丁"号的船长组织了 组新的船员去开船。可是,两天以后,一场暴风雨使两艘船一时间失散了。当船长再次登上 那艘船时,他发现自己的船员都失踪了。他又派去了一组船员,之后这船又在大雾中迷失了方 向。这一次,除了船员,连船也不见了踪影 而美国海军官方并不承认此三角区为危险地带,他们相信"(三角地带的)大多数失踪事件 都应归咎于该地区独特的环境特征"。这其中包括墨西哥湾的湍急海流,尚未探测的大西洋海沟 以及该神秘区域经常变幻莫测的恶劣天气。除此之外,此三角是地球上惟一的两个罗盘指针指 向真正北方而不是磁极北方的地段之一,这就造成了航行上的麻烦。"那里的怪事、奇事层出不 穷,"《魔鬼三角》的作者理查德·文纳说。他这本书从三个月前出版以来,已经售出了50万册 "但是我相信,所有的答案都归于人为失误、机械故障、怪异的大气活动或者异常的磁场现象 与此相反,另一家政府部门的官员报告:"迄今为止,还没人对失踪事件做出合理的解释。 由于这些不确定的因素,个人调查者往往寻求较为荒诞的解释。一名作者认为,外星人在三角 区内尚未被考察的大西洋海底建立了高度发达的文明。他相信大部分失踪的船只和船员可能依 然被陈列在那里,供那些高级智能生命研究。该作者指出,"这听起来很荒唐,除非你意识到它 是惟一能涵盖所有事实的解释 所有这些和其他理论都在查尔斯伯利茨的新书《百慕大三角》里得到研究。伯利茨对传说 中消失的岛屿亚特兰蒂斯很感兴趣,他扩展了这一学说,认为曾是亚特兰蒂斯发电机的巨型太阳
Passage A 百慕大三角现象 1945 年 12 月 5 日下午两点，天气非常适合飞行，五架海军飞机从佛罗里达州东南部的一 个海军飞行基地起飞，在大西洋上空作一次例行飞行训练。 不到两小时，飞行指挥官用无线电 报告说，他已"完全迷失了方向"。 接着是一片寂静。 一架救援飞机被派出去搜寻失踪的飞机， 但同样，它也消失得无影无踪。尽管美国海军发动了有史以来范围最大的一次搜寻，动用了 300 多架飞机和几十艘战舰，依然一无所获，甚至没发现一点油迹漂在水上。 这仅是众多有关"百慕大三角"的恐怖故事之一。"百慕大三角"是大西洋的一处神秘地带，大 致范围从百慕大朝西南沿佛罗里达海岸再至波多黎各。 由于这里的天气异常，水手当中传说它 是"大西洋中的墓地"。 在过去的 30 年中，该三角已吞噬了近 1,000 名水手和飞机驾驶员的生 命。 当年克里斯托弗·哥伦布进入这片大西洋的水域时，注意到"白色的海水"泛起一道道奇特的 光。 这些神奇的光带如今仍然可见，而且明亮得连在绕地球轨道飞行的美国飞船里都可以看到。 这个三角地带通过三本畅销书、一部电视片和一个特别展览引起了公众极大的兴趣。 这些 研究之作都未能令人信服地解答百慕大三角之谜，但其中不乏有趣的理论。 有些科学家和通俗 作家居然猜测此三角地带是外星人为他们的"动物园"捕捉人类标本之地。 不论真相如何，飞机和船只仍常常消失在这个三角地带。 1947 年 7 月 3 日，一架美国空 军飞机消失在百慕大附近 100 英里的地方，事先没有任何遇难警示。 随后立即展开了范围宽达 100,000 平方英里的海面搜索，但没有发现一片失踪飞机的残骸。 1948 年 1 月 30 日，一架 英国飞机消失在该三角地带上空，机上有 31 名乘客和机组人员。 一年后，失踪飞机的姊妹机 也消失了。 72 架搜索飞机加上几十艘船，都没能找到失踪飞机的任何踪影。 被这神秘三角吞噬的最大的船只之一，是一艘 500 英尺的运煤船，它于 1918 年 3 月 4 日 消失。 调查发现没有恶劣天气的迹象，没有求救信号，没有船只残骸，也没有船上 309 人的踪 迹。 更怪的是，无数"鬼船"被人发现漂浮在三角区域内，船上却杳无人迹。 1881 年一个诡异 的日子里，货轮"艾伦·奥斯丁"号发现了一艘小帆船，帆在风中无望地飘动。 船长通过望远镜看 见甲板上没有人。 船上载满了木材，但没有人类生命的迹象。 "艾伦·奥斯丁"号的船长组织了 一组新的船员去开船。 可是，两天以后，一场暴风雨使两艘船一时间失散了。 当船长再次登上 那艘船时，他发现自己的船员都失踪了。 他又派去了一组船员，之后这船又在大雾中迷失了方 向。 这一次，除了船员，连船也不见了踪影。 而美国海军官方并不承认此三角区为危险地带，他们相信"（三角地带的）大多数失踪事件， 都应归咎于该地区独特的环境特征"。这其中包括墨西哥湾的湍急海流，尚未探测的大西洋海沟， 以及该神秘区域经常变幻莫测的恶劣天气。 除此之外，此三角是地球上惟一的两个罗盘指针指 向真正北方而不是磁极北方的地段之一，这就造成了航行上的麻烦。 "那里的怪事、奇事层出不 穷，"《魔鬼三角》的作者理查德·文纳说。他这本书从三个月前出版以来，已经售出了 50 万册。 "但是我相信，所有的答案都归于人为失误、机械故障、怪异的大气活动或者异常的磁场现象。" 与此相反，另一家政府部门的官员报告："迄今为止，还没人对失踪事件做出合理的解释。 " 由于这些不确定的因素，个人调查者往往寻求较为荒诞的解释。 一名作者认为，外星人在三角 区内尚未被考察的大西洋海底建立了高度发达的文明。 他相信大部分失踪的船只和船员可能依 然被陈列在那里，供那些高级智能生命研究。 该作者指出，"这听起来很荒唐，除非你意识到它 是惟一能涵盖所有事实的解释。" 所有这些和其他理论都在查尔斯·伯利茨的新书《百慕大三角》里得到研究。 伯利茨对传说 中消失的岛屿亚特兰蒂斯很感兴趣，他扩展了这一学说，认为曾是亚特兰蒂斯发电机的巨型太阳
能水晶现在就在海底。按照他的理论,过往的船只或飞机时不时会触动那块水晶,于是它会干 扰它们的仪器,把它们吸入海底 为了检验这些理论,有一家机构计划派遺300名通灵人士和科学家前往百慕大三角。这些 研究人员希望能与任何可能居住在海底的"高级智能生命"接触。 Passage B 生命之旅 我登上世界上最新式的喷气式战斗机F-16的后座,此时云层正笼罩在我们空军基地的上空, 但我知道,很快我将升至云端之上,那里阳光灿烂 名机械师帮我系上降落伞背带,插上能让我在35,000英尺高空呼吸和谈话的机械系统。 “当你拉动G服时,”他提醒我道(G指的是重力),“你的重力服就会自动充气。”我当然希望 如此。在重力如此之大的环境中执行任务,要是我的重力服失灵,我就没命了 “遇到紧急情况,”他说,“就拉动你两腿之间的手柄。你座位下的火箭会把你连同座位一起弹 出机舱。你的降落伞也会自动打开。”分手时,机械师还禁不住开了个玩笑:“如果你非用逃生 设备不可,而它又不灵,那就把它带回来好了,我们负责换一个。” 在我设法坐得舒服些时,驾驶员帕特里克·汉密尔顿少校上了飞机,开始给飞机电脑编程。然后, 我的耳中传来他通过麦克风发出的指令:“如果你准备好了,我们就出发。”引擎轰鸣着发动起 来,强大的涡轮机发出的声音可以把死人吵醒。我们要飞入空中做实战演习 我期待着我的生命之旅,而且理由很充分:F-16是个造价2,000万美元的硬家伙,马力大到 以两倍的音速飞行。在急转弯和俯冲后拉升时,它能达到超重9倍,也就是重力的9倍,让一个 体重200磅的男子重达近1吨 飞机沿着水泥地面呼啸着,猛地把我压向椅背。几秒钟后,我们的速度就达到了每小时145 英里。飞机像离膛的子弹射入空中,很快我们升到了2,000英尺的高空,并在继续爬升 F-16可以垂直向上飞,能旋转、俯冲、转弯、爬升、翻滚,能像鹰一样优雅地翻筋斗。可是, 携带着演习炸弹和8,000磅汽油,这架主要用铝合金制造的飞机重达15吨左右。控制这架精密 的机器和它所携带的众多武器,就像玩一个备有几十个按钮、价值百万的电子游戏 “这些控制装置非常灵敏,”汉密尔顿少校说,“它们几乎就是驾驶员身体的延伸。 不到五分钟,我们就升到了35,000英尺的高度。由于速度几近音速,我们把引擎的轰 鸣声甩在了后面,几乎没有速度或飞行的感觉,也察觉不到飞机冲破声障时发出的隆隆声。 飞行之旅激动人心而又平和安详,窗外的景色非常美丽:头上是一片蓝色的天海,身下铺着雪白 的云毯。坐在透明的机舱内,我们觉得温暖而舒适,然而外面却是一个截然不同的世界。大气温 度为零下30摄氏度,空气稀薄得无法呼吸。在我们的身后,拖着一道道白色的尾巴,那是我们 的排气口放出的热气与低于零度的大气相遇而形成的。 我们的目标区在向北250英里处。有几分钟,我们将直线飞行,所以汉密尔顿少校把控制装置交 给我。“可别做异想天开的事,”他警告说。天哪!我想起了所有那些愿意用一个月的薪水来换 取我现在的位置的驾驶员。我把飞机向右拐,但用力过大,变成了急转弯。于是我做了纠正,握 紧操纵杆转向左边。这就是我做的所谓异想天开的事。 水平直线驾驶F-16非常简单。在战争中驾驶并控制好那些复杂的武器系统则需要更加的专 驾驶员必须能控制一整套设备,包括机灯、仪表盘、手柄、数字显示器和其他电子设备。我通过 麦克风发表了自己的看法:“驾驶这架飞机,你得是个工程师或者是名计算机科学家 “那当然有用,”汉密尔顿少校说。但他又补充道:“可你无须知道各部件是怎样组装的,只 要知道系统怎样操作就行了。就算是只猴子,也能开这架飞机
能水晶现在就在海底。 按照他的理论，过往的船只或飞机时不时会触动那块水晶，于是它会干 扰它们的仪器，把它们吸入海底。 为了检验这些理论，有一家机构计划派遣 300 名通灵人士和科学家前往百慕大三角。 这些 研究人员希望能与任何可能居住在海底的"高级智能生命"接触。 Passage B 生命之旅 我登上世界上最新式的喷气式战斗机 F-16 的后座，此时云层正笼罩在我们空军基地的上空， 但我知道，很快我将升至云端之上，那里阳光灿烂。 一名机械师帮我系上降落伞背带，插上能让我在 35,000 英尺高空呼吸和谈话的机械系统。 “当你拉动 G 服时，” 他提醒我道（G 指的是重力），“你的重力服就会自动充气。” 我当然希望 如此。在重力如此之大的环境中执行任务，要是我的重力服失灵，我就没命了。 “遇到紧急情况，” 他说，“就拉动你两腿之间的手柄。你座位下的火箭会把你连同座位一起弹 出机舱。你的降落伞也会自动打开。” 分手时，机械师还禁不住开了个玩笑：“如果你非用逃生 设备不可，而它又不灵，那就把它带回来好了，我们负责换一个。” 在我设法坐得舒服些时，驾驶员帕特里克·汉密尔顿少校上了飞机，开始给飞机电脑编程。然后， 我的耳中传来他通过麦克风发出的指令：“如果你准备好了，我们就出发。” 引擎轰鸣着发动起 来，强大的涡轮机发出的声音可以把死人吵醒。我们要飞入空中做实战演习。 我期待着我的生命之旅，而且理由很充分：F-16 是个造价 2,000 万美元的硬家伙，马力大到能 以两倍的音速飞行。在急转弯和俯冲后拉升时，它能达到超重 9 倍，也就是重力的 9 倍，让一个 体重 200 磅的男子重达近 1 吨。 飞机沿着水泥地面呼啸着，猛地把我压向椅背。几秒钟后，我们的速度就达到了每小时 145 英里。飞机像离膛的子弹射入空中，很快我们升到了 2,000 英尺的高空，并在继续爬升。 F-16 可以垂直向上飞，能旋转、俯冲、转弯、爬升、翻滚，能像鹰一样优雅地翻筋斗。 可是， 携带着演习炸弹和 8,000 磅汽油，这架主要用铝合金制造的飞机重达 15 吨左右。控制这架精密 的机器和它所携带的众多武器，就像玩一个备有几十个按钮、价值百万的电子游戏。 “这些控制装置非常灵敏，” 汉密尔顿少校说，“它们几乎就是驾驶员身体的延伸。” 不到五分钟，我们就升到了 35,000 英尺的高度。由于速度几近音速，我们把引擎的轰 鸣声甩在了后面，几乎没有速度或飞行的感觉，也察觉不到飞机冲破声障时发出的隆隆声。 飞行之旅激动人心而又平和安详，窗外的景色非常美丽：头上是一片蓝色的天海，身下铺着雪白 的云毯。坐在透明的机舱内，我们觉得温暖而舒适，然而外面却是一个截然不同的世界。大气温 度为零下 30 摄氏度，空气稀薄得无法呼吸。在我们的身后，拖着一道道白色的尾巴，那是我们 的排气口放出的热气与低于零度的大气相遇而形成的。 我们的目标区在向北 250 英里处。有几分钟，我们将直线飞行，所以汉密尔顿少校把控制装置交 给我。“可别做异想天开的事，” 他警告说。天哪！我想起了所有那些愿意用一个月的薪水来换 取我现在的位置的驾驶员。我把飞机向右拐，但用力过大，变成了急转弯。于是我做了纠正，握 紧操纵杆转向左边。这就是我做的所谓异想天开的事。 水平直线驾驶 F-16 非常简单。在战争中驾驶并控制好那些复杂的武器系统则需要更加的专心。 驾驶员必须能控制一整套设备，包括机灯、仪表盘、手柄、数字显示器和其他电子设备。我通过 麦克风发表了自己的看法：“驾驶这架飞机，你得是个工程师或者是名计算机科学家。” “那当然有用，” 汉密尔顿少校说。 但他又补充道：“可你无须知道各部件是怎样组装的，只 要知道系统怎样操作就行了。 就算是只猴子，也能开这架飞机