新概念英语第4册课文（中英文对照） Lesson1 Finding fossil man发现化石人 We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East,where people first learned to write. But there are some parts of the word where even now people cannot write.The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas --legends handed down from one generation of another.These legends are useful because they can tell us something about migrations of people who lived long ago,but none could write down what they did.Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from.The sagas of these people explain that some of them came fromIndonesiaabout 2,000 years ago. But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas,if they had any,are forgotten.So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them to find out where the first'modern men'came from. Fortunately,however,ancient men made tools of stone,especially flint,because this is easier to shape than other kinds.They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away.Stone does not decay,and so the tools of long ago have remained when even the bones of the men who made them have disappeared without trace. 参考译文 我们从书籍中可读到5,000年前近东发生的事情，那里的人最早学会了写字。但直到现在，世 界上有些地方，人们还不会书写。他们保存历史的唯一办法是将历史当作传说讲述，由讲述人一 代接一代地将史实描述为传奇故事口传下米。人类学家过去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛上的波利 尼西亚人的祖先来自何方，当地人的传说却告诉人们：其中一部分是约在2,000年前从印度尼西 亚迁来的。 但是，和我们相似的原始人生活的年代太久远了，因此，有关他们的传说既使有如今也失传 了。于是，考古学家们既缺乏历史记载，又无口头传说来帮助他们弄清最早的“现代人“是从哪里来 的。 然而，幸运的是，远古人用石头制作了工具，特别是用燧石，因为燧石较之其他石头更容易 成形。他们也可能用过木头和兽皮，但这类东西早已腐烂殆尽。石头是不会腐烂的。因此，尽管制 造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存，但远古时代的石头工具却保存了下来。 Lesson2 Spare that spider不要伤旾蜘蛛 Why,you may wonder,should spiders be our friends?Because they destroy so many insects,and insects include some of the greatest enemies of the human race. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world;they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds,if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.We owe a lot to the birds and beasts who eat insects but all of them put together kill only a fraction of the number destroyed by spiders.Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters,spiders never do the harm to us or our belongings. Spiders are not insects,as many people think,nor even nearly related to them. One can tell the difference almost at a glance,for a spider always has eight legs and insect never more than six. How many spiders are engaged in this work no our behalf?One authority on spiders made a census of the spiders in grass field in the south ofEngland,and he estimated that there were more than 2,250,000 in one acre;that is something like 6,000,000 spiders of different kinds on a football pitch.Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing insects.It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess
新概念英语第 4 册课文(中英文对照) Lesson 1 Finding fossil man 发现化石人 We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write. But there are some parts of the word where even now people cannot write. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas -- legends handed down f rom one generation of another. These legends are useful because they can tell us something about migrations of people who lived long ago, but none could write down what they did. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came f rom. The sagas of these people explain that some of them came f romIndonesiaabout 2,000 years ago. But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forgotten. So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them to find out where the first 'modern men' came f rom. Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint, because this is easier to shape than other kinds. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away. Stone does not decay, and so the tools of long ago have remained when even the bones of the men who made them have disappeared without trace. 参考译文 我们从书籍中可读到 5,000 年前近东发生的事情，那里的人最早学会了写字。但直到现在,世 界上有些地方，人们还不会书写。 他们保存历史的唯一办法是将历史当作传说讲述，由讲述人一 代接一代地将史实描述为传奇故事口传下来。人类学家过去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛上的波利 尼西亚人的祖先来自何方，当地人的传说却告诉人们：其中一部分是约在 2,000 年前从印度尼西 亚迁来的。 但是，和我们相似的原始人生活的年代太久远了，因此，有关他们的传说既使有如今也失传 了。于是，考古学家们既缺乏历史记载，又无口头传说来帮助他们弄清最早的“现代人”是从哪里来 的。 然而， 幸运的是，远古人用石头制作了工具，特别是用燧石，因为燧石较之其他石头更容易 成形。他们也可能用过木头和兽皮，但这类东西早已腐烂殆尽。石头是不会腐烂的。因此，尽管制 造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存，但远古时代的石头工具却保存了下来。 Lesson 2 Spare that spider 不要伤害蜘蛛 Why, you may wonder, should spiders be our f riends? Because they destroy so many insects, and insects include some of the greatest enemies of the human race. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get f rom insect-eating animals. We owe a lot to the birds and beasts who eat insects but all of them put together kill only a f raction of the number destroyed by spiders. Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders never do the harm to us or our belongings. Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them. One can tell the dif ference almost at a glance, for a spider always has eight legs and insect never more than six. How many spiders are engaged in this work no our behalf ? One authority on spiders made a census of the spiders in grass field in the south ofEngland, and he estimated that there were more than 2,250,000 in one acre; that is something like 6,000,000 spiders of dif ferent kinds on a football pitch. Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing insects. It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess
at how many they kill,but they are hungry creatures,not content with only three meals a day.It has been estimated that the weight of all the insects destroyed by spiders inBritainin one year would be greater than the total weight of all the human beings in the country. 参考译文 你可能会觉得奇怪，蜘蛛怎么会是我们的朋友呢？因为它们能消灭那么多的昆虫，其中包括 一些人类的大敌，要不是人类受一些食虫动物的保护，昆虫就会使我们无法在地球上生活下去，昆 虫会吞食我们的全部庄稼，杀死我们的成群的牛羊。我们要十分感谢那些吃昆虫的鸟和兽，然而把 它们所杀死的昆虫全部加在一起也只相当于蜘蛛所消灭的一小部分。此外，蜘蛛不同于其他食虫动 物，它们丝毫不危害我们和我们的财物。 许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫，但它们不是昆虫，甚至与昆虫毫无关系。人们几乎一眼就能看出二者 的差异，因为蜘蛛都是8条腿，而昆虫的腿从不超过6条。 有多少蜘蛛在为我们效力呢？一位研究蜘蛛的权威对英国南部一块草坪上的蜘蛛作了一次调 查。他估计每英亩草坪里有225万多只蜘蛛。这就是说，在一个足球场上约有600万只不同种类 的蜘蛛。蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃昆虫。它们一年中消灭了多少昆虫，我们简直无法猜测，它们是 吃不饱的动物，不满意一日三餐。据估计，在英国蜘蛛一年里所消灭昆虫的重量超过这个国家人口 的总重量。 Lesson3 Matterhorn man马特量恩山区人 Modern alpinists try to climb mountains by a route which will give them good sport,and the more difficult it is,the more highly it is regarded.In the pioneering days,however,this was not the case at all.The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top,because the summit was the prize they sought,especially if it and never been attained before.It is true that during their explorations they often faced difficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature,equipped in a manner with would make a modern climber shudder at the thought,but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement.They had a single aim,a solitary goal --the top! It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers.Except for one or two places such as Zermatt and Chamonix,which had rapidly become popular,Alpine village tended to be impoverished settlements cut off from civilization by the high mountains.Such inns as there were generally dirty and flea-ridden;the food simply local cheese accompanied by bread often twelve months old,all washed down with coarse wine.Often a valley boasted no inn at all,and climbers found shelter wherever they could--sometimes with the local priest (who was usually as poor as his parishioners),sometimes with shepherds or cheese-makers.Invariably the background was the same:dirt and poverty,and very uncomfortable.For men accustomed to eating seven-course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home,the change to the Alps must have very hard indeed. 参考译文 现代登山运动员总想找一条能够给他们带来运动乐趣的路线来攀登山峰。他们认为， 道路愈 艰险愈带劲儿。然而，在登山运动的初期，全然不是这种情况。早期登山者所寻找的是通往山顶的 最方便的途径，因为顶峰特别是前人未曾到过的顶峰一才是他们寻求的目标。确实，在探险中他 们经常遇到惊心动魄的困难和危险，而他们装备之简陋足以使现代登山者一想起来就胆战心惊。但 是，他们并非故意寻求这种刺激，他们只有一个目标，唯一的目标-顶峰！ 我们今天很难想象昔日的登山先驱们是多么艰苦。除了泽曼特和夏蒙尼等一两个很快出了名的 地方外，阿尔卑斯山山区的小村几乎全是高山环抱、与世隔绝的穷乡僻壤。那里的小客栈一般都很 肮航脏，而且跳蚤猖獗。食物是当地的干酪和通常存放了一年之久的面包，人们就着劣酒吞下这种 食物。山谷里常常没有小客栈，登山者只好随遇而安。有时同当地牧师（他通常和他的教民一样 穷)住在一起，有时同牧羊人或制乳酪的人住在一起。无论住在哪儿，情况都一样：肮脏、贫穷， 极其不舒适。对于过惯了一顿饭吃7道菜、睡亚麻细布床单的人来说，变换一下生活环境来到阿尔 卑斯山山区，那一定是很艰难的
at how many they kill, but they are hungry creatures, not content with only three meals a day. It has been estimated that the weight of all the insects destroyed by spiders inBritainin one year would be greater than the total weight of all the human beings in the country. 参考译文 你可能会觉得奇怪， 蜘蛛怎么会是我们的朋友呢？因为它们能消灭那么多的昆虫，其中包括 一些人类的大敌，要不是人类受一些食虫动物的保护，昆虫就会使我们无法在地球上生活下去，昆 虫会吞食我们的全部庄稼，杀死我们的成群的牛羊。我们要十分感谢那些吃昆虫的鸟和兽，然而把 它们所杀死的昆虫全部加在一起也只相当于蜘蛛所消灭的一小部分。此外，蜘蛛不同于其他食虫动 物，它们丝毫不危害我们和我们的财物。 许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫，但它们不是昆虫，甚至与昆虫毫无关系。人们几乎一眼就能看出二者 的差异，因为蜘蛛都是 8 条腿，而昆虫的腿从不超过 6 条。 有多少蜘蛛在为我们效力呢？一位研究蜘蛛的权威对英国南部一块草坪上的蜘蛛作了一次调 查。他估计每英亩草坪里有 225 万多只蜘蛛。这就是说，在一个足球场上约有 600 万只不同种类 的蜘蛛。蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃昆虫。它们一年中消灭了多少昆虫，我们简直无法猜测，它们是 吃不饱的动物，不满意一日三餐。据估计，在英国蜘蛛一年里所消灭昆虫的重量超过这个国家人口 的总重量。 Lesson 3 Matterhorn man 马特霍恩山区人 Modern alpinists try to climb mountains by a route which will give them good sport, and the more dif ficult it is, the more highly it is regarded. In the pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all. The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top, because the summit was the prize they sought, especially if it and never been attained before. It is true that during their explorations they of ten faced dif ficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature, equipped in a manner with would make a modern climber shudder at the thought, but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement. They had a single aim, a solitary goal -- the top! It is hard for us to realize nowadays how dif ficult it was for the pioneers. Except for one or two places such as Zermatt and Chamonix, which had rapidly become popular, Alpine village tended to be impoverished settlements cut of f f rom civilization by the high mountains. Such inns as there were generally dirty and flea-ridden; the food simply local cheese accompanied by bread of ten twelve months old, all washed down with coarse wine. Of ten a valley boasted no inn at all, and climbers found shelter wherever they could -- sometimes with the local priest (who was usually as poor as his parishioners), sometimes with shepherds or cheese-makers. Invariably the background was the same: dirt and poverty, and very uncomfortable. For men accustomed to eating seven-course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home, the change to the Alps must have very hard indeed. 参考译文 现代登山运动员总想找一条能够给他们带来运动乐趣的路线来攀登山峰。他们认为， 道路愈 艰险愈带劲儿。然而，在登山运动的初期，全然不是这种情况。早期登山者所寻找的是通往山顶的 最方便的途径，因为顶峰特别是前人未曾到过的顶峰 -- 才是他们寻求的目标。确实，在探险中他 们经常遇到惊心动魄的困难和危险，而他们装备之简陋足以使现代登山者一想起来就胆战心惊。但 是，他们并非故意寻求这种刺激，他们只有一个目标，唯一的目标 -- 顶峰！ 我们今天很难想象昔日的登山先驱们是多么艰苦。除了泽曼特和夏蒙尼等一两个很快出了名的 地方外，阿尔卑斯山山区的小村几乎全是高山环抱、与世隔绝的穷乡僻壤。那里的小客栈一般都很 肮脏，而且跳蚤猖獗。 食物是当地的干酪和通常存放了一年之久的面包，人们就着劣酒吞下这种 食物。山谷里常常没有小客栈，登山者只好随遇而安。有时同当地牧师 （他通常和他的教民一样 穷）住在一起，有时同牧羊人或制乳酪的人住在一起。无论住在哪儿，情况都一样：肮脏、贫穷， 极其不舒适。对于过惯了一顿饭吃 7 道菜、睡亚麻细布床单的人来说，变换一下生活环境来到阿尔 卑斯山山区，那一定是很艰难的
Lesson4 Seeing hands能看见东西的手 Several cases have been reported inRussiarecently of people who can detect colours with their fingers,and even see through solid and walls.One case concerns and eleven-year-old schoolgirl,Vera Petrova,who has normal vision but who can also perceive things with different parts of her skin,and through solid walls.This ability was first noticed by her father.One day she came into his office and happened to put her hands on the door of a locked safe.Suddenly she asked her father why he kept so many old newspapers locked away there,and even described the way they were done up in bundles. Vera's curious talent was brought to the notice of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk,near where she lives,and in April she was given a series of tests by a special commission of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federal Republic.During these tests she was able to read a newspaper through an opaque screen and,stranger still,by moving her elbow over a child's game of Lotto she was able to describe the figures and colours printed on it;and,in another instance, wearing stockings and slippers,to make out with her foot the outlines and colours of a picture hidden under a carpet.Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity.During all these tests Vera was blindfold;and, indeed,except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet. 参考译文 俄罗斯最近报导了几个事例，有人能用手指看书识字和辨认颜色，甚至能透过厚实的门和墙看 到东西。其中有一例谈到有一个名叫维拉.彼托洛娃的11岁学生。她的视力与常人一样，但她还 能用皮肤的不同部位辨认东西，甚至看穿坚实的墙壁。是她父亲首先发现她这一功能的。一天，维 拉走进父亲的办公室，偶然把手放在一个锁着的保险柜的门上，她突然问父亲为什么把这么多的旧 报纸锁在柜子里，还说了报纸捆扎的情况。 维拉的特异功能引起了她家附近乌里扬诺夫斯克城一个科研单位的注意。4月里，俄罗斯卫生 部一个特别委员会对她进行了一系列的测试。在这些测试中，她能隔着不透明的屏幕读报纸。更为 奇怪的是，她把肘部在儿童玩的“罗托”纸牌上移动一下，便能说出印在纸牌上的数字和颜色。还有 一次，她穿着长筒袜子和拖鞋，能用脚步识别出藏在地毯下面的一幅画的轮廓和颜色。其他实验表 明，她的膝盖和双肩有类似的感觉能力，在所有这些实验中，维拉的双眼都是蒙着的。如果不蒙上 双眼她的皮肤就不再具有识别物体的能力。这是千真万确的。同时还发现，尽管她能用手指识别东 西，但她的手一旦弄湿，这种功能便会立即消失。 Lesson5 Youth青年 People are always talking about 'the problem of youth'.If there is one --which I take leave to doubt--then it is older people who create it,not the young themselves.Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are after all human beings --people just like their elders.There is only one difference between an old man and a young one:the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him:and maybe that is where the rub is. When I was a teenager,I felt that I was just young and uncertain --that I was a new boy in a huge school,and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem.For one thing,being a problem gives you a certain identity,and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking. I find young people exciting.They have an air of freedom,and they not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort.They are not anxious social climbers,and they have no devotion to material things.All this seems to me to link them with life,and the origins of things.It's as if they were,in some sense,cosmic
Lesson 4 Seeing hands 能看见东西的手 Several cases have been reported inRussiarecently of people who can detect colours with their fingers, and even see through solid and walls. One case concerns and eleven-year-old schoolgirl, Vera Petrova, who has normal vision but who can also perceive things with dif ferent parts of her skin, and through solid walls. This ability was first noticed by her father. One day she came into his of fice and happened to put her hands on the door of a locked safe. Suddenly she asked her father why he kept so many old newspapers locked away there, and even described the way they were done up in bundles. Vera's curious talent was brought to the notice of a scientific research institute in the town of Ulyanovsk, near where she lives, and in April she was given a series of tests by a special commission of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federal Republic. During these tests she was able to read a newspaper through an opaque screen and, stranger still, by moving her elbow over a child's game of Lotto she was able to describe the figures and colours printed on it; and, in another instance, wearing stockings and slippers, to make out with her foot the outlines and colours of a picture hidden under a carpet. Other experiments showed that her knees and shoulders had a similar sensitivity. During all these tests Vera was blindfold; and, indeed, except when blindfold she lacked the ability to perceive things with her skin. It was also found that although she could perceive things with her fingers this ability ceased the moment her hands were wet. 参考译文 俄罗斯最近报导了几个事例，有人能用手指看书识字和辨认颜色，甚至能透过厚实的门和墙看 到东西。 其中有一例谈到有一个名叫维拉.彼托洛娃的 11 岁学生。她的视力与常人一样，但她还 能用皮肤的不同部位辨认东西，甚至看穿坚实的墙壁。是她父亲首先发现她这一功能的。一天，维 拉走进父亲的办公室，偶然把手放在一个锁着的保险柜的门上，她突然问父亲为什么把这么多的旧 报纸锁在柜子里，还说了报纸捆扎的情况。 维拉的特异功能引起了她家附近乌里扬诺夫斯克城一个科研单位的注意。4 月里，俄罗斯卫生 部一个特别委员会对她进行了一系列的测试。在这些测试中，她能隔着不透明的屏幕读报纸。更为 奇怪的是，她把肘部在儿童玩的“罗托”纸牌上移动一下，便能说出印在纸牌上的数字和颜色。还有 一次，她穿着长筒袜子和拖鞋，能用脚步识别出藏在地毯下面的一幅画的轮廓和颜色。其他实验表 明，她的膝盖和双肩有类似的感觉能力，在所有这些实验中，维拉的双眼都是蒙着的。如果不蒙上 双眼她的皮肤就不再具有识别物体的能力。这是千真万确的。同时还发现，尽管她能用手指识别东 西，但她的手一旦弄湿，这种功能便会立即消失。 Lesson 5 Youth 青年 People are always talking about 'the problem of youth'. If there is one -- which I take leave to doubt -- then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves. Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are af ter all human beings -- people just like their elders. There is only one dif ference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is. When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and uncertain -- that I was a new boy in a huge school, and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem. For one thing, being a problem gives you a certain identity, and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking. I find young people exciting. They have an air of f reedom, and they not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort. They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to material things. All this seems to me to link them with life, and the origins of things. It's as if they were, in some sense, cosmic
beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures.All that is in my mind when I meet a young person.He may be conceited,ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous,but I do not turn for protection to dreary cliches about respect of elders --as if mere age were a reason for respect.I accept that we are equals,and I will argue with him,as an equal,if I think he is wrong. 参考译文 人们总是在谈论“青年问题”。如果这个问题存在的话-一请允许我对此持怀疑态度-一那么，这 个问题是由老年人而不是青年人造成的。让我们来认真研究一些基本事实：承认青年人和他们的长 辈一样也是人。老年人和青年人只有一个区别：青年人有光辉灿烂的前景，而老年人的辉煌已成为 过去。问题的症结恐怕就在这里。 我十几岁时，总感到自己年轻，有些事拿不准-我是一所大学里的一名新生，如果我当时真的 被看成像一个问题那样有趣，我会感到很得意的。因为这至少使我得到了某种承认，这正是年轻人 所热衷追求的。 我觉得年轻人令人振奋，无拘无束。他们既不追逐卑鄙的名利，也不贪图生活的舒适。他们不 热衷于向上爬，也不一味追求物质享受。在我看来，所有这些使他们与生命和万物之源联系在了 起。从某种意义上讲，他们似乎是宇宙人，同我们这些凡夫俗子形成了强烈而鲜明的对照。每逢我 遇到年轻人，脑子里就想到这些年轻人也许狂妄自负，举止无理，傲慢放肆，愚昧无知，但我不会 用应当尊重长者这一套陈词滥调来为我自己辨护，似乎年长就是受人尊敬的理由。我认为我和他们 是平等的。如果我认为他们错了，我就以平等的身份和他们争个明白。 Lesson6 The sporting spirit体育的精神 I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between the nations,and that if only the common peoples of the would could meet one another at football or cricket,they would have no inclination to meet on the hattlefield.Even if one didn't know from concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games,for instance)that international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred one could deduce if from general principles. Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive.You play to win,and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win.On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism is involved,it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise:but as soon as a the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose,the most savage combative instincts are aroused.Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this.At the international level,sport is frankly mimic warfare.But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators:and,behind the spectators,of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests,and seriously believe --at any rate for short periods --that running,jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue. 参考译文 当我听人们说体育运动可创造国家之间的友谊，还说各国民众若在足球场或板球场上交锋，就 不愿在战场上残杀的时候，我总是惊愕不已。一个人即使不能从具体的事例（例如1936年的奥林 匹克运动会)了解到国际运动比赛会导致疯狂的仇恨，也可以从常理中推断出结论。 现在开展的体有运动几乎都是竞争性的。参加比赛就是为了取胜。如果不拚命去赢，比赛就没 有什么意义了。在乡间的草坪上，当你随意组成两个队，并且不涉及任何地方情绪时，那才可能 是单纯的为了娱乐和锻炼而进行比赛。可是一量涉及到荣誉问题，一旦你想到你和某一团体会因为 你输而丢脸时，那么最野蛮的争斗天性便会激发起来。即使是仅仅参加过学校足球赛的人也有种体 会。在国际比赛中，体育简直是一场模拟战争。但是，要紧的还不是运动员的行为，而是观众的态 度，以及观众身后各个国家的态度。面对着这些荒唐的比赛，参赛的各个国家会如痴如狂，甚至煞 有介事地相信··至少在短期内如此·跑跑、跳跳、踢踢球是对一个民族品德素质的检验。 Lesson7Bats蝙幅
beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures. All that is in my mind when I meet a young person. He may be conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous, but I do not turn for protection to dreary cliches about respect of elders -- as if mere age were a reason for respect. I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong. 参考译文 人们总是在谈论“青年问题”。如果这个问题存在的话 -- 请允许我对此持怀疑态度 -- 那么，这 个问题是由老年人而不是青年人造成的。让我们来认真研究一些基本事实：承认青年人和他们的长 辈一样也是人。老年人和青年人只有一个区别：青年人有光辉灿烂的前景，而老年人的辉煌已成为 过去。 问题的症结恐怕就在这里。 我十几岁时，总感到自己年轻，有些事拿不准 -- 我是一所大学里的一名新生，如果我当时真的 被看成像一个问题那样有趣，我会感到很得意的。因为这至少使我得到了某种承认，这正是年轻人 所热衷追求的。 我觉得年轻人令人振奋，无拘无束。他们既不追逐卑鄙的名利，也不贪图生活的舒适。他们不 热衷于向上爬，也不一味追求物质享受。在我看来，所有这些使他们与生命和万物之源联系在了一 起。从某种意义上讲，他们似乎是宇宙人，同我们这些凡夫俗子形成了强烈而鲜明的对照。每逢我 遇到年轻人，脑子里就想到这些年轻人也许狂妄自负，举止无理，傲慢放肆，愚昧无知，但我不会 用应当尊重长者这一套陈词滥调来为我自己辨护，似乎年长就是受人尊敬的理由。我认为我和他们 是平等的。如果我认为他们错了，我就以平等的身份和他们争个明白。 Lesson 6 The sporting spirit 体育的精神 I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between the nations, and that if only the common peoples of the would could meet one another at football or cricket, they would have no inclination to meet on the hattlefield. Even if one didn't know f rom concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games, for instance) that international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred, one could deduce if f rom general principles. Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise: but as soon as a the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is f rankly mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators: and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests, and seriously believe -- at any rate for short periods -- that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue. 参考译文 当我听人们说体育运动可创造国家之间的友谊，还说各国民众若在足球场或板球场上交锋，就 不愿在战场上残杀的时候，我总是惊愕不已。一个人即使不能从具体的事例（例如 1936 年的奥林 匹克运动会）了解到国际运动比赛会导致疯狂的仇恨，也可以从常理中推断出结论。 现在开展的体育运动几乎都是竞争性的。参加比赛就是为了取胜。如果不拚命去赢，比赛就没 有什么意义了。 在乡间的草坪上，当你随意组成两个队，并且不涉及任何地方情绪时，那才可能 是单纯的为了娱乐和锻炼而进行比赛。可是一量涉及到荣誉问题，一旦你想到你和某一团体会因为 你输而丢脸时，那么最野蛮的争斗天性便会激发起来。即使是仅仅参加过学校足球赛的人也有种体 会。在国际比赛中，体育简直是一场模拟战争。但是，要紧的还不是运动员的行为，而是观众的态 度，以及观众身后各个国家的态度。面对着这些荒唐的比赛，参赛的各个国家会如痴如狂，甚至煞 有介事地相信 -- 至少在短期内如此 -- 跑跑、跳跳、踢踢球是对一个民族品德素质的检验。 Lesson 7 Bats 蝙蝠
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language,and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role. To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions.Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside,an echo will come back.The further off this solid obstruction,the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo.A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom,and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes,the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated.So was born the echo-sounding apparatus,now in general use in ships.Every solid object will reflect a sound,varying according to the size and nature of the object.A shoal of fish will do this.So it is a comparatively simple step from locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish.With experience,and with improved apparatus,it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring,cod,or other well-known fish,by the pattern of its echo. It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles --or locate flying insects on which they feed.This echo-location in bats is often compared with radar,the principle of which is similar. 参考译文 动物发出的声音不都是用作语言交际。我们只要看一看蝙蝠回声定位这一极不寻常的发现，就 可以探究一下声音在什么情况下有绝对的实用价值。 要透彻理解这句话的意义，我们应先回顾一下人类最近的几项发明。大家都知道，在墙壁或山 腰附近发出的喊声，就会听到回声。固体障碍物越远。回声返回所用时间就越长。敲打船体所发了 的声音会从海底传回来，测出回声间隔的时间，便可算出该处海洋的深度。这样就产生了目前各种 船舶上普遍应用的回声探测仪。任何固体者反射声音，反射的声音因物体的大小和性质的不同而不 同。鱼群也反射声音。从测定海深到测定鱼群，这一进展比较容易。根据经验和改进了的仪器，不 仅能够确定鱼群的位置，而且可以根据鱼群回声的特点分辨出是鲱鱼、鳕鱼，这是人们所熟悉的其 他鱼。 人们发现，某些蝙蝠能发出尖叫声，并能通过回声来确定并躲开障碍物，或找到它们赖以为生 的昆虫。蝙蝠这种回声定位常常可与雷达相比较，其原理是相似的。 Lesson8 Trading standards贸易标准 Chickens slaughtered in theUnited States,claim officials in Brussels,are not fit to grace European tables.No,say the American:our fowl are fine,we simply clean them in a different way.These days,it is differences in national regulations,far more than tariffs,that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.It is not just farmers who are complaining.An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in theUnited States,and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe. As it happens,a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans So,ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,why have two lots of tests where one would do?Politicians agree,in principle,soAmericaand the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products.They hope to finish in time for a trade summit betweenAmericaand the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic,the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all. Why?One difficulty is to construct the agreements.The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts covering,say,electronic goods and drug manufacturing.The EU --following
Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role. To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further of f this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected f rom the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a comparatively simple step f rom locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other well-known fish, by the pattern of its echo. It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles -- or locate flying insects on which they feed. This echo-location in bats is of ten compared with radar, the principle of which is similar. 参考译文 动物发出的声音不都是用作语言交际。我们只要看一看蝙蝠回声定位这一极不寻常的发现，就 可以探究一下声音在什么情况下有绝对的实用价值。 要透彻理解这句话的意义，我们应先回顾一下人类最近的几项发明。大家都知道，在墙壁或山 腰附近发出的喊声，就会听到回声。固体障碍物越远。回声返回所用时间就越长。敲打船体所发了 的声音会从海底传回来，测出回声间隔的时间，便可算出该处海洋的深度。这样就产生了目前各种 船舶上普遍应用的回声探测仪。任何固体者反射声音，反射的声音因物体的大小和性质的不同而不 同。鱼群也反射声音。从测定海深到测定鱼群，这一进展比较容易。根据经验和改进了的仪器，不 仅能够确定鱼群的位置，而且可以根据鱼群回声的特点分辨出是鲱鱼、鳕鱼，这是人们所熟悉的其 他鱼。 人们发现，某些蝙蝠能发出尖叫声，并能通过回声来确定并躲开障碍物，或找到它们赖以为生 的昆虫。蝙蝠这种回声定位常常可与雷达相比较，其原理是相似的。 Lesson 8 Trading standards 贸易标准 Chickens slaughtered in theUnited States, claim of ficials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a dif ferent way. These days, it is dif ferences in national regulations, far more than tarif f s, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in theUnited States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe. As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, soAmericaand the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit betweenAmericaand the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all. Why? One dif ficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out dif ferent pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU -- following
fine continental traditions --wants agreement on general principles,which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries. 参考译文 布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽 很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达 国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国 检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售：而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲 市场。 碰巧在欧洲使用安全的制须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问， 当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢？政治家在原则上同意了，因此，美国和欧洲一 直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5月28日举行的 美国和欧洲贸易的最高通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面 临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。 为什么呢？困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推 敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖-比如说-电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统， 则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。 Lesson9 Royal espionage王室谍报活动 Alfred the Great acted his own spy,visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere.They were not fighting men,and their harp was their passport.Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth,and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring. While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney,the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum,the commander of the Danish invaders. There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham:thither Alfred went.He noticed at once that discipline was slack:the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors,and their security precautions were casual.They lived well,on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions.There they collected women as well as food and drink,and a life of ease had made them soft. Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney.The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde.But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle:and that their commissariat had no organization,but depended on irregular raids. So,faced with the Danish advance,Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy.He was constantly on the move,drawing the Danes after him.His patrols halted the raiding parties:hunger assailed the Danish army.Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes --and within a month the Danes had surrendered.The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage! 参考译文 阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。当时，浪迹天涯 的吟游歌手到处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民 歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。 阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古瑟罗姆 的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。他马上发现丹麦军纪律松 弛，他们以征服者自居，安全措施马马虎虎。他们靠掠夺附近的地区的财物过着舒适的生活。他们 不仅搜刮吃的喝的，而且抢掠妇女，安逸的生活已使丹麦军队变得软弱无力。 阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的军队和丹麦大军相比是 微不足道的，然而，阿尔弗雷德断定，丹麦人已不再适应持久的战争，他们的军需供应处于无组织 状态，只是靠临时抢夺来维持
fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries. 参考译文 布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们的家禽 很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关税阻碍了发达 国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动剃须刀必须得到美国 检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售；而美国制造的透析仪也要得到欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲 市场。 碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都在问， 当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢？政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美国和欧洲一 直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为 5 月 28 日举行的 美国和欧洲贸易的最高通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此复杂，他们所面 临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。 为什么呢？困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然后推 敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的大陆传统， 则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸到其它国家。 Lesson 9 Royal espionage 王室谍报活动 Alf red the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alf red had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring. While Alf red's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alf red went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self -confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them sof t. Alf red stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alf red had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids. So, faced with the Danish advance, Alf red did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes af ter him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alf red began a long series of skirmishes -- and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage! 参考译文 阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。当时，浪迹天涯 的吟游歌手到处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻时学过许多民 歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。 阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古瑟罗姆 的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。他马上发现丹麦军纪律松 弛，他们以征服者自居，安全措施马马虎虎。他们靠掠夺附近的地区的财物过着舒适的生活。他们 不仅搜刮吃的喝的，而且抢掠妇女，安逸的生活已使丹麦军队变得软弱无力。 阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的军队和丹麦大军相比是 微不足道的，然而，阿尔弗雷德断定，丹麦人已不再适应持久的战争，他们的军需供应处于无组织 状态，只是靠临时抢夺来维持
因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有贸然同敌人作战，而是采用骚扰敌人的战术。他的 部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻止敌人抢劫，因而饥饿威胁着 丹麦军队。这时，阿尔弗雷德发起一连串小规模的进攻，结果不出一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这一 幕历史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的篇章。· Lesson10 Silicon valley硅谷 Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future.Carver Mead,a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology,notes there are now work-stations that enable engineers to design,test and produce chips right on their desks,much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh.As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars,engineers may soon be free to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures.Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the office-- spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving theU.S.a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast.'We're got more garages with smart people,'Mead observes.'We really thrive on anarchy. And on Asians.Already,orientals and Asian Americans constitute the majority of the engineering staffs at many Valley firms.And Chinese,Korean,Filipino and Indian engineers are graduating in droves from California's colleges.As the heads of next- generation start-ups,these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge righter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets.For instance,Alex Au,a Stanford Ph.D.from Hong Kong,has set up aTaiwanfactory to challengeJapan's near lock on the memory-chip market.India-born N.Damodar Reddy's tiny California company reopened an AT &T chip plant in Kansas City last spring with financing from the state of Missouri.Before it becomes a retirement village,Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business. 参考译文 技术的发展趋势有可能把硅谷重新推向未来。卡弗.米德~集成电路的一位先驱，加州理工学 院的计算机教授-注意到，现在有些计算机工作站使工程技术人员可以在他们的办公桌上设计、 试验和生产芯片，就像一位编辑在苹果机上编出一份时事通讯一样。由于制造一块芯片的时间已缩 短至几天，费用也只有几百美元，因此，工程技术人员可能很块就可充分发挥他们的想像力，而不 会因失败而造成经济上的损失。米德预言发明者可以在办公室用一个周末的时间生产了完美的、功 能很强的、按客户需求设计的芯片一造就新一代从汽车间起家的技术人员，在把产品推向市场方 面使美国把它的外国对手们打个措手不及。“我们有更多的汽车间，那里有许多聪明人，”米德 说。“我们确实是靠这种无政府状态发展起来的。”靠的是亚洲人。硅谷许多公司中工程技术人员 的大多数是东方人和亚裔美国人。中国、韩国、菲律宾和印度的工程师一批批地从加州的大学毕 业。作为新掘起一代的带头人，亚裔发明家可以凭借他们在习惯和语言上的优势，与关键的太平洋 沿岸市场建立起更加牢固的联系。比如说，亚历克斯.奥，一位来自香港的斯坦福大学博士，已经 在台湾建厂，对日本在内存条市场上近似垄断的局面提出了挑战。印度出生的N.达莫达.雷迪经营 的小小的加州公司在堪萨斯城重新启用了美国电话电报公司的一家芯片工厂，并从密苏里州获取了 财政上的支持。在硅谷变成一个退休村之前，它很可能成为建立全球商业的一个教学场地。 Lesson11 How to grow old如何安度晚年 Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death.In the young there is a justification for this feeling.Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have cheated of the best things that life has to offer.But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows,and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do,the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.The best way to overcome it--so at least it seems to me--is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal,until bit by bit
因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有贸然同敌人作战，而是采用骚扰敌人的战术。他的 部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻止敌人抢劫，因而饥饿威胁着 丹麦军队。这时，阿尔弗雷德发起一连串小规模的进攻，结果不出一个月，丹麦人就投降了。这一 幕历史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的篇章。. Lesson 10 Silicon valley 硅谷 Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future. Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now work-stations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh. As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be f ree to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures. Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the of fice -- spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving theU.S.a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast. 'We're got more garages with smart people,' Mead observes. 'We really thrive on anarchy.' And on Asians. Already, orientals and Asian Americans constitute the majority of the engineering staf f s at many Valley firms. And Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Indian engineers are graduating in droves f rom California's colleges. As the heads of nextgeneration start-ups, these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge righter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets. For instance, Alex Au, a Stanford Ph. D. f rom Hong Kong, has set up aTaiwanfactory to challengeJapan's near lock on the memory-chip market. India-born N.Damodar Reddy's tiny California company reopened an AT & T chip plant in Kansas City last spring with financing f rom the state of Missouri. Before it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business. 参考译文 技术的发展趋势有可能把硅谷重新推向未来。卡弗.米德 -- 集成电路的一位先驱，加州理工学 院的计算机教授 -- 注意到，现在有些计算机工作站使工程技术人员可以在他们的办公桌上设计、 试验和生产芯片，就像一位编辑在苹果机上编出一份时事通讯一样。由于制造一块芯片的时间已缩 短至几天，费用也只有几百美元，因此，工程技术人员可能很块就可充分发挥他们的想像力，而不 会因失败而造成经济上的损失。米德预言发明者可以在办公室用一个周末的时间生产了完美的、功 能很强的、按客户需求设计的芯片 -- 造就新一代从汽车间起家的技术人员，在把产品推向市场方 面使美国把它的外国对手们打个措手不及。 “我们有更多的汽车间，那里有许多聪明人，”米德 说。“我们确实是靠这种无政府状态发展起来的。” 靠的是亚洲人。硅谷许多公司中工程技术人员 的大多数是东方人和亚裔美国人。中国、韩国、菲律宾和印度的工程师一批批地从加州的大学毕 业。作为新掘起一代的带头人，亚裔发明家可以凭借他们在习惯和语言上的优势，与关键的太平洋 沿岸市场建立起更加牢固的联系。比如说，亚历克斯.奥，一位来自香港的斯坦福大学博士，已经 在台湾建厂，对日本在内存条市场上近似垄断的局面提出了挑战。印度出生的 N.达莫达.雷迪经营 的小小的加州公司在堪萨斯城重新启用了美国电话电报公司的一家芯片工厂，并从密苏里州获取了 财政上的支持。在硅谷变成一个退休村之前，它很可能成为建立全球商业的一个教学场地。 Lesson 11 How to grow old 如何安度晚年 Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have cheated of the best things that life has to of fer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it -- so at least it seems to me -- is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit
the walls of the ego recede,and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.An individual human existence should be like a river--small at first, narrowly contained within its banks,and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls.Gradually the river grows wider,the banks recede,the waters flow more quietly,and in the end,without any visible break,they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.The man who,in old age,can see his life in this way,will not suffer from the fear of death,since the things he cares for will continue.And if,with the decay of vitality,weariness increases,the thought of rest will be not unwelcome.I should wish to die while still at work,knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do,and content in the thought that what was possible has been done 参考译文 有些老年人因为怕死而感到烦恼。青年人有这种感觉是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己会死在战 场上的年轻人，想到自己被剥夺了生活所能给予的最美好的东西时，感到痛苦，这是可以理解的。 可是老年人已经饱尝了人间的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有点儿可怜又可鄙。克服怕 死的最好办法-·至少在我看来是这样-·就是逐渐使自己的兴趣更加广泛，逐渐摆脱个人狭小的 圈子，直到自我的围墙一点一点地倒塌下来，自己的生活慢慢地和整个宇宙的生活融合在一起。个 人的存在应该像一条河流，开始很小，被紧紧地夹在两岸中间，接着热情奔放地冲过巨石，飞下瀑 布。然后河面渐渐地变宽，两岸后撒，河水流得平缓起来，最后连绵不断地汇入大海，毫无痛苦地 失去了自我的存在。上了年纪的人这样看待生命，就不会有惧怕死亡的心情了，因为自己关心的一 切事件都会继续下去。再者，随着精力的衰退，老年人的疲惫会增长，有长眠的愿望未尝不是一 件好事情，我希望工作到死为止，明白了有人会继续我的未竞事业，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦 然了。 Lesson12 Banks and their customers银行和顾客 When anyone opens a current account at a bank,he is lending the bank money, repayment of which he may demand at any time,either in cash or by drawing a cheque in favour of another person.Primarily,the banker-customer relationship is that of debtor and creditor--who is which depending on whether the customer's account is in credit or is overdrawn.But,in addition to that basically simple concept, the bank and its customer owe a large number of obligations to one another.Many of these obligations can give in to problems and complications but a bank customer, unlike,say,a buyer of goods,cannot complain that the law is loaded against him The bank must obey its customer's instructions,and not those of anyone else. When,for example,a customer first opens an account,he instructs the bank to debit his account only in respect of cheques draw by himself.He gives the bank specimens of his signature,and there is a very firm rule that the bank has no right or authority to pay out a customer's money on a cheques on which its customer's signature has been forged.It makes no difference that the forgery may have been a very skilful one:the bank must recognize its customer's signature.For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice,adopted by banks,of printing the customer's name on his cheques.If this facilitates forgery,it is the bank which will lose,not the customer. 参考译文 任何人在银行开一个活期账户，就等于把钱借给了银行。这笔钱他可以随时提取，提取的方式 可以是取现金，也可以是开一张以他人为收款人的支票。银行与储户的关系主要是债务人和债权人 的关系。究竟谁是债务人谁是债权人，要看储户是有结余还是透支。除了这一基本的简单的概念 外，银行和储户彼此还需承担大量义务。其中许多义务往往引起问题和纠纷。但是储户不能像货物 的买主那样来抱怨法律对自己不利。 银行必须遵照储户的嘱托办事，不能听从其他人的指令。比如，储户首次在银行开户时，嘱附 银行他的存款只能凭本世人签字的支票来提取。他把自己签名的样本交给银行，对此有一条非常严
the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river -- small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suf fer f rom the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if , with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will be not unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. 参考译文 有些老年人因为怕死而感到烦恼。青年人有这种感觉是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己会死在战 场上的年轻人，想到自己被剥夺了生活所能给予的最美好的东西时，感到痛苦，这是可以理解的。 可是老年人已经饱尝了人间的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有点儿可怜又可鄙。克服怕 死的最好办法 -- 至少在我看来是这样 -- 就是逐渐使自己的兴趣更加广泛，逐渐摆脱个人狭小的 圈子，直到自我的围墙一点一点地倒塌下来，自己的生活慢慢地和整个宇宙的生活融合在一起。个 人的存在应该像一条河流，开始很小，被紧紧地夹在两岸中间，接着热情奔放地冲过巨石，飞下瀑 布。然后河面渐渐地变宽，两岸后撤，河水流得平缓起来，最后连绵不断地汇入大海，毫无痛苦地 失去了自我的存在。上了年纪的人这样看待生命，就不会有惧怕死亡的心情了，因为自己关心的一 切事件都会继续下去。 再者，随着精力的衰退，老年人的疲惫会增长，有长眠的愿望未尝不是一 件好事情，我希望工作到死为止，明白了有人会继续我的未竟事业，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦 然了。 Lesson 12 Banks and their customers 银行和顾客 When anyone opens a current account at a bank, he is lending the bank money, repayment of which he may demand at any time, either in cash or by drawing a cheque in favour of another person. Primarily, the banker-customer relationship is that of debtor and creditor -- who is which depending on whether the customer's account is in credit or is overdrawn. But, in addition to that basically simple concept, the bank and its customer owe a large number of obligations to one another. Many of these obligations can give in to problems and complications but a bank customer, unlike, say, a buyer of goods, cannot complain that the law is loaded against him. The bank must obey its customer's instructions, and not those of anyone else. When, for example, a customer first opens an account, he instructs the bank to debit his account only in respect of cheques draw by himself . He gives the bank specimens of his signature, and there is a very firm rule that the bank has no right or authority to pay out a customer's money on a cheques on which its customer's signature has been forged. It makes no dif ference that the f orgery may have been a very skilful one: the bank must recognize its customer's signature. For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice, adopted by banks, of printing the customer's name on his cheques. If this facilitates forgery, it is the bank which will lose, not the customer. 参考译文 任何人在银行开一个活期账户，就等于把钱借给了银行。这笔钱他可以随时提取，提取的方式 可以是取现金，也可以是开一张以他人为收款人的支票。银行与储户的关系主要是债务人和债权人 的关系。究竟谁是债务人谁是债权人，要看储户是有结余还是透支。除了这一基本的简单的概念 外，银行和储户彼此还需承担大量义务。其中许多义务往往引起问题和纠纷。但是储户不能像货物 的买主那样来抱怨法律对自己不利。 银行必须遵照储户的嘱托办事，不能听从其他人的指令。比如，储户首次在银行开户时，嘱咐 银行他的存款只能凭本世人签字的支票来提取。他把自己签名的样本交给银行，对此有一条非常严
格的规定：银行没有任何权利或理由把储户的钱让伪造储户的支票取走。即使伪造得很巧妙，也不 能付款，因为银行有责任辨认出其储户的签名。因此，某些银行已采用把储户印在支票上的作法。 这种做法对储户毫无风险。如果因这种作法出现了伪造的话，受损失的将不是储户，而是银行。 Lesson13 The search for oil探寻石油 The deepest holes of all made for oil,and they go down to as much as 25,0000 feet.But we not need to send men down to get the oil our,as we must with other mineral deposits.The holes are only borings,less than a foot in diameter.My particular experience is largely in oil,and the search for oil has done more to improve deep drilling than any other mining activity.When is has been decided where we are going to drill,we put up at the surface an oil derrick.It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle,and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom. The geologist needs to know what rocks the drill has reached,so every so often a sample is obtained with a coring bit.It cuts a clean cylinder of rock,from which can be seen the strata the drill has been cutting through.Once we get down to the oil,it usually flows to the surface because great pressure,either from or water,is pushing it.This pressure must be under control,and we control it by means of the mud which we circulate down the drill pipe.We endeavour to avoid the old,romantic idea of a gusher,which wastes oil and gas.We want it to stay down the hole until we can lead it off in a controlled manner. 参考译文 在所有洞穴中，为寻找石油所钻出的洞是最深的，这些洞可深达25,000英尺。但是，我们不 必像开采其他矿藏那样，把人送到地下去把石油取出。这些洞只不过是一些钻孔，直径不到1英 尺。我是专门搞石油的，寻找石油比其他任何采矿业对改进钻探作的贡献都要大。当确定钻孔地点 后，我们就在那里竖起一个井架。井架必须很高，因为它像一个巨型滑轮组。我们必须把很长的钻 杆一节节地钻入地下，然后再从地下拉出米。钻杆顶部安装的发动机带动钻杆旋转，它的底部装有 钻头。 地质学家需要知道钻头已以到达什么样的岩层，因此时常要用芯钻头取样。这种钻头能切割一 段光滑的圆柱形岩石，从中能看出所钻透的地层。一旦到达油层，石油就会由于地下巨大的压力流 到地面上来，这种巨大的压力来自地下天然气或水。这种压力必须加以控制，我们让泥桨顺着钻杆 向下循环，用这种方法来控制压力。我们尽量避免使用陈旧天真的喷井方法，那样会浪费石油和天 然气。我们要让石油留在井下，直到我们能用一种有控制的方法把它引上来为止。 Lesson14 The Butterfly Effect蝴蝶效应 Beyond two or three days,the world's best weather forecasts are speculative,and beyond six or seven they are worthless. The Butterfly Effect is the reason.For small pieces of weather--and to a global forecaster,small can mean thunderstorms and blizzards -any prediction deteriorates rapidly.Errors and uncertainties multiply,cascading upward through a chain of turbulent features,from dust devils and squalls up to continent-size eddies that only satellites can see. The modern weather models work with a grid of points of the order of sixty miles apart,and even so,some starting data has to guessed,since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere.But suppose the earth could be covered with sensors spaced one foot apart,rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere.Suppose every sensor gives perfectly accurate readings of temperature,pressure,humidity,and any other quantity a meteorologist would want.Precisely at noon an infinitely powerful computer takes all the data and calculates what will happen at each point at 12.01,then 12.02,then 12.03
格的规定：银行没有任何权利或理由把储户的钱让伪造储户的支票取走。即使伪造得很巧妙，也不 能付款，因为银行有责任辨认出其储户的签名。因此，某些银行已采用把储户印在支票上的作法。 这种做法对储户毫无风险。如果因这种作法出现了伪造的话，受损失的将不是储户，而是银行。 Lesson 13 The search for oil 探寻石油 The deepest holes of all made for oil, and they go down to as much as 25,0000 feet. But we not need to send men down to get the oil our, as we must with other mineral deposits. The holes are only borings, less than a foot in diameter. My particular experience is largely in oil, and the search for oil has done more to improve deep drilling than any other mining activity. When is has been decided where we are going to drill, we put up at the surface an oil derrick. It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle, and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom. The geologist needs to know what rocks the drill has reached, so every so of ten a sample is obtained with a coring bit. It cuts a clean cylinder of rock, f rom which can be seen the strata the drill has been cutting through. Once we get down to the oil, it usually flows to the surface because great pressure, either f rom or water, is pushing it. This pressure must be under control, and we control it by means of the mud which we circulate down the drill pipe. We endeavour to avoid the old, romantic idea of a gusher, which wastes oil and gas. We want it to stay down the hole until we can lead it of f in a controlled manner. 参考译文 在所有洞穴中，为寻找石油所钻出的洞是最深的，这些洞可深达 25,000 英尺。但是，我们不 必像开采其他矿藏那样，把人送到地下去把石油取出。这些洞只不过是一些钻孔，直径不到 1 英 尺。我是专门搞石油的，寻找石油比其他任何采矿业对改进钻探作的贡献都要大。当确定钻孔地点 后，我们就在那里竖起一个井架。井架必须很高，因为它像一个巨型滑轮组。我们必须把很长的钻 杆一节节地钻入地下，然后再从地下拉出来。钻杆顶部安装的发动机带动钻杆旋转，它的底部装有 钻头。 地质学家需要知道钻头已以到达什么样的岩层，因此时常要用芯钻头取样。这种钻头能切割一 段光滑的圆柱形岩石，从中能看出所钻透的地层。一旦到达油层，石油就会由于地下巨大的压力流 到地面上来，这种巨大的压力来自地下天然气或水。这种压力必须加以控制，我们让泥桨顺着钻杆 向下循环，用这种方法来控制压力。我们尽量避免使用陈旧天真的喷井方法，那样会浪费石油和天 然气。我们要让石油留在井下，直到我们能用一种有控制的方法把它引上来为止。 Lesson 14 The Butterfly Effect 蝴蝶效应 Beyond two or three days, the world's best weather forecasts are speculative, and beyond six or seven they are worthless. The Butterfly Ef fect is the reason. For small pieces of weather -- and to a global forecaster, small can mean thunderstorms and blizzards -- any prediction deteriorates rapidly. Errors and uncertainties multiply, cascading upward through a chain of turbulent features, f rom dust devils and squalls up to continent-size eddies that only satellites can see. The modern weather models work with a grid of points of the order of sixty miles apart, and even so, some starting data has to guessed, since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere. But suppose the earth could be covered with sensors spaced one foot apart, rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere. Suppose every sensor gives perfectly accurate readings of temperature, pressure, humidity, and any other quantity a meteorologist would want. Precisely at noon an infinitely powerful computer takes all the data and calculates what will happen at each point at 12.01, then 12.02, then 12.03
The computer will still be unable to predict whether Princeton,New Jersey,will have sun or rain on a day one month away.At noon the spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations that the computer will not know about,tiny deviations from the average.By 12.01,those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away.Soon the errors will have multiplied to the ten-foot scale,and so on up to the size of the globe. 参考译文 世界上最好的两三天以上的天气预报具有很强的猜测性，如果超过六七天，天气预报就没有了 任何价值。 原因是蝴蝶效应。对于小片的恶劣天气-一对一个全球性的气象预报员来说，“小"可以意味着雷 暴雨和暴风雪任何预测的质量会很快下降。错误和不可靠性上升，接踵而来的是一系列湍流的 徵状，从小尘暴和暴风发展到只有卫星上可以看到的席卷整块大陆的旋涡。 现代气象模型以一个坐标图来显示，图中每个点大约是间隔60英里。既使是这样，有些开始时 的资料也不得不依靠推测，因为地面工作站和卫星不可能看到地球上的每一个地方。假设地球上可 以布满传感器，每个相隔1英尺，并按1英尺的间隔从地面一直排列到大气层的顶端。再假定每 个传感器都极极端准确地读出了温度、气压、温度和气象学家需要的任何其他数据。在正午时分， 一个功能巨大的计算机搜集了所有的资料，并算出在每一个点上12：01、12：02、12：03时可 能出现的情况。 计算机无法推断出1个月以后的某一天，新泽西州的普林斯顿究竞是晴天还是雨天。正午时 分，传感器之间的距离会掩盖计算机无法知道的波动、任何偏平均值的变化。到12：01时，那些 波动就已经会在1英尺远的地方造成偏差。很快这种偏差会增加到尺10英的范围，如此等等， 直到全球的范围。 Lesson15 Secrecy in industry工业中的秘密 Two factors weigh heavily against the effectiveness of scientific research in industry.One is the general atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out,the other the lack of freedom of the individual research worker.In so far as any inquiry is a secret one,it naturally limits all those engaged in carrying it out from effective contact with their fellow scientists either in other countries or in universities,or even, often enough,in other departments of the same firm.The degree of secrecy naturally varies considerably.Some of the bigger firms are engaged in researches which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a positive advantage to them not to keep them secret.Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out.Even more processes are never patented at all but kept as secret processes.This applies particularly to chemical industries,where chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in physical and mechanical industries. Sometimes the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research cannot be mentioned.Many firms,for instance,have great difficulty in obtaining technical or scientific books from libraries because they are unwilling to have names entered as having taken out such and such a book,for fear the agents of other firms should be able to trace the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking. 参考译文 有两个因素严重地妨碍工业中科学研究的效率：一是科研工作中普遍存在的保密气氛：二是研 究人员缺乏个人自由。任何一项研究都涉及到保密，那些从事科研的人员自然受到了限制。他们不 能和其他国家、其他大学、甚至往往不能与本公司的其他部门的同行们进行有效的接触。保密程度 自然差别很大。某些大公司进行的研究属于一般和基础的研究，因此不保密对他们才有利。然而， 依赖这种研究的很多工艺程序是在完全保密的情况下进行的，直到可以取得专利权的阶段为止。更 多的工艺过程根本就不会取得专利权，而是作为秘方保存着。在这化学工业方面尤为突出。同物理 和机械工业相比，化学工业中偶然发现的机会要多得多。有时，保密竞达到了这样的程度，即连研 究工作的整个性质都不准提及。比如，很多公司向图书馆借阅科技书籍时感到困难，因为它们不愿
The computer will still be unable to predict whether Princeton, New Jersey, will have sun or rain on a day one month away. At noon the spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations that the computer will not know about, tiny deviations f rom the average. By 12.01, those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away. Soon the errors will have multiplied to the ten-foot scale, and so on up to the size of the globe. 参考译文 世界上最好的两三天以上的天气预报具有很强的猜测性，如果超过六七天，天气预报就没有了 任何价值。 原因是蝴蝶效应。对于小片的恶劣天气 -- 对一个全球性的气象预报员来说，“小”可以意味着雷 暴雨和暴风雪 -- 任何预测的质量会很快下降。错误和不可靠性上升，接踵而来的是一系列湍流的 徵状，从小尘暴和暴风发展到只有卫星上可以看到的席卷整块大陆的旋涡。 现代气象模型以一个坐标图来显示，图中每个点大约是间隔 60 英里。既使是这样，有些开始时 的资料也不得不依靠推测，因为地面工作站和卫星不可能看到地球上的每一个地方。假设地球上可 以布满传感器，每个相隔 1 英尺，并按 1 英尺的间隔从地面一直排列到大气层的顶端。再假定每 个传感器都极极端准确地读出了温度、气压、温度和气象学家需要的任何其他数据。在正午时分， 一个功能巨大的计算机搜集了所有的资料，并算出在每一个点上 12：01、12：02、12：03 时可 能出现的情况。 计算机无法推断出 1 个月以后的某一天，新泽西州的普林斯顿究竟是晴天还是雨天。正午时 分，传感器之间的距离会掩盖计算机无法知道的波动、任何偏平均值的变化。到 12：01 时，那些 波动就已经会在 1 英尺远的地方造成偏差。很快这种偏差会增加到尺 10 英的范围，如此等等，一 直到全球的范围。 Lesson 15 Secrecy in industry 工业中的秘密 Two factors weigh heavily against the ef fectiveness of scientific research in industry. One is the general atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out, the other the lack of f reedom of the individual research worker. In so far as any inquiry is a secret one, it naturally limits all those engaged in carrying it out f rom ef fective contact with their fellow scientists either in other countries or in universities, or even, of ten enough, in other departments of the same firm. The degree of secrecy naturally varies considerably. Some of the bigger firms are engaged in researches which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a positive advantage to them not to keep them secret. Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. Even more processes are never patented at all but kept as secret processes. This applies particularly to chemical industries, where chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in physical and mechanical industries. Sometimes the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research cannot be mentioned. Many firms, for instance, have great dif ficulty in obtaining technical or scientific books f rom libraries because they are unwilling to have names entered as having taken out such and such a book, for fear the agents of other firms should be able to trace the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking. 参考译文 有两个因素严重地妨碍工业中科学研究的效率：一是科研工作中普遍存在的保密气氛；二是研 究人员缺乏个人自由。任何一项研究都涉及到保密，那些从事科研的人员自然受到了限制。他们不 能和其他国家、其他大学、甚至往往不能与本公司的其他部门的同行们进行有效的接触。保密程度 自然差别很大。某些大公司进行的研究属于一般和基础的研究，因此不保密对他们才有利。然而， 依赖这种研究的很多工艺程序是在完全保密的情况下进行的，直到可以取得专利权的阶段为止。更 多的工艺过程根本就不会取得专利权，而是作为秘方保存着。在这化学工业方面尤为突出。同物理 和机械工业相比，化学工业中偶然发现的机会要多得多。有时，保密竟达到了这样的程度，即连研 究工作的整个性质都不准提及。比如，很多公司向图书馆借阅科技书籍时感到困难，因为它们不愿