中英文對照小短文

1、Cells and Temperature 細(xì)胞與溫度Cells cannot remain alive outside certain limits of temperature and much narrower limits mark the boundaries of effective functioning. Enzyme systems of mammals and birds are most efficient only within a narrow range around 37C;a departure of a few degrees from this value

2、seriously impairs their functioning. Even though cells can survive wider fluctuations the integrated actions of bodily systems are impaired. Other animals have a wider tolerance for changes of bodily temperature.For centuries it has been recognized that mammals and birds differ from other animals in

3、 the way they regulate body temperature. Ways of characterizing the difference have become more accurate and meaningful over time, but popular terminology still ref lects the old division into “warm -blooded” and “cold -blooded” species; warm-blooded included mammals and birds whereas all other crea

4、tures were considered cold-blooded. As more species were studied, it became evident that this classification was inadequate. A fence lizard or a desert iguana each cold-blooded-usually has a body temperature only a degree or two below that of humans and so is not cold. Therefore the next distinction

5、 was made between animals that maintain a constant body temperature, called home0therms, and those whose body temperature varies with their environments, called poikilotherms. But this classification also proved inadequate, because among mammals there are many that vary their body temperatures durin

6、g hibernation. Furthermore, many invertebrates that live in the depths of the ocean never experience change in the depths of the ocean never experience change in the chill of the deep water, and their body temperatures remain constant.細(xì)胞只能在一定的溫度范圍內(nèi)存活, 而進(jìn)一步保證它們有效工作的溫度范圍就更 小了。哺乳動物和鳥類的酶系統(tǒng)只能在 37左右的很小范圍內(nèi)

7、才能有效工作。 與此 相差僅幾度的溫度都會大大削弱它們的工作效率。盡管溫度變化更大時細(xì) 胞仍能存活, 但機(jī)體系統(tǒng)的整體運(yùn)行能力卻被削弱了。 其它動物對體溫的變化有 更強(qiáng)的適應(yīng) 性。幾個世紀(jì)以來,人們就認(rèn)識到哺乳動物和鳥類調(diào)節(jié)體溫的方式與其它動物不同。 隨著時間的推移,人們對這種差異的描述越來越精確和有意義,但是 暖血動物 和 冷血動物 這一古老的分類方式至今仍在大眾詞匯中有所反映。 暖血動物包括 哺乳動物和鳥類, 其它動物統(tǒng)統(tǒng)被視為冷血動物。 但是對更多物種進(jìn)行的研究表 明 這種分類顯然是不適當(dāng)?shù)?。美洲一種小型蜥蜴和沙漠鬣蜥同屬冷血動物,但 實(shí)際上它們的體溫通常只比人類的體溫低 12度,因此并

8、不是真正的冷血。因 此又出現(xiàn) 了恒溫動物 (即保持恒定體溫的動物 和變溫動物 (即體溫隨外界環(huán)境的 變化而改變的動物 這一區(qū)分方式。但這種分類也不恰當(dāng)。因?yàn)橛胁簧俨溉閯游?在冬眠期間 會改變體溫,而許多生活在深海的無脊椎動物在寒冷的深海水域中 體溫并不變化,而是恒定的。Modern American Universities 現(xiàn)代美國大學(xué)Before the 1850s, the United States had a number of small colleges, most of them dating from colonial days. They were small, churc

9、h connected institutions whose primary concern was to shape the moral character of their students.Throughout Europe, institutions of higher learning had developed, bearing the ancient name of university. In German university was concerned primarily with creating and spreading knowledge, not morals.

10、Between mid-century and the end of the 1800s, more than nine thousand young Americans, dissatisfied with their training at home, went to Germany for advanced study. Some of them return to become presidents of venerable colleges-Harvard, Yale, Columbia-and transform them into modern universities. The

11、 new presidents broke all ties with the churches and brought in a new kind of faculty. Professors were hired for their knowledge of a subject, not because they were of the proper faith and had a strong arm for disciplining students. The new principle was that a university was to create knowledge as

12、well as pass it on, and this called for a faculty composed of teacher-scholars. Drilling and learning by rote were replaced by the German method of lecturing, in which the professors own research was presented in class. Graduate training leading to the Ph.D., an ancient German degree signifying the

13、highest level of advanced scholarly attainment, was introduced. With the establishment of the seminar system, graduate student learned to question, analyze, and conduct their own research.At the same time, the new university greatly expanded in size and course offerings, breaking completely out of t

14、he old, constricted curriculum of mathematics, classics, rhetoric, and music. The president of Harvard pioneered the elective system, by which students were able to choose their own course of study. The notion of major fields of study emerged. The new goal was to make the university relevant to the

15、real pursuits of the world. Paying close heed to the practical needs of society, the new universities trained men and women to work at its tasks, with engineering students being the most characteristic of the new regime. Students were also trained as economists, architects, agriculturalists, social

16、welfare workers, and teachers.19世紀(jì) 50年代以前美國有一些小的學(xué)院,大多數(shù)成立于殖民時期。它們是與教 會掛鉤的小機(jī)構(gòu),主要目的是培養(yǎng)學(xué)生的道德品行。當(dāng)時在歐洲各地,高等教育機(jī)構(gòu)已經(jīng)發(fā)展起來,用的是一個古老的名稱 -大學(xué)。 德國已經(jīng)發(fā)展出一種不同類型的大學(xué)。 德國大學(xué)關(guān)心的主要是創(chuàng)造知識和傳播知 識,而不是道德教育。從世紀(jì)中葉到世紀(jì)末,有 9000多名美國青年因不滿國內(nèi) 所受的教育而赴德深造。他們中的一些人回國后成為一些知名學(xué)府 -哈佛、耶 魯、 哥倫比亞的校長并且把這些學(xué)府轉(zhuǎn)變成了現(xiàn)代意義的大學(xué)。 新校長們斷絕了 和教會的關(guān)系, 聘請了新型的教職員, 聘用教授

17、根據(jù)的是他們在學(xué)科方面的知識, 而 不是正確的信仰和約束學(xué)生的強(qiáng)硬手段。新的原則是大學(xué)既要傳播知識也要 創(chuàng)造知識。 這就需要由學(xué)者型老師組成教工隊(duì)伍。 靠死記硬背和做練習(xí)來學(xué)習(xí)的 方法變?yōu)?德國式的講解方法。德國式的講解就是由教授講授自己的研究課題。 通過研究生性質(zhì)的學(xué)習(xí)可以獲得表明最高學(xué)術(shù)造詣的古老的德國學(xué)位 -博士學(xué)位。隨著討論課 制度的建立,研究生們學(xué)會了提問、分析以及開展他們自己的 研究。同時,新式大學(xué)學(xué)校規(guī)模和課程設(shè)置完全突破了過去那種只有數(shù)學(xué)、經(jīng)典著作、 美學(xué)和音樂的狹窄課程表。 哈佛大學(xué)的校長率先推出選課制度, 這樣學(xué)生們就能 選擇 自己的專業(yè)。主修領(lǐng)域的概念也出現(xiàn)了。新的目標(biāo)是

18、使大學(xué)對實(shí)際社會更 有用。密切關(guān)注著社會上的實(shí)際需求,新的大學(xué)著意培養(yǎng)學(xué)生解決問題的能力。 工程系學(xué)生 成為新式教育體制下最典型的學(xué)生。 學(xué)生們還被培訓(xùn)成為經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家、 建筑師、農(nóng)學(xué)家、社會工作人員以及教師。細(xì)菌Bacteria are extremely small living things. While we measure our own sizes in inches or centimeters, bacterial size is measured in microns. One micron is a thousandth of a millimeter: a pinhead i

19、s about a millimeter across. Rod-shaped bacteria are usually from two to four microns long, while rounded ones are generally one micron in diameter. Thus if you enlarged a rounded bacterium a thousand times, it would be just about the size of a pinhead. An adult human magnified by the same amount wo

20、uld be over a mile(1.6 kilometer tall.Even with an ordinary microscope, you must look closely to see bacteria. Using a magnification of 100 times, one finds that bacteria are barely visible as tiny rods or dots. One cannot make out anything of their structure. Using special stains, one can see that

21、some bacteria have attached to them wavy-looking “hairs” called flagella. Others have only one flagellum. The flagella rotate, pushing the bacteria through the water. Many bacteria lack flagella and cannot move about by their own power, while others can glide along over surfaces by some little-under

22、stood mechanism.From the bacteria point of view, the world is a very different place from what it is to humans. To a bacterium water is as thick as molasses is to us. Bacteria are so small that they are influenced by the movements of the chemical molecules around them. Bacteria under the microscope,

23、 even those with no flagella, often bounce about in the water. This is because they collide with the watery molecules and are pushed this way and that. Molecules move so rapidly that within a tenth of a second the molecules around a bacteria have all been replaced by new ones; even bacteria without

24、flagella are thus constantly exposed to a changing environment.細(xì)菌是極其微小的生物體。 我們用英寸或厘米來測量自己的大小, 而測量細(xì)菌卻 要用微米。一微米等于千分之一毫米。針頭直徑大約一毫米。棒狀細(xì)菌通常有 24微米長,而圓形細(xì)菌的直徑一般只有 1微米。因此,即使 你把一個圓形細(xì)菌放大 1000倍,它也不過一個針頭那么大。可是如果把一個成年人放大 1000倍,就會變成 1英里 (或 1.6公里 多高。用一般的顯微鏡觀察細(xì)菌時, 你必須仔細(xì)觀察才能看見它們。 使用 100倍的顯微 鏡時, 你會發(fā)現(xiàn)細(xì)菌不過是隱約可見的小細(xì)棒或小點(diǎn)點(diǎn),

25、 而它們的結(jié)構(gòu)你卻根本看不出來。使用特殊的著色劑后,你會發(fā)現(xiàn)有的細(xì)菌上長著不少波狀的 毛發(fā) 即鞭毛,而有的 細(xì)菌只有一根鞭毛。鞭毛的旋轉(zhuǎn)可以推動細(xì)菌在水中行進(jìn)。不少細(xì)菌沒有鞭毛, 因而不能自己行進(jìn)。還有些細(xì)菌卻能通過某些鮮為人知的機(jī)制沿物體表面滑動。我們所熟知的世界在細(xì)菌眼中完全是另一個樣子。 對于細(xì)菌來說, 水就同糖漿之 于人類一樣稠密。 細(xì)菌是如此的微小, 周圍化學(xué)分子的一舉一動都會對它們產(chǎn)生 影 響。在顯微鏡下,細(xì)菌,甚至包括那些沒有鞭毛的細(xì)菌,經(jīng)常在水中跳來跳 去。這是因?yàn)樗鼈兣c水分子相撞后,被彈向各個方向。分子移動很迅速,僅 0.1秒之 隔,一個細(xì)菌周圍的分子就會完全更新。因此,即使

26、是沒有鞭毛的細(xì)菌也 暴露在一個不斷變化的環(huán)境中。人類的視覺Human vision like that of other primates has evolved in an arboreal environment. In the dense complex world of a tropical forest, it is more important to see well than to develop an acute sense of smell. In the course of evolution members of the primate line have acquire

27、d large eyes while the snout has shrunk to give the eye an unimpeded view. Of mammals only humans and some primates enjoy color vision. The red flag is black to the bull. Horses live in a monochrome world .light visible to human eyes however occupies only a very narrow band in the whole electromagne

28、tic spectrum. Ultraviolet rays are invisible to humans though ants and honeybees are sensitive to them. Humans though ants and honeybees are sensitive to them. Humans have no direct perception of infrared rays unlike the rattlesnake which has receptors tuned into wavelengths longer than 0.7 micron.

29、The world would look eerily different if human eyes were sensitive to infrared radiation. Then instead of the darkness of night, we would be able to move easily in a strange shadowless world where objects glowed with varying degrees of intensity. But human eyes excel in other ways. They are in fact

30、remarkably discerning in color gradation. The color sensitivity of normal human vision is rarely surpassed even by sophisticated technical devices.人類的視覺,和其它靈長目動物的一樣,是在叢林環(huán)境中進(jìn)化出來的。在稠密、 復(fù)雜的熱帶叢林里, 好的視覺比靈敏的嗅覺更加重要。 在進(jìn)化過程中, 靈長目動 物的 眼睛變大,同時鼻子變小以使視野不受阻礙。在哺乳類動物中,只有人和 一些靈長目動物能夠分辨顏色。 紅旗在公?？磥硎呛谏? 馬則生活在一個單色 的世界里

31、。 然而,人眼可見的光在整個光譜中只占一個非常狹窄的頻段。人是 看不到紫外線的, 盡管螞蟻和蜜蜂可以感覺到。 與響尾蛇不同, 人也不能直接感 受到紅外線。響尾 蛇的感覺器可以感受波長超過 0.7微米的光線。如果人能感 受到紅外線的話,這世界看上去將十分不同,而且恐怖。到那時,將與夜的黑暗 相反,我們能輕易地在 一個奇異的沒有陰影的世界里走動。任何物體都強(qiáng)弱不 等地閃著光。然而,人眼在其它方面有優(yōu)越之處。事實(shí)上,人眼對顏色梯度具有 非凡的分辨能力。普通人類的 視覺感受色彩的靈敏程度,甚至連精密的技術(shù)裝 備都很難超越。民間文化A folk culture is a small isolated,

32、cohesive, conservative, nearly self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and race with a strong family or clan structure and highly developed rituals. Order is maintained through sanctions based in the religion or family and interpersonal relationships are strong. Tradition is paramount, a

33、nd change comes infrequently and slowly. There is relatively little division of labor into specialized duties. Rather, each person is expected to perform a great variety of tasks, though duties may differ between the sexes. Most goods are handmade and subsistence economy prevails. Individualism is w

34、eakly developed in folk cultures as are social classes. Unaltered folk cultures no longer exist in industrialized countries such as the United States and Canada. Perhaps the nearest modern equivalent in Anglo America is the Amish, a German American farming sect that largely renounces the products an

35、d labor saving devices of the industrial age. In Amish areas, horse drawn buggies still serve as a local transportation device and the faithful are not permitted to own automobiles. The Amishs central religious concept of Demut “humility”, clearly reflects the weakness of individualism and social cl

36、ass so typical of folk cultures and there is a corresponding strength of Amish group identity. Rarely do the Amish marry outside their sect. The religion, a variety of the Mennonite faith, provides the principal mechanism for maintaining order.By contrast a popular culture is a large heterogeneous g

37、roup often highly individualistic and a pronounced many specialized professions. Secular institutions of control such as the police and army take the place of religion and family in maintaining order, and a money-based economy prevails. Because of these contrasts, “popular” may be viewed as clearly

38、different from “folk”. The popular is replacing the folk in industrialized countries and in many developing nations. Folk-made objects give way to their popular equivalent, usually because the popular item is more quickly or cheaply produced, is easier or time saving to use or leads more prestige to

39、 the owner.民間文化是小型的、孤立的、緊密的、保守的、近乎自給自足的群體,具有同樣 的習(xí)俗、同樣的人種和強(qiáng)有力的家庭或部族結(jié)構(gòu)以及高度發(fā)展的宗教儀式。 秩序由宗教或家庭的約束來維持, 成員間的關(guān)系非常緊密, 傳統(tǒng)至高無上, 很少 有變動且變動緩慢。 勞動專業(yè)分工相對較少。 每個人都要做各類活計(jì), 盡管男女 兩性 分工不同。絕大多數(shù)物品是手工制造的,經(jīng)濟(jì)一般為自給自足型。個人主 義和社會階層在民間文化群體中的發(fā)展十分薄弱。 在象美國和加拿大這樣的工業(yè) 化國家里, 一成不變的民間文化群體已不復(fù)存在了。在當(dāng)代美洲的英語區(qū),與 民間文化最相似的群體也許算是 Amish 。 Amish 是美國

40、的德裔農(nóng)耕部落,他們基 本上拒絕 接受工業(yè)時代的大多數(shù)產(chǎn)品和節(jié)省勞力的設(shè)施。在 Amish 地區(qū),輕便 馬車仍是當(dāng)?shù)氐慕煌üぞ?信徒們不允許擁有汽車。 Amish 宗教中的核心觀念 Demut 即謙卑典型地反映了在民間文化群中個人主義和階級的不發(fā)達(dá)。 而與此同 時, Amish 對群體的認(rèn)同性卻十分強(qiáng)。 Amish 人很少和他們宗派以外的 人通婚。 其宗教,作為 Mennonite 信仰的一種,提供了維護(hù)秩序的主要機(jī)制。相反,大眾 文化是包含不同種族的大群體,通常高度個性化而且不斷在變化。 人際關(guān)系冷 漠,勞動分工明確,由此產(chǎn)生了許多專門的職業(yè)。世俗的控制機(jī)構(gòu),比如警察和 軍隊(duì),取代了宗教和家

41、庭來維持秩序,而且實(shí)行的是貨幣經(jīng)濟(jì)。由于存在著這些差異, 大眾的 與 民間的 可謂大相徑庭。在工業(yè)化國家以及許 多發(fā)展中國家里,大眾文化正在取代民間文化。民間制造的物品正讓位于大眾化產(chǎn)品,這通常是因?yàn)榇蟊娀奈锲分圃炱饋砀?快、更便宜,用起來更容易、更方便或者是能給其所有者帶來更多的威望。The source of Energy 能量的來源A summary of the physical and chemical nature of life must begin, not on the Earth, but in the Sun; in fact, at the Suns very cen

42、ter. It is here that is to be found the source of the energy that the Sun constantly pours out into space as light and heat. This energy is librated at the center of the Sun as billions upon billions of nuclei of hydrogen atoms collide with each other and fuse together to form nuclei of helium, and

43、in doing so, release some of the energy that is stored in the nuclei of atoms. The output of light and heat of the Sun requires that some 600 million tons of hydrogen be converted into helium in the Sun every second. This the Sun has been doing for several thousands of millions of year.The nuclear e

44、nergy is released at the Suns center as high-energy gamma radiation, a form of electromagnetic radiation like light and radio waves, only of very much shorter wavelength. This gamma radiation is absorbed by atoms inside the Sun to be reemitted at slightly longer wavelengths. This radiation , in its

45、turn is absorbed and reemitted. As the energy filters through the layers of the solar interior, it passes through the X-ray part of the spectrum eventually becoming light. At this stage, it has reached what we call the solar surface, and can escape into space without being absorbed further by solar

46、atoms. A very small fraction of the Suns light and heat is emitted in such directions that after passing unhindered through interplanetary space, it hits the Earth.說生命的物理和化學(xué)特性必須始于太陽 -確切地說,是太陽的核心,而非地球。 能量來自太陽的核心。在這里,太陽不停地以光和熱的形式向空間傾瀉出能量。 數(shù) 十億計(jì)的氫原子核在太陽的核心碰撞并且聚變生成氦。在此過程中一部分原 本儲存于原子核中的能量被釋放出來。 太陽所產(chǎn)生的光和熱

47、需要每秒將六億噸氫 轉(zhuǎn)化為 氦。這樣的轉(zhuǎn)化在太陽中已經(jīng)持續(xù)幾十億年了。核能在太陽的核心被釋放為高能的伽馬射線。 這是一種電磁射線, 就象光波和無 線電波一樣, 只是波長要短得多。 這種伽瑪射線被太陽內(nèi)的原子所吸收, 然后重 新釋 放為波長稍長一些的光波。這新的射線再次被吸收,而后釋放。在能量由 太陽內(nèi)部一層層滲透出來的過程中,它經(jīng)過了光譜中 X 射線部分,最后變成了 光。在此階 段,能量到達(dá)我們所稱的太陽表層,并且離散到空間而不再被太陽 原子所吸收。只有很小一部分太陽的光和熱由此方向釋放出來,并且未被阻擋, 穿越星空,來到地 球。SleepSleep is part of a persons

48、daily activity cycle. There are several different stages ofsleep, and they too occur in cycles. If you are an average sleeper, your sleep cycle is as follows. When you first drift off into slumber, your eyes will roll about a bit, you temperature will drop slightly, your muscles will relax, and your

49、 breathing will slow and become quite regular. Your brain waves slow and become quite regular. Your brain waves slow down a bit too, with the alpha rhythm of rather fast waves for a few minutes. This is called stage 1 sleep. For the next half hour or so, as you relax more and more, you will drift do

50、wn through stage 2 and stage 3 sleep. The lower your stage of sleep. slower your brain waves will be. Then about 40 to 60 minutes after you lose consciousness you will have reached the deepest sleep of all. Your brain will show the large slow waves that are known as the delta rhythm. This is stage 4

51、 sleep.You do not remain at this deep fourth stage all night long, but instead about 80 minutes after you fall into slumber, your brain activity level will increase again slightly. The delta rhythm will disappear, to be replaced by the activity pattern of brain waves. Your eyes will begin to dart ar

52、ound under your closed eyelids as if you were looking at something occurring in front of you. This period of rapid eye movement lasts for some 8 to 15 minutes and is called REM sleep. It is during REM sleep period, your body will soon relax again, your breathing will grow slow and regular once more.

53、 Your breathing will slip gently back from stage 1 to stage 4 sleep-only to rise once again to the surface of near consciousness some 80 minutes later.睡眠是人每天日常活動循環(huán)的一部分。 人的睡眠分幾個階段, 而這些階段也是循 環(huán)發(fā)生的。如果你是一個正常的睡眠者,你的睡眠循環(huán)會這樣進(jìn)行。在你開始昏昏入睡時,你的眼睛會滾動幾下,體溫略有下降,肌肉放松,呼吸變 得緩慢而有節(jié)奏。除了開始幾分鐘比較快的 節(jié)奏外,腦電波也稍有減緩。 這被稱為第一階段睡眠。

54、 在隨后約半小時內(nèi), 你進(jìn)一步放松, 進(jìn)入第二和第三階 段睡眠。睡眠越深入,腦電波就越緩慢。大約在開始睡眠后的 40到60分鐘,你將進(jìn)入沉睡狀態(tài)。這時的腦電波表現(xiàn)為巨大的緩波,被稱為 節(jié)奏。 這就是第四階段睡眠。但你并不是整夜都保持這種沉睡狀態(tài)。入睡后約 80分鐘左右,你的大腦運(yùn)動水 平會再度略有提高。 節(jié)奏消失,并被腦電波的運(yùn)動圖形取代。你的眼睛會 在 閉著的眼瞼下迅速轉(zhuǎn)動,就好象你在看著眼前發(fā)生的什么事情。這種迅速的 眼球運(yùn)動持續(xù)約 815分鐘,這一階段睡眠被稱之為快速眼動 (REM睡眠。在 REM 睡眠階段,你的肢體會很快再度放松,呼吸也再次放慢并變得有節(jié)奏,你 會輕松地從第一階段滑入第

55、四階段睡眠 -直到大約 80分鐘后重新接近清醒狀態(tài)。Movie Music 電影插曲Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”, the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment; when the Lumiere films were shown a

56、t the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the musicplayed bore no special relationship to the films; an accompaniment of any kind was sufficient. Within a very short time, however, the incongrui

57、ty of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist, would be added to the pianist in certain cases, and in the larg

58、er movie theaters small orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film program rested entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and very often the principal qualification for holding such a position was not skill or taste so much as the ow

59、nership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown(if indeed, the conductor was lucky enough to see them then, the musical arrangement was normally improvised in the greatest hurry.To help meet this difficulty, film distributing companies started the practice of publishing suggestions for musical accompaniments. In 1909, for exam