大學(xué)英語精讀2課文復(fù)習(xí)課程

1、學(xué)英語精讀2課文精品文檔Aheateddiscussionaboutwhethermenarebraverthanwomenissettledinaratherunexpectedway關(guān)于男人是否比女人更勇敢的一場(chǎng)激烈爭(zhēng)論以一種頗為出人意料的方式解決了。Unit1TheDinnerPartyMonaGardner晚宴莫娜加德納IfirstheardthistaleinIndia,whereitistoldasiftruethoughanynaturalistwouldknowitcouldntbe.Latersomeonetoldmethatthestoryappearedinamagazi

2、neshortlybeforetheFirstWorldWar.Thatmagazinestory,andthepersonwhowroteit,Ihaveneverbeenabletotrackdown.我最初聽到這個(gè)故事是在印度，那兒的人們今天講起它來仍好像確有其事似的盡管任何一位博物學(xué)家都知道這不可能是真的。后來有人告訴我，在第一次世界大戰(zhàn)之前不久，一家雜志曾刊登過這個(gè)故事。但登在雜志上的那篇故事以及寫那篇故事的人，我卻一直未能找到。ThecountryisIndia.Acolonialofficialandhiswifearegivingalargedinnerparty.Theyar

3、eseatedwiththeirguests-officersandtheirwives,andavisitingAmericannaturalistintheirspaciousdiningroom,whichhasabaremarblefloor,openraftersandwideglassdoorsopeningontoaveranda.故事發(fā)生在印度。某殖民地官員和他的夫人正舉行盛大的晚宴。筵席設(shè)在他們家寬敞的餐室里，室內(nèi)大理石地板上沒有鋪地毯；屋頂明椽裸露；寬大的玻璃門外便是走廊。跟他們一起就坐的客人有軍官和他們的夫人，另外還有一位來訪的美國博物學(xué)家。Aspiriteddiscus

4、sionspringsupbetweenayounggirlwhosaysthatwomenhaveoutgrownthejumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouseeraandamajorwhosaysthattheyhavent.席問，一位年輕的女士同一位少校展開了熱烈的討論。年輕的女士認(rèn)為，婦女已經(jīng)有所進(jìn)步，不再像過去那樣一見到老鼠就嚇得跳到椅子上；少校則不以為然。Awomansreactioninanycrisis,themajorsays,istoscream.Andwhileamanmayfeellikeit,hehasthatouncemo

5、reofcontrolthanawomanhas.Andthatlastounceiswhatreallycounts.他說：“一遇到危急情況，女人的反應(yīng)便是尖叫。而男人雖然也可能想叫，但比起女人來，自制力卻略勝一籌。這多出來的一點(diǎn)自制力正是真正起作用的東0TheAmericandoesnotjoinintheargumentbutwatchestheotherguests.Ashelooks,heseesastrangeexpressioncomeoverthefaceofthehostess.Sheisstaringstraightahead,hermusclescontractingsl

6、ightly.Shemotionstothenativeboystandingbehindherchairandwhisperssomethingtohim.Theboyseyeswiden:hequicklyleavestheroom.那個(gè)美國人沒有參加這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)論，他只是注視著在座的其他客人。在他這樣觀察時(shí)，他發(fā)現(xiàn)女主人的臉上顯出一種奇異的表情。她兩眼盯著正前方，臉部肌肉在微微抽搐。她向站在座椅后面的印度男仆做了個(gè)手勢(shì)，對(duì)他耳語了幾句。男仆兩眼睜得大大的，迅速地離開了餐室。Oftheguests,noneexcepttheAmericannoticesthisorseestheboyplace

7、abowlofmilkontheverandajustoutsidetheopendoors.在座的客人中除了那位美國人以外誰也沒注意到這一幕，也沒有看到那個(gè)男仆把一碗牛奶放在緊靠門邊的走廊上。TheAmericancomestowithastart.InIndia,milkinabowlmeansonlyonethincjbaitforasnake.Herealizestheremustbeacobraintheroom.Helooksupattheraftersthelikeliestplacebuttheyarebare.Threecornersoftheroomareempty,and

8、inthefourththeservantsarewaitingtoservethenextcourse.Thereisonlyoneplaceleftunderthetable.那個(gè)美國人突然醒悟過來。在印度，碗中的牛奶只有一個(gè)意思一一引蛇的誘餌。他意識(shí)到餐室里一定有條眼鏡蛇。他抬頭看了看屋頂上的椽子一一那是最可能有蛇藏身的地方一一但那上面空蕩蕩的。室內(nèi)的三個(gè)角落里也是空的，而在第四個(gè)角落里，仆人們正在等著上下一道菜。這樣，剩下的就只有一個(gè)地方了一一餐桌下面。Hisfirstimpulseistojumpbackandwarntheothers,butheknowsthecommotionw

9、ouldfrightenthecobraintostriking.Hespeaksquickly,thetoneofhisvoicesocommandingthatitsilenceseveryone.他首先想到的是往后一跳，并向其他人發(fā)出警告。但他知道這樣會(huì)引起騷亂，致使眼鏡蛇受驚咬人。于是他很快講了一通話，其語氣非常威嚴(yán)，竟使得所有的人都安靜了下來。Iwanttoknowjustwhatcontroleveryoneatthistablehas.Iwillcountthreehundredthatsfiveminutesandnotoneofyouistomoveamuscle.Those

10、whomovewillforfeit50rupees.Ready!“我想了解一下在座的諸位到底有多大的克制能力，我數(shù)三百下一一也就是五分鐘一一你們誰都不許動(dòng)一動(dòng)。動(dòng)者將罰款五十盧比。準(zhǔn)備好！”The20peoplesitlikestoneimageswhilehecounts.Heissaying.twohundredandeighty.when,outofthecornerofhiseye,heseesthecobraemergeandmakeforthebowlofmilk.Screamsringoutashejumpstoslamtheverandadoorssafelyshut.在他數(shù)

11、數(shù)的過程中，那二十個(gè)人都像一尊尊石雕一樣端坐在那兒。當(dāng)他數(shù)到“二百八十”時(shí)，突然從眼角處看到那條眼鏡蛇鉆了出來，向那碗牛奶爬去。在他跳起來把通往走廊的門全都砰砰地牢牢關(guān)上時(shí)，室內(nèi)響起了一片尖叫聲。Youwereright,Major!thehostexclaims.Amanhasjustshownusanexampleofperfectself-control.“你剛才說得很對(duì)，少校！”男主人大聲說?！耙粋€(gè)男子剛剛為我們顯示了從容不迫、鎮(zhèn)定自若的范例?！盝ustaminute,theAmericansays,turningtohishostess.Mrs.Wynnes,howdidyoukno

12、wthatcobrawasintheroom?“且慢，那位美國人一邊說著一邊轉(zhuǎn)向女主人?！皽仄澨阍趺粗滥菞l眼鏡蛇是在屋子里呢？”Afaintsmilelightsupthewomansfaceasshereplies:Becauseitwascrawlingacrossmyfoot.Unit2LessonsfromJeffersonBruceBliven杰斐遜的遺訓(xùn)布魯斯布利文ThomasJefferson,thethirdPresidentoftheUnitedStates,maybelessfamousthanGeorgeWashingtonandAbrahamLincoln,bu

13、tmostpeoplerememberatleastonefactabouthim:hewrotetheDeclarationofIndependence.美國第三任總統(tǒng)托馬斯杰斐遜也許不像喬治華盛頓和亞伯拉罕林肯那樣著名，但大多數(shù)人至少記得有關(guān)他的一件事實(shí)：是他寫的獨(dú)立宣言。AlthoughJeffersonlivedmorethan200yearsago,thereismuchthatwecanlearnfromhimtoday.Manyofhisideasareespeciallyinterestingtomodernyouth.Herearesomeofthethingshesaida

14、ndwrote:雖然杰斐遜生活在二百多年以前，但我們今天仍可以從他身上學(xué)到很多東西。他的許多思想對(duì)當(dāng)代青年來說特別有意義。下面就是他講過和寫過的一些觀點(diǎn)八、Goandsee.Jeffersonbelievedthatafreemanobtainsknowledgefrommanysourcesbesidesbooksandthatpersonalinvestigationisimportant.Whenstillayoungman,hewasappointedtoacommitteetofindoutwhethertheSouthBranchoftheJamesRiverwasdeepenou

15、ghtobeusedbylargeboats.Whiletheothermembersofthecommitteesatinthestatecapitolandstudiedpapersonthesubject,Jeffersongotintoacanoeandmadeon-the-spotobservations.自己去看。杰斐遜認(rèn)為，一個(gè)自由的人除了從書本中獲取知識(shí)外，還可以從許多別的來源獲得知識(shí)；他認(rèn)為，親自做調(diào)查是很重要的。在他還很年輕的時(shí)候，他就被任命為一個(gè)委員會(huì)的成員，去調(diào)查詹姆斯河南部支流的水深是否足以通行大型船只。委員會(huì)的其他成員都坐在州議會(huì)大廈內(nèi)研究有關(guān)這一問題的文件，而杰斐

16、遜卻跳進(jìn)一只獨(dú)木舟去做現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀測(cè)。Youcanlearnfromeveryone.BybirthandbyeducationJeffersonbelongedtothehighestsocialclass.Yet,inadaywhenfewnoblepersonseverspoketothoseofhumbleoriginsexcepttogiveanorder,Jeffersonwentoutofhiswaytotalkwithgardeners,servants,andwaiters.JeffersononcesaidtotheFrenchnobleman,Lafayette,Youmust

17、gointothepeopleshomesasIhavedone,lookintotheircookingpotsandeattheirbread.Ifyouwillonlydothis,youmayfindoutwhypeoplearedissatisfiedandunderstandtherevolutionthatisthreateningFrance.你可以向任何人學(xué)習(xí)。按出身及其所受的教育，杰斐遜均屬于最高的社會(huì)階層。然而，在那個(gè)貴人們除了發(fā)號(hào)施令以外很少跟出身卑賤的人說話的年代，杰斐遜卻常破例跟園丁、仆人和侍者交談。有一次杰斐遜曾這樣對(duì)法國貴族拉斐特說過：“你必須像我那樣到平民百姓

18、的家里去，看看他們的鍋里煮些什么，吃吃他們的面包。只要你肯這樣做，你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)老百姓為什么會(huì)不滿意，你就會(huì)理解正在威脅著法國的革命?！盝udgeforyourself.Jeffersonrefusedtoacceptotherpeoplesopinionswithoutcarefulthought.Neitherbelievenorrejectanything,hewrotetohisnephew,becauseanyotherpersonhasrejectedorbelievedit.Heavenhasgivenyouamindforjudgingtruthanderror.Useit.自己作

19、判斷。未經(jīng)過認(rèn)真的思考，杰斐遜絕不接受別人的意見。他在給侄子的信中寫道：“不要因?yàn)閯e的人相信或拒絕了什么東西，你也就去相信它或拒絕它。上帝賜予你一個(gè)用來判斷真理和謬誤的頭腦。那你就運(yùn)用它吧?！盝effersonfeltthatthepeoplemaysafelybetrustedtoheareverythingtrueandfalse,andtoformacorrectjudgment.Wereitlefttometodecidewhetherweshouldhaveagovernmentwithoutnewspapersornewspaperswithoutagovernment,Ishou

20、ldnothesitateamomenttopreferthelatter.杰斐遜覺得，人民“是完全可以信賴的，應(yīng)該讓他們聽到一切真實(shí)和虛偽的東西，然后作出正確的判斷。倘使讓我來決定，我們是應(yīng)該有一個(gè)政府而不要報(bào)紙呢還是應(yīng)該有報(bào)紙而不要政府，我會(huì)毫不猶豫地選擇后者?！盌owhatyoubelieveisright.Inafreecountrytherewillalwaysbeconflictingideas,andthisisasourceofstrength.Itisconflictandnotunquestioningagreementthatkeepsfreedomalive.Thoug

21、hJeffersonwasformanyyearstheobjectofstrongcriticism,heneveransweredhiscritics.Heexpressedhisphilosophyinletterstoafriend,Therearetwosidestoeveryquestion.Ifyoutakeonesidewithdecisionandactonitwitheffect,thosewhotaketheothersidewillofcourseresentyouractions.做你認(rèn)為是正確的事。在一個(gè)自由的國家里總會(huì)有各種相互沖突的思想，而這正是力量的源泉。使自

22、由保持活力的是沖突而不是絕對(duì)的一致。雖然有好多年杰斐遜一直受到激烈的批評(píng)，但他從不回應(yīng)那些批評(píng)他的人。他在寫給一位朋友的信中表達(dá)了自己的觀點(diǎn)：“每個(gè)問題都有兩面。如果你堅(jiān)決站在一面并根據(jù)它有效地采取行動(dòng)，那么，站在另一面的那些人當(dāng)然會(huì)對(duì)你的行動(dòng)怨恨不滿?！盩rustthefuture;trusttheyoung.Jeffersonfeltthatthepresentshouldneverbechainedtocustomswhichhavelosttheirusefulness.Nosociety,hesaid,canmakeaperpetualconstitution,orevenaperp

23、etuallaw.Theearthbelongstothelivinggeneration.Hedidnotfearnewideas,nordidhefearthefuture.Howmuchpain,heremarked,hasbeencausedbyevilswhichhaveneverhappened!Iexpectthebest,nottheworst.Isteermyshipwithhope,leavingfearbehind.相信未來，相信青年。杰斐遜認(rèn)為，絕不可以用那些已經(jīng)無用的習(xí)俗來束縛住“現(xiàn)在”的手腳。他說：“沒有哪個(gè)社會(huì)可以制訂一部永遠(yuǎn)適用的憲法，甚至連一條永遠(yuǎn)適用的法律也

24、制訂不出來。地球是屬于活著的一代的?！彼缓ε滦滤枷?，也不懼怕未來。他評(píng)論說：“有多少痛苦是由一些從未發(fā)生過的災(zāi)難引起的?。∥移诖氖亲詈玫臇|西，而不是最壞的東西。我滿懷希望地駕駛著自己的航船，而把恐懼拋在后面?！盝effersonscourageandidealismwerebasedonknowledge.Heprobablyknewmorethananyothermanofhisage.Hewasanexpertinagriculture,archeology,andmedicine.Hepracticedcroprotationandsoilconservationacenturybe

25、forethesebecamestandardpractice,andheinventedaplowsuperiortoanyotherinexistence.HeinfluencedarchitecturethroughoutAmerica,andhewasconstantlyproducingdevicesformakingthetasksofordinarylifeeasiertoperform.杰斐遜的勇氣和理想主義是以知識(shí)為基礎(chǔ)的。他懂得的東西也許比同時(shí)代的任何人都要多。在農(nóng)業(yè)、考古學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)方面他都是專家。在人們普遍采用農(nóng)作物輪作和土壤保持的做法之前一個(gè)世紀(jì)，他就這樣做了。他還發(fā)明了

26、一種比當(dāng)時(shí)任何一種都好的耕犁。他影響了整個(gè)美國的建筑業(yè)，他還不斷地制造出各種機(jī)械裝置，使日常生活中需要做的許多工作變得更加容易。OfallJeffersonsmanytalents,oneiscentral.Hewasaboveallagoodandtirelesswriter.Hiscompleteworks,nowbeingpublishedforthefirsttime,willfillmorethanfiftyvolumes.Histalentasanauthorwassoondiscovered,andwhenthetimecametowritetheDeclarationofInd

27、ependenceatPhiladelphiain1776,thetaskofwritingitwashis.Millionshavethrilledtohiswords:Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thatallmenarecreatedequal.在杰斐遜的眾多才能中，有一種是最主要的：他首先是一位優(yōu)秀的、不知疲倦的作家。目前正在第一次出版的他的全集將超過五十卷。他作為一個(gè)作家的才能很快便被發(fā)現(xiàn)了，所以，當(dāng)1776年在費(fèi)城要撰寫?yīng)毩⑿缘臅r(shí)刻來到時(shí)，這一任務(wù)便落在了他肩上。數(shù)以百萬計(jì)的人們讀到他寫的下列詞句都激動(dòng)不已：“我們認(rèn)為這些真理是不言而喻的：

28、一切人生來就是平等的”WhenJeffersondiedonJuly4,1826,the50thanniversaryofAmericanindependence,helefthiscountrymenarichlegacyofideasandexamples.AmericaneducationowesagreatdebttoThomasJefferson,whobelievedthatonlyanationofeducatedpeoplecouldremainfree.Tryingtomakesomemoneybeforeenteringuniversity,theauthorapplies

29、forateachingjob.Buttheinterviewgoesfrombadtoworse.為了想在進(jìn)大學(xué)前賺些錢，作者中請(qǐng)了一份教職。但面試情況卻越來越糟Unit3MyFirstJobRobertBest我的第一份工作羅伯特貝斯特WhileIwaswaitingtoenteruniversity,IsawadvertisedinalocalnewspaperateachingpostataschoolinasuburbofLondonabouttenmilesfromwhereIlived.Beingveryshortofmoneyandwantingtodosomethinguse

30、ful,Iapplied,fearingasIdidso,thatwithoutadegreeandwithnoexperienceinteachingmychancesofgettingthejobwereslim.在我等著進(jìn)大學(xué)期間，我在一份地方報(bào)紙上看到一則廣告，說是在離我住處大約十英里的倫敦某郊區(qū)，有所學(xué)校要招聘一名教師。我因?yàn)槭诸^很拮據(jù)，同時(shí)也想做點(diǎn)有用的事，于是便提出了申請(qǐng)，但在提出申請(qǐng)的同時(shí)我也擔(dān)心，自己一無學(xué)位，二無教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，得到這份工作的可能性是微乎其微的。However,threedayslateraletterarrived,askingmetogotoCroydonfo

31、raninterview.Itprovedanawkwardjourney:atraintoCroydonstation;aten-minutebusrideandthenawalkofatleastaquarterofamile.AsaresultIarrivedonahotJunemorningtoodepressedtofeelnervous.然而，三天之后，卻來了一封信，叫我到克洛伊登去面試。這一路去那兒原來還真麻煩：先乘火車到克洛伊登車站，再乘十分鐘的公共汽車，然后還要至少步行四分之一英里。結(jié)果，我在六月一個(gè)炎熱的上午到了那兒，因?yàn)樾那榉浅＞趩?，竟不感到緊張了。Theschoolwa

32、saredbrickhousewithbigwindows.Thefrontgardenwasagravelsquare;fourevergreenshrubsstoodateachcorner,wheretheystruggledtosurvivethedustandfumesfromabusymainroad.學(xué)校是一座裝著大窗戶的紅磚房子。前庭園是個(gè)鋪著沙礫的正方形：四個(gè)角上各有一叢冬青灌木，它們經(jīng)受著從繁忙的大街上吹來的塵煙，掙扎著活下去。Itwasclearlytheheadmasterhimselfthatopenedthedoor.Hewasshortandfat.Hehadas

33、andy-colouredmoustache,awrinkledforeheadandhardlyanyhair.開門的顯然是校長(zhǎng)本人。他又矮又胖，留著沙色的小胡子，前額上布滿皺紋，頭發(fā)差不多已經(jīng)禿光。Helookedatmewithanairofsurpriseddisapproval,asacolonelmightlookataprivatewhosebootlaceswereundone.Ahyes,hegrunted.Youdbettercomeinside.Thenarrow,sunlesshallsmelledunpleasantlyofstalecabbage;thewallsw

34、eredirtywithinkmarks;itwasallsilent.Hisstudy,judgingbythecrumbsonthecarpet,wasalsohisdining-room.Youdbettersitdown,hesaid,andproceededtoaskmeanumberofquestions:whatsubjectsIhadtakeninmyGeneralSchoolCertificate;howoldIwas;whatgamesIplayed;thenfixingmesuddenlywithhisbloodshoteyes,heaskedmewhetherIthou

35、ghtgameswereavitalpartofaboyseducation.Imumbledsomethingaboutnotattachingtoomuchimportancetothem.Hegrunted.Ihadsaidthewrongthing.TheheadmasterandIobviouslyhadverylittleincommon.他帶著一種吃驚的、不以為然的神態(tài)看著我，就像一位上?？粗幻麤]系好靴帶的二等兵一樣。“哦，”他咕噥著說，“你最好到里面來。”那狹窄的、不見陽光的走廊里散發(fā)出一股腐爛的卷心菜味，聞上去很不舒服；墻上墨跡斑斑，顯得很臟；周圍一片靜寂。根據(jù)地毯上的面包

36、屑來判斷，他的書房也是他的餐室?！澳阕詈米拢彼f，接著便問了我許多問題：為了得到普通學(xué)校證書我學(xué)過哪些課程；我多大歲數(shù)了；我會(huì)玩些什么游戲；問到這里他突然用他那雙充滿血絲的眼睛盯住我，問我是否認(rèn)為游戲是兒童教育的一個(gè)極為重要的組成部分。我含含糊糊地說了些不必太重視游戲之類的話。他咕噥了幾句。我說了錯(cuò)話。我和校長(zhǎng)顯然沒有多少共同語言。Theschool,hesaid,consistedofoneclassoftwenty-fourboys,ranginginagefromseventothirteen.Ishouldhavetoteachallsubjectsexceptart,whichh

37、etaughthimself.FootballandcricketwereplayedinthePark,amileawayonWednesdayandSaturdayafternoons.他說，學(xué)校只有一個(gè)班，二十四名男生，年齡從七歲到十三歲不等，除了美術(shù)課他親自教以外，其余所有的課程都得由我來教。星期三和星期六的下午要到一英里以外的公園去踢足球，打板球。Theteachingset-upfilledmewithfear.Ishouldhavetodividetheclassintothreegroupsandteachtheminturnatthreedifferentlevels;and

38、Iwasdismayedatthethoughtofteachingalgebraandgeometry-twosubjectsatwhichIhadbeencompletelyincompetentatschool.WorseperhapswastheideaofSaturdayafternooncricket;mostofmyfriendswouldbeenjoyingleisureatthattime.整個(gè)教學(xué)計(jì)劃把我嚇壞了。我得把全班學(xué)生分成三個(gè)組，按三種不同的程度輪流給他們上課；想到要教代數(shù)和幾何這兩門我在讀書時(shí)學(xué)得極差的科目，我感到很害怕。更糟糕的也許是星期六下午打板球的安排，因?yàn)?/p>

39、這時(shí)候我的朋友大都會(huì)在悠閑地自得其樂。Isaidshyly,Whatwouldmysalarybe?Twelvepoundsaweekpluslunch.BeforeIcouldprotest,hegottohisfeet.Now,hesaid,youdbettermeetmywife.Shestheonewhoreallyrunsthisschool.我怯生生地問：“我的薪水是多少？”“每周十二磅外加中飯。”還沒等我來得及提出異議，他已經(jīng)站了起來。“好了，”他說，“你最好見見我的妻子。她才是這所學(xué)校真正的主管人。”Thiswasthelaststraw.Iwasveryyoung:thepr

40、ospectofworkingunderawomanconstitutedtheultimateindignity.SeenthroughtheeyesofayoungfriendEinsteinwasasimplemodestandordinaryman.在一個(gè)年輕朋友的心目中，愛因斯坦是個(gè)純樸、謙虛的普通人。Unit4TheProfessorandtheYo-YoThomasLeeBuckywithJosephP.Blank教授與溜溜球托馬斯李巴娜口約瑟夫P布蘭克MyfatherwasaclosefriendofAlbertEinstein.AsashyyoungvisitortoEins

41、teinshome,IwasmadetofeelateasewhenEinsteinsaid,Ihavesomethingtoshowyou.,HewenttohisdeskandreturnedwithaYo-Yo.Hetriedtoshowmehowitworkedbuthecouldntmakeitrollbackupthestring.Whenmyturncame,Idisplayedmyfewtricksandpointedouttohimthattheincorrectlyloopedstringhadthrownthetoyoffbalance.Einsteinnodded,pr

42、operlyimpressedbymyskillandknowledge.Later,IboughtanewYo-YoandmailedittotheProfessorasaChristmaspresent,andreceivedapoemofthanks.我父親是阿爾伯特愛因斯坦的密友。小時(shí)候有一次我去愛因斯坦家拜訪時(shí)很靦腆，他說，“我有樣?xùn)|西拿給你看，”于是我便感到無拘無束了。他走到書桌旁，拿回來一只溜溜球。他試圖做給我看這種玩具怎么個(gè)玩法，但他沒法使它順著線再轉(zhuǎn)上去。輪到我時(shí)，我露了幾手并向他指出，繞錯(cuò)的線圈使玩具失去了平衡。愛因斯坦點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，我的技能和知識(shí)給他留下了頗深的印象。后來，我買

43、了一只溜溜球，把它作為圣誕禮物送給了教授，并收到他一首表示感謝的詩。Asaboyandthenasanadult,IneverlostmywonderatthepersonalitythatwasEinstein.HewastheonlypersonIknewwhohadcometotermswithhimselfandtheworldaroundhim.Heknewwhathewantedandhewantedonlythis:tounderstandwithinhislimitsasahumanbeingthenatureoftheuniverseandthelogicandsimplic

44、ityinitsfunctioning.Heknewtherewereanswersbeyondhisintellectualreach.Butthisdidnotfrustratehim.Hewascontenttogoasfarashecould.作為一個(gè)孩子，以后又作為一個(gè)成人，我一直對(duì)愛因斯坦的個(gè)性驚嘆不已。他是我所認(rèn)識(shí)的人中唯一能跟自己及周圍世界達(dá)成妥協(xié)的人。他知道自己想要什么，而他想要的只是：在他作為一個(gè)人的能力范圍之內(nèi)理解宇宙的性質(zhì)以及宇宙運(yùn)行的邏輯和單純。他知道有許多問題的答案超出了他智力所及的范圍。但這并不使他感到灰心喪氣。只要在能力許可的范圍內(nèi)取得最大的成功他就心滿意足了。

45、Inthe23yearsofourfriendship,Ineversawhimshowjealousy,vanity,bitterness,anger,resentment,orpersonalambition.Heseemedimmunetotheseemotions.Hewasbeyondanypretension.Althoughhecorrespondedwithmanyoftheworldsmostimportantpeople,hisstationerycarriedonlyawatermark-WforWoolworths.在我們二十三年的友誼中，我從未見他表現(xiàn)出妒忌、虛榮、痛

46、苦、憤怒、怨恨或個(gè)人野心。他好像對(duì)這些感情具有免疫能力似的。他毫無矯飾之心，虛榮之意。雖然他與世界上的許多要人通信，他用的卻是有W水印字母的信箋，水印字母W五分錢商店伍爾沃思的縮寫。Todohisworkheneededonlyapencilandapadofpaper.Materialthingsmeantnothingtohim.Ineverknewhimtocarrymoneybecauseheneverhadanyuseforit.Hebelievedinsimplicity,somuchsothatheusedonlyasafetyrazorandwatertoshave.WhenI

47、suggestedthathetryshavingcream,hesaid,Therazorandwaterdothejob.為了做他的工作他只需要一支筆和一本拍紙簿。物質(zhì)的東西對(duì)他毫無意義。我知道他身上從不帶錢，因?yàn)樗麖膩聿恍枰缅X。他信奉簡(jiǎn)樸，甚至于只用一把安全剃刀和清水刮胡子。當(dāng)我建議他用一下刮胡膏時(shí)，他說：“剃刀和水就夠了。”ButProfessor,whydontyoutrythecreamjustonce?Iargued.Itmakesshavingsmootherandlesspainful.“但是，教授，為什么你就不能僅僅試用一次刮胡膏呢？我爭(zhēng)辯說?！八梢宰屇愎纹鸷觼碛制交?/p>

48、又不痛?！盚eshrugged.Finally,Ipresentedhimwithatubeofshavingcream.Thenextmorningwhenhecamedowntobreakfast,hewasbeamingwiththepleasureofanew,greatdiscovery.Youknow,thatcreamreallyworks,heannounced.Itdoesntpullthebeard.Itfeelswonderful.Thereafter,heusedtheshavingcreameverymorninguntilthetubewasempty.Thenhe

49、revertedtousingplainwater.他聳了聳肩。最后，我終于送給他一管刮胡膏。第二天早上，當(dāng)他下樓來用早餐時(shí)，他因?yàn)橛辛艘淮笮掳l(fā)現(xiàn)而高興得滿臉含笑?！澳阒?，那種刮胡膏還真有效，”他說?！八怀逗?，感覺好極了?！贝蚰且院?，他每天早晨都用那管刮胡膏，直到那一管用完為止。然后他又回復(fù)到只用清水刮胡子了。Einsteinwaspurelyandexclusivelyatheorist.Hedidnthavetheslightestinterestinthepracticalapplicationofhisideasandtheories.HisE=mc2isprobablythem

50、ostfamousequationinhistoryyetEinsteinwouldntwalkdownthestreettoseeareactorcreateatomicenergy.HewontheNobelPrizeforhisPhotoelectricTheory,aseriesofequationsthatheconsideredrelativelyminorinimportance,buthedidnthaveanycuriosityinobservinghowhistheorymadeTVpossible.愛因斯坦完完全全是個(gè)理論家。他對(duì)自己的思想和理論的實(shí)際應(yīng)用絲毫不感興趣。他

51、提出的E=mc2也許是有史以來最著名的公式一一然而愛因斯坦卻不愿費(fèi)舉足之勞去看反應(yīng)堆產(chǎn)生原子能。他因其光電理論一一他認(rèn)為這是比較次要的一系列公式一一而獲得諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)金，但對(duì)于觀察他的理論怎樣使得電視得以產(chǎn)生卻沒有一點(diǎn)好奇心。MybrotheroncegavetheProfessoratoy,abirdthatbalancedontheedgeofabowlofwaterandrepeatedlydunkeditsheadinthewater.Einsteinwatcheditindelight,tryingtodeducetheoperatingprinciple.Buthecouldnt.我兄

52、弟曾送給教授一個(gè)玩具，那是一只立在盛水的碗邊保持平衡并反復(fù)把頭浸入水中的鳥。愛因斯坦高興地注視著它，試圖推斷出它的運(yùn)動(dòng)原理，但他沒能推斷出。Thenextmorningheannounced,IhadthoughtaboutthatbirdforalongtimebeforeIwenttobedanditmustworkthisway.Hebeganalongexplanation.Thenhestopped,realizingaflawinhisreasoning.No,Iguessthatsnotit,hesaid.Hepursuedvarioustheoriesforseveralday

53、suntilIsuggestedwetakethetoyaparttoseehowitdidwork.Hisquickexpressionofdisapprovaltoldmehedidnotagreewiththispracticalapproach.Heneverdidworkoutthesolution.第二天早晨他宣布說：“關(guān)于那只鳥我睡覺前思索了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間，它一定是這樣運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的”他開始做起了長(zhǎng)篇解釋。后來他意識(shí)到自己推理中的一個(gè)漏洞便停了下來?！安唬蚁氩皇悄敲椿厥??！彼B續(xù)幾天試著用各種理論來加以解釋，后來我建議他把玩具拆開來看看它是怎樣運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的。他迅速顯出的不贊成的表情告訴我，他并不同

54、意這種切實(shí)可行的作法。他一直沒有研究出這個(gè)答案。AnotherpuzzlethatEinsteincouldneverunderstandwashisownfame.Hehaddevelopedtheoriesthatwereprofoundandcapableofexcitingrelativelyfewscientists.Yethisnamewasahouseholdwordacrossthecivilizedworld.Ivehadgoodideas,andsohaveothermen,heoncesaid.Butitsbeenmygoodfortunethatmyideashaveb

55、eenaccepted.Hewasbewilderedbyhisfame:peoplewantedtomeethim;strangersstaredathimonthestreet;scientists,statesmen,students,andhousewiveswrotehimletters.Henevercouldunderstandwhyhereceivedthisattention,whyhewassingledoutassomethingspecial.Thereisonegaspresentintheairwebreathethatisessentialtolife.Unfor

56、tunately,onecanhavetoomuchofagoodthingandthegrowthincarbondioxidethreatenstowarmupourplanettoadangerousextent.IsaacAsimovintroducesustothisvillainintheatmosphere,explaininghowitworksandwhatcanbedoneaboutit.在我們呼吸的空氣中，有一種氣體對(duì)生命是必不可少的。遺憾的是，一樣好東西我們可能會(huì)擁有得太多，而二氧化碳的增長(zhǎng)威脅著我們，使地球變暖到一種危險(xiǎn)的程度。艾薩克阿西莫夫向我們介紹了大氣層中的這個(gè)

57、壞蛋，向我們解釋了它是怎樣活動(dòng)的以及對(duì)付它的辦法。Unit5TheVillainintheAtmosphereIsaacAsimov艾薩克阿西莫夫大氣層中的惡棍乃是二氧化碳。Thevillainintheatmosphereiscarbondioxide大氣層中的惡棍Itdoesnotseemtobeavillain.Itisnotverypoisonousanditispresentintheatmosphereinsosmallaquantityonly0.034percentthatitdoesusnoharm.二氧化碳看上去不像一個(gè)惡棍。它毒性不大，在大氣層中的含量極小一一只占0.03

58、4不會(huì)對(duì)我們?cè)斐扇魏蝹?。Whatsmore,thatsmallquantityofcarbondioxideintheairisessentialtolife.Plantsabsorbcarbondioxideandconvertitintotheirowntissue,whichserveasthebasicfoodsupplyforallofanimallife(includinghumanbeings,ofcourse).Intheprocesstheyliberateoxygen,whichisalsonecessaryforallanimallife.再者，空氣中的那一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)二氧化碳對(duì)生命至關(guān)重要。植物吸收二氧化碳并將其轉(zhuǎn)化成它們自己的組織，充當(dāng)所有動(dòng)物(當(dāng)然也包括人類)的基本