新概念英语第四册课

Lesson1Findingfossilman

Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedto

write.Buttherearesomepartsofthewordwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythatthey

canpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas—legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofanother.

Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlong

ago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.Anthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsof

thePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.Thesagasofthesepeopleexplain

thatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.

Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,

areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst

'modernmen'camefrom.

Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasierto

shapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoes

notdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethem

havedisappearedwithouttrace.

Lesson2Sparethatspider

Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,and

insectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforus

toliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotforthe

protectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutall

ofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeof

theotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheharmtousorourbelongings.

Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthe

differencealmostataglance,foraspideralwayshaseightlegsandinsectnevermorethansix.

Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworknoourbehalf?Oneauthorityonspidersmadeacensus

ofthespidersingrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan

2,250,000inoneacre;thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.

Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthe

wildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythreemealsa

day.IthasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyear

wouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightofallthehumanbeingsinthecountry.

Lesson3Matterhornman

Modemalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemore

difficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthepioneeringdays,however,thiswasnotthecaseatall.

Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetop,becausethesummitwastheprizethey

sought,especiallyifitandneverbeenattainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoften

faceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwithwouldmakea

modernclimbershudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.

Theyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal-thetop!

Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneers.Exceptforoneortwo

placessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagetendedtobe

impoverishedsettlementscutofffromcivilizationbythehighmountains.Suchinnsastherewere

generallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoftentwelvemonths

old,allwasheddownwithcoarsewine.Oftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,andclimbersfoundshelter

wherevertheycould—sometimeswiththelocalpriest(whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners),

sometimeswithshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtandpoverty,

andveryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedtoeatingseven-coursedinnersandsleepingbetweenfine

linensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlpsmusthaveveryhardindeed.

Lesson4Seeinghands

SeveralcaseshavebeenreportedinRussiarecentlyofpeoplewhocandetectcolourswiththeir

fingers,andevenseethroughsolidandwalls.Onecaseconcernsandeleven-year-oldschoolgirl,Vera

Petrova,whohasnormalvisionbutwhocanalsoperceivethingswithdifferentpartsofherskin,and

throughsolidwalls.Thisabilitywasfirstnoticedbyherfather.Onedayshecameintohisofficeand

happenedtoputherhandsonthedoorofalockedsafe.Suddenlysheaskedherfatherwhyhekeptso

manyoldnewspaperslockedawaythere,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredoneupinbundles.

Vera*scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeofascientificresearchinstituteinthetownof

Ulyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshewasgivenaseriesoftestsbyaspecialcommissionof

theMinistryofHealthoftheRussianFederalRepublic.Duringthesetestsshewasabletoreada

newspaperthroughanopaquescreenand,strangerstill,bymovingherelbowoverachild'sgameof

Lottoshewasabletodescribethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit;and,inanotherinstance,wearing

stockingsandslippers,tomakeoutwithherfoottheoutlinesandcoloursofapicturehiddenundera

carpet.Otherexperimentsshowedthatherkneesandshouldershadasimilarsensitivity.Duringallthese

testsVerawasblindfold;and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfoldshelackedtheabilitytoperceivethings

withherskin.Itwasalsofoundthatalthoughshecouldperceivethingswithherfingersthisability

ceasedthemomentherhandswerewet.

Lesson5Youth

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouth*.Ifthereisone—whichItakeleavetodoubt

—thenitisolderpeoplewhocreateit,nottheyoungthemselves.Letusgetdowntofundamentalsand

agreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings—peoplejustliketheirelders.Thereisonlyone

differencebetweenanoldmanandayoungone:theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebeforehimandthe

oldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswheretherubis.

WhenIwasateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyounganduncertain-thatIwasanewboyinahuge

school,andIwouldhavebeenverypleasedtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasaproblem.For

onething,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainidentity,andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusily

engagedinseeking.

Ifindyoungpeopleexciting.Theyhaveanairoffreedom,andtheynotadrearycommitmentto

meanambitionsorloveofcomfort.Theyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotionto

materialthings.Allthisseemstometolinkthemwithlife,andtheoriginsofthings.Ifsasiftheywere,

insomesense,cosmicbeingsinviolentandlovelycontrastwithussuburbancreatures.Allthatisinmy

mindwhenImeetayoungperson.Hemaybeconceited,ill-mannered,presumptuousorfatuous,butI

donotturnforprotectiontodrearyclichesaboutrespectofelders--asifmereagewereareasonfor

respect.Iacceptthatweareequals,andIwillarguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

Lesson6Thesportingspirit

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreatesgoodwillbetweenthenations,and

thatifonlythecommonpeoplesofthewouldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,theywould

havenoinclinationtomeetonthebattlefield.Evenifonedidn'tknowfromconcreteexamples(the1936

OlympicGames,forinstance)thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesofhatred,onecould

deduceiffromgeneralprinciples.

Nearlyallthesportspractisednowadaysarecompetitive.Youplaytowin,andthegamehaslittle

meaningunlessyoudoyourutmosttowin.Onthevillagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeeling

oflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyforthefunandexercise:butassoonasathe

questionofprestigearises,assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgracedifyoulose,

themostsavagecombativeinstinctsarearoused.Anyonewhohasplayedeveninaschoolfootballmatch

knowsthis.Attheinternationallevel,sportisfranklymimicwarfare.Butthesignificantthingisnotthe

behaviouroftheplayersbuttheattitudeofthespectators:and,behindthespectators,ofthenationswho

workthemselvesintofuriesovertheseabsurdcontests,andseriouslybelieve-atanyrateforshort

periods—thatrunningjumpingandkickingaballaretestsofnationalvirtue.

Lesson7Bats

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsserveaslanguage,andwehaveonlytoturntothatextraordinary

discoveryofecho-locationinbatstoseeacaseinwhichthevoiceplaysastrictlyutilitarianrole.

Togetafullappreciationofwhatthismeanswemustturnfirsttosomerecenthumaninventions.

Eveiyoneknowsthatifheshoutsinthevicinityofawalloramountainside,anechowillcomeback.

Thefurtheroffthissolidobstruction,thelongertimewillelapseforthereturnoftheecho.Asoundmade

bytappingonthehullofashipwillbereflectedfromtheseabottom,andbymeasuringthetimeinterval

betweenthetapsandthereceiptoftheechoes,thedepthoftheseaatthatpointcanbecalculated.So

wasbomtheecho-soundingapparatus,nowingeneraluseinships.Everysolidobjectwillreflecta

sound,varyingaccordingtothesizeandnatureoftheobject.Ashoaloffishwilldothis.Soitisa

comparativelysimplestepfromlocatingtheseabottomtolocatingashoaloffish.Withexperience,and

withimprovedapparatus,itisnowpossiblenotonlytolocateashoalbuttotellifitisherring,cod,or

otherwell-knownfish,bythepatternofitsecho.

Ithasbeenfoundthatcertainbatsemitsqueaksandbyreceivingtheechoes,theycanlocateand

steerclearofobstacles—orlocateflyinginsectsonwhichtheyfeed.Thisecho-locationinbatsisoften

comparedwithradar,theprincipleofwhichissimilar.

Lesson8Tradingstandards

ChickensslaughteredintheUnitedStates,claimofficialsinBrussels,arenotfittograceEuropean

tables.No,saytheAmerican:ourfowlarefine,wesimplycleantheminadifferentway.Thesedays,it

isdifferencesinnationalregulations,farmorethantariffs,thatputsandinthewheelsoftradebetween

richcountries.Itisnotjustfannerswhoarecomplaining.AnelectricrazorthatmeetstheEuropean

Union'ssafetystandardsmustbeapprovedbyAmericantestersbeforeitcanbesoldintheUnitedStates,

andanAmerican-madedialysismachineneedstheEU*sokaybeforeishitsthemarketinEurope.

Asithappens,arazorthatissafeinEuropeisunlikelytoelectrocuteAmericans.So,askbusinesses

onbothsidesoftheAtlantic,whyhavetwolotsoftestswhereonewoulddo?Politiciansagree,in

principle,soAmericaandtheEUhavebeentryingtoreachadealwhichwouldeliminatetheneedto

double-testmanyproducts.TheyhopetofinishintimeforatradesummitbetweenAmericaandtheEU

onMay28TH.Althoughnegotiatorsareoptimistic,thedetailsarecomplexenoughthattheymaybe

hard-pressedtogetadealatall.

Why?Onedifficultyistoconstructtheagreements.TheAmericanswouldhappilyreachoneaccord

onstandardsformedicaldevicesandthemhammeroutdifferentpactscovering,say,electronicgoods

anddrugmanufacturing.TheEU-followingfinecontinentaltraditions-wantsagreementongeneral

principles,whichcouldbeappliedtomanytypesofproductsandperhapsextendedtoothercountries.

Lesson9Royalespionage

AlfredtheGreatactedhisownspy,visitingDanishcampsdisguisedasaminstrel.Inthosedays

wanderingminstrelswerewelcomeeverywhere.Theywerenotfightingmen,andtheirharpwastheir

passport.Alfredhadlearnedmanyoftheirballadsinhisyouth,andcouldvaryhisprogrammewith

acrobatictricksandsimpleconjuring.

WhileAlfred'slittlearmyslowlybegantogatheratAthelney,thekinghimselfsetouttopenetrate

thecampofGuthrum,thecommanderoftheDanishinvaders.Therehadsettleddownforthewinterat

Chippenham:thitherAlfredwent.Henoticedatoncethatdisciplinewasslack:theDaneshadthe

self-confidenceofconquerors,andtheirsecurityprecautionswerecasual.Theylivedwell,onthe

proceedsofraidsonneighbouringregions.Theretheycollectedwomenaswellasfoodanddrink,anda

lifeofeasehadmadethemsoft.

AlfredstayedinthecampaweekbeforehereturnedtoAthelney.Theforcethereassembledwas

trivialcomparedwiththeDanishhorde.ButAlfredhaddeducedthattheDaneswerenolongerfitfor

prolongedbattle:andthattheircommissariathadnoorganization,butdependedonirregularraids.

So,facedwiththeDanishadvance,Alfreddidnotriskopenbattlebutharriedtheenemy.Hewas

constantlyonthemove,drawingtheDanesafterhim.Hispatrolshaltedtheraidingparties:hunger

assailedtheDanisharmy.NowAlfredbeganalongseriesofskirmishes—andwithinamonththeDanes

hadsunendered.Theepisodecouldreasonablyserveasauniqueepicofroyalespionage!

Lesson10Siliconvalley

TechnologytrendsmaypushSiliconValleybacktothefuture.CarverMead,apioneerinintegrated

circuitsandaprofessorofcomputerscienceattheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology,notesthereare

nowwork-stationsthatenableengineerstodesign,testandproducechipsrightontheirdesks,muchthe

wayaneditorcreatesanewsletteronaMacintosh.Asthetimeandcostofmakingachipdroptoafew

daysandafewhundreddollars,engineersmaysoonbefreetolettheirimaginationssoarwithoutbeing

penalizedbyexpensivefailures.Meadpredictsthatinventorswillbeabletoperfectpowerful

customizedchipsoveraweekendattheoffice-spawninganewgenerationofgaragestart-upsand

givingtheU.S.ajumponitsforeignrivalsingettingnewproductstomarketfast.'We'regotmore

garageswithsmartpeople/Meadobserves.*Wereallythriveonanarchy/

AndonAsians.Already,orientalsandAsianAmericansconstitutethemajorityoftheengineering

staffsatmanyValleyfirms.AndChinese,Korean,FilipinoandIndianengineersaregraduatingindroves

fromCalifomia*scolleges.Astheheadsofnext-generationstart-ups,theseAsianinnovatorscandrawon

customsandlanguagestoforgerighterlinkswithcrucialPacificRimmarkets.Forinstance,AlexAu,a

StanfordPh.D.fromHongKong,hassetupaTaiwanfactorytochallengeJapan'snearlockonthe

memory-chipmarket.India-bornN.DamodarReddy'stinyCaliforniacompanyreopenedanAT&Tchip

plantinKansasCitylastspringwithfinancingfromthestateofMissouri.Beforeitbecomesaretirement

village,SiliconValleymayproveaclassroomforbuildingaglobalbusiness.

Lesson11Howtogrowold

Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearofdeath.Intheyoungthereisajustificationforthis

feeling.Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthattheywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiablyfeelbitterin

thethoughtthattheyhavecheatedofthebestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanoldmanwhohas

knownhumanjoysandsorrows,andhasachievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,thefearofdeathis

somewhatabjectandignoble.Thebestwaytoovercomeit-soatleastitseemstome-istomakeyour

interestsgraduallywiderandmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsoftheegorecede,andyourlife

becomesincreasinglymergedintheuniversallife.Anindividualhumanexistenceshouldbelikeariver

—smallatfirst,narrowlycontainedwithinitsbanks,andrushingpassionatelypastbouldersandover

waterfalls.Graduallytherivergrowswider,thebanksrecede,thewatersflowmorequietly,andinthe

end,withoutanyvisiblebreak,theybecomemergedinthesea,andpainlesslylosetheirindividualbeing.

Themanwho,inoldage,canseehislifeinthisway,willnotsufferfromthefearofdeath,sincethe

thingshecaresforwillcontinue.Andif,withthedecayofvitality,wearinessincreases,thethoughtof

restwillbenotunwelcome.Ishouldwishtodiewhilestillatwork,knowingthatotherswillcarryon

whatIcannolongerdo,andcontentinthethoughtthatwhatwaspossiblehasbeendone.

Lesson12Banksandtheircustomers

Whenanyoneopensacurrentaccountatabank,heislendingthebankmoney,repaymentofwhich

hemaydemandatanytime,eitherincashorbydrawingachequeinfavourofanotherperson.Primarily,

thebanker-customerrelationshipisthatofdebtorandcreditor-whoiswhichdependingonwhetherthe

customer'saccountisincreditorisoverdrawn.But,inadditiontothatbasicallysimpleconcept,thebank

anditscustomerowealargenumberofobligationstooneanother.Manyoftheseobligationscangivein

toproblemsandcomplicationsbutabankcustomer,unlike,say,abuyerofgoods,cannotcomplainthat

thelawisloadedagainsthim.

Thebankmustobeyitscustomer'sinstructions,andnotthoseofanyoneelse.When,forexample,a

customerfirstopensanaccount,heinstructsthebanktodebithisaccountonlyinrespectofcheques

drawbyhimself.Hegivesthebankspecimensofhissignature,andthereisaveryfirmrulethatthebank

hasnorightorauthoritytopayoutacustomer'smoneyonachequesonwhichitscustomer'ssignature

hasbeenforged.Itmakesnodifferencethattheforgerymayhavebeenaveryskilfulone:thebankmust

recognizeitscustomer'ssignature.Forthisreasonthereisnorisktothecustomerinthepractice,adopted

bybanks,ofprintingthecustomer'snameonhischeques.Ifthisfacilitatesforgery,itisthebankwhich

willlose,notthecustomer.

Lesson13Thesearchforoil

Thedeepestholesofallmadeforoil,andtheygodowntoasmuchas25,0000feet.Butwenot

needtosendmendowntogettheoilour,aswemustwithothermineraldeposits.Theholesareonly

borings,lessthanafootindiameter.Myparticularexperienceislargelyinoil,andthesearchforoilhas

donemoretoimprovedeepdrillingthananyotherminingactivity.Whenishasbeendecidedwherewe

aregoingtodrill,weputupatthesurfaceanoilderrick.Ithastobetallbecauseitislikeagiantblock

andtackle,andwehavetolowerintothegroundandhauloutofthegroundgreatlengthsofdrillpipe

whicharerotatedbyanengineatthetopandarefittedwithacuttingbitatthebottom.

Thegeologistneedstoknowwhatrocksthedrillhasreached,soeverysooftenasampleis

obtainedwithacoringbit.Itcutsacleancylinderofrock,fromwhichcanbeseenthestratathedrillhas

beencuttingthrough.Oncewegetdowntotheoil,itusuallyflowstothesurfacebecausegreatpressure,

eitherfromorwater,ispushingit.Thispressuremustbeundercontrol,andwecontrolitbymeansofthe

mudwhichwecirculatedownthedrillpipe.Weendeavourtoavoidtheold,romanticideaofagusher,

whichwastesoilandgas.Wewantittostaydowntheholeuntilwecanleaditoffinacontrolled

manner.

Lesson14TheButterflyEffect

Beyondtwoorthreedays,theworld'sbestweatherforecastsarespeculative,andbeyondsixor

seventheyareworthless.

TheButterflyEffectisthereason.Forsmallpiecesofweather-andtoaglobalforecaster,small

canmeanthunderstormsandblizzards-anypredictiondeterioratesrapidly.Errorsanduncertainties

multiply,cascadingupwardthroughachainofturbulentfeatures,fromdustdevilsandsquallsupto

continent-sizeeddiesthatonlysatellitescansee.

Themodemweathermodelsworkwithagridofpointsoftheorderofsixtymilesapart,andeven

so,somestartingdatahastoguessed,sincegroundstationsandsatellitescannotseeeverywhere.But

supposetheearthcouldbecoveredwithsensorsspacedonefootapart,risingatone-footintervalsallthe

waytothetopoftheatmosphere.Supposeeverysensorgivesperfectlyaccuratereadingsoftemperature,

pressure,humidity,andanyotherquantityameteorologistwouldwant.Preciselyatnoonaninfinitely

powerfulcomputertakesallthedataandcalculateswhatwillhappenateachpointat12.01,then1202,

then12.03…

ThecomputerwillstillbeunabletopredictwhetherPrinceton,NewJersey,willhavesunorrainon

adayonemonthaway.Atnoonthespacesbetweenthesensorswillhidefluctuationsthatthecomputer

willnotknowabout,tinydeviationsfromtheaverage.By12.01,thosefluctuationswillalreadyhave

createdsmallerrorsonefootaway.Soontheerrorswillhavemultipliedtotheten-footscale,andsoon

uptothesizeoftheglobe.

Lesson15Secrecyinindustry

Twofactorsweighheavilyagainsttheeffectivenessofscientificresearchinindustry.Oneisthe

generalatmosphereofsecrecyinwhichitiscarriedout,theotherthelackoffreedomoftheindividual

researchworker.Insofarasanyinquiryisasecretone,itnaturallylimitsallthoseengagedincarryingit

outfromeffectivecontactwiththeirfellowscientistseitherinothercountriesorinuniversities,oreven,

oftenenough,inotherdepartmentsofthesamefirm.Thedegreeofsecrecynaturallyvariesconsiderably.

Someofthebiggerfirmsareengagedinresearcheswhichareofsuchgeneralandfundamentalnature

thatitisapositiveadvantagetothemnottokeepthemsecret.Yetagreatmanyprocessesdependingon

suchresearcharesoughtforwithcompletesecrecyuntilthestageatwhichpatentscanbetakenout.

Evenmoreprocessesareneverpatentedatallbutkeptassecretprocesses.Thisappliesparticularlyto

chemicalindustries,wherechancediscoveriesplayamuchlargerpartthantheydoinphysicaland

mechanicalindustries.Sometimesthesecrecygoestosuchanextentthatthewholenatureofthe

researchcannotbementioned.Manyfirms,forinstance,havegreatdifficultyinobtainingtechnicalor

scientificbooksfromlibrariesbecausetheyareunwillingtohavenamesenteredashavingtakenout

suchandsuchabook,forfeartheagentsofotherfirmsshouldbeabletotracethekindofresearchthey

arelikelytobeundertaking.

Lesson16Themoderncity

Intheorganizationofindustriallifetheinfluenceofthefactoryuponthephysiologicalandmental

stateoftheworkershasbeencompletelyneglected.Modemindustryisbasedontheconceptionofthe

maximumproductionatlowestcost,inorderthatanindividualoragroupofindividualsmayearnas

muchmoneyaspossible.Ithasexpandedwithoutanyideaofthetruenatureofthehumanbeingswho

runthemachines,andwithoutgivinganyconsiderationtotheeffectsproducedontheindividualsandon

theirdescendantsbytheartificialmodeofexistenceimposedbythefactory.Thegreatcitieshavebeen

builtwithnoregardforus.Theshapeanddimensionsoftheskyscrapersdependentirelyonthenecessity

ofobtainingthemaximumincomepersquarefootofground,andofofferingtothetenantsofficesand

apartmentsthatpleasethem.Thiscausedtheconstructionofgiganticbuildingswheretoolargemasses

ofhumanbeingsarecrowdedtogether.Civilizedmenlikesuchawayofliving.Whiletheyenjoythe

comfortandbanalluxuryoftheirdwelling,theydonotrealizethattheyaredeprivedofthenecessitiesof

life.Themodemcityconsistsofmonstrousedificesandofdark,narrowstreetsfullofpetrolfumesand

toxicgases,tombythenoiseofthetaxicabs,lorriesandbuses,andthrongedceaselesslybygreatcrowds.

Obviously,ithasnotbeenplannedforthegoodofitsinhabitants.

Lesson17Aman-madedisease

IntheearlydaysofthesettlementofAustralia,enterprisingsettlersunwiselyintroducedthe

Europeanrabbit.ThisrabbithadnonaturalenemiesintheAntipodes,sothatitmultipliedwiththat

promiscuousabandoncharacteristicofrabbits.Itoverranawholecontinent.Itcauseddevastationby

burrowingandbydevouringtheherbagewhichmighthavemaintainedmillionsofsheepandcattle.

Scientistsdiscoveredthatthisparticularvarietyofrabbit(andapparentlynootheranimal)was

susceptibletoafatalvirusdisease,myxomatosis.Byinfectinganimalsandlettingthemlooseinthe

burrows,localepidemicsofthisdiseasecouldbecreated.Lateritwasfoundthattherewasatypeof

mosquitowhichactedasthecarrierofthisdiseaseandpasseditontotherabbits.Sowhiletherestofthe

worldwastryingtogetridofmosquitoes,Australiawasencouragingthisone.Iteffectivelyspreadthe

diseasealloverthecontinentanddrasticallyreducedtherabbitpopulation.Itlaterbecameapparentthat

rabbitsweredevelopingadegreeofresistancetothisdisease,sothattherabbitpopulationwasunlikely

tobecompletelyexterminated.Therewerehopes,however,thattheproblemoftherabbitwouldbecome

manageable.

Ironically,Europe,whichhadbequeathedtherabbitasapesttoAustralia,acquiredthisman-made

diseaseasapestilence.AFrenchphysiciandecidedtogetridofthewildrabbitsonhisownestateand

introducedmyxomatosis.Itdidnot,however,remainwithintheconfinesofhisestate.Itspreadthrough

France,Wherewildrabbitsarenotgenerallyregardedasapestbutassportandausefulfoodsupply,and

itspreadtoBritainwherewildrabbitsareregardedasapestbutwheredomesticatedrabbits,equally

susceptibletothedisease,arethebasisofaprofitablefurindustry.Thequestionbecameoneofwhether

Mancouldcontrolthediseasehehadinvented.

Lesson18Porpoises

Therehaslongbeenasuperstitionamongmarinersthatporpoiseswillsavedrowningmenby

pushingthemtothesurface,orprotectthemfromsharksbysurroundingthemindefensiveformation.

MarineStudiobiologistshavepointedoutthat,howeverintelligenttheymaybe,itisprobablyamistake

tocreditdolphinswithanymotiveoflifesaving.Ontheoccasionswhentheyhavepushedtoshorean

unconscioushumanbeingtheyhavemuchmorelikelydoneitoutofcuriosityorforsport,asinriding

thebowwavesofaship.In1928someporpoiseswerephotographerworkinglikebeaverstopushashore

awaterloggedmattress.If,ashasbeenreported,theyhaveprotectedhumansfromsharks,itmayhave

beenbecausecuriosityattractedthemandbecausethescento