大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译

大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译/NUMPAGES109大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译大学英语精读第三版第四册课文及课文翻译Unit1TextTwocollege-ageboys,unawarethatmakingmoneyusuallyinvolveshardwork,aretemptedbyanadvertisementthatpromisesthemaneasywaytoearnalotofmoney.Theboyssoonlearnthatifsomethingseemstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis.BIGBUCKSTHEEASYWAYJohnG.Hubbell"Yououghttolookintothis,"Isuggestedtoourtwocollege-agesons."Itmightbeawaytoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskformoneyallthetime."Ihandedthemsomemagazinesinaplasticbagsomeonebadhungonourdoorknob.Amessageprintedonthebagofferedleisurely,lucrativework("BigBuckstheEasyWay!")ofdeliveringmoresuchbags."Idon'tmindtheindignity,"theolderoneanswered."Icanlivewithit,"hisbrotheragreed."Butitpainsme,"Isaid，"tofindthatyoubothhavebeenpanhandlingsolongthatitnolongerembarrassesyou."Theboyssaidtheywouldlookintothemagazine-deliverything.Pleased,Ilefttownonabusinesstrip.BymidnightIwascomfortablysettledinahotelroomfarfromhome.Thephonerang.Itwasmywife.Shewantedtoknowhowmydayhadgone."Great!"Ienthused."Howwasyourday?"Iinquired."Super!"Shesnapped."Justsuper!Andit'sonlygettingstarted.Anothertruckjustpulledupoutfront.""Anothertruck?""Thethirdonethisevening.ThefirstdeliveredfourthousandMontgomeryWards.ThesecondbroughtfourthousandSears,Roebucks.Idon'tknowwhatthisonehas,butI'msureitwillbefourthousandofsomething.Sinceyouareresponsible,Ithoughtyoumightliketoknowwhat'shappening.WhatIwasbeingblamedfor,itturnedout,wasanewspaperstrikewhichmadeitnecessarytohand-delivertheadvertisinginsertsthatnormallyareincludedwiththeSundaypaper.Thecompanyhadpromisedourboys$600fordeliveringtheseinsertsto4,000housesbySundaymorning."Pieceofcake!"ouroldercollegesonhadshouted."Sixhundredbucks!"Hisbrotherhadechoed,"Andwecandothejobintwohours!""BoththeSearsandWardadsarefournewspaper-sizepages,"mywifeinformedme."Therearethirty-twothousandpagesofadvertisingonourporch.Evenaswespeak,twobigguysarecarryingarmloadsofpaperupthewalk.Whatdowedoaboutallthis?""Justtelltheboystogetbusy,"Iinstructed."They'recollegemen.They'lldowhattheyhavetodo."AtnoonthefollowingdayIreturnedtothehotelandfoundanurgentmessagetotelephonemywife.Hervoicewasunnaturallyhighandquavering.Therehadbeenseveralmoretruckloadsofadinserts."They'refordepartmentstores,dimestores,drugstores,grocerystores,autostoresandsoon.Somearewholemagazinesections.Wehavehundredsofthousands,maybemillions,ofpagesofadvertisinghere!Theyarecrammedwall-to-wallallthroughthehouseinstackstallerthanyouroldestson.There'sonlyenoughroomforpeopletowalkin,takeoneeachoftheeleveninserts,rollthemtogether,sliparubberbandaroundthemandslidethemintoaplasticbag.WehaveenoughplasticbagstosupplyeverytakeoutrestaurantinAmerica!"Hervoicekeptrising,asifworkingitswayoutoftherangeofthehumanear."Allthismustbedeliveredbyseveno'clockSundaymorning.""Well,youhadbettergetthoseguysbandingandslidingasfastastheycan,andI'lltalktoyoulater.Gotalunchdate.WhenIreturned,therewasanotherurgentcallfrommywife."Didyouhaveanicelunch?"sheaskedsweetly.Ihadhadamarveloussteak,butknewbetterbynowthantosayso."Awful,"Ireported."Somesortofsourfish.Eel,Ithink.""Good.Yourcollegesonshavehiredtheiryoungerbrothersandsistersandacoupleofneighborhoodchildrentohelpforfivedollarseach.Assemblylineshavebeensetup.Inthelanguageofdiplomacy,thereis'movement.'""That'sencouraging.""No,it'snot,"shecorrected."It'sverydiscouraging.They'rebeenasitforhours.Plasticbagshavebeenfilledandpiledtotheceiling,butallthishasn'tmadeadent,notadent,inthesituation!It'salmostasiftheinsertskeepreproducingthemselves!""Anotherthing,"shecontinued."Yourcollegesonsmustlearnthatonedoesnotgetthebestoutofemployeesbythreateningthemwithbodilyharm.ObtaininganaudiencewithsonNO.1,Isnarled,"I'llkillyouifthreatenoneofthosekidsagain!Idiot!Youshouldbeofferingabonusofadollareveryhourtotheworkerwhofillsthemostbags."Butthatwouldcutintoourprofit,"hesuggested."Therewon'tbeanyprofitunlessthosekidsenableyoutomakeallthedeliveriesontime.Iftheydon't,youtwowillhavetoremoveallthatpaperbyyourselves.Andtherewillbenoeatingorsleepinguntilitisremoved."Therewasashort,thoughtfulsilence.Thenhesaid,"Dad,youhavejustworkedaprofoundchangeinmypersonality.""Doit!""Yes,sir!"Bythefollowingevening,therewasmuchformywifetoreport.Thebonusprogramhadworkeduntilsomeonedemandedtoseethecolorofcash.Thensomeactivistontheworkforceclaimedthattheworkershadnobusinesssettlingfor$5andafewcompetitivebonuseswhilethebossedcollectedhundredsofdollarseach.Theorganizerhaddeclaredthatalltheworkerswereentitledto$5perhour!Theywouldnotworkanotherminuteuntilthebossesagreed.Thestrikelastedlessthantwohours.Inmediation,thepartiesagreedon$2perhour.Gradually,thehugestacksbegantoshrink.Asitturnedout,thejobwascompletedthreehoursbeforeSunday's7a.m.deadline.BythetimeIarrivedhome,theboyshadalreadysettledtheiraccounts:$150inlaborcosts,$40forgasoline,andalikeamountforgifts—boxesofcandyforsaintlyneighborswhohadvolunteeredstationwagonsandhelpindeliveryanddozenrosesfortheirmother.Thisleftthemwith$185each—abouttwo-thirdstheminimumwageforthe91hourstheyworked.Still,itwas"enough",asoneofthemputit,toenablethemto"avoidindignity"forquiteawhile.Allwentwellforsomeweeks.ThenoneSaturdaymorningmyattentionwasdrawntotheoddgoings-onofourtwoyoungestsons.Theykeptcarryingcartonaftercartonfromvariouscornersofthehouseoutthefrontdoortocurbside.Iassumedtheirmotherhadenlistedthemtoremovejunkforatrashpickup.ThenIoverheardthemdiscussingfinances."Geez,we'regoingtomakealotofmoney!""We'regoingtoberich!"Investigationrevealedthattheywereoffering"forsaleorrent"ourentirelibrary."No!No!"Icried."Youcan'tsellourbooks!""Geez,Dad,wethoughtyouweredonewiththem!""You'renever'done'withbooks,"Itriedtoexplain."Sureyouare.Youreadthem,andyou'redonewiththem.That'sit.Thenyoumightaswellmakealittlemoneyfromthem.Wewantedtoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskyoufor……"一个大学男孩，不清楚赚钱需要付出艰苦的劳动，被一份许诺轻松赚大钱的广告吸引了。男孩们很快就明白，如果事情看起来好得不像真的，那多半确实不是真的。 轻轻松松赚大钱“你们该看看这个，”我向我们的两个读大学的儿子建议道。“你们若想避免因为老是向人讨钱而有失尊严的话，这兴许是一种办法。”我将挂在我们门把手上的、装在一个塑料袋里的几本杂志拿给他们。塑料袋上印着一条信息说，需要招聘人投递这样的袋子，这活儿既轻松又赚钱。（“轻轻松松赚大钱!”）“我不在乎失不失尊严，”大儿子回答说。“我可以忍受，”他的弟弟附和道。“看到你们俩伸手讨钱讨惯了一点也不感到尴尬的样子，真使我痛心，”我说。孩子们说他们可以考虑考虑投递杂志的事。我听了很高兴，便离城出差去了。午夜时分，我已远离家门，在一家旅馆的房间里舒舒服服住了下来。电话铃响了，是妻子打来的。她想知道我这一天过得可好。“好极了!”我兴高采烈地说。“你过得怎么样?”我问道。“棒极了!”她大声挖苦道。“真棒!而且这还仅仅是个开始。又一辆卡车刚在门前停下。”“又一辆卡车?”“今晚第三辆了。第一辆运来了四千份蒙哥马利-沃德百货公司的广告；第二辆运来四千份西尔斯-罗伯克百货公司的广告。我不知道这一辆装的啥，但我肯定又是四千份什么的。既然这事是你促成的，我想你或许想了解事情的进展。”我之所以受到指责，事情原来是这样：由于发生了一起报业工人罢工，通常夹在星期日报纸里的广告插页，必须派人直接投送出去。公司答应给我们的孩子六百美金，任务是将这些广告插页在星期天早晨之前投递到四千户人家去。“不费吹灰之力!”我们上大学的大儿子嚷道。“六百块!”他的弟弟应声道，“我们两个钟点就能干完!”“西尔斯和沃德的广告通常都是报纸那么大的四页，”妻子告诉我说，“现在我们门廊上堆着三万二千页广告。就在我们说话的当儿，两个大个子正各抱着一大捆广告走过来。这么多广告，我们可怎么办?”“你让孩子们快干，”我指示说。“他们都是大学生了。他们自己的事得由他们自己去做。”第二天中午，我回到旅馆，看到一份紧急留言，要我马上给妻子回电话。她的声音高得很不自然，而且有些颤抖。家里又运到了好几卡车的广告插页。“有百货公司的，廉价商店的，杂货店的，食品店的，汽车行的，等等。有些像整本杂志那么厚。我们这里有数十万页，说不定是几百万页的广告!我们家整个房子从东墙到西墙，从南墙到北墙统统堆满了广告，一堆又一堆，比你大儿子还要高。现在只剩下一点点空间，刚够一个人走进去，从十一种插页中各取一份，卷在一起，套上橡皮筋，再塞进一只塑料袋内。我们的塑料袋足够供应全美所有的外卖餐厅!”她越讲声音越响，几乎震耳欲聋。“这么多的广告必须在星期日早晨七点以前统统送出去。”“嗯，你最好让孩子们尽快地捆扎装袋，等会儿我再跟你谈。我有个午餐约会。”我餐后回来，妻子又打来一只紧急电话。“你午餐吃得不错吧?”她用悦耳的声音问道。我吃的牛排好极了，但这次我学乖了，还是不说为妙。“糟透了，”我报告说。“一种什么酸溜溜的鱼，我想大概是鳗鲡吧。”“不错嘛。你的大学生儿子已经雇了他们的弟弟妹妹和两三个邻居的小孩帮忙，工钱一人五块，建起了流水作业线。用外交术语来说，事情‘有进展’。”“这确实令人鼓舞。”“不，并非如此，”她纠正说。“相反，非常叫人泄气。他们干了好几个小时了。装好的塑料袋，一直堆到天花板，但一切努力收效很小。这些广告宣传品简直就像是不停地自行生产出来一样!”“还有一件事，”她接着说，“你那上大学的儿子必须明白，威胁雇员，说要揍他们，是不可能使他们卖力的。”我跟大儿子一通上话，便咆哮道，“你如果再威胁那些孩子，我就对你不客气了!白痴!你应该给奖金，对装袋最多的工人每小时奖励一块。”“可那要减少我们的利润啦，”他提醒道。“那些孩子不帮你按时将所有的广告投送出去，你就什么利润也得不到。如果他们不干，你们俩就得亲手搬走所有的广告。而在把它们搬掉之前，你们吃不成，也睡不成。”电话里出现了短暂的沉默，他在思考。接着，他说，“爸爸，你刚才使我深受启迪，令我恍然大悟。”“那就干吧!”“是，阁下!”到第二天傍晚，我妻子就有许多事报告了。奖金计划行之有效，可后来有人对能否兑现表示怀疑，提出把钱拿出来给大家看看。接着工人队伍里的一位活动家声称，老板每人拿几百块钱，工人们决没有理由满足于每人五块外加一点点竞争性的奖金。劳工组织人宣布，所有工人的工资都应该达到每小时五块钱!在老板答应之前，他们不再干活儿，一分钟也不干。罢工持续了不到两小时。通过调解，双方达成协议，每小时两块。渐渐地，大堆的广告开始减少。结果，全部工作比最后限期星期日早晨七点提前三个小时完成。等我回到家里，孩子们已经结了账。劳务支出150元，汽油费????40元，还有40元买礼品——几盒糖果，送给乐于助人的邻居，他们主动开出自家的车帮助投递，还有一打玫瑰送给他们的母亲。除去以上开支，他们每人得到185元——大约相当于他们所干的91小时的最低工资的三分之二。虽然如此，可正如一个儿子所说，那还是“足够”他们花一阵子，使他们“避免那种有失尊严的事。”几个星期过去了，一切都很好。后来，一个星期六的上午，我们两个小儿子的奇怪举动引起了我的注意。他们不停地将一个又一个的纸箱从房屋四处的角落里搬出，经过前门，送到人行道边。我以为他们的妈妈在指挥他们清除破烂，好让垃圾车运走呢。正在这时，我听到他们在议论经济问题。“哟，我们会赚许多钱呢!”“我们要发财啦!”经查问发现，他们正在把我们的全部图书“出售或出租”。“不成!不成!”我叫道。“不能把我们的书卖了!”哎唷，爸，我们以为你用不着它们了呢!”“书永远不会'用'不着的，”我尽力解释道。“你肯定用不着了。你都看过了，再也不用了。没有错。既然不用，还不如卖点钱。我们想避免那种有失尊严的事，不再伸手向你要……”Unit2TextIsthereanythingwecanlearnfromdeer?Duringthe"energycrisis"of1973-1974thewriterofthisessaywaslivinginnorthernMinnesotaandwasabletoobservehowdeersurvivewhenwinterarrives.Thelessonshelearnsabouthewaydeerconserveenergyturnoutapplicabletooureverydaylife.DEERANDTHEENERGYCYCLESomepersonssaythatlovemakestheworldgoround.Othersofalessromanticandmorepracticalturnofmindsaythatitisn'tlove;it'smoney.Butthetruthisthatitisenergythatmakestheworldgoround.Energyisthecurrencyoftheecologicalsystemandlifebecomespossibleonlywhenfoodisconvertedintoenergy,whichinturnisusedtoseekmorefoodtogrow,toreproduceandtosurvive.Onthiscyclealllifedepends.Itisfairlywellknownthatwildanimalssurvivefromyeartoyearbyeatingasmuchastheycanduringtimesofplenty,thesummerandfall,storingtheexcess,usuallyintheformoffat,andthenusingthesereservesoffattosurviveduringthehardtimesinwinterwhenfoodisscarce.Butitisprobablylesswellknownthatevenwiththeirstoredfat,wildanimalsspendlessenergytoliveinwinterthaninsummer.Agoodcaseinpointisthewhiter-taileddeer.Likemostwildlife,deerreproduce,grow,andstorefatinthesummerandfallwhenthereisplentyofnutritiousfoodavailable.Aphysicallymaturefemaledeeringoodconditionwhohasconceived怀孕inNovemberandgivenbirthtotwofawnsduringtheendofMayorfirstpartofJune,mustsearchforfoodforthenecessaryenergynotonlytomeetherbody'sneedsbutalsotoproducemilkforherfawns.Thebestmilkproductionoccursatthesametimethatnewplantgrowthisavailable.Thisisgoodtiming,becausemilkproductionisanenergyconsumingprocess—itrequiresalotoffood.Thecostcannotbemetunlesstheregionhasamplefoodresources.Asthesummerprogressesandthefawnsgrow,theybecomelessdependentontheirmother'smilkandmoredependentongrowingplantsasfoodsources.Theadultmalesspendthesummergrowingantlersandgettingfat.Bothmalesandfemalescontinuetoeathighqualityfoodinthefallinordertodepositbodyfatforthewinter.Inthecaseofdoesandfawns,agreatdealofenergyisexpendedeitherinmilkproductionoringrowing,andfatisnotaccumulatedasquicklyasitisinfullgrownmales.Fatreservesarelikebankaccountstobedrawnoninthewinterwhenfoodsuppliesarelimitedandsometimesdifficulttoreachbecauseofdeepsnow.Asfallturnsintowinter,otherchangestakeplace.Fawnslosetheirspottedcoat.Haironallthedeerbecomesdarkerandthicker.ThechangeinthehaircoatsisusuallycompletebySeptemberandmaximumhairdepthsarereachedbyNovemberorDecemberwhentheweatherbecomescold.Butinaddition,natureprovidesafurthersafeguardtohelpdeersurvivethewinter—aninternalphysiologicalresponsewhichlowerstheirmetabolism,orrateofbodilyfunctioning,andhenceslowsdowntheirexpenditureofenergy.Thedeerbecomesomewhatslowanddrowsy.Theheartratedrops.Animalsthathibernatepracticeenergyconservationtoagreaterextremethandeerdo.Althoughdeerdon'thibernate,theydothesamethingwiththeirseasonalrhythmsinmetabolism.Deerspendmoreenergyandstorefatinthesummerandfallwhenfoodisabundant,andspendlessenergyandusestoredfatinthewinterwhenfoodislessavailable.Whenthe"energycrisis"firstcamein1973-1974,IwaslivingwithmyfamilyinacabinontheedgeofanareawheredeerspendthewinterinnorthernMinnesota,observingthedeerastheirbehaviorchangedfrommoreactivityinsummerandfalltolessaswinterprogressed,followedbyanincreaseagaininthespringasthesnowmelted.Itwasinterestingandratheramusingtolistentotheadvicegivenontheradio:"Driveonlywhennecessary,"weweretold."Putonmoreclothestostaywarm,andturnthethermostatonyourfurnacedown."Meanwhilewewatchedthedeerreducetheiractivity,growawintercoatofhair,andreducetheirmetabolismastheyhaveforthousandsofyears.Itisbiologicallyreasonablefordeertoreducetheircostoflivingtoincreasetheirchanceofsurvivinginwinter.Noteverywinteriscriticalfordeerofcourse.Ifthewinterhaslightsnow,survivalandproductivitynextspringwillbehigh.Butifdeepsnowscomeandtheweatherremainscoldforseveralweeks,thenthedeermustspendmoreenergytomoveabout,foodwillbehardertofind,andtheymustthendependmoreontheirfatreservestopullthemthrough.Ifsuchconditionsgoonfortoolongsomewilldie,andonlythelargestandstrongestarelikelytosurvive.Thatisafundamentalruleoflifeforwild,freewanderinganimalsuchasdeer.Yes,life—anddeath,too--isacyclethatgoesroundandround,andwhenanimalsdietheirbodiesbecomefoodforotherlifeformstousebyconvertingthemintoenergy.Andthecyclecontinues.有什么是我们能从鹿身上学到的吗?在1973-1974年的“能源危机”期间，本文作者正住在明尼苏达北部，能够观察当冬天来临时，鹿如何生存。他从鹿储存能量的方法上得到的经验也能够运用到我们的日常生活中。鹿和能量循环有些人说，爱情驱使世界运转；另一些并不那么罗曼蒂克而更为注重实际的人则说，不是爱情，而是金钱。但真实情况是，能量驱使世界运转。能量是生态系统的货币，只有当食物转变为能量，能量再用来获取更多的食物以供生长、繁殖和生存，生命才成为可能。所有生命都维系在这一循环上。差不多众所周知，野生动物得以年复一年地生存下去，主要依靠在夏秋生长旺季尽量多吃，通常将多余的部分以脂肪的形式储存起来，然后到了冬天食物稀少的艰难时期，就用这些储备的脂肪来维持生命。然而，很可能鲜为人知的是，即使有储备的脂肪，野生动物在冬天消耗的能量比夏天要少。一个很好的例证是白尾鹿。与大多数野生动物一样，鹿在营养丰富、食物充足的夏秋两季，繁殖、生长并储存脂肪。一只成熟健壮的母鹿，在十一月份怀胎，五月底或六月初生下两只幼鹿，这时，它必须寻找食物以获得必要的能量，这不仅是为了满足自身的需要，而且也是为了给幼鹿生产乳汁。产乳的最佳期也正是植物生长茂盛之时。这个时机选择得很好，因为乳汁生产是一个消耗能量的过程——它需要大量的食物，除非该地区具有丰富的食物资源，否则无法满足这种消耗。夏季一天天过去，幼鹿日渐生长，它们变得较少依赖母鹿的乳汁，而更加依靠生长中的植物为其食物来源。雄性成鹿在夏天生长鹿角并养肥身体。在秋天，雄鹿和雌鹿都继续进食高质量食物，贮存体内脂肪，以备过冬。至于雌鹿和幼鹿，由于大量的能量用于产奶或生长，脂肪的积累速度不如完全成熟的雄鹿快。脂肪储备如同银行里的存款，供冬天食物来源不足时和有时由于雪深难以获得时，支取使用。随着秋去冬来，还会发生其他变化:幼鹿失去皮毛上的斑纹，所有鹿身上的毛长厚，颜色变深。毛皮的变化通常持续到9月。到??11月或12月天气变冷时，毛长得最厚。此外，大自然还为鹿提供进一步的保护以帮助它们度过冬天——体内生理机能作相应调节，放慢新陈代谢，亦即生理活动的速度，从而降低能量的消耗。鹿变得有点动作迟缓、嗜睡。它们的心率减慢。冬眠的动物保存能量的习性胜过鹿。虽然鹿不冬眠，但他们随季节改变新陈代谢节奏的习性则是一样的。夏秋间，食物充裕的时候，鹿消耗较多的能量并储存脂肪。在冬天食物匮乏时，它们则消耗较少的能量并使用储存的脂肪。1973-1974年间，第一次出现“能源危机”的时候，我正与家人住在明尼苏达州北部一处鹿群过冬地方的边缘地带。我们住在一个小屋里，观察鹿的生活习性，观察它们是如何随着冬季来临从夏秋的活动频繁状态而变得少动的，而到春暖雪融时，他们的活动又是如何增多起来的。当时广播电台常告诫我们:“没有必要不开车，”“多穿衣服好保暖，并请调低锅炉上的恒温器。”这些话听起来既有趣又逗笑。因为与此同时，我们一直注视着鹿减少活动，长出越冬的厚毛，并减缓新陈代谢。几千年来，他们一贯如此。鹿减少生存所需的能耗以增加越冬生存的机会，从生物学角度来看是合情合理的。当然，对鹿来讲，并非每个冬天都处于危难之中。如果冬天雪下得少，存活率和次年春天的繁殖力就高。但如果雪积得深，天气连续数周寒冷，鹿活动起来就得花费较多的能量，觅食会更难，这时它们就得更多地依赖其脂肪储备度过寒冬。如果这种情况持续太久，有些鹿就要死亡，只有体型最大最壮的，才有可能存活。对于像鹿这样四处自由奔走的野生动物来说，这是一条根本的生存规律。的确，生命——还有死亡——周而复始，循环不已。当动物死亡的时候，他们的尸体转化为能量，变成食物，供其他生命形式使用。如此循环，永不止息。Unit3TextCanyouprovethattheearthisround?Goaheadandtry!Willyourelyonyoursensesorwillyouhavetodrawontheopinionsofexperts?WHYDOWEBELIEVETHATTHEEARTHISROUND?GeorgeOrwellSomewhereorother—IthinkitisintheprefacetosaintJoan—BernardShawremarksthatwearemoregullibleandsuperstitioustodaythanwewereintheMiddleAges,andasanexampleofmoderncredulityhecitesthewidespreadbeliefthattheearthisround.Theaverageman,saysShaw,canadvancenotasinglereasonforthinkingthattheearthisround.Hemerelyswallowsthistheorybecausethereissomethingaboutitthatappealstothetwentieth-centurymentality.Now,Shawisexaggerating,butthereissomethinginwhathesays,andthequestionisworthfollowingup,forthesakeofthelightitthrowsonmodernknowledge.Justwhydowebelievethattheearthisround?Iamnotspeakingofthefewthousandastronomers,geographersandsoforthwhocouldgiveocularproof,orhaveatheoreticalknowledgeoftheproof,butoftheordinarynewspaper-readingcitizen,suchasyouorme.AsfortheFlatEarththeory,IbelieveIcouldrefuteit.Ifyoustandbytheseashoreonaclearday,youcanseethemastsandfunnelsofinvisibleshipspassingalongthehorizon.Thisphenomenoncanonlybeexplainedbyassumingthattheearth'ssurfaceiscurved.Butitdoesnotfollowthattheearthisspherical.ImagineanothertheorycalledtheOvalEarththeory,whichclaimsthattheearthisshapedlikeanegg.WhatcanIsayagainstit?AgainsttheOvalEarthman,thefirstcardIcanplayistheanalogyofthesunandmoon.TheOvalEarthmanpromptlyanswersthatIdon'tknow,bymyownobservation,thatthosebodiesarespherical.Ionlyknowthattheyareround,andtheymayperfectlywellbeflatdiscs.Ihavenoanswertothatone.Besides,hegoeson,whatreasonhaveIforthinkingthattheearthmustbethesameshapeasthesunandmoon?Ican'tanswerthatoneeither.Mysecondcardistheearth'sshadow:Whencastonthemoonduringeclipses,itappearstobetheshadowofaroundobject.ButhowdoIknow,demandstheOvalEarthman,thateclipsesofthemoonarecausedbytheshadowoftheearth?TheansweristhatIdon'tknow,buthavetakenthispieceofinformationblindlyfromnewspaperarticlesandsciencebooklets.Defeatedintheminorexchanges,Inowplaymyqueenoftrumps:theopinionoftheexperts.TheAstronomerRoyal,whooughttoknow,tellsmethattheearthisround.TheOvalEarthmancoversthequeenwithhisking.HaveItestedtheAstronomerRoyal'sstatement,andwouldIevenknowawayoftestingit?HereIbringoutmyace.Yes,Idoknowonetest.Theastronomerscanforetelleclipses,andthissuggeststhattheiropinionsaboutthesolarsystemareprettysound.Iam,tomydelight,justifiedinacceptingtheirsay-soabouttheshapeoftheearth.IftheOvalEarthmananswers—whatIbelieveistrue—thattheancientEgyptians,whothoughtthesungoesroundtheearth,couldalsopredicteclipses,thenbanggoesmyace.Ihaveonlyonecardleft:navigation.Peoplecansailshiproundtheworld,andreachtheplacestheyaimat,bycalculationswhichassumethattheearthisspherical.IbelievethatfinishestheOvalEarthman,thougheventhenhemaypossiblyhavesomekindofcounter.Itwillbeseenthatmyreasonsforthinkingthattheearthisroundareratherprecariousones.Yetthisisanexceptionallyelementarypieceofinformation.OnmostotherquestionsIshouldhavetofallbackontheexpertmuchearlier,andwouldbelessabletotesthispronouncements.Andmuchthegreaterpartofourknowledgeisatthislevel.Itdoesnotrestonreasoningoronexperiment,butonauthority.Andhowcanitbeotherwise,whentherangeofknowledgeissovastthattheexperthimselfisanignoramusassoonashestraysawayfromhisownspecialty?Mostpeople,ifaskedtoprovethattheearthisround,wouldnotevenbothertoproducetheratherweakargumentsIhaveoutlinedabove.Theywouldstartoffbysayingthat"everyoneknows"theearthtoberound,andifpressedfurther,wouldbecomeangry.InawayShawisright.Thisisacredulousage,andtheburdenofknowledgewhichwenowhavetocarryispartlyresponsible.你能证明地球是圆的吗?来试试看吧！你将依靠你自己的智力还是不得不引用专家的观点呢?我们为什么相信地球是圆的?记得在什么地方——我想是在《圣女贞德》序言中——肖伯纳评论说，今天我们比在中世纪时更加轻信，更加迷信。而作为现代轻信的例证，他举出地圆说这一广为传播的信念。肖伯纳说，普通人举不出一条理由来说明为什么相信地球是圆的。他全盘接受这一理论，只是因为这一理论中有一种迎合20世纪心态的东西。当然，肖伯纳是夸大其词了，但他说的也确实有些道理，这一问题值得进一步探讨，因为它会帮助人们看清现代知识的真实情况。我们究竟为什么会相信地球是圆的呢?我说的不是数千位天文学家、地理学家之类的人，他们可以用观察到的事实或用理论上的根据来证实这一点，我指的是如同你我之辈的报纸的普通读者。至于“地平说”，我相信我能够加以驳斥。如果你在天气晴朗的日子站立海边，你可以看到船桅和烟囱沿着地平线移动而不见船体本身。只有假设地球表面呈曲线状，这一现象才能得到解释。但不能由此推断地球是球形的。设想另一个称做“地球卵形说”的理论吧，这一学说声称地球形如蛋状。对此，我能说什么加以反驳呢?面对“地球卵形说”者，我能打的第一张牌是，可以根据太阳和月亮来类推。“地球卵形说”者立即回敬道，我无法根据自己的观察得知那些天体是球形的。我只能得知他们是圆的，而它们完全可能呈扁平的圆盘状。我对此无言以答。此外，他还会说，我凭什么理由认为地球一定与太阳和月亮的形状相同?对此，我同样无法解答。我的第二张牌是地球的影子:月食期间，地球投在月亮上的影子看上去呈圆形物体状。但“地球卵形说”者马上要问，我怎么知道月食是由地球的影子造成的呢?回答是，我并不知道，我只是照搬报刊文章和科普小册子上的说法而已。小小交锋受挫，于是我打出一张王牌“Q”:专家的看法。英国格林威治皇家天文台台长总该是权威了，他告诉我说地球是圆的。“地球卵形说”者用他的“K”牌压倒我的“Q”牌。天文台台长的话我检验过没有?再说，我知道怎么个检验法吗?这时候，我打出我的“爱司”。是的，我确实知道一个检验方法。天文学家能预报月食，这一点表明他们关于太阳系的看法是非常可信的。因此，令我高兴的是，我接受他们关于地球形状的论断是有道理的。如果“地球卵形说”者反驳道——我以为他反驳得有理——认为太阳绕地球转的古代埃及人也能预言月食，那我的“爱司”牌便立刻化为乌有。我只剩下一张牌:航海。人们可以扬帆绕地球航行而到达他们的目的地，其航程的计算，就是以地球是球形的假定为依据的。我相信这一下可以彻底击败“地球卵形说”者了。不过即便如此，他还可能有某种回击的办法。由此可见，我认为地球是圆的，其根据是相当不牢靠的。然而这却是一点极其基本的知识。在别的大多数问题上，我只得更早地依赖专家的理论，且更少有办法检验他的结论了。我们的知识，其绝大部分都停留在这一水平上。它不是依靠推理或实验，而是依赖权威。可是，不这样，又有什么别的法子呢?知识的范围如此广博，一旦越出其专业范围，专家也会变成一无所知。对大多数人来说，如果要他们证明地球是圆的话，就连我上面概述的这些相当无力的论据，他们也不愿提供出来。他们一开始就会说:谁都知道地球是圆的。要是再加追问，就会生气了。在某种程度上讲，肖伯纳是说对了，如今是一个轻信的时代。究其缘由，部分在于，我们现今必须掌握的知识实在太多了。Unit4TextOnSeptember11,2001,aseriesofsuicideattacksontheUnitedStatestookplace.ForeignhijackerstookcontroloffourU.S.airliners.TwowerecrashedintotheWorldTradeCenter.ThethirdaircraftwascrashedintothePentagon.Thefourth,intended,itisthought,foranothergovernmenttarget,crashedintoafield,apparentlyafterpassengerresistance.ThisisthestoryofoneofthosepassengersFlight93:WhatIneverknowSunday,September9,2001,wasagooddayforthethreeofus.Emmywasjust11weeksoldandwewereenjoyingherenormously.Afterthreemiscarriagesintwoyears,shewasdoublyprecioustous.Myhusband,Jeremy,whowasthinkingofchangingjobs,hadgoneontwointerviewsandfelttheywentwell.SinceSundaywasrainy,wejustlayaroundourhouseinnorthernNewJersey.Welaughedalot,andwatchedEmmy,andthenwenttobedearly.Thenextday,September10,wasbusy,withJeremyduetoflyfromNewarktoCaliforniaonbusiness.IwouldtakeEmmyuptomyparents’houseinWindham,NewYork,andhecouldmeetustherewhenhereturned.ForsomereasonheparticularlywantedtotakecareofEmmythatmorning.Sohefedherandbathedanddressedher.Hepackedupbothourcars,madesureEmmywastuckedintohercarseat,andkissedher.Thenhestoodwavingaswedroveoff.WhenIgottoWindham,Jeremycalled.HisflighttoSanFranciscohadbeencanceled.Hedidn’twanttotakethenextavailableflightandgetinat2a.m.“Screwit，”hesaid.“I’mgoingtogohome,getagoodnight’ssleep,andgetupearlytomorrow.”HewouldgrabthefirstflightoutofNewark.UnitedFlight93.Tuesdaymorningfoundmeinthekitchen,fumblingwiththelidofthedoughnutbox,whenIheardmyfathersaysomethingabouttheWorldTradeCenter.IlookedinthelivingroomattheTV,andsawtheimageofthefirepokingthroughtheblackenedholesinthetower’ssilverskin.Thephonerang,andmydadsaidintoit,“Oh,thankGodit’syou.”Iranintothelivingroom.Heheldoutthephone,hisfacepale.“Jeremy,”hesaid.Igrabbedthephone.“Jer”Isaid.“Hi”hesaid.“Listen，therearesomebadmenontheplane.”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Thesethreeguystookovertheplane.Theyputontheseredheadbands.Theysaidtheyhadabomb.”Iwascryingnow.“Iloveyou,”hesaid.“Iloveyou,”Isaid.“onlyhavegoodthoughts”Iwasshakingandnauseated,butIalsoknewIcouldmakemyselfdowhateverwasnecessarytohelpJeremy.“Idon’tthinkI’mgoingtomakeitoutofhere,”hesaid.Andthen,“Idon’twanttodie.”Andhecursed.“You’renotgoingtodie,”Itoldhim.“Jer,putapictureofmeandEmmyinyourheadandonlyhavereallygoodthoughts.”“Yeah,”heanswered.“Don’tthinkaboutanythingbad,”Isaid.“You’vegottopromisemeyou’regoingtobehappy,”hesaid.“ForEmmytoknowhowmuchIloveher.Andthatwhateverdecisionsyoumakeinyourlife,nomatterwhat,I’llsupportyou.”Afterapause,Jeremysaidtome,“Apassengersaidthey’recrashingplanesintotheWorldTradeCenter.Isthattrue?”“Aretheygoingtoblowtheplaneuporaretheygoingtocrashitintosomething?”healmostscreamedatme.“They’renotgoingtotheWorldTradeCenter,”Isaid.“Becausethewholething’sonfire.”Hesaidthereweremaybe30or35passengers,herdedtotheback.Forsomereason,however,noonewasguardingthembackthere.“Whataboutthepilots?”Iaskedhim.“Hastherebeenanycommunication?”“No.Theseguysjuststoodupandyelledandranintothecockpit.Afterthat,wedidn’thearfromthepilots.”Justthen,wesawsomethingonTVaboutaplanecrashingintothePentagon,andIthought,thankGoditisn’tJeremy’splane.WhenItoldhimaboutthisnewattack,Jeremycursedagain.ThePentagonwasprobablythejoltthatmadehimseeclearlythathisfateandthatofhisfellowpassengersintherearoftheplanewerecompletelyintheirownhands.“Okay,I’mgoingtotakeavote,”hesaid.“There’sthreeotherguysasbigasmeandwe’rethinkingofattackingtheguywiththebomb.Whatdoyouthink?”“No,Ididn’tseeguns.Isawknives.”Hejoked,“Istillhavemybutterknifefrombreakfast.”Therewasapause,andthenhesaid,“IknowIcouldtaketheguywiththebomb.Doyouthinkit’sreallyabomb?”Idon’tthinkso.Ithinkthey’rebluffingyou.”“Okay,I’mgoingtodoit,”Jersaid“screamsinthebackground”“Ithinkyouneedtodoit,”Itoldhim.“You’restrong,you’rebrave,Iloveyou.”“Okay,I’mgoingtoputthephonedown,I’mgoingtoleaveithere,andI’mgoingtocomerightbacktoit,”Whenmyfatherputthephonetohisear,heheardnothingonthelinefortwoorthreeminutes.Thenheheardscreamsoffinthebackground.Andhethought,T