新概念英语第4册-第2节
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听录音,然后回答以下问题。
How did Vera discover she had this gift of second sight?
Several cases have been reported in Russia recently 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 mission 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。
ERIC DE MAUNY Seeing hands from The Listener
New words and expressions
solid
adj。 坚实的
safe
n。 保险柜
Ulyanovsk
n。 乌里扬诺夫斯克
mission
n。 委员会
opaque
adj。 不透明的
lotto
n。 一种有编号的纸牌
slipper
n。 拖鞋
blindfold
adj。& adv。 被蒙上眼睛的
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
First listen and then answer the following question:
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
How does the writer like to treat young people?
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 mitment to mean ambitions or love of fort。 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。
FIELDEN HUGHES from Out of the Air; The Listener
New words and expression 生词和短语
leave
n。 允许
fundamentals
n。 基本原则
glorious
adj。 光辉灿烂的
splendid
adj。 灿烂的
rub
n。 难题
identity
n。 身份
dreary
adj。 沉郁的
mitment
n。 信奉
mean
adj。 吝啬,小气
social climber
追求更高社会地位的,向上爬的人
devotion
n。 热爱
cosmic
adj。 宇宙的
suburban
adj。 见识不广的,偏狭的
conceited
adj。 自高自大的
presumptuous
adj。 自以为是的,放肆的
fatuous
adj。 愚蠢的
cliche
n。 陈词滥调
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
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
How does the writer describe sport at the international level?
I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between the nations; and that if only the mon 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 petitive。 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 bative 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。
GEORGE ORWELL The sporting spirit
New words and expression
goodwill
n。 友好
cricket
n。 板球
inclination
n。 意愿
contest
n。 比赛
orgy
n。 无节制的,放荡
deduce
v。 推断
petitive
adj。 竞争性的
patriotism
n。 地方观念,爱国主义
disgrace
v。 使丢脸
savage
adj。 野性的
bative
adj。 好斗的
mimic warfare
模拟战争
behaviour
n。 行动,举止
absurd
adj。 荒唐的
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
First listen and then answer the following