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北师大版高中英语选择性必修四 Unit 12 课文翻译
Lesson 1 Scientific Breakthroughs
第一课 科学突破
If you had to choose the single most important discovery of the 20th century, you would have a real problem on your hands. In just 100 years, the world has changed completely. Amazing discoveries were made in medicine, communications and transport, not to mention our knowledge of the world and space. Medical advances ranged from discovering the causes of diseases under microscopes to staging operations to replace diseased organs with donated munications changed with the introduction of mobile phones, and the way we correspond went from writing letters to emailing and sending instant messages. We started flying around the world, launching satellites into orbit and, at the same time, scientists figured out how to split the atom, previously thought to be the smallest particle of matter in the universe.
如果必须在20世纪重大发现中选出最重要的一项，这可不是件容易的事。在仅仅100年中，世界就完全变样了。医学、通信和交通方面都有惊人的发现，更别提我们对世界和太空的认识了。医学上的进步范围很广，从利用显微镜揭示病因，施行手术，到用捐赠的器官做器官移植。移动电话的使用给通信业带来了改变，通信方式从写信到发电子邮件和发送即时信息。我们开始坐飞机周游世界，把人造卫星发射至轨道。同时，科学家们发现了如何分裂原子，在此之前，原子被认为是宇宙中最小的物质微粒。
Although it is impossible to choose the most important discovery, it is possible to single out a few pioneers of the 20th century. Here are some of them.
尽管不太可能选出哪项发现是最重要的，但是挑选出20世纪的几位先驱还是可能的。例如以下几位。
One of the 20th century’s premier scientists was Albert Einstein. In the summer of 1905, this outspoken young man was rocking his one-year-old baby when he was suddenly inspired. Subsequently, “E=mc2” was born. It showed how a small piece of mass could produce an unbelievable amount of energy. Einstein then showed in his “theory of relativity” that not even time, mass or length are constant—they change according to our experience of them.
20 世纪最杰出的科学家，爱因斯坦是其一。1905年夏天，这个坦率的年轻人给他一岁的孩子晃动摇篮时，突然受到启发。于是，“E=mc2”诞生了。它证明了一小块物质可以产生巨大的能量。爱因斯坦随后在他的“相对论”中指出，即使是时间、质量或长度也不是恒定不变的，它们根据我们对它们的感知而变化。
In 1929, another important finding was made by biologist Alexander Fleming. Before he went on holiday, Fleming left a dish of bacteria in his laboratory. When he came back, he noticed something strange. He double-checked and saw a blue mould in the dish around which the bacteria had been destroyed. This blue mould was in fact the natural form of penicillin, which Fleming perceived could be used to kill bacteria. A few years later, penicillin was being mass-produced and helping to save the lives of millions. Fleming remained humble about the amazing outcome of his discovery. “Nature made penicillin,” he said, “I just found it.”
1929年，另一项重要的发现由生物学家亚历山大·弗莱明发现了。在去度假之前，弗莱明在实验室里放了一个培养细菌的器皿。回来时，他注意到器皿里有点儿奇怪。经过反复检查，他发现器皿里有一种蓝色的霉菌，而霉菌周围的细菌已经被杀死了。这种蓝色的霉菌实际上是自然状态的青霉素，弗莱明认为它可以用来杀死细菌。数年后，青霉素开始大量生产，帮助挽救了数百万人的生命。弗莱明对他这一惊人的发现态度谦虚，他说：“是大自然制造了青霉素，我只是发现了它。”
During World War Ⅱ, when Fleming’s discovery was first helping to cure people, the US Navy was looking for ways of improving the accuracy of their missiles. The navy turned to Eckert, an engineer, and Mauchly, a physicist, to deal with the problem and produce a machine to do the job in a joint effort. Although they only finished after the war in 1946, it did not matter. This huge machine was the world’s first computer, but it was nothing like our computers today. It measured 100 feet long by over 10 feet high and weighed over 30,000 kilograms. With 18,000 tubes, thousands of circuits and 6,000 switches, it used so much energy that when it was turned on, the lights in the local town went out!
第二次世界大战期间，正当弗莱明的发现首次用来帮助治愈疾病时，美国海军正在寻找提高导弹精度的方法。海军求助于工程师埃克特和物理学家莫克利，两人共同制造一台机器来完成这项工作。尽管机器在1946年战争结束后才制造出来，但仍产生了巨大影响。这台巨大的机器是世界上第一台计算机，但是与今天的计算机完全不同。它长100英尺，高10英尺，重30000多公斤。它有18000个显像管，数千条电路和6000个开关，耗电量异常巨大，以致于当它启动的时候，当地所有的灯都熄灭了！
With the development of computers, people expected to get more things done efficiently. During the Cold War, a “huge network” of computers was proposed by two American scientists. With computers talking to one another, it would enable government leaders to communicate with each other. By the end of the 1960s, some mini-networks were established, but only a few computers could connect to them. In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which enabled computers all over the world to communicate with each other. Nowadays, life without the Internet for most people is unimaginable.
随着计算机的发展，人们期望能有效地完成更多的事情。冷战期间，两位美国科学家提出建立一个计算机的“庞大网络”。计算机能互换信息，可使政府领导人相互沟通。到20 世纪60 年代末，一些小型网络已经建立起来，但只有少数计算机可以接入。1990 年，蒂姆·伯纳·李发明了万维网，使世界各地的计算机能够相互通信。如今，对大多数人来说，没有互联网的生活是难以想象的。
These pioneers of the 20th century were all dedicated to improving the quality of human life on Earth. Human life on this planet has been transformed into a “global village”, with all the different countries linked in the chain of common interests. There is no doubt about it. Without the breakthroughs of these pioneers in science and technology, whether lucky or planned, the world as we know it today would be a completely different place.
这些20 世纪的先驱都致力于改善地球上人类的生活质量。不同国家因共同利益而连接起来，使得这个星球上人类的生活已经转变为“地球村”。毫无疑问，如果没有这些先驱取得的科技突破，无论这些突破是偶然发现的还是计划之中的，我们今天所熟知的世界将是一个完全不同的地方。
Lesson 3 Stephen Hawking
第三课 斯蒂芬·霍金
On 14 March, 2018, one of the world’s most influential scientists, Stephen Hawking, died at his home in England, aged 76. Hawking was famous, not just for his brilliant work in theoretical physics and cosmology, but also for overcoming the challenges of ALS (a disease that affects muscle control).
2018年3月14日，世界上最有影响力的科学家之一，斯蒂芬·霍金在英格兰的家中去世，享年76岁。霍金不仅因在理论物理学和宇宙学方面的杰出研究而著名，更是因克服了肌萎缩侧索硬化症(一种影响肌肉控制的疾病)的挑战而令人敬佩。
Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January, 1942, in Oxford. He went to the University of Oxford to study physics in 1959. At the age of 21, when Hawking spent his first year at the University of Cambridge, physicians discovered he had a rare, slow-progressing form of ALS. He was only expected to live for a few years.
1942年1月8日斯蒂芬·霍金出生于牛津，1959 年进入牛津大学学习物理学。21岁那年，也是霍金在剑桥大学的第一年，医生发现他患有一种罕见的慢性肌萎缩侧索硬化症，预言他只能再活几年。
Hawking later found a job at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. In the early stages of his
career, his illness got worse, but he was allowed to do research only rather than teach, which was easier for him. In 1985, he had to have an operation. As a result, he lost his speech. Soon his doctors developed a piece of speech-generating equipment that allowed him to speak. However, as his illness became worse, he lost the use of his hands.
后来霍金在剑桥天文研究所找了份工作。职业生涯刚一开始他的病情就转而恶化，研究所允许他可以只做研究而不用教学，这对他来说更容易。1985年，他不得不动手术，结果丧失了说话能力。很快，医生为他开发了一种发声设备使他能够说话。但是，他的病情继续恶化，手也动不了了。
Although Hawking’s physical abilities declined over decades, he never ceased his studies and he developed a number of new ideas about black holes. Hawking believed that the birth of the universe (the “Big Bang”) created many small black holes. His theory was that there was a sort of hole in the centre of a black hole. This hole led to another universe, completely separate from our own.
尽管在过去几十年里霍金的身体机能不断下降，但他从未停止过研究，对黑洞有了许多新的想法。霍金认为宇宙诞生时(即宇宙大爆炸)创造了许多小黑洞，在黑洞的中心还有一种洞，这种洞通向另一个宇宙，与我们的世界完全分隔。
Hawking also wrote books. His 1988 book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, sold one copy for every 750 people on Earth. However, many people could not really understand what he had written. Therefore, Hawking decided to write a simpler version, A Briefer History of Time (2005).
霍金还写书。1988年出版的《时间简史：从大爆炸到黑洞》一书，地球上平均每750人便购买过一本。然而，许多人并不能真正理解他写的内容。因此，霍金决定写一个简化的版本，即《时间简史》(2005)。
In The Grand Design (2010, with Leonard Mlodinow), Hawking argued that we should look for a different way to discover the deepest secrets of the universe. Instead of trying to find one big new explanation, scientists should put together all the ideas that they already have.
在《宏伟设计》(2010年出版，与莱昂纳德·蒙洛迪诺合著)一书中，霍金提出我们应该用一种不同的方式去发现宇宙最深处的秘密。与其说尝试寻找一个全新的解释，科学家们不如把他们已经有的想法汇集起来。
At the opening of the London 2012 Olympics, Hawking said to a TV audience of 900 million people: “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet ... be curious.”
2012 年伦敦奥运会开幕式上，霍金对9亿电视观众说：“仰望星空，而不是俯视脚下……要保持好奇心。”
In spite of his disease, Hawking didn’t consider himself an unlucky man. He said it had not prevented him from having a family, and being successful in his work. “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.” And he believed this was because of the help he received from his family and a large number of people and organisations.
尽管霍金患有疾病，但他并不认为自己是个不幸的人。他说，这并没有阻碍他拥有家庭，也没有妨碍他在工作中取得成功。“21岁时，我的人生期望值降为零。从那以后，一切都是馈赠。”他认为自己所取得的一切都源于家人的支持和他人的帮助。
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE
什么是黑洞？
A black hole is a place in space where gravity is very strong. Anything that falls into it never comes out. Nothing can escape from it, not even light. As a result, it is impossible to see a black hole.
黑洞是宇宙空间中引力极其强大的地方。落入黑洞的任何物质都不可能再出来。任何东西，包括光，都无法从黑洞中逃脱。因此，黑洞是无法直接观测到的。
READING CLUB 1
ANCIENT CHINESE INVENTIONS 中国古代发明
The ancient Chinese are associated with many important inventions, some of which have changed the world, and many of which we still use today.
古代中国人与许多重要的发明联系在一起，其中一些已经改变了世界，其中许多发明我们至今仍在使用。
Paper-making
The ancient Chinese invented and were using paper about2,000 years ago. Early paper in China was made from bamboo fibre. The plant was put in water and then beaten to a pulp'. This pulp was then dried into fine sheets. Because of the invention of paper, China was one of the first nations to start producing historical records, maps and literature.
造纸
古代中国人大约在2000年前发明并使用纸张。中国早期的纸张是用竹纤维制成的。该植物被放入水中，然后打成纸浆。然后把纸浆干成薄片。由于纸张的发明，中国是最早开始制作历史记录、地图和文献的国家之一
Printing
A Chinese crafts man called Bi Sheng invented the movable-type printing in 1045 AD.Early printing presses' were made by carving wooden blocks with characters.The blocks were then arranged to form the words on a page.This invention made it much quicker and easier to reproduce written work and led to the first ever mass-production of books and literature.Because books became more widely available to the public, general literacy in China was a lot better than anywhere else in the world.
打印
一个名叫毕胜的中国工匠在公元1045年发明了活字印刷术。早期的印刷机“是通过雕刻带有字符的木板而制成的”。”然后，这些方块被排列成一页纸上的单词。这项发明使它更快、更容易复制书面作品，并导致了书籍和文学作品的第一次大规模生产。由于书籍越来越广泛，中国的一般识字率比世界其他任何地方都要好得多。
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese in the eighth century AD.Early Chinese scientists discovered how they could make something explode.Gunpowder was used in wars and led to the development of many different kinds of weapons. For example, rockets carrying gunpowder could be launched at enemy soldiers from a bamboo tube.
火药
火药是在公元8世纪由中国人发明的。早期的中国科学家发现了他们如何让某东西爆炸。火药被用于战争，并导致了许多不同种类的武器的发展。例如，携带火药的火箭可以从竹管向敌人军发射。
The Compass
The ancient Chinese noticed that certain kinds of metals usually lined up in a north to south position. By the third century they had started making the first simple compasses by floating small pins of magnetic’ metal in bowls of water. By the 11th century, the
Chinese were using highly developed compasses to navigate" their ship sat sea. In the West, magnetism was not discovered until the 15th century.Until this time, European sailors were still navigating by the stars.
罗盘
古代中国人注意到，某些金属通常呈南北方向排列。到了三世纪，他们开始用磁性金属小别针漂浮在碗水中制造第一个简单的罗针。到了11世纪 中国人使用高度发达的罗盘来“他们的船坐在海上航行”。在西方，磁性直到15世纪才被发现。在此之前，欧洲水手仍在在星星上航行。
READING CLUB 2
SIMPLE INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
改变了世界的简单发明
There are many inventions in the world that have changed people's lives. To illustrate this, let's have a look at three simple inventions: the clock, the refrigerator and the elevator, One regulates almost everything we do, another affects the way we eat,and the last has changed the very look of our cities.
世界上有许多发明改变了人们的生活。为了说明这一点，让我们来看看三个简单的发明：时钟、冰箱和电梯，一个控制我们所做的几乎所有事情，另一个影响我们的饮食方式，最后一个已经改变了我们城市的面貌。
Over the centuries, people have designed clocks that measure time in many different ways. The ancient Egyptians, for example, made a clock that was simply a stone, bowl-shaped container with a hole at the bottom. The container would be filled with water which would drip from the bottom at a constant rate. Markings on the inside of the bowl showed how much time had passed.
几个世纪以来，人们设计了用许多不同的方式来测量时间的时钟。例如，古埃及人制造了一个时钟，它只是一个石头的，碗状的容器，底部有一个洞。容器中会装满水，这些水将以恒定的速度从底部滴下来。碗里面的标记显示了过去了多少时间。
Mechanical clocks are a relatively new invention.European inventors developed the first accurate mechanical clocks in the 16t and 17th centuries.These clocks and watches were designed to measure time in seconds.机械时钟是一项相对较新的发明。欧洲的发明家在16世纪和17世纪发明出了第一个精确的机械钟。这些钟表被设计成以秒为单位测量时间。
In today's busy and modern world, almost every part of our day-to-day lives is governed by time and our ability to measure it accurately. Without watches or clocks, even simple tasks like catching a train, meeting a friend or even boiling an egg would be very difficult indeed.
在当今忙碌和现代的世界里，我们日常生活的几乎每一个部分都是由时间和我们准确衡量它的能力所控制的。如果没有手表或时钟，即使是赶火车、见朋友或煮鸡蛋等简单的任务，也都会非常困难。
Time may govern our lives, but food keeps us alive.Therefore, preserving food has always been an important consideration for people.
时间可能支配着我们的生活，但食物却使我们还活着。因此，保存食物一直是人们考虑的一个重要考虑因素。
Thousands of years ago, people realised that they could preserve meat by burying it in snow. The Chinese were among the first people to begin collecting and storing ice specifically for the purpose of preserving food.
几千年前，人们意识到他们可以通过把肉埋在雪里来保存它。中国人是第一批专门收集和保存食物的冰的人之一。
Early refrigerators were actually ice-boxes -containers filled with ice. This method required fresh ice to be delivered to homes daily.Refrigerators as we know them today work very differently: they use gases to cool the inside of the container.Oliver Evans invented the first refrigeration machine in 1805, Modern refrigerators work much the same way as Evans' original, Compressed gases in a metal coil inside the refrigerator suck the heat out of the surrounding air as the gases expand.
早期的冰箱实际上是冰盒-装满冰的容器。这种方法要求每天将新鲜的冰运送到家里。正如我们今天所知的那样，冰箱的工作方式非常不同：它们使用气体来冷却容器的内部。奥利弗·埃文斯在1805年发明了第一台制冷机，现代冰箱的工作原理与埃文斯最初的方法基本相同，冰箱内部金属线圈中的压缩气体在气体膨胀时吸收周围空气中的热量。
In China, 20 years ago, refrigerators were on the list of "Three New Big Things”for people to buy to improve their lives, Now it is a common object in most homes and people would find it difficult to imagine living without it.
20年前，在中国，冰箱被列入人们为改善生活而购买的“三大事物”清单，现在冰箱是大多数家庭中常见的东西，人们很难想象没有它的生活。
Unlike refrigerators, elevators are generally not found in people's homes, but they have helped change the environment that millions of people live in.
与冰箱不同，电梯通常不可能在人们的家里找到，但它们帮助改变了数百万人居住的环境。
Scientists and engineers from ancient civilisations used ropes to lift heavy objects, but it wasn't until 1857 that a man called Elisha Otis designed and built a machine that used hydraulics to carry people between the floors of a building.In 1880, a German inventor, Werner von Siemens, introduced the first electric powered elevator - and the lift, as we know it today, was born.
来自古代文明的科学家和工程师使用绳索来举起重物，但直到1857年，一个名叫伊利沙·奥蒂斯的人才设计并制造了一种使用液压系统将人运送在建筑物地板之间的机器。1880年，德国发明家沃纳·冯·西门子推出了第一台电动电梯——而我们今天所知的电梯就诞生了。
Elevators have changed not only our lives by making it possible to live in bigger and taller buildings, but also the city skylines. Modern Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong would look very different indeed if the elevator hadn't been invented.
电梯不仅改变了我们的生活，让我们可以住在更大更高的建筑里，也改变了城市的天际线。如果没有电梯的发明，像北京、上海和香港这样的现代中国城市看起来确实会非常不同
Next time you rely on any of these inventions, be grateful and think about the science and imagination that have gone into them and how much they have changed our everyday life.
下次当你依赖这些发明时，要心存感激，思考那些已经融入其中的科学和想象力，以及它们如何改变了我们的日常生活。

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