大學英語2課文+譯文

1、Unit 1A heated discussion about whether men are braver than women is settled in a rather unexpected way.The dinner partyMona GardnerI first heard this tale in India, where is told as if true - though any naturalist would know it couldnt be. Later someone told me that the story appeared in a magazine

2、 shortly before the First World War. That magazine story, and the person who wrote it, I have never been able to track down. The country is India. A colonial official and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They are seated with their guests - officers and their wives, and a visiting American n

3、aturalist - in their spacious dining room, which has a bare marble floor, open rafters and wide glass doors opening onto a veranda. A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who says that women have outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a major who says that the

4、y havent. A womans reaction in any crisis, the major says, is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what really counts. The American does not join in the argument but watches the other guests. As he looks, he sees a st

5、range expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly. She motions to the native boy standing behind her chair and whispers something to him. The boys eyes widen: he quickly leaves the room. Of the guests, none except the American notices

6、 this or sees the boy place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors. The American comes to with a start. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing - bait for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. He looks up at the rafters - the likeliest place - but they are

7、bare. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth the servants are waiting to serve the next course. There is only one place left - under the table. His first impulse is to jump back and warn the others, but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly,

8、 the tone of his voice so commanding that it silences everyone. I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundred - thats five minutes - and not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will forfeit 50 rupees. Ready? The 20 people sit like stone images whi

9、le he counts. He is saying .two hundred and eighty. when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut. You were right, Major! the host exclaims. A man has just shown us an example of perfect

10、self-control.Just a minute, the American says, turning to his hostess. Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room?A faint smile lights up the womans face as she replies: Because it was crawling across my foot. 關(guān)于男人是否比女人更勇敢的一場激烈爭論以一種頗為出人意料的方式解決了。晚宴 莫娜加德納我最初聽到這個故事是在印度，那兒的人們今天講起它來仍好像確有其事似

11、的盡管任何一位博物學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。 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。跟他們一起就做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家。 席間，一位年輕的女士同一位少校展開了熱烈的討論。年輕的女士認為婦女已經(jīng)有所進步，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。 他說：“一遇到危急情況，女人的反應便是尖叫。而男人雖然也可能想

12、叫，但比起女人來，自制力卻略勝一籌。這多出來的一點自制力正是真正起作用的東西?！?那個美國人沒有參加這場爭論，他只是注視著在座的其他客人。在他這樣觀察時，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手勢，對他耳語了幾句。男仆兩眼睜得大大的，迅速地離開了餐室。 在座的客人中除了那位美國人以外誰也沒注意到這一幕，也沒有看到那個男仆把一碗牛奶放在緊靠門邊的走廊上。 那個美國人突然醒悟過來。在印度，碗中的牛奶只有一個意思引蛇的誘餌。他意識到餐室里一定有條眼鏡蛇。他抬頭看了看屋頂上的椽子那是最可能有蛇藏身的地方但那上面空蕩蕩的。室內(nèi)的三個角

13、落里也是空的，而在第四個角落里，仆人們正在等著上下一道菜。這樣，剩下的就只有一個地方了餐桌下面。 他首先想到的是往后一跳，并向其他人發(fā)出警告。但他知道這樣會引起騷亂，致使眼鏡蛇受驚咬人。于是他很快講了一道話，其語氣非常威嚴，竟使得所有的人都安靜了下來?！拔蚁肓私庖幌略谧闹T位到底有多大的克制能力，我數(shù)三百下也就是五分鐘你們誰都不許動一動。動者將罰款五十盧比。準備好！”在他數(shù)數(shù)的過程中，那二十個人都像一尊尊雕塑一樣端坐在那兒。當他數(shù)到“二百八十”時，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，室內(nèi)響起了一片尖叫聲?！澳銊偛耪f的很對，少校！”男

14、主人大聲說?！耙粋€男子剛剛為我們顯示了從容不迫、鎮(zhèn)定自若的范例?！薄扒衣蹦俏幻绹艘贿呎f著一邊轉(zhuǎn)向女主人?！皽仄澨?，你怎么知道那條眼鏡蛇是在屋子里呢？”女主人臉上閃出一絲淡淡的微笑，回答說：“因為它當時正從我的腳背上爬過去?！?Unit 2Jefferson died long ago, but many of his ideas still of great interest to us.Lessons from JeffersonThomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, may be less famous

15、 than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at last one fact about him: he wrote the Declaration of Independence.Although Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago, there is much that we learn from him today. Many of his ideas are especially interesting to modern youth. Here

16、are some of the things he said and wrote:Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books and that personal investigation is important. When still a young man, he was appointed to a committee to find out whether the South Branch of the James River was

17、deep enough to be used by large boats. While the other members of the committee sat in the state capitol and studied papers on the subject, Jefferson got into a canoe and made on-the-spot-observations.You can learn from everyone. By birth and by education Jefferson belonged to the highest social cla

18、ss. Yet, in a day when few noble persons ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order, Jefferson went out of his way to talk with gardeners, servants, and waiters. Jefferson once said to the French nobleman, Lafayette, You must go into the peoples homes as I have done, look into the

19、ir cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France.Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other peoples opinions without careful thought. Neither believe nor reject anything, he

20、 wrote to his nephew, because any other person has rejected or believed it. Heaved has given you a mind for judging truth and error. Use it.Jefferson felt that the people may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false, and to form a correct judgment. Were it left to me to decide whether we

21、should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is conflict and not unquestioning agreement

22、 that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to a friend, There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and on it with effect, those who take the other

23、side will of course resent your actions.Trust the future; trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. No society, he said, can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs to the living generation.

24、 He did not fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. How much pain, he remarked, has been caused by evils which have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I steer my ship with hope, leaving fear behind.Jeffersons courage and idealism were based on knowledge. He probably knew more than

25、 any other man of his age. He was an expert in agriculture, archeology, and medicine. He practiced crop rotation and soil conservation a century before these became standard practice, and he invented a plow superior to any other in existence. He influenced architecture throughout America, and he was

26、 constantly producing devices for making the tasks of ordinary life easier to perform.Of all Jeffersons many talents, one is central. He was above all a good and tireless writer. His complete works, now being published for the first time, will fill more than fifty volumes. His talent as an author wa

27、s soon discovered, and when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776, the task of writing it was his. Millions have thrilled to his words: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equalWhen Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th annive

28、rsary of American independence, he left his countrymen a rich legacy of ideas and examples. American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson, Who believed that only a nation of educated people could remain free.杰斐遜很久以前就死了，但是我們?nèi)匀粚λ囊恍┧枷牒芨信d趣,杰斐遜的箴言 布魯斯.布利文托馬斯.杰斐遜美國第三任總統(tǒng)，也許不像喬治.華盛頓和亞伯拉罕.林肯那樣著名，

29、但大多數(shù)人至少記得有關(guān)他的一件事實：獨立宣言是他起草的。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到很多東西。他的許多思想對當代青年特別有意義。下面就是他講過和寫到過的一些觀點：自己去看。杰斐遜認為，一個自由的人除了從書本中獲取知識外，還可以從許多別的來源獲得知識；親自做調(diào)查是很重要的。當他還年輕的時候，他就被任命為一個委員會的成員，去調(diào)查詹姆斯河南部支流的水深是否可以通行大型船只。委員會的其他成員都坐在州議會大廈內(nèi)，研究有關(guān)這一問題的文件，而杰斐遜卻跳進一只獨木舟去做現(xiàn)場觀測。你可以向任何人學習。按出身及其所受的教育，杰斐遜均屬于最高的社會階層。然而很少跟出身卑賤的人說話的年代

30、，在那個貴人們除了發(fā)號施令以外。杰斐遜卻想盡辦法跟園丁、仆人和侍者交談。有一次杰斐遜曾這樣對法國貴族拉斐特說：你必須像我那樣到平民百性的家里去，看看他們的燒飯鍋，吃吃他們的面包。只要你肯這樣做，你就會發(fā)現(xiàn)老百姓為什么會不滿意，你就會理解正在威脅著法國的革命?！弊砸炎髋袛?。未經(jīng)過認真的思考，杰斐遜絕不接受別人的意見?！安灰嘈潘蚓芙^它。”他在給侄子的信中寫道，“因為別的人相信或拒絕了什么東西。上帝賜予你一個用來判斷真理和謬誤的頭腦。那你就運用它吧。杰斐遜覺得人民是“完全可以依賴的，應該讓它們聽到一切真實和虛偽的東西，然后作出正確的判斷。倘使讓我來決定，我們是應該有一個政府而不要報紙呢，還是應該

31、有報紙而不要政府，我會豪不猶豫地選擇后者?！弊瞿阏J為是正確的事。在一個自由的國家里總會有各種相互沖突的思想，而這正是力量的源泉。使自由保持活力的是沖突而不是絕對的一致。雖然有好多年杰斐遜一直受到激烈的批評，但他從不回答那些批評他的人。他在想寫給一位朋友的信中表達他自己的觀點：“每個問題都有兩面。如果你堅持站在一面，根據(jù)它有效地采取行動，那么，站在另一面的那些人當然會對你的行動怨恨不滿?！毕嘈盼磥?，相信青年。杰斐遜認為，絕不可以用那些已經(jīng)無用的習俗來束縛住“現(xiàn)在”的手腳。“沒有哪個社會，”他說，“可以制訂一部永遠適用的憲法，甚至連一條永遠適用的法律也制訂不出來。地球是屬于活著的一代的。他不害怕新

32、的思想，也不害怕未來。“有多少痛苦，”他評論說，“是有一些從未發(fā)生的災難引起的?。∥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已的航船，我滿懷希望地駕駛著自已的航船，而把恐懼拋在后面。”杰斐遜的勇氣和理想主義是以知識為基礎的。他懂得的東西也許比同時代的任何人都要多。在農(nóng)業(yè)、考古學和醫(yī)學方面他都是專家。在人人普遍采用農(nóng)作物輪作和土壤保持的作法以前一個世紀，他就這樣做了。他還發(fā)明了一種比當時任何一種都好的耕犁。他影響了整個美國的建筑業(yè)，他還不斷地制造出各種器械的裝置，使日常生活中需要做的許多工作變得更加容易。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

33、。他的全集，目前正在第一次出版的，將超過五十卷。他作為一個作家的才能很快便被發(fā)現(xiàn)了，所以，當1776年在費城要撰寫獨立宣言的時刻來到時，這一任務便落在了他的肩上。數(shù)以百萬計的人們讀到他寫的下列詞句都激動不已：我們認為這些真理是不言而喻的；一切人生來就是平等的”杰斐遜在1826年7月4日與世長辭，正值美國獨立五十周年紀念日之際，他給他的同胞留下了一份豐富的思想遺產(chǎn)和眾多的榜樣。托馬斯 杰斐遜對美國的教育事業(yè)作出了巨大的貢獻，他認為，只有受過教育的人民組成的國家才能保持自由。Unit 3Trying to make some money before entering university, th

34、e author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse.My First Job While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short of money and wanting to do

35、something useful, I applied, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim. However, three days later a letter arrived, asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten

36、-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter a mile. As a result I arrived on a hot June morning too depressed to feel nervous. The school was a red brick house with big windows, The front garden was a gravel square; four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner, where they struggled to survi

37、ve the dust and fumes from a busy main from a busy main road. It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair. He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval, as a colonel might look at

38、 a private whose bootlaces were undone. Ah yes, he grunted. Youd better come inside. The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the walls were dirty with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs on the carpet, was also his dining-room. Youd better sit down,

39、 he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate; how old I was; what games I played; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boys education. I mumbled something abo

40、ut not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common. The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, whic

41、h he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teac

42、hing algebra and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket; most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time. I said shyly, What would my salary be? Twelve pounds a week plus lunch. Before I could pro

43、test, he got to his feet. Now, he said, youd better meet my wife. Shes the one who really runs this school. This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity.為了想在進大學前賺些錢，作者申請了一份教職。但面試情況卻越來越糟我的第一份工作羅伯特貝斯特在我等著進大學期間，我在一份地方報紙上看到一則廣告，說是在離我

44、住處大約十英里的倫敦某郊區(qū)，有所學校要招聘一名教師。我因為手頭很拮據(jù)，同時也想做點有用的事，于是便提出了申請，但在提出申請的同時我也擔心，自己一無學位，二無教學經(jīng)驗，得到這份工作的可能性是微乎其微的。然而，三天之后，卻來了一封信，叫我到克羅伊登去面試。這一路去那兒原來還真麻煩：先乘火車到克羅伊頓車站，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，我在六月一個炎熱的上午到了那兒，因為心情非常沮喪，竟不感到緊張了。學校是一座裝著大窗戶的紅磚房子。前庭園是個鋪著沙礫的正方形：四個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。開門的顯然是校長本人。他又矮又胖，留著

45、沙色的小胡子，前額上布滿皺紋，頭發(fā)差不多已經(jīng)禿光。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?！芭?，”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：為了得到普通學校證書我學過哪些課程；我多大歲數(shù)了；我會玩些什么游戲；問到這里他突然用他那雙充滿血絲的眼睛盯住我，問我是否認為游戲是兒童教育的一個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

46、話。我和校長顯然沒有多少共同語言。他說，學校只有一個班，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。整個教學計劃把我嚇壞了。我得把全班學生分成三個組，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學得極差的科目，我感到很害怕。更糟糕的也許是星期六下午打板球的安排，因為這時候我的朋友大都會在悠閑地自得其樂。我怯生生地問：“我的薪水是多少？”“每周十二磅外加中飯?！边€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。她才是這所學校真正的主管人?！?我

47、再也無法忍受了。我當時很年輕：在一個女人手下工作的前景構(gòu)成了最大的侮辱。Unit 4Seen through the eyes of a young friend Einstein was a simple, modest and ordinary man.The professor and the Yo-yo My father was a close friend of Albert Einstein. As a shy young visitor to Einsteins home, I was made to feel at ease when Einstein said, I hav

48、e something to show you. He went to his desk and returned with a Yo-Yo. He tried to show me how it worked but he couldnt make it roll back up the string. When my turn came, I displayed my few tricks and pointed out to him that the incorrectly looped string had thrown the toy off balance. Einstein no

49、dded, properly impressed by my skill and knowledge. Later, I bought a new Yo-Yo and mailed it to the Professor as a Christmas present, and received a poem of thanks. As boy and then as an adult, I never lost my wonder at the personality that was Einstein. He was the only person I knew who had come t

50、o terms with himself and the world around him. He knew what he wanted and he wanted only this: to understand within his limits as a human being the nature of the universe and the logic and simplicity in its functioning. He knew there were answers beyond his intellectual reach. But this did not frust

51、rate him. He was content to go as far as he could. In the 23 years of our friendship, I never saw him show jealousy, vanity, bitterness, anger, resentment, or personal ambition. He seemed immune to these emotions. He was beyond any pretension. Although he corresponded with many of the worlds most im

52、portant people, his stationery carried only a watermark - W - for Woolworths. To do his work he needed only a pencil only a pencil and a pad of paper. Material things meant nothing to him. I never knew him to carry money because he never had any use for it. He believed in simplicity, so much so that

53、 he used only a safety razor and water to shave. When I suggested that he try shaving cream, he said, The razor and water do the job.But Professor, why dont you try the cream just once? I argued. It makes shaving smoother and less painful. He shrugged. Finally, I presented him with a tube of shaving

54、 cream. The next morning when he came down to breakfast, he was beaming with the pleasure of a new, great discovery. You know, that cream really works, he announced. It doesnt pull the beard. It feels wonderful. Thereafter, he used the shaving cream every morning until the tube was empty. Then he re

55、verted to using plain water. Einstein was purely and exclusively a theorist. He didnt have the slightest interest in the practical application of his ideas and theories. His E=mc2 is probably the most famous equation in history - yet Einstein wouldnt walk down the street to see a reactor create atom

56、ic energy. He won the Nobel Prize for his Photoelectric Theory, a series of equations that he considered relatively minor in importance, but he didnt have any curiosity in observing how his theory made TV possible. My brother once gave the Professor a toy, a bird that balanced on the edge of a bowl

57、of water and repeatedly dunked its head in the water. Einstein watched it in delight, trying to deduce the operating principle. But be couldnt. The next morning he announced, I had thought about that bird for a long time before I went to bed and it must work this way He began a long explanation. The

58、n he stopped, realizing a flaw in his reasoning. No, I guess thats not it, he said. He pursued various theories for several days until I suggested we take the toy apart to see how it did work. His quick expression of disapproval told me he did not agree with this practical approach. He never did work out the solution. Another puzzle that Einstein could never understand was his own fame. He had develo