英語(yǔ)中級(jí)職稱課文

Unit1 UFOsNotlongago,anaeroplanewasflyingoverNewzealand.Therewasatelevisioncameracrewonboard.Suddenly,outinthenightsky,abrightspherecameintoview.Everyoneonboardsawitandeveryonethought,“UFO"—unidentifiedflyingobject.Thecameracrewwentintoactionandstartedfilming.Thatweekpeopleallovertheworldsawthefilmofthismysteriouslightontheirtelevisionscreens.Whatwasit?Wasitaspaceshipfullofvisitorsfromanotherplanet?Thecaptainoftheaeroplaneandthefilmcrewbelieveditwas.Otherobservershadmanydifferentexplanations.Somesaiditwasvenus.Otherssaiditwasjustatrickoflight.不久以前,有ー架飛機(jī)在新西蘭上空飛過(guò)。機(jī)上有個(gè)電視攝制組。突然,機(jī)外的夜空中有個(gè)發(fā)光的圓球映入眼簾。機(jī)內(nèi)的人都目睹這一景象,大家都認(rèn)為這就是不明飛行物。攝制組人員立即行動(dòng)起來(lái),進(jìn)行拍攝。在那一周內(nèi),全世界的人都在電視屏幕上看到這ー神秘發(fā)光體的鏡頭。這究竟是什么東西呢?是來(lái)自其他星球的滿載旅客的宇宙飛船嗎?機(jī)長(zhǎng)和攝制組人員認(rèn)為是的。另ー些目擊者則眾說(shuō)紛紜,有些人說(shuō)這是金星,另ー些人認(rèn)為這不過(guò)是光造成的幻覺(jué)而已。Anairtrafficcontrolleralsosawitonhisradarscreen.Hethoughtthataflockofbirdswascausingdotsonhisradarscreenwhenthe“UFO”appeared.ー個(gè)機(jī)場(chǎng)導(dǎo)航員在雷達(dá)屏幕上也看到了這個(gè)不明飛行物。當(dāng)這個(gè)不明飛行物在他的雷達(dá)屏幕上出現(xiàn)時(shí),他以為這是一群鳥(niǎo)在他的屏幕上形成的光點(diǎn)。Mostastronomersnowbelievethatwhatthesepeoplesawwasalmostcertainlytheplanetvenus.Atthattimeofyearitisverybrightandeasytosee.Andfromamovingaeroplaneitcanappeartobemovingfast.SofarthereisnoproofthatUFOsorspaceshipsfromotherplanetsdoexist.TheseyearsinvestigatorsofUFOshaveinvestigatedthousandsofsightings-oroccasionswhenpeoplesaidtheysawaUFO.Ninetypercentoftheseturnedouttohaveasimpleexplanation.大多數(shù)天文學(xué)家現(xiàn)在都認(rèn)為這些人所看到的幾乎肯定是金星。在每年的這個(gè)時(shí)候,金星正好十分明亮,容易看到。而且從飛行著的飛機(jī)上看去,金星可能象在快速運(yùn)行。究竟有沒(méi)有不明飛行物或來(lái)自其他行星的宇宙飛船,到目前為止尚無(wú)法證實(shí)。這些年來(lái),不明も行物的研究者對(duì)成千上萬(wàn)起人們自稱親眼目睹的事例進(jìn)行了調(diào)查。結(jié)果是對(duì)其中百分之九十都能作簡(jiǎn)單的解釋。However,it'sagoodideatokeepanopenmind.ScientistsinsomecountriesaretryingtopersuadetheirgovernmentstohelpthemstudyUFOs.Andtheyareplanningtoco-operateinternationallyonreportingandinvestigatingsightingsofUFOs.Afterall,itisquitepossiblethatthereislifeoutthereintheuniverse.Andifsomethingisalive,itisquitepossiblethatitwillcometovisitus不過(guò),對(duì)這個(gè)問(wèn)題最好是不抱偏見(jiàn)。有些國(guó)家的科學(xué)家們正在努力勸說(shuō)各自的政府為研究不明飛行物提供幫助。他們計(jì)劃在報(bào)告和調(diào)查不明飛行物的行蹤方面進(jìn)行國(guó)際合作?？傊?在外層空間很可能存在著生物。而如果真有某種生物存在的話,那就完全有可能來(lái)訪問(wèn)我們。FlyingSaucersAmaterialhasfallenfromtheskiesinmanyplaces.Thismaterialiswhite,anditsometimesfallsinstripsabouttenmetreslong.Itdisappearscompletelyinaveryshorttime.Itissaidthatthismaterialoftenfallssoonafterflyingsaucersareseen.Forthisreasonmanypeoplebelievethatitcomesfromflyingsaucers.Butsomepeoplethinkthatitismaterialblownfromaclothfactory.在許多地方有一種物質(zhì)從空中飄落下來(lái)。這種物質(zhì)是白色的。它有時(shí)形成十米左右的長(zhǎng)帶飄然下降,很快就消失得無(wú)影無(wú)蹤。據(jù)說(shuō)這種物質(zhì)往往是在飛碟出現(xiàn)之后不久降落的,因此許多人認(rèn)為它是從飛碟上落下來(lái)的。但是有些人則認(rèn)為那是從織布廠刮過(guò)來(lái)的物質(zhì)。OnNovember9,1965acompleteblackoutoflightscoveredthenortheasternpartofAmerica.Millionsofpeoplewerewithoutlightsfromlateafternoonuntilthenextmorning.Itwasasifagreatblackblankethadbeenthrownoverallthecities,towns,andhomes.Somepeoplewerereportedtohaveseenflyingsaucersthatsameevening.Theybelievedthatflyingsaucerswererealflyingthingscontrolledbyintelligentbeings,andcamefromanotherplanet.1965年11月9日,美國(guó)東北部電燈完全熄滅。數(shù)百萬(wàn)人從接近傍晚的時(shí)候一直到第二天早晨都沒(méi)有電燈,好象是一條巨大的黑色毯子覆蓋在所有的城鎮(zhèn)和住戶的上空。據(jù)報(bào)道,有些人就在當(dāng)天晚上看到了飛碟。他們認(rèn)為飛碟是ー種來(lái)自另一行星的由智慧生物操縱的真實(shí)飛行器。Somescientiststhinkthatpeopleshouldbetaughtaboutthingsthattheyseeintheskies.Since95percentofthefindingsonunidentifiedflyingobjectshavebeenexplainedassignsofnature,thesesignsshouldbeexplainedtopeople.Theythinkthatteachingpeopletounderstandthesethingswillbeagreattaskforthescientists.有些科學(xué)家認(rèn)為,必須使人們對(duì)他們?cè)谔炜罩兴?jiàn)到的東西有所了解。既然百分之九十五的有關(guān)不明飛行物的發(fā)現(xiàn)被解釋為自然征兆,那么就該向人們解釋這些征兆。他們認(rèn)為,教人們理解這些現(xiàn)象將是科學(xué)家的ー項(xiàng)巨大任務(wù)。Otherscientistsfeelthatmoreresearchisnecessarybeforeanydefiniteconclusionsarereached.其他ー些科學(xué)家認(rèn)為,需要進(jìn)行更多的研究才能得出確切的結(jié)論。LifeintheUniverseOneofthemostexcitingquestionstowhichscientistsareseekinganansweris,“aretherelivingthingsanywhereintheuniverse?Istheearththeonlyinthewholeenormousuniversewherehumanbeingsoranythinglikehumanbeingsexist?”(B)宇宙中的生命科學(xué)家們正在尋求解答的最為激動(dòng)人心的問(wèn)題之一是:“宇宙中是否有生物存在?在無(wú)邊無(wú)際的宇宙中,地球是不是有人類和類似人類的生物存在的唯一天體?”Livingthings,likeeverythingelse,aremadeupofatoms,andtheseatomsaregroupedintomolecules.Themoleculesoflivingthingsaremadeupofhundredsorthousandsofatomsarrangedindifferent,complicatedpatterns.Iftheybecometoohot,thesecomplicatedmoleculesoflivingthingsbreakupintotheirseparateatomsandceasetobeliving.Thereforetherecannotbelifeonthesunoranyofthestars.生物和別的東西ー樣,是由原子組成的,而這些原子又集合成分子。生物的分子則由幾百或幾千個(gè)原子按各不相同的復(fù)雜的方式排列而成。如果生物的這些復(fù)雜分子溫度太高,它們就分裂成單個(gè)的原子而不再生存。因此在太陽(yáng)或任何恒星上不可能有生命。Livingthingsneedenergytogrowormove.Onearthplantsandanimalsgettheirenergyfromthelightandheatofthesun.Thereforeplanetsthatareveryfarfromthesunandextremelycoldarenotplaceswherelivingthingscouldexist.生物需要能量才能生長(zhǎng)和運(yùn)動(dòng)。地球上的動(dòng)植物從太陽(yáng)的光和熱中獲得能量。因此遠(yuǎn)離太陽(yáng)和極端寒冷的行星不是生物可以生存的地方。Allplantsandanimalscanliveonlyonplanetsthathaveasuitableatmosphere.ButneithermarsnorVenushasasuitableatmosphere.Itseemsthattherearenointelligentbeingsinoursolarsystemexceptontheearth.一切動(dòng)植物只能在有適當(dāng)大氣層的行星上生存。但是不論是在火星上還是在金星上都沒(méi)有這種適宜的大氣層。因此在我們的太陽(yáng)系中,看來(lái)除了在地球上以外,是不會(huì)有智慧生物的。Butifthereareplanetsroundthesun,whyshouldtherenotbeplanetsaroundotherstars?Maynotsomeofthesebeplaced,liketheearth,atjusttherightdistancefromtheirsuntohaveasuitableatmosphereandtobeneithertoohotnortoocoldforlife?Somewhereinspace,millionsandmillionsofmilesaway,theremaybeothercreatures,withbrainsaswell-developedasours,whoarealsoreachingoutinspacetodiscoverwhatelseexistsinthiswonderfuluniverse.但是既然太陽(yáng)周?chē)行行?為什么在其他恒星周?chē)荒苡行行悄?難道不可能有一些行星和地球一樣,距離它們的太陽(yáng)不遠(yuǎn)不近,既有合適的大氣層,又不冷不熱,適宜于生物生存嗎?在億萬(wàn)英里以外的太空中,有可能存在著智力和我們一樣發(fā)達(dá)的其他生物,他們也正在太空中四處探索,想要查明在這個(gè)奇妙的宇宙中是否還存在著什么其他生物。Unit2 AnewlightintheworldIn1960anAmericanphysicistbuiltaninterestingnewapparatustoproduceaverystrongbeamoflight.Thisnewlightwasnamed'laser”.Theprincipleofthelaseristhattheatomsofacrystalliketherubycrystalcanbeexcitedbystronglightandcanthenstorethislight,amplifyitandemitanimmenselypowerfulbeam.Thislightisparticularlypowerfulbecauseittravelsincoherentwaves,thatis,waveswhichareallthesamelengthandwhichmoveinstep.Forthisreason,too,thislightconsistsofonlyonecolour,andnotofmanycolourslikesunlight.UNIT2激光1960年有一位美國(guó)物理學(xué)家制成了一種有趣的新型儀器,來(lái)產(chǎn)生很強(qiáng)的光束,這種新的光源被命名為“激光”。激光的原理是:有些晶體（如紅寶石）的原子可以受強(qiáng)光激發(fā),然后把這種光儲(chǔ)存起來(lái),加以放大,并發(fā)射出功率極為強(qiáng)大的光束。這種光束的功率之所以特別強(qiáng)大是因?yàn)樗且韵喔刹ǖ男问絺鬏數(shù)?。所謂相干波是所有波的波長(zhǎng)均相同,而且同步。也由于這ー原因,這種光只有一種顏色,而不象太陽(yáng)光那樣有許多顏色。Lightofthisstrengthcanbeveryusefulandhasalreadyfoundmanydifferentapplicationsinscience.Oneimportantuseoflasersistomeasuredistances.TheastronautsononeApollomissionsetupareflectoronthemoonto“catch“l(fā)aserbeamsprojectedfromtheearthandtoreturnthemtoourplanet.Bymeasuringthetimethebeamtakestogotothemoonandcomeback,scientistscancalculatetheprecisedistance.這種高強(qiáng)度的光非常有用,并已在科學(xué)上有多種不同用途。激光的-個(gè)重要用途是測(cè)距。有一次執(zhí)行阿波羅飛行任務(wù)的宇航員曾經(jīng)在月球上安裝了?個(gè)反射器,用來(lái)“撲捉”從地球上發(fā)射出去的激光束。科學(xué)家通過(guò)測(cè)量激光在地球與月球之間往返一次的時(shí)間,就能計(jì)算出地球與月球之間的精確距離。Anotheruseoflasersistomeasuretime.Thefactthatlaserbeamsaresocoherentmeansthattheirpulsescanbeusedtodivideasinglesecondintofantasticallysmallparts.Infact,pulsesoflaserlightthatlastonlyonepico-secondhavealreadybeenproduced.激光的另ー用途是測(cè)時(shí)。激光束相干性極好的意義在于激光的脈沖可以用來(lái)把一秒鐘分割為無(wú)數(shù)極小的瞬間。事實(shí)上人們現(xiàn)在已能產(chǎn)生僅僅持續(xù)ー微微秒的激光脈沖。Laserbeamscanalsobeusedincommunications.Alaserbeamtravellingthroughanenclosedtubecancarryasmuchinformationas80millionTVchannels!Laser,likeradioandTVbeforeit,willprobablychangemanyaspectsofourlivesbeforetheendofthetwentiethcentury.激光束也可用于通訊。在ー個(gè)封閉管道中傳輸?shù)募す馐軅魉投噙_(dá)八千萬(wàn)個(gè)電視頻道的信息。激光,和在它以前的收音機(jī)、電視機(jī)ー樣,在本世紀(jì)結(jié)束之前大概會(huì)使我們生活的許多方面發(fā)生變化。ForGoodorEvilAquiteimportantapplicationoflasersisinholography(theproductionofthree-dimensionalphotographs),inventedbyaHungarian-bornscientistin1948,beforelaser.Somepeoplehavesuggestedthathologramsshouldbemadeofallfamousworksofart.Thenthehologramscouldbeexhibited,lookingjustthesameastheoriginal,whichwouldbestoredinasafeplace.Ourworksofartwouldcertainlybesafer,butperhapswewouldnotfeelthesameifweknewwewerelookingatahologram!(A)是造福還是作惡激光的一個(gè)十分重要的用途是用在全息(拍攝立體照片)方面。全息攝影是在激光發(fā)明以前由一位匈牙利出生的科學(xué)家在1948年發(fā)明的。有人建議把所有著名的藝術(shù)品拍攝成全息照相。然后,可以把這些全息照相在展覽會(huì)上展出,它們看上去與原作一模ー樣。而原作可以珍藏在安全的地方。這樣,我們的藝術(shù)品當(dāng)然要安全多了,但是,如果我們知道我們所看到的只是全息照相,感受或許就會(huì)不一樣了。However,thehologramisalreadybeingusedinDisneyland,inCalifornia,toamusepeople.TherearesomeroomsinDisneylandwhicharefullofsurprisingpeople-flying,eating,talking,someofthemtoobigandotherstoosmall-andtheyareallgreen!Althoughyoucanwalkthroughthem,youcannottouchthem.Theyarehologramsprojectedintotheroomsfromoutside.然而,全息照相已經(jīng)在美國(guó)加利福尼亞州的狄斯耐游樂(lè)場(chǎng)中用來(lái)供人們娛樂(lè)了。在狄斯耐游樂(lè)場(chǎng)里有兒個(gè)房間,里面全是ー些令人驚奇的人物-有的在飛,有的在吃東西,有的在談話,有些人大得出奇,有些人小得驚人一而他們都是綠色的。雖然你能夠在他們中間走過(guò)去，但你卻摸不到他們。他們都是從房間外面投射到房間里去的全息照相。Thelaserisreallyanimportantscientificdiscoveryinman'shistory.Itcanbeveryuseful,butitcouldalsobeakillingweapon.Alreadylasergunsarebeingdevelopedwhichcouldkillanenemy,orbringdownanairplaneoramissileatagreatdistance.Perhapsthisistheudeathray”,whichweoftenreadaboutinsciencefiction.Onceagain,manwillhavetodecidewhetherheusesaninventionforgoodorevil.激光在人類歷史上實(shí)在是一項(xiàng)極為重要的科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)。它可以有很多用處,但也可能成為ー?種殺人的武器。能在遠(yuǎn)處殺死敵人、擊落飛機(jī)或?qū)椀募す馀谝言谘兄浦?這也許就是我們?cè)诳茖W(xué)幻想小說(shuō)里經(jīng)常讀到的那種“死光”。人類再一次不得不作出決定:把ー項(xiàng)發(fā)明用于造福還是用于作惡。LightWavesthatWorkMiraclesTheimportantthingaboutlaserlightisthatitiscoherent.Itsraysareallofthesamewavelengthorcolour,andareallinstep.Whenlightwavestravelinstep,theycanworkmiracles.Thereasonisthattheirenergyisconcentratedasthebeamtravels.(B)創(chuàng)造奇跡的光波激光的重要特性在于它是ー種相干光。這些光線的波長(zhǎng)或顏色都相同,而且同步。當(dāng)激光器發(fā)出的光波同步傳播時(shí),它們就能創(chuàng)造奇跡。原因是當(dāng)光束向外傳播時(shí),這些光波的能量集中了。Threeofthemanywonderfulapplicationsofthelasershowhowthepropertiesofcoherentlightcanbeputtowork.Sinceitslightdoesnotspreadoutevenatgreatdistancesalasercanlightthesurfaceofthemoonwithonlyatwo-mile-widecircleoflight.Sinceitsenergyisconcentratedataverysmallpoint,itcansendalightintothehumaneyeballtoweldtheretinabackintoplace.Andsinceitsradiationissointense,itcanburnholesinasteelplate0.125mmthickatadistanceofseveralfeet.在激光的許多奇妙用途中,有三個(gè)用途都說(shuō)明可以怎樣利用相干光的這些特性:激光即使經(jīng)過(guò)很遠(yuǎn)的距離也不會(huì)擴(kuò)散,因此它照射在月球表面上的光照范圍只是ー個(gè)直徑為兩英里的圓。激光的能量集中在非常小的一點(diǎn)上,因此它能把光射入人的眼球,熔接視網(wǎng)膜使其復(fù)位。激光輻射十分強(qiáng)烈,因此在幾英尺以外就能把0.125毫米厚的鋼板燒出洞來(lái)。Thesepropertiesmakelaserlightveryuseful.Forexample,inouterspace,wherethereisnoatmospheretoabsorbthelight,thelaser,likeradio,willbeusedforspacecommunication.Laserscancutmetalandothermaterials.Theyarebeingusedinmachiningmetals.Alasercanalsoweldmetals.Buthere,itsuseisforprecisework,asinmakingmicro-electroniccircuits.這些性質(zhì)使得激光非常有用。例如,在外層空間沒(méi)有大氣吸收光線,激光和無(wú)線電ー樣可用于太空通訊。激光能切割金屬和其他材料,但是激光決不能取代車(chē)床。激光正用于金屬的機(jī)械加工,也用于焊接金屬,但是這類用途僅限于精密加工,如制造微電子電路等方面。Unit3 ManorMachine?Formtimetotimewehavetodorathertrickyjobsandfeelthatoneofourfingersisgettingintheway.Wesaythatweare”allthumbs”,meaningthatourfingersseemtobetooclumsyforthework.Itispossiblethatontheseoccasionsaspeciallydesignedartificiallimbwouldbemoreefficient.Scientistsinmanycountriesarestudyingwaysofincreasingthepowerofthehumanlimb,orratherofitsmuscles.Knownasa“man-amplifier”,amachineunderdevelopmentatanAmericanaeronauticallaboratoryconsistsofaframeworkorsuitwhichtheoperatorwears.Everymovementhemakesisrepeatedbythesteelframeworkheiswearing,butthepowerwhichmovesthepartsoftheframecomesfromhydraulicmotors.UNIT3 人,還是機(jī)器?我們常常需要干些復(fù)雜的工作,這時(shí)往往會(huì)覺(jué)得某個(gè)手指礙事。我們常說(shuō)自己“笨手笨腳”,意思是說(shuō)我們的手指太笨拙,干不了某件工作。在這種情況下,采用ー種特別設(shè)計(jì)的人工肢體可能會(huì)有效ー些。許多國(guó)家的科學(xué)家正在研究增加四肢能力,更確切地說(shuō),是增加四肢肌肉能力的方法。美國(guó)一所航空實(shí)驗(yàn)室正在研制一臺(tái)機(jī)器,叫做“人力放大器”。這臺(tái)機(jī)器由一個(gè)供操作人員套的框架結(jié)構(gòu)或稱操作服構(gòu)成。操作人員所套著的鋼鐵框架能重復(fù)他的一舉ー動(dòng),不過(guò)驅(qū)動(dòng)框架各部件的動(dòng)カ是由液壓發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)供給的。Iftheoperatorbendsdowntopicksomethingup,themachinerepeatshismovement,liftingasheavyaweightas450kilogramsineachhand.Anothermachineisbeingmadewithfeetandlegs,whichwillenableitsusertowalkacrossthecountrysideveryquicklyasthestrideofthiswalkingmachineismuchgreaterthananordinaryman's.Besidesmilitaryuses,suchdeviceswillobviouslybeusefultoastronautsworkingonthemoon.假如操作人員彎腰拾東西,那機(jī)器就重復(fù)這ー動(dòng)作,每只手提起重達(dá)450公斤的重物。另外一臺(tái)正在制造中的機(jī)器,有腳有腿,它能幫助使用者迅速穿越鄉(xiāng)村田野,因?yàn)檫@類步行機(jī)的步子比一般人的大得多。除了軍事用途外,這種機(jī)器顯然對(duì)在月球上工作的宇航員很有用處。Justastheoperationsofadistantunmannedspacecraftcirclingthemooncanbecontrolledbyradiosignals,sosuchdevices,properlydesigned,canberadio-controlled.Anastronautexploringanunknownplanetcandopartofhisexplorationwithoutleavinghisspacecraft.Hecansendoutarobotwhichwillworkontheunknownplanet,collectingrocksandminerals,puttingupapermanentobservationstationortravellingfarandwide.正如遠(yuǎn)在太空繞月球飛行的無(wú)人駕駛宇宙飛船可用無(wú)線電信號(hào)操縱ー樣,這種專門(mén)設(shè)計(jì)的裝置,也可以用無(wú)線電操縱。探索陌生行星的宇航員不用離開(kāi)飛船就能進(jìn)行部分考察工作,他可以派出機(jī)器人在這顆陌生的行星上工作,收集巖石和礦物;建立永久性觀察站,或到四面八方去走動(dòng)。(A)TheyAreAllRobotsYouseerobotsatworkaroundyourhomeeverydayalthoughyoumaynothavethoughtofthemassuch.But,accordingtoonedefinition,washingmachineselectricheaters,etc.Areallrobots.Robotscanalsobedesignedtodothedangerousworkinresearchlaboratoriesorinouterspace.(A)它們都是機(jī)器人你每天看到機(jī)器人在你家里到處工作,雖然你也許沒(méi)想到它們是機(jī)器人。但是,按照某種意義來(lái)說(shuō),洗衣機(jī)、電爐等都是機(jī)器人。也可以設(shè)計(jì)出ー些機(jī)器人,在科研實(shí)驗(yàn)室和外層空間里從事危險(xiǎn)工作。Allthesatelliteslaunchedintoouterspacehavehadrobotsonboard.Theserobotshavesentbacktotheirmastersonearth,bywayofradio,suchimportantinformationonspaceastemperature,radiation,andsoon.Fromtheirhighpositioninspacetheyhaveeventakenphotographsoftheearthandotherplanets.WhenthefirstspaceshiplandsonmarsandVenus,itwillprobablyhaveonboardrobotsratherthanhumanbeings.Robotscanmapthesurfacesoftheseheavenlybodies,makenecessarygeologicalstudies,exploreunknownplaces,andevenbuildlandingareasforfuturespaceships.發(fā)射到外層空間去的所有衛(wèi)星上都有機(jī)器人。這些機(jī)器人通過(guò)無(wú)線電將宇宙中的溫度、輻射等重要資料發(fā)回給它們地球上的主人。它們甚至可以從空中居高臨下地拍攝地球和其它行星的照片。當(dāng)?shù)谝凰绎w船在火星和金星上著陸時(shí),飛船上將很可能只有機(jī)器人而沒(méi)有真人。機(jī)器人能繪制這些天體表面的地圖,進(jìn)行必要的地質(zhì)研究,探索陌生地區(qū),甚至還可以未來(lái)的飛船建造著陸場(chǎng)地。Ofalltherobotsthatwehavewithustoday,thosewithelectronicbrains,calledcomputers,areplayingthemostwonderfulpartinrevolutionizingourwayoflife.Computerswerefirstdevelopedtohelpinthesolutionofcertainscientificproblems,andnowtheyhaveturnedouttobesogenerallyusefulthattheyarebeingusedinmanydifferenttypesofwork.Theyhavefreedhumansfromheavyworkandoffermuchmorefreetimetotheirhumanmasters.在我們今天所擁有的機(jī)器人中,那些裝有電腦（即計(jì)算機(jī)）的機(jī)器人在徹底改革我們的生活方式方面正起著極為奇妙的作用。計(jì)算機(jī)最初是為了幫助人們解決某些科學(xué)問(wèn)題而研制出來(lái)的,現(xiàn)在卻變得用途極為廣泛,以致正在被用來(lái)做許多不同類型的工作。這些機(jī)器人使人們擺脫了繁重的勞動(dòng),給它們的主人提供了更多的空閑時(shí)間。(B)ReadingMachineSpeaksInStyleABritishinstitutefortheblindistotestanewmachinethatturnsthewrittentextofabookintospeech.Themachinecontainsavoicesynthesizerthat“speaks”likeaperson.(B)有腔有調(diào)的閱讀機(jī)英國(guó)一個(gè)為盲人服務(wù)的研究所計(jì)劃試驗(yàn)ー種能把書(shū)中的文字轉(zhuǎn)換為言語(yǔ)的新機(jī)器。這種機(jī)器帶有ー架能象人ー樣“說(shuō)話”的語(yǔ)音合成器。Thereadingmachinecontainsfourparts-thebookscanner,acomputer,akeyboardcontrolandaloudspeaker.Thepagetobereadisplacedfacedownonaglassplateontopofthescannerandacamerascansitfromunderneath.Thescanningsystemturnslettersonthepagetodigitalsignalsthatarefedtothecomputer.Thenthesignalscanbeturnedintospeechbymeansoftheelectronicvicesynthesizer.這種閱讀機(jī)包括四個(gè)部分ー書(shū)本掃描器、計(jì)算機(jī)、鍵盤(pán)控制器和揚(yáng)聲器。把要讀的ー頁(yè)書(shū)面朝下放在掃描器頂部的玻璃上,攝影機(jī)便從下面對(duì)其進(jìn)行掃描。掃描系統(tǒng)把這一頁(yè)的字母轉(zhuǎn)換成數(shù)字符號(hào)輸入計(jì)算機(jī),然后信號(hào)通過(guò)電子語(yǔ)音合成器轉(zhuǎn)換為言語(yǔ)。Thesystemstressesparticularsoundsaccordingtotheirrelationshiptoothersounds.Forexample,itwouldsoundthe"e"in"read”differentlyfromthesameletterin"red”.Thecomputercontainssome2,500pronunciation“rules“thatdeterminehowtosoundwordsandphrasesinspeech.Thecomputercanalsodeterminewheretoemphasizesomewordsmorethanotherstomake"normal”speech.這種系統(tǒng)按照一些特定的音和其他音之間的關(guān)系,來(lái)對(duì)這些音加以重讀。例如,這個(gè)系統(tǒng)能把read和red中的同一字母e有區(qū)別地讀出來(lái)。這種計(jì)算機(jī)包含有大約2,500條說(shuō)話時(shí)詞和詞組發(fā)音的規(guī)則。計(jì)算機(jī)還能決定在哪些地方某些單詞應(yīng)該比其它詞讀得重一些,以形成“正常的”言語(yǔ)。Besides,thesynthesizercanspeakforeignlanguageswithadifferentprograminthecomputer,andcanincreaseitsoutputtoabout300wordsaminute,abouttwicethespeedofnormalspeech,tolettrainedpeoplehearabookatagreatspeed.此外,假如計(jì)算機(jī)采用另ー種程序,合成器就能說(shuō)外語(yǔ);它還能夠把輸出增加到大約每分鐘300個(gè)單詞,即大約為正常講話速度的兩倍,從而使經(jīng)過(guò)訓(xùn)練的人能以很快的速度聽(tīng)完一本書(shū)。Theblindpersonusingthemachinecontrolsthespeedatwhichit“talks”withthekeyboard.Healsodetermineswhichpartofthepagethescannerreads.Ifawordisnotclearlypronounced,theusercanaskthemachinetorepeatit,or,ifawordisdifficult,hecanevenaskittospellthewordoutletter.使用這種機(jī)器的盲人可以用鍵盤(pán)控制它“講話”的速度。他還能決定掃描器閱讀ー頁(yè)書(shū)的哪一部分。如果有一個(gè)單詞的音發(fā)得不清楚,使用者可以要求機(jī)器重復(fù)ー一遍。或者,如果ー個(gè)單詞很難,他甚至可以要求機(jī)器把這個(gè)單詞ー個(gè)字母一個(gè)字母地拼讀出來(lái)。Unit4 LifewithoutElectricityThereisascience-fictionstoryinwhichbeingsfromanotherplanetconquertheeartheasilybecausetheyhaveamachinetoturnoffalltheelectricity.Well,whatwouldbetheeffectofsuchamachine?Acenturyago,nobodybutafewscientistswouldhaveobservedanydifference;mostpeoplewouldsimplyhavecontinuedtheirlives.Inourday,however,eventhefarthestcornersoftheworldarebeingconqueredbyelectricity,atleastbythetransistorradio.如果生活中沒(méi)有電有??篇科學(xué)幻想小說(shuō),說(shuō)到從另ー個(gè)行星上來(lái)的生物輕而易舉地征服了地球,因?yàn)樗麄冇幸焕麢C(jī)器能切斷所有的電源。那么,這樣一臺(tái)機(jī)器會(huì)造成什么后果呢?若是一個(gè)世紀(jì)以前,除了少數(shù)科學(xué)家之外,大概不會(huì)有人注意到有什么兩樣,大多數(shù)人會(huì)照樣生活下去?？墒?在當(dāng)代,即使是地球上最偏僻的角落也離不開(kāi)電,至少離不開(kāi)晶體管收音機(jī)。Mostofthetroubleofalifewithoutelectricity,however,wouldcometothehighlyindustrializednations,many,ifnotall,ofourindustrieswouldceaseproduction;allwheelswouldstopbecausethemotorsthatpowerthemachineswouldfail.Theworld*stransportsystemswouldfallapartwithoutasupplyofelectricity.Electrictrainsandtramsobviouslydependonelectriccurrent,butmotorvehiclescouldnotbeoperated,either;theycouldneitherbestarted(exceptwithahand-crank)norwouldtherebeanyignition.Forthesamereason,aeroplanescouldnotfly.然而,如果沒(méi)有電,高度工業(yè)化的國(guó)家所遇到的困難最多。許多(縱使不是全部)エ業(yè)都要停止生產(chǎn),所有機(jī)輪部分將停止轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng),因?yàn)楣┙o機(jī)器能量的電動(dòng)機(jī)將停止工作。全世界的運(yùn)輸系統(tǒng)也將因沒(méi)有電カ供應(yīng)而陷于癱瘓。電氣火車(chē)和電車(chē)固然要依靠電流,但汽車(chē)沒(méi)有電也不能開(kāi)動(dòng):它們既不能發(fā)動(dòng)(除非用搖手柄),也不能點(diǎn)火。由于同樣的理由,飛機(jī)也不能飛行。Probablytheworsteffectwouldbefeltontheworld*scommunicationsystems.Thetelephone,radio,televisionandradarwouldbecomeinventionsofstrictlytheoreticalinterest.Theworld，sleaderswouldholdmeetingsandinformthepeople;buthowwouldpeopleeverlearntheresultsofthesediscussions,witheventheprintingpressesoutofservice?Inthemeantime,scientistswouldtrytofindawaytoturntheelectricityonagainorperhapstodiscoverasubstancethatwouldreplaceit.受影響最嚴(yán)重的也許是全世界的通訊系統(tǒng)。電話、收音機(jī)、電視、雷達(dá)都只能變成紙上談兵的發(fā)明。世界各國(guó)的首腦可能會(huì)召開(kāi)會(huì)議,成立各種委員會(huì),來(lái)討論這種形勢(shì),并向人民發(fā)布消息。但是如果連印刷機(jī)也停止工作了,人民將如何獲悉這些討論的結(jié)果呢?在此期間,科學(xué)家們將致カ于尋求ー種把電流重新接通的方法,或是設(shè)法發(fā)現(xiàn)ー種物質(zhì)來(lái)代替電。TheComingofElectricityElectricityplaysaverygreatpartinthelivesofmostofus.Theelectricagehasbeenwithusformanyyears,andperhapsitwillnevercompletelydisappear.Butthiselectricity,whichwealluse,isamystery.(A)電的產(chǎn)生電在我們多數(shù)人的生活中起著非常大的作用。我們生活在電氣時(shí)代已經(jīng)多年,這個(gè)時(shí)代也許永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)結(jié)束。但是,這個(gè)人人使用的電卻還是ー種不可思議的東西。Weknowwhatelectricitycando:lightourhouses,driveourtrains,carryourmessagesthroughspace,workcomputers,countthepeoplewhoareenteringanexhibitionorthecarsthatarepassingalongaroad,showustheinsideofourbodies,andsoon.Butnooneknowswhatelectricityreallyis.我們知道電能夠做的事情:照亮房屋、開(kāi)動(dòng)火車(chē)、通過(guò)空間傳送信息、操縱計(jì)算機(jī)、計(jì)算進(jìn)入展覽會(huì)的人數(shù)或路上駛過(guò)的車(chē)輛,顯示人體的內(nèi)部結(jié)構(gòu)等等。但是誰(shuí)也不知道電究竟是什么東西。Mostoftheelectricitywhichweuseisproducedbymachines.Electriccurrentcanbeprovidedbybatteries,whichusechemicalaction;butsuchacurrentisveryweakhadcostsalotofmoney.Mostelectricpowertodayisprovidedbypowerstations.Theoriginalsourceofpowermaybecoal,oiloratomicenergy.Eachofthesecanbemadetoheatwaterandturnitintosteam.Thesteamcandriveturbineswhichwillturnalternatorstomakeelectricpower.我們所用的電大部分是發(fā)電機(jī)發(fā)的。電也可以利用化學(xué)作用的電池提供。但這樣的電流很弱,而且成本很高。今天,大部分的電カ是由發(fā)電站提供的。電カ的來(lái)源可以是煤、石油或原子能。這幾種能源都可以用來(lái)給水加熱,并把水變成蒸汽。蒸汽驅(qū)動(dòng)渦輪機(jī),再由渦輪機(jī)轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)交流發(fā)電機(jī)發(fā)電。Anothersourceofpowerismovingwater,butthisisnotusedinquitethesamewaybecausethewaterisnotheated.Arivermaybedammedandwhenthatisdonealargepressureofwaterisbuiltupbehindthedam.Thewaterisallowedtopassthroughpipestowaterturbines,whichturnthealternators.Inafewplacesbytheseatheriseandfallofthetideisusedforthesamepurpose.Itwouldbepossible,also,touseastrongwindtoturnwindmillswhichcouldturnalternators;andperhapsthisforce,mostofwhichiswastedatthepresenttime,willbebroughtintoman'sserviceinthefuturemorefullythanitisnow.電カ的另一種來(lái)源是流水,但使用這種來(lái)源的方法和上面的方法并不完全相同,因?yàn)榱魉遣患訜岬?。河流上可以筑攔河壩,壩建成后,壩后就會(huì)形成一股強(qiáng)大的水壓。然后讓高壓水通過(guò)管道沖動(dòng)水力渦輪機(jī),再由渦輪機(jī)帶動(dòng)交流發(fā)電機(jī)。在有些靠海的地方,人們利用潮水的漲落來(lái)發(fā)電。此外,還可以利用強(qiáng)大的風(fēng)カ轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)風(fēng)カ發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī),從而帶動(dòng)交流發(fā)電機(jī)發(fā)電。目前,大部分風(fēng)カ都浪費(fèi)掉了,但在將來(lái),風(fēng)カ或許將會(huì)比現(xiàn)在較為充分地用來(lái)為人類服務(wù)。CommunicationFromADistanceTelecommunicationsmeans,simply,communicationfromadistance.Itmaybebycableorradio,orbytheuseofelectricalorelectronicsignals.Inthiswaymillionsofpeopleallovertheworldarekeptintouchwitheachother.(B)遠(yuǎn)距離通訊簡(jiǎn)單說(shuō)來(lái),電訊就是遠(yuǎn)距離通訊,它可以通過(guò)有線電或無(wú)線電進(jìn)行,或者利用電或電子信號(hào)進(jìn)行。世界上千千萬(wàn)萬(wàn)人就是用這樣的方式保持相互聯(lián)系的。Thefirstworldtelegraphcablesystemwasstartedoveracenturyago,whichwaslaterdevelopedintotheworldradioandtelephonecablenetworkssowell-knowntoday.Asearlyas1857,peopletriedtolayanunderseacableacrosstheAtlanticocean,buttheymetwithalotofdifficulties.Half-wayacrosstheAtlanticthecablebroke,andtheshipthatwaslayingithadtoreturn.Itwasnotuntil1866thatthefirstcablewassuccessfullylaidbyoneofthestrongestshipsthathadeverbeenbuilt.ThecablelinehadbroughtthetwocontinentssonearthatpeoplecouldbegintotalktoeachotheracrosstheAtlanticinafractionofasecond.世界上第一個(gè)有線電報(bào)系統(tǒng)是在ー百多年前啟用的,它后來(lái)發(fā)展成為今天盡人皆知的世界無(wú)線電和有線電話電纜網(wǎng)。早在1857年,人們就曾嘗試鋪設(shè)一條橫穿大西洋的海底電纜,但遇到了許多困難。電纜在橫越大西洋一半的地方斷了，那艘鋪設(shè)電纜的船只得返航。直到1866年,第一條海底電纜オ鋪設(shè)成功。鋪設(shè)電纜的那艘船是當(dāng)時(shí)最堅(jiān)固的船只之一。這條電纜縮短了兩大洲的距離,從而使人們開(kāi)始能夠在一剎那的時(shí)間內(nèi)隔著大西洋和對(duì)方通話。Themoderninternationaltelecommunicationssystemlinkstheworldthroughsatellites.Thislatestandmostwonderfulwayofsendinganelectronicsignalfromonesideoftheworldtoanotheristo“bounce”itfromanearthstationtoasatelliteinspaceandbackagaintoanotherearthstation.Eachsignalgoesup22,300miles,andcomesdownagainthesamedistance.Everywordspokenonthetelephone,everymessagesent,makesthisjourneyandcoversthe44,600milesinasplitsecond.現(xiàn)代的國(guó)際通訊系統(tǒng)通過(guò)衛(wèi)星把世界聯(lián)系起來(lái),這種把電子信號(hào)從世界的一端傳送到另一端的最先進(jìn)也最巧妙的方法,是使信號(hào)從地面站“彈”到空中的衛(wèi)星上,再?gòu)男l(wèi)星上回到另一個(gè)地面站。每個(gè)信號(hào)向上發(fā)射到ニ萬(wàn)二千三百英里的高空,再向下經(jīng)過(guò)同樣的距離。在電話上說(shuō)的第句話,傳遞的每個(gè)信息,都在一剎那間走過(guò)四萬(wàn)四千六百英里的旅程ThefirstearthstationonascensionislandintheAtlantichelpedtoputthefirstastronautsonthemoonandisstillanimportantlinkintheAmericanspaceprogramme.Nowearthstationsarebeingbuiltindifferentpartsoftheworld.Telecommunicationsmeanssomuchinmodernlifethatwithoutitourmodernworldwouldbeimpossible.位于大西洋的阿森松島上的第一衛(wèi)星地面站曾幫助把第一一批宇航員送上了月球,它至今仍是美國(guó)空間計(jì)劃中重要的通訊線路?，F(xiàn)在世界各地都在建造衛(wèi)星地面站。電訊在現(xiàn)代生活中至關(guān)重要。沒(méi)有它,就不可能有我們的現(xiàn)代世界。Unit5 EnergyfromwithintheearthSomescientistsestimatethatatthepresentrateofuse,theworld，sknownoildepositscouldrunoutinfrom10to15years.Eventakingintoaccountpossiblenewdiscoveriesofoildeposits,theremaybelittleornooilleftbytheendofthiscentury.Thisestimationistoopessimistic.UNIT5 地球內(nèi)部的能量據(jù)某些科學(xué)家估計(jì),按目前使用石油的速度,全世界已探明的石油儲(chǔ)藏量可能在10T5年內(nèi)消耗殆盡。即使把可能發(fā)現(xiàn)的新油田考慮進(jìn)去,到本世紀(jì)末石油也可能全部用盡或所剩無(wú)兒。這個(gè)估計(jì)過(guò)于悲觀了。Inthelongrun,thereshouldbenosuchthingasanenergyshortage,becausetheentireuniverseconsistsofenergy.Whereverthereismatter,thereisenergy,andallchangesofmatterinvolvechangesofenergy.Weneednotdependtoomuchoncoaloroilforpowerifwecantapnewenergysources.從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)觀點(diǎn)來(lái)看,不應(yīng)該出現(xiàn)能源短缺這樣的問(wèn)題。因?yàn)檎麄€(gè)宇宙都是由能量組成的。哪兒有物質(zhì),哪兒就有能量。物質(zhì)一切變化都包含著能量的變化。如果我們能開(kāi)發(fā)出新的能源,我們就不必過(guò)分依賴煤和石油來(lái)取得動(dòng)カ了。Tomakeuseoftheheatinthecentreoftheearth,forexample,isoneofman'sendeavourstocopewiththeenergyproblem.Asyouknow,thecentreoftheearthissohotthatalltherockthereisliquid.Therockthatformsthelandandtheflooroftheseaisacoolcrust.Thiscrustisabouttwenty-fivemilesthick,andunderneathisathicklayerofhotrock,whichextendsabouthalfwaytothecentreoftheearth.Theliquidcentreoftheearthisthoughttohavetemperaturesaround3,700℃.例如,利用地心的熱量,就是人類解決能源問(wèn)題的ー種努力。你們知道,地心的溫度極高,以致那兒的巖石均呈液態(tài)。構(gòu)成陸地和海底的巖石是ー層冷的外殼。這層外殼約有25英里厚,以下是厚厚的ー層熾熱的巖石,深達(dá)離地心一半的地方。據(jù)認(rèn)為液態(tài)地心的溫度是3,700C左右。Ifwedrillholesinthecrustdowntothehotrockbelow,itwouldbepossibletosendwaterdowntheholes.Therockwouldheatthewaterandturnitintohotsteam.Thesteamwouldthenbeforcedbackuptothesurfacebythepressure,andcouldbeusedtodriveturbinestomakeelectricity.ThiswouldonlybeanartificialextensionofsomethingthathappensnaturallyinthegeysersthatarefoundinIcelandandotherregionsofworld.如果我們?cè)诘貧ど香@孔,鉆到下面熾熱的巖層,那么就可以從孔內(nèi)把水往下注。巖石會(huì)使水變熱,化為蒸汽。蒸汽受到壓カ被壓回地面,于是就可以用它來(lái)驅(qū)動(dòng)渦輪機(jī)發(fā)電。這只不過(guò)是把世界其他地區(qū)的熱噴泉里發(fā)生的自然現(xiàn)象加以人工發(fā)展而已。Itisconceivablethatenergyfromwithintheearthwillbeextensivelyusedinthefuture.Therearemanyotherenergysourcesinstore.Theproblemsareconnectedwithharnessingtheenergyatareasonablecostsothatpeopleintheworldcanbenefitfromit.可以相信,地心的能量將來(lái)會(huì)得到廣泛的利用。還有許多種其他能源尚未開(kāi)發(fā)。問(wèn)題在于要使利用能源的成本不致太高,以便人類能從中得益。HarnessTheSunAyoungwomaninMexicoliftsthelidofapottoseeifthefoodsheiscookingisdone.Sheisespeciallyinterestedinherdinnerbecausesheistryinganewkindofcooker—onethatgetsitsheatdirectlyfromthesun..Asimpledeviceisgatheringthesun'sraysandconcentratingthemsothattheyarehotenoughtoboilwaterandcookfood.Thewomanishappybecausenowshecanusethenewcookerinsteadofherelectricstovewhilethesunisshiningandwillpaylessforherelectricity.(A)利用太陽(yáng)能墨西哥的一位年輕婦女揭開(kāi)鍋蓋看看她煮的食物是否熟了。她對(duì)這頓飯?zhí)貏e感興趣,因?yàn)樗谠囉茅`種新型的鍋灶一ー種直接從太陽(yáng)取得熱量的鍋灶。這是ー個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的裝置,它正在把太陽(yáng)光線聚集起來(lái),使它們的熱量高到足以燒水煮飯。這位婦女很高興,因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在她可以在有太陽(yáng)的時(shí)候使用這種新灶來(lái)代替電爐,從而節(jié)省電費(fèi)。Somescientistsbelievesolarenergyisoneofthemainsourceswhichcanmeettheworld'senormousn