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第一單元

BlCaution:BumpyRoadAhead

Studentsgraduatingfromcollegestodayarenotfullypreparedto

dealwiththe"realworld."Itismybeliefthatcollegestudentsneedto

betaughtmoreskillsandinformationtoenablethemtomeetthe

challengesthatfaceeveryoneindailylife.Theareasinwhichstudents

needtrainingareplayingthecreditgame,planningtheirpersonal

financialstrategy,andconsumerawareness.

Learninghowtoobtainandusecreditisprobablythemost

valuableknowledgeayoungpersoncanhave.Creditisadangeroustool

thatcanbeoftremendoushelpifitishandledwithcaution.Having

creditcanenablepeopletoobtainmaterialnecessitiesbeforetheyhave

themoneytopurchasethemoutright.Butunfortunately,many,many

youngpeoplegetcarriedawaywiththeirhandyplasticcreditcardsand

awakeonedaytofindtheyareinseriousfinancialdebt.Learninghow

tousecreditproperlycanbeaverydifficultandpainfullessonindeed.

Ofequalimportanceislearninghowtoplanapersonalbudget.

Peoplehavetoknowhowtocontrolmoney;otherwise,itcancontrol

them.Studentsshouldleavecollegeknowinghowtoallocatetheir

moneyforlivingexpenses,insurance,savings,andsoforthinorderto

avoidthe"Oh,no!I'mflatbrokeandIdon'tgetpaidagainfortwo

weeks!"anxietysyndrome.

Alongwithlearningaboutcreditandpersonalfinancialplanning,

graduatingcollegestudentsshouldbetrainedasconsumers.The

consumermarkettodayisfloodedwithavarietyofproductsand

servicesofvaryingqualityandprices.Ayoungpersonenteringthe"real

world"issuddenlyfacedwithdifficultdecisionsaboutwhichproductto

buyorwhoseservicestoengage.Heisusuallyunawareofsuchthings

asreturnpolicies,guarantees,orrepairprocedures.Informationofthis

sortisvitalknowledgetoeverydayliving.

Foranewlygraduatedcollegestudent,the"realworld"canbea

scaryplacetobewhenheorsheisfacedwithsuchissuesashandling

credit,planningabudget,orknowingwhattolookforwhenmakinga

purchaseandwhomtopurchaseitfrom.Enteringthis"realworld"could

bemadelesspainfulifpersonswereeducatedindealingwiththese

areasofdailylife.Whatbetterplacetoaccomplishthisthanincollege?

B2MemoryLaneIsn'tWhatItUsedtoBe

Aboutthistimeeveryyear,Igetverynostalgic.Walkingthrough

myneighborhoodonafallafternoonremindsmeofatimenottoolong

agowhensoundsofchildrenfilledtheair,childrenplayinggamesona

hill,andthrowingleavesaroundinthestreetbelow,Iwasoneofthose

children,carefreeandhappy.Iliveonastreetthatisonlyoneblock

long.Ihavelivedonthesamestreetforsixteenyears.Ilovemystreet.

Onesidehassixhousesonit,andtheotherhasonlytwohouses,witha

smallhillinthemiddleandahugecottonwoodtreeononeend.WhenI

thinkofhome,Ithinkofmystreet,onlyIseeitasitwasbefore.

Unfortunately,thingschange.Oneday,notlongago,Ilookedaround

andsawhowdifferenteverythinghasbecome.Lifeonmystreetwill

neverbethesamebecauseneighborsarequicklygrowingold,friends

aregrowingupandleaving,andthecityisplanningtodestroymy

precioushillandsellthepropertytocontractors.

Itishardformetoacceptthatmanyofmywonderfulneighbors

aregrowingoldandwon'tbearoundmuchlonger.Ihavefond

memoriesofthecoupleacrossthestreet,whosattogetherontheirporch

swingalmosteveryevening,thewidownextdoorwhoyelledatmy

brotherandmeforbeingtooloud,andthecrazyoldmaninablacksuit

whodroveanoldcar.Incontrasttothosepeople,thepeopleIseetoday

areveryoldneighborswhohaveseenbetterdays.Themanintheblack

suitsayshewantstodie,andanotherneighborjustsoldhishouseand

movedintoanursinghome.Theladywhousedtoyellatusistootired

tobotheranymore,andthecoupleacrossthestreetrarelygoouttotheir

frontporchthesedays.Itisdifficulttowatchthesepreciouspeopleas

theyneartheendoftheirlivesbecauseatonetimeIthoughttheywould

liveforever.

The"comingsandgoings"oftheyoungergenerationofmystreet

arenowmostly"goings"asfriendsandpeersmoveon.Onceupona

time,mylifeandthelivesofmypeersrevolvedaroundhome.The

boundaryofourworldwasthegutterattheendofthestreet.Wegot

pleasurefromplayingnightgames,orfromabreathtakingrideona

tricycle.Thingsaredifferentnow,asmyfriendsbecomeadultsand

moveon.Childrenwhorodetricyclesnowdrivecars.Thekidswho

onceplayedwithmenowhavenewinterestsandvaluesastheygotheir

separateways.Somehavegoneawaytocollege,afewgotmarried,two

wentintothearmy,andonewenttoprison.Watchingallthesepeople

growupandgoawayonlymakesmelongforthegoodolddays.

Perhapsthebiggestchangeonmystreetisthefactthatthecityis

goingtoturnmyprecioushillintoseverallotsfornewhomes.For

sixteenyears,theviewoutofmykitchenwindowhasbeenaviewof

thathill.Thehillwasafundamentalpartofmychildhoodlife;itwasthe

hubofsocialactivityforthechildrenofmystreet.Wespenthoursthere

buildingforts,sledding,andplayingtag.Theviewoutofmykitchen

windownowisverydifferent;itisoneoftractorsanddumptrucks

tearingupthehill.Whenthehillgoes,theneighborhoodwillnotbethe

same.Itisapieceofmychildhood.Itisavisualreminderofbeingakid.

Withoutthehill,mystreetwillbejustanotherpeainthepod.

Therewasatimewhenmystreetwasmyworld,andIthought

myworldwouldneverchange.Butsomethinghappened.Peoplegrow

up,andpeoplegrowold.Placeschange,andwiththechangecomesthe

heartacheofknowingIcannevergobacktothetimesIloved.Inayear

orso,Iwillbegonejustlikemanyofmyneighbors.Iwillalwayslook

backtomyyearsasachild,buttheplaceIrememberwillnotbethe

silentstreetwhosepeaceisinterruptedbythesoundsofconstruction.It

willbethehappy,noisy,somewhatstrange,butwonderfulstreetIknew

asachild.

第二單元

BlComingtoanAwarenessofLanguage

Itwasbecauseofmyletters(whichMalcolmXwrotetopeople

outsidewhilehewasinjail)thatIhappenedtostumbleuponstartingto

acquiresomekindofahomemadeeducation.

Ibecameincreasinglyfrustratedatnotbeingabletoexpresswhat

IwantedtoconveyinlettersthatIwrote...AndeverybookIpickedup

hadfewsentenceswhichdidn'tcontainanywherefromonetonearlyall

thewordsthatmightaswellhavebeeninChinese.WhenIskipped

thosewords,ofcourse,Ireallyendedupwithlittleideaofwhatthe

booksaid...

IsawthatthebestthingIcoulddowasgetholdofa

dictionary-tostudy,tolearnsomewords.Irequestedadictionary

alongwithsomenotebooksandpencilsfromtheNorfolkPrisonColony

school.

Ispenttwodaysjustturninguncertainlythepagesofadictionary.

I'dneverrealizedsomanywordsexisted!Ididn'tknowwhichwordsI

neededtolearn.Finally,justtostartsomekindofaction,1began

copying.

Inmyslow,painstaking,raggedhandwriting,Icopiedintomy

notebookeverythingprintedonthatfirstpage,downtothepunctuation

marks.Ibelieveittookmeaday.Then,aloud,Ireadbacktomyself

everythingI'dwritteninthenotebook.Overandover,aloud,tomyself,

Ireadmyownhandwriting.Iwokeupthenextmorning,thinkingabout

thosewords-immenselyproudtorealizethatnotonlyhadIwrittenso

muchatonetime,butI'dwrittenwordsthatIneverknewwereinthe

world.Moreover,withalittleeffort,Ialsocouldrememberwhatmany

ofthesewordsmeant.IreviewedthewordswhosemeaningsIdidn't

remember.Funnything,fromthedictionary'sfirstpagerightnow,that

aardvarkspringstomymind.Thedictionaryhadapictureofit,a

long-tailed,long-eared,burrowingAfricanmammal,whichlivesoff

termitescaughtbystickingoutitstongueasananteaterdoesforants.

IwassofascinatedthatIwenton-Icopiedthedictionary'snext

page.AndthesameexperiencecamewhenIstudiedthat.Withevery

succeedingpage,Ialsolearnedofpeopleandplacesandeventsfrom

history.Actually,thedictionaryislikeaminiatureencyclopedia.Finally,

thedictionary'sAsectionhadfilledawholenotebook-andIwenton

intotheB's.ThatwasthewayIstartedcopyingwhateventually

becametheentiredictionary.Itwentalotfasteraftersomuchpractice

helpedmetopickuphandwritingspeed.

Isupposeitwasinevitablethatasmyword-basebroadened,I

couldforthefirsttimepickupabookandreadandnowbeginto

understandwhatthebookwassaying.Anyonewhohasreadagreatdeal

canimaginethenewworldthatopened.Letmetellyousomething:

fromthenuntilIlefttheprison,ineveryfreemomentIhad,ifIwasnot

readinginthelibrary,Iwasreadingonmybunk.Youcouldn'thave

gottenmeoutofbookswithawedge.Monthspassedwithoutmyeven

thinkingaboutbeingimprisoned.Infact,uptothen,Ineverhadbeenso

trulyfreeinmylife.

SheWantedtoTeach

Arailroadwasbeingbuiltallthewaydowntheeastcoastoff

Florida,fromJacksonvilletoMiamiandNegroworkerswereemployed

becausetheywerecheap.AgreatmanyofthemwereinDaytona.Most

ofthemhadchildren.Theywerelivinginshacksworsethanthosein

TheTerryinAugusta.Thechildrenwererunningwildinthestreets.

MaryBethuneseemedtohearavoicesay,"Whatistheplace?Build

yourschoolthere."

Herhusband,Albertus,wasn'tsosureaboutherschool.He

thoughtPalatkawasaprettygoodplaceforthemtolive.Marylistened

butshenevergaveupheridea.SheknewthatifshewenttoDaytona,

Albertuswouldcometoo.

Onedayshebeggedarideforherselfandherlittleboywitha

familythatwasgoingtoDaytona.Itwasonlyseventymilesaway.But

in1904thesandwasdeeponFloridaroads.Practicallynoonehadan

automobile-certainlynotthepoorfamilythatgaveMaryandlittle

Albertaride.SoitwasthreedustydaysaftertheyleftPalatkabefore

theyreachedDaytona.ThereMaryhunteduptheonlypersonsheknew,

andsheandlittleAlbertstayedwiththisfriendforafewdays.

AsshehaddoneinTheTerryinAugusta,Marywalkedupand

downthepoorstreetsofDaytona.Shewaslookingfortwothings—a

buildingfortheschoolshewasdeterminedtostartandsomepupilsfor

thatschool.

Afteradayortwo,shefoundanemptyshackonOakStreet.She

thoughtthiswoulddo.Theownersaidshecouldrentitfor$11.00a

month.Butitwasn'tworththatmuch.Thepainthadpeeledoff,thefront

stepswobbledsothatshehadtohangontotheshakyrailingtokeep

fromfalling,thehousewasdirty,ithadaleakyroof.Inmostofthe

windowsthepanesofglasswerebrokenorcracked.

Elevendollarsamonth!Marysaidsheonlyhad$1.50.She

promisedtopaytherentassoonasshecouldearnthemoney.The

ownertrustedher.Bythetimeshewassureshecouldhavethebuilding,

shehadfivelittlegirlsfromtheneighborhoodasherpupils.

Whataschool!Aricketyoldhouseandfivelittlegirls!Thelittle

girlspitchedinandcleanedthehouse.Theneighborshelpedwith

scrubbingbrushes,brooms,hammers,nails,andsaws.Soonthecottage

couldbelivedin,buttherewerenochairs,notables,nobeds.Therewas

nostove.However,therewerenopotsandpanstocookin,evenifthere

hadbeenastove.

Marysetaboutchangingthesethings.Shefoundthingsintrash

pilesandthecitydump.NobodybutMarywouldhavethoughtof

makingtablesandchairsanddesksfromtheoldcratesshepickedup

andbroughthome.Behindthehotelsonthebeachshefoundcracked

dishes,oldlamps,evensomeoldclothes.Shetookthemhometoo.

Everythingwasscouredandmendedandused."Keepthingscleanand

neat"washermottothen;andaslongasshelivedthepupilsinher

schoolhadtoliveuptothatmotto.

Herlittlepupilshadnopencils.Theywrotewithpiecesof

charcoalmadefromburnedlogs.Theirinkwaselderberryjuice.What

goodwasinkorapenciliftherewasnopapertowriteon?Marytook

careofthattoo.

Everytimeshewenttothestoretogetalittlefood,orafewpots

andpans,shehadeacharticlewrappedseparately.Thepiecesof

wrappingpaperwerecarefullyremovedandsmoothedout.Thelittle

girlsusedthispapertowritetheirlessonswiththeircharcoalpencils.

Sheneededacookstoveverybadlybutshecouldn'tpayforone.

Whatshouldshedo?Herlittlepupilshadtohavewarmfood.

Unexpectedly,theproblemwassolvedforher.Onedaya

wrinkledoldwhiteneighborsaidtoher,"Canyouread?"

Marysaid,"Yes."

"Thenwillyoureadmethisletterfrommyson?Ican'tfindmy

glasses."

Maryreadthelettertoher.

"Thanks,"saidthemother.

Maryturnedtogo."You'rewelcome."

Theoldwomanstoodbyheropendoorandthoughtamoment.

Thenshesaid,"IgotanoldcookstoveandIdon'tneedit.Wouldyou

wantit?"

第三單元

A7BraveNewWorldofBiometrics

Therearealwayspeoplewhocanfindareasontocriticize

stronglyanynewtechnologyastoopersonallyinvasive,butI'mallfor

biometrics.Amongtheamazingthingsbiometricsenablesustodoisto

scanaperson'siris—thecoloredpartoftheeye—whichdisplaysa

naturalpatternthatisevenmoredistinctthanthefingerprint.

Imaginewhatthatwilldotocutdownoncreditcardfraudifthe

patternofaperson'sirismustbescannedbeforethecreditcardcanbe

used.ImaginehowfoolproofitwillmakeInternetpurchases,whichare

nowextremelyvulnerabletofraudulentabuse.

Biometries'abilitytopreventtheftagainstthegovernmentalsois

endless.WhenthestateofConnecticutrequiredpeopletobe

fingerprintedinordertoreceivewelfarebenefits,25percentofthe

recipientsdroppedofftherolls(manyofwhom,wehavetoassume,

werereceivingbenefitsimproperly).

Biometricsalsowillgivelaw-enforcementofficersterrificnew

powerstotrackandcaptureinternationalterrorists.Imaginewhat

miniaturefacescansembeddedsecretlyinpassportswilldotopassport

fraud,andtheabilityofterroriststofleefromonecountrytothenext.

Doesthismeanthegovernmentandcorporationswillhavemore

"personalinformation"aboutyouonfile?Sure,totheextentthatyou

consideryourfaceoryouriristobepersonal"information."Butallthe

hubbubabout"invasionofprivacy"isvastlyoverblown.

Eversincetheinventionoftelemarketingandtheceaseless

paradeofphonecallsbombardingmyhomedayandnightbegan,I've

consideredmyprivacytobeathingofthepast.Butintheschemeof

things,itisaminorinconvenience,notamajorassault.

Ofcourse,ifbiometricsistoomuchforsomepeople,theyalways

cancutuptheircreditcards,disconnecttheirphonesandcomputersand

movetotheRockiesandlivealoneawayfrompeopleandsociety.

Meanwhile,I'llcontinuetoenjoyallthebenefitsmoderntechnology

offers.

BlBlackBoxTellsItsSecrets

The"blackbox"inanaircraftisactuallyorangeincolorwithtwo

whitestripespaintedonitssurface.

"Itislikeashock-proof,heat-prooftaperecorder,"saysMr.

Hellyer,CathayAirlinestechnicalservicessuperintendentofaircraft

electronics."Abouthalfthesizeofahomevideorecorder,itisbright

orangeincolorsothat,intheeventofacrash,itcanbemoreeasily

found.Insideitsone-centimeter-thicksteelcaseisalayerofwaxy

insulatingmaterial,threecentimetersthick,forextrafire-resistanceand

toreducetheshockofimpact.Insidethisisthemotor,electronicsand

160metersofmagnetictapewhichrecordsabout50aspectsofthe

aircraft'soperationovertheprevious25hours.

"Itweighs10kilogramsandcanwithstandheatof12000Cover

halfitssurfaceareafor30minutesaswellastheweightofveryheavy,

sharpenedspikesbeingdroppedonit.Itisalmostindestructible.

However,inthecaseoftheELALaircraftwhichcrashedintoatower

blockinAmsterdamonlyminutesaftertake-off,thedevicewassobadly

damagedbytheresultingfireandexplosionoftheplane'sfullpetrol

tanksthatthetapecouldnotbeplayedback.

"Theblackboxisalsofittedwithanunderwaterbeaconwhich

givesoffultrasonicsignalswhenanaircraftcrashesintotheseaandthis

signalhelpsinthesearchforthelocationofthecrash.In1974aTWA

Boeing707explodedinmid-airabovetheIonianSeanearGreece.

Whenthewreckagewaseventuallyfoundamonthlater,theblackbox

wasfoundlyingontheoceanbed3kmbelowtheseasurface,still

signaling,"hecontinued.

Theblackboxwasmadecompulsoryforallaircraftinthelate

1950'sandislocatednearthetailoftheairplane.Itisthesafestareaas

thetailisusuallyfoundtobetheleastdamagedafteracrash.Nexttoit

isanotherarmoredbox,thecockpitvoicerecorderwhichrecords

everythingpickedupbyamicrophoneinthecockpitonatapeloop30

minuteslong.Thetwoboxeslookverysimilarandsometimeseven

rescuersmistakeonefortheother.

Atthefrontisanotherunit,notdesignedtowithstandacrash.

Calledthebrainsofthesystem,thisflightdataacquisitionunitcollects

datafromallovertheaircraftandcompressesitintoasinglestreamof

digitaldatatobesenttothecrash-proofrecorder.

Afteracrashandwhentheblackboxisfound,theaccident

investigatorsplaythetapeandpresenttheirevidence."Thepilotcould

havebeencarelessorthemanufacturercouldhavebeenatfaultora

bombcouldhavebeenplacedonboard,"saysMr.Hellyer."Whatever

thecause,theblackboxcanpointthefingerofblame."

"Apartfromthat,theboxisalsousedonaday-to-daybasisto

helplocateanyproblemsinmaintenance,checkeachengine's

performanceandinotherways.Thisdatawillensureevenmoresafety

forpassengersandcrew,"Mr.Hellyerconcluded.

第四單元

A2BlackHoles

Itwasastarvastlylargerthanourownsun.Forhundredsofyears

thisgiantstarburnedbrightlyinitscomeroftheuniverse.Then,atthe

endofitslifespan,astrangethinghappened.Thedyingstarbeganto

collapseinonitself.Whilethestarwasinitsdeaththroes,allthematter

thatmadeupthestarwassqueezedtogetherintoasmallerandsmaller

area.Soonthestarmeasurednomorethanamileacross.Itsmatterwas

sotightlypackedthatapieceofitthesizeofasmallstoneweighedas

muchasamountain.

Asthedeadstarcontinuedtofallintoitself,itbroughtwithit

everybitofmatterinthearea.Everyspeckofdust,everystrayatom,

wasdraggedintoit.Thestarhadbecomeablackhole.Ablackholeisa

smallareaofmattersodensethatnotevenalightbeamcanescapethe

pullofitsgravity.

Sincenolightcanleaveblackholes,thereisnowayforustosee

them.Theyareinvisible.Weknowoftheirexistencebecauseofthe

strangethingsthathappenaroundthem.Lightthatistravelingthrough

spacejustvanishes.

Justhowwildisablackhole?Let'stakealookatgravity.A

commonexpressionrelatedtogravityis,"Whatgoesupmustcome

down."Whensomeonethrowsaballintotheair,itmustreturntoEarth.

ThishappensbecauseEarthattractstheball,orpullsittowarditself.A

flowerpotthatisknockedoffathird-storywindowwillalwayshitthe

sidewalk.Itisonlythegreatthrustofgiantrocketsthatallowsthespace

shuttletoescapethepullofEarth'sgravity.

OnaplanetwithdoubleortripleEarth'sgravity,objectswould

actquitedifferently,becausethepull,orattraction,wouldbemuch

stronger.Aballthrownintotheairwouldnotgoveryhigh,anditwould

plungequicklybacktothesurfaceoftheplanet.Afallingflowerpot

wouldbeadeadlyweapon.Itwouldkillanylucklesspedestrianwho

mighthappentogethitbyit.Rocketsfarmorepowerfulthanthoseused

onEarthwouldbeneededtobreakawayfromthepulloftheplanet's

gravity.

Beamsoflight,however,wouldhavenotroubleatallescaping

fromthisplanet.Eveniftheforceofgravitywereincreasedtoamillion

timesthatofEarth,lightbeamswouldstillnotbeaffected.Humanson

suchaworld,though,wouldbecrushedflatterthantheirownshadows.

Onlyiftheamountofgravityweremanybillionsoftimes

strongerthanEarth'swouldlightbeamsbendbacktothesurface.That

isthecasewithablackhole.Itishardtoimaginejusthowdenseand

heavyblackholematteris.Apennymadefromblackholematterwould

ripthroughyourpocketandplungethroughtheearthwiththegreatest

ofease.Whenitemergedontheotherside,itwouldhoverintheairfor

amomentandthenplungebackthroughtheearth.

Blackholesarethestrangestobjectsintheuniverse.Nothingever

leavesablackhole.Nolightleavesit.Nophysicalobjectsleaveit.Once

somethingentersablackhole,itisthereforever.Blackholesarelike

permanentdetentionhallsinthesky.Ifatravelagentweretoarrangea

flighttoablackhole,itwouldhavetobeaone-waytrip.Asthescientist

RobertJastrowsaid,"Itisalmostasthoughthematerialinsidetheblack

holenolongerbelongstoouruniverse."

Suppose,justforthesakeofamusement,thatyouhappenedto

dropintoablackhole.Whatwouldhappentoyou?Thinkofgoingfeet

first.Yourfeetwouldbepulleddownfasterthanyourears.Asaresult,

youwouldbedrawnintoaverythinthreadofmatter.Thenthe

individualatomsinyourbodywouldbepulledapart.

Wereyoutosurvivethetrip,however,somescientistsbelieve

thatyouwouldemergeinthefourthdimension.Youwouldbeina

totallydifferentuniverse.Thepointwherematterexitsfromthis

universeandgoesintothenextisreferredtoasawhitehole.Many

scientistsbelievethatthereareatleastfiveblackholesinoursectionof

theuniverse.But,then,noonereallyknowsforsure.Ourknowledgeof

blackholesisbasedonlyoninformedguesswork.

BlTheCosmos

WhenIwaslittle,IlivedinasectionofBrooklynintheCityof

NewYork.Iknewmyimmediateneighborhoodintimately,every

apartmentbuilding,backyard,emptylot,andelmtree.Iknewwheremy

friendslived.Butmorethanafewblocksaway,northofthenoisy

automobiletrafficon86thStreet,wasastrangeunknownterritory,

off-limitstomywanderings.ItcouldhavebeenMarsforallIknew.

Evenwithanearlybedtime,inwinteryoucouldsometimessee

thestars.Iwouldlookatthem,twinklingandremote,andwonderwhat

theywere.Iwouldaskolderchildrenandadults,whowouldonlyreply,

"They'relightsinthesky,kid."Icouldseetheywerelightsinthesky.

Butwhatwerethey?Justsmallhoveringlamps?Whateverfor?There

hadtobesomeanswer.

AssoonasIwasoldenough,myparentsgavememyfirstlibrary

card.Immediately,Iaskedthelibrarianforsomethingonstars.She

returnedwithapicturebookdisplayingpicturesofmenandwomen

withnameslikeClarkGableandJeanHarlow.Icomplained,andfor

somereasonthenstrangetome,shesmiledandfoundanother

book—therightkindofbook.IopeneditinexcitementandreaduntilI

foundit.Thebooksaidsomethingastonishing,averybigthought.It

saidthatthestarsweresuns,onlyveryfaraway.TheSunwasastar,but

closeup.ImaginethatyoutooktheSunandmoveditsofarawaythatit

wasjustatinypointoflight.Howfarawaywouldyouhavetomoveit?

Ididnothaveanyideaofangularsize.Iwasignorantoftheinverse

squarelawforlightpropagation.Ididnothavetheslightestideaof

calculatingthedistancetothestars.ButIcouldtellthatifthestarswere

suns,theyhadtobeveryfaraway—fartherawaythan85thStreet,

fartherawaythanManhattan,fartheraway,probably,thanNewJersey.

TheCosmoswasmuchbiggerthanIhadguessed.

LaterIreadanotherastonishingfact.TheEarth,whichincludes

Brooklyn,isaplanet,anditgoesaroundtheSun.Thereareother

planets.TheyalsogoaroundtheSun;someareclosertoitandsomeare

fartheraway.Buttheplanetsdonotshinebytheirownlight,astheSun

does.TheymerelyreflectlightfromtheSun.Ifyouwereagreat

distanceaway,youwouldnotseetheEarthandtheotherplanetsatall?

theywouldbeonlyfaintluminouspoints,lostintheglareoftheSun.

Well,then,Ithought,itstoodtoreasonthattheotherstarsmusthave

planetstoo,oneswehavenotyetdetected,andsomeofthoseother

planetsshouldhavelife(whynot?),akindoflifeprobablydifferent

fromlifeasweknowit,lifeinBrooklyn.SoIdecidedIwouldbean

astronomer,learnaboutthestarsandplanetsand,ifIcould,goandvisit

them.

Ithasbeenmyimmensegoodfortunetohaveparentsandsome

teacherswhoencouragedthisoddambitionandtoliveinthistime,the

firstmomentinhumanhistorywhenweare,infact,visitingother

worldsandengaginginadeepexplorationoftheCosmos.IfIhadbeen

borninamuchearlierage,nomatterhowgreatmydedication,Iwould

nothaveknownthattherewereothersunsandotherworlds.Thisisone

ofthegreatsecretswrestedfromNaturethroughamillionyearsof

patientobservationandcourageousthinkingbyourancestors.

Whatarestars?Suchquestionsareasnaturalasaninfant'ssmile.

Wehavealwaysaskedthem.Whatisdifferentaboutourtimeisthatat

lastweknowsomeoftheanswers.Booksandlibrariesprovideaready

meansforfindingoutwhatthoseanswersare.

第六單元

B2Linda'sNewFriend

Lindasatonthebottomstepofthefrontporchanddouble-tied

thelacesofherrunningshoes.Sheglancedacrossthestreetandsawthe

oldmanwiththecanesittingonhisfrontporch,watchingheragain.Her

familyhadmovedtotheneighborhoodonlyrecently,andtoLinda,it

wasstillastrangeandawkwardplace."Haveagoodrun."Theoldman

gesturedwithhiscaneasshejoggedpasthishouse.Shereturnedhis

wave,allowinghimonlyaquickglance.Thethreemilesmeltedawayin

thejoyousexhilarationthatalwayswashedoverherassheran.

Roundingthecornerofherstreet,hereyesstrayedtotheoldman,

waitingpatientlyforherreturn.

"Justwatchthis,"shethought,assheexplodedintoasprint.She

felthiseyestrack