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1、 全新版大学英语阅读教程 4 Unit 1 In the Frozen Waters of Qomolangma,I learned the Value of Humility 在结冰的珠穆朗玛峰,我学会了谦虚的价值 2007 年 7 月 15 日,我游过一个开放的补丁的海洋在北极突出的北极冰雪融化的海冰。Three years later,I remember it as if it were yesterday.三年后,我记得这件事仿佛就发生在昨天。I recall walking to the edge of the sea and thinking:Ive never seen any
2、thing so frightening in my life.我记得走到的边缘海和思考:我从未见过任何东西这么可怕的在我的生命中。There were giant chunks of ice in the water,which was 1.7C(29F)and utterly black.有巨大的冰块在水中,这些是-1.7 摄氏度(29 F)和完全的黑色。If things go pear-shaped now,I thought,how long would it take for my frozen body to sink the 4.2km to the seabed?如果事情去梨
3、形的现在,我想,要多久我冻僵的尸体沉到海底的 4.2 公里?And then I realised that was perhaps the single worst thought one could have before attempting a symbolic 1km swim wearing nothing but a pair of Speedos.然后我意识到,也许是最严重认为可能会在尝试一个象征性的 1 公里的游泳只穿着一双紧身泳裤。I was shaken to the core,terrified.我很震惊的核心,吓坏了。After thousands of hours
4、of planning and training,the only way I could complete the swim that lured me to the northernmost point of the world was committing 100%.在成千上万个小时的计划和培训,只有这样我才能完成游泳,诱使我最北端的世界是犯 100%。Nothing is more powerful than a made-up mind.没有比这更强大的杜撰的心灵。I disappeared inside my head and my blood simmered.在我脑海里,我消失
5、了,我的血冷静。After listening to some rousing music(everything from Verdi to P Diddy)to get myself into the right state of mind,I threw myself into the water and swam with as much speed and aggression as my body could muster.听了一些令人振奋的音乐(从威尔第 P 吹牛老爹)让我进入右的精神状态,我全身心地投入到水中,游与尽可能多的速度和攻击为我的身体能够鼓起勇气。When I emer
6、ged 1km later from the icy water,Ill never forget looking down at my fingers.当我出现 1 公里后从冰冷的海水,我将永远不会忘记低头看着我的手指。They had swollen to the size of sausages.他们已膨胀到香肠的大小。The majority of the human body is water and when water freezes,it expands.大多数人的身体是水和水结冰时扩大。The cells in my fingers had frozen,swollen an
7、d burst.这些细胞在我的手指已经冻结了膨胀和破灭。I had never felt anything so excruciating.我感到从未有过的任何痛苦。My nerve cells were so badly damaged it was four months before I could feel my hands again.我的神经细胞被严重的损害它是四个月之前,我能感觉到我的手再一次。I resolved never to do another cold water swim.我决定不再做另一个冰冷的水里游泳。Then last year I learned about
8、 the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains.然后,去年我了解了喜马拉雅山脉的冰川融化和兴都库什山脉。As nearly 2 billion people approximately one in three people on the planet rely on drinking or irrigation water from these glaciers,I decided it was time to emerge from retirement for another symbolic
9、swim this time in a glacial lake under the summit of Mount Everest.将近20 亿人大约有三分之一的人在地球上依靠灌溉或是饮用的水从这些冰川,我觉得是时候摆脱退休为另一个象征性的游泳这次是在一个冰川湖在登上珠穆朗玛峰的顶峰。Considering the potential for instability in regions facing rapidly increasing populations twinned with decreasing natural resources,I returned to training.
10、考虑到潜在的不稳定的地区迅速增长的人口面临减少自然资源的姊妹,我回到了训练。What made this swim particularly difficult is that this year,of all years,local authorities mounted a large operation to remove the bodies of climbers who lost their lives on the mountain.是什么让这个游泳特别困难的是,今年,所有的几年,地方当局发起了一个大型手术去除登山者的尸体在山上失去了他们的生命。So there I was at
11、 5.3km above sea level,attempting something no one has ever tried before while suffering a vicious case of altitude sickness and frozen bodies are coming past me as I slowly shuffle higher and higher.我就那样在海拔5.3公里,尝试一些以前没有人尝试过而痛苦的恶性案件高空病和冷冻尸体即将过去的我,我慢慢越来越高。To say the least,it is unsettling being remi
12、nded of your mortality.至少可以说,这是令人不安的被提醒你的死亡率。In late May,I reached Lake Pumori,adjacent to the Khumbu Glacier on Everest,and began to prepare mentally to launch myself into a swim.5月下旬,我到达 Pumori 湖,毗邻珠峰昆布冰川,开始做好心理准备推出自己变成一游。I cranked up P Diddy,glared across the water,fixed my mind on the opposite s
13、ide of the lake and dived in.At 2C(36F),the water was slightly warmer than at the North Pole but,up in the heavens at the icy tip of the world,breathing is very difficult.我调到 P 吹牛老爹,瞪着水面,固定我的头脑对面的湖和跳入河中。在 2 C(36 华氏度),水是气温略高于在北极,但都在结冰的顶端的世界,呼吸是非常困难的。Within seconds,I was in trouble gasping,choking,the
14、n vomiting.在几秒钟内,我正处在困境之中呼吸,窒息,然后呕吐。Then I momentarily went under.然后我暂时倒闭了。The first time I managed to recover easily by pushing myself off the bottom of the shallow lake,but when it happened again I was exhausted and overcome with panic.我第一次设法恢复容易被逼着自己出底部的浅水湖,但当它再次发生了我筋疲力尽,满心恐慌。Some people say that
15、 drowning is the most peaceful death.有些人说,溺水是最和平的死亡。Bollocks.胡言乱语。After it happened a third time,I flapped myself to the edge of the lake.之后发生了第三次,我拍动自己到湖边。My team mercifully lifted me out,moving my chilled body as quickly down the mountain as they could.我 的团队将我幸运,移动我的身体冰冷的快速下山,因为他们可以。That evening,w
16、e gathered for a debriefing on what had gone awry and how we could try and fix it.那天晚上,我们聚集在听取歪了什么,以及我们如何可以尝试并修复它。My team gave it to me straight,with team leader Maj-Gen Tim Toyne Sewell deciding on a radical tactical shift.我的球队给我的笔直,组长蒂姆 Toyne 少将维尔决定一个激进的战术转变。They talk about SAS standing for speed,
17、aggression and surprise.他们谈论 SAS 站速度、侵略和惊喜。When I left the regiment,I took that philosophy with me,and it was crucial in my swims in Antarctica,down the Thames,across the Maldives,and across the North Pole.当我离开步兵团,我把那哲学与我,这是很关键的在我游在南极洲,沿着泰晤士河,在马尔代夫,穿越北极点的。But my team told me to completely forget the
18、 past.但我的团队叫我完全忘记过去。Every single thing I had learned in 23 years of swimming I had to forget,he told me,and everything I had learned about speed and aggression as a reservist in the Special Air Service I should ignore.我学过的每一件事物在 23 年的游泳我不得不忘记,他告诉我,和一切我已经学了速度和攻击为一个预备役军人在特殊航空服务我应该忽略。Instead of swimmin
19、g fast,I had to swim as slowly as possible;instead of the crawl,I had to swim breaststroke;and instead of adopting an aggressive attitude,I needed humility.而不是快速游动时,我不得不游泳尽可能慢;而不是爬,我不得不游蛙泳,而不是采取一项大胆的态度,我需要谦卑。You cant bully Mount Everest,the Major-General said.“你不能欺负珠穆朗玛峰“少将说。Two days later,on 22 May
20、,we climbed up the mountain as slowly as possible and gathered at the lake,where I lay down on a rock and looked up at the summit of Everest.两天后,5 月 22 日,我们爬上了山顶尽可能慢和聚集在湖,在那里,我躺在一块岩石,抬头看了看攀登珠峰顶峰。Humbled,I focused on the glaciers and tried to calm myself in the face of my fear.谦卑,我关注冰川和试着让自己的心平静面对我的恐
21、惧。If I went too slowly,Id die of cold;too quickly and Id hyperventilate and drown.如果我走得很慢,我就死于寒冷;很快,我就变得狂躁不安,淹死。I then stood,stepped quietly into the water and swam a measured breaststroke across the expanse towards the spot on the other shore where my team awaited,1km away.我然后站住,悄悄地走进了一个测量水面游蛙泳在地面上
22、的斑点向彼岸,我的团队等待,1公里之外。Twenty-three minutes later,I arrived.23 分钟后,我到达。I learned two basic lessons on Everest.我学了两个基本教训珠穆朗玛峰上First,just because something has worked in the past does not mean it will worktoday.首先,仅仅因为某些曾在过去并不意味着它将 worktoday。Second,different challenges require different mindsets.其次,不同的挑战
23、需要不同的心态。Now,before I do anything,I ask myself what type of mindset I require to successfully complete the task.现在,在我做任何事,我问自己,是什么类型的心态我需要为成功完成任务。Climate change 气候变化 is the Everest of all problems,the thorniest challenge facing humankind.是珠穆朗玛峰的所有问题,人类面临最棘手的挑战。Just because we have lived in a certain
24、way for so long,and we have consumed the way we have for so long,and populated the earth the way we have for so long,doesnt mean the decisions weve made in the past will work today.就因为我们生活在一个特定的方式这么久,我们已经耗费了我们很长时间以来,并填充地球我们很长时间以来,并不意味着决定我们在过去将今天的工作。All the warning signs are there.所有的警告迹象。When I was
25、born,the worlds population was 3.5 billion.当我出生时,世界人口是35亿。There are now 6.8 billion people on the planet.现在地球上 68 亿人。By 2050,thats expected to rise to 9.4 billion.到 2050 年,预计将达到 94 亿。Whats more,the Earths resources arent growing;theyre decreasing and rapidly.更重要的是,地球的资源也没有增长;他们减少和迅速。Last week,I spok
26、e in Oxford at Ted,the Ideas Worth Spreading conference,and challenged the audience to consider what radical tactical shift they will take.上周,我在牛津Ted说,“值得传播的思想”的会议,并向观众考虑那些激进的战术转变,他们将采取。This may look different for each of us as world leaders,corporate decision-makers,parents,students or otherwise as
27、 we consider the way we engage with our environment.这可能看起来不同对我们每个人来说在世界各国领导人、企业决策者、家长、学生或其它当我们考虑我们的方式参与我们的环境。How do we ensure a healthy,sustainable and peaceful world a world in which our children have a future?我们如何确保有一个健康的、可持续的、和平的世界一个世界里,我们的孩子有前途吗?Moving forward,we must discover our own radical ta
28、ctical shifts,whether they be in our homes,in our workplaces,in our communities,our countries or our world.向前看,我们必须发现我们自己的激进战略的转变,无论是在我们的家中,在我们的工作场所,在我们的社区、我们的国家和我们的世界。Dispense with the assumptions and arrogance of yesterday.免去了昨天的假设和傲慢。Take that step,I said,and commit 100%to doing it.迈出这一步,我说,并提交 1
29、00%做它。I hope,in some small way,that my swim at the top of the world,which changed me,demonstrates that nothing is impossible.我希望,在某些小的方式,我的游泳在世界之巅,从而改变了我,表明,没有什么是不可能的。With care and collaboration,it is possible to engage in a discourse of humility and to move beyond dialogue to action.与护理和协作,可以从事话语谦逊
30、和超越的对话来行动。Unit 2 Taking Lessons From What Went Wrong 从错误中汲取教训 灾难比成功给人以更多教诲。尽管这一观点听上去可能似是而非，但却得到工程师们的广泛认同。他们表示，就技术而言，成功的理由常常是主观臆断和无形的，因此惨痛的教训也就随之产生，而导致特定失败的根源却能不断地被揭示、记录在案并得到修正，从而做出改进。简言之，灾难能够激励创新。毫无疑问，几个世纪以来，机器制造和工业领域“尝试-犯错”的过程导致了大量血的教训并夺去了成千上万的生命。这并不是说败亦足取，或者说有谁希望或故意制造灾难。然而失败其中不乏骇人听闻者是不可避免的。有鉴于此，工程
31、师们认为，对失败善加利用以防止重蹈覆辙才败有所值。其结果就是，那些对现代社会的发展居功至伟的技术成就有时就是人们宁愿忘却的事件换来的。“失败是重要也是令人蒙羞的知识源泉，有时它是必要的，”美国杜克大学工程史学家、2006 年出版的从失败中成功一书的作者亨利彼得罗斯基说。“没有人愿意失败，但也要痛定思痛。”专家们表示，如今此类分析可能会帮助石油公司改进其在越来越深的海域开采石油所采用的复杂传动装置和工作流程。4 月 20 日，“深水地平线”石油钻井平台在墨西哥湾造成灾难性后果：11 人丧生，并开启了美国历史上最严重的近海原油泄漏。而这一切，将推动技术的进步。在位于奥斯汀的得克萨斯大学讲授司法工程
32、学课程的戴维 W.福勒教授说“：业界深知不能让此类事件再次发生。要确保历史不会重演。”人们从这次灾难中可能汲取的教训之一就是认识到改进井口防喷器的重要性，这一安装在油井顶端的装置在紧急情况下可切断喷涌而出的石油。但这次事故中，失控油井上的防喷器严重失效。即使在这次灾难发生之前，许多从事海上钻井平台作业的公司已经采用了更先进的防喷器以加强这最后一道防线。诚然，彻底抛弃高风险或破坏性大的技术不失为对改进特定技术的一种替代性选择。放弃近海石油开采无疑是一些环保人士竭力争取的一种结果不仅仅是因为类似墨西哥湾事件的潜在灾难。他们宁愿看到那些向大气中排放二氧化碳而可能加速全球气候变化的技术都销声匿迹，而不
33、是发展进步。技术发展史表明，这样的结局不大可能上演。某些设备可能会失宠，但却很少在设计上被完全抛弃。“兴登堡号”飞艇爆炸表明，用氢气作为升空气体存在危险性，从而把研究重点放在不易燃的氦气上，而不是让硬件式飞艇寿终正寝。从定义上说，工程学就是一个解决问题的专业。技术分析师说，姑且不论减少人类对石油的依赖有何好处，建造上的冲动及其给深海钻探带来的可能结果是，通过失败分析所产生的创新将使油井更安全。他们认为，和以往无数次灾难一样，英国石油公司的这次灾难最终将激发技术的进步。“泰坦尼克号”的沉没，1986 年切尔诺贝利核反应堆的泄漏，世贸中心的倒塌这一切都迫使工程师们致力于解决被视为致命缺陷的东西。设
34、计工程师表示，很多情况下，他们这种职业的性质就是摸着石头过河。杜克大学的彼得罗斯基博士在其 从失败中成功一书中指出了这种具有创新性的必然结果。他说，失败“在对事物的设计上往往比成功教给我们的更多。因此，失败往往会导致重新设计设计出新的、加以改进的事物”。他最喜欢举的一个例子是 1940 年塔科马海峡大桥的坍塌。这座当时世界上第三长的悬索桥横亘于华盛顿州塔科马附近普吉特海湾的一条海峡上。在大桥启用几个月后，强风来袭，这座桥变成了一堆废钢烂泥而轰然倒塌。在这次事故中无人丧生，唯一罹难的是一条名叫塔比的黑色可卡犬。彼得罗斯基博士说，问题的根本在于盲目的自信。之前的数十年，工程师们设计建造的悬索桥越来
35、越长，每个新设计都更加雄心勃勃。跨度最长的布鲁克林大桥于 1883 年通车，长度 1595 英尺。乔治华盛顿大桥（建于 1931 年）长度增加了一倍多，达 3500 英尺。金门大桥（建于 1937 年）延伸得更长，中间部分的跨度达到 4000 英尺。彼得罗斯基博士在接受采访时说：“这就是成功导致失败的例证。所有这一切都取得了成功。我们还想让它们更长、更纤细。”塔科马大桥不仅拥有 2800 英尺的超长中心跨度，且其混凝土车道只有两条，且桥面非常浅。当日的强风把不坚固的桥面吹得上下剧烈起伏，最后解体。调查小组仔细研究了坍塌原因，而悬索桥设计师们则从中汲取了一些经验教训。其中最主要的一条是确保道路的
36、重量和围长足以避免强风的危险扰动。“塔科马海峡大桥的坍塌改变了悬索桥的建造方式，”彼得罗斯基博士说。“在这次事故发生之前，桥梁设计师们并不把风当回事。”这样的悲剧得到了越来越多的研究。斯坦福大学职业发展中心设立了高级结构和故障分析课程研究文凭。德雷克塞尔大学则提供以工程学研究为重点的司法学硕士学位。不仅如此，专业工程学已衍生出一门调查灾难的分支专业。总部位于加利福尼亚州门洛帕克的 Exponent 咨询公司是该行业内最大名鼎鼎的公司之一，它在全球有 900 名专家，提供涉及 90 个工程和科学领域的培训活动。Exponent 称，它的分析师可以处理从汽车到过山车到石油钻井平台到髋关节置换等所有
37、问题。该公司称：“我们分析故障和事故，以确定其原因，并了解如何预防。”工程司法鉴定师表示，“深水地平线”事故导致大量原油涌入墨西哥湾，现在了解事故的真相还为时过早。他们指出，许多联邦机构都参与进行了一系列详细调查，而且奥巴马总统已经任命了一个特别委员会就如何加强联邦政府对石油钻井平台的监管建言献策。但工程师们似乎一致地认为，调查结果将最终改善深海石油钻探技术至少是在下一次突发悲剧以及使该技术更安全的教训被汲取之前。其中一个教训是建造多个截止阀以阻止井喷多个剪切 ram。在紧急情况下,大量的叶片这些设备切开钻杆切断石油泄漏的流动。深水地平线只有一个,而三分之一的钻井平台在墨西哥湾现在有两个。也许
38、,监管机构将决定,钻井平台的运营者,不论什么代价,应该安装更多剪切公羊在所有防止喷出。“这就像我们生活中,Fowler 博士说:德克萨斯大学的。错误强迫我们要做出艰难的决定。”Unit3 老爸(Dad)The first memory I have of him of anything,really is his strength.It was in the late afternoon in a house under construction near ours.The unfinished wood floor had large,terrifying holes whose yawni
39、ng张大嘴 darkness I knew led to nowhere good.His powerful hands,then age 33,wrapped all the way around my tiny arms,then age 4,and easily swung摇摆 me up to his shoulders to command all I surveyed.我对他实际上是对所有事的最初记忆，就是他的力量。那是一个下午的晚些时候，在一所靠近我家的正在修建的房子里，尚未完工的木地板上有一个个巨大可怕的洞，那些张着大口的黑洞在我看来是通向不祥之处的。时年 33 岁的爸爸用那强
40、壮有力的双手一把握住我的小胳膊，当时我才 4 岁，然后轻而易举地把我甩上他的肩头，让我把一切都尽收眼底。The relationship between a son and his father changes over time.It may grow and flourish繁茂 in mutual maturity成熟.It may sour in resented dependence or independence.With many children living in single-parent homes today,it may not even exist.父子间的关系是随
41、着岁月的流逝而变化的，它会在彼此成熟的过程中成长兴盛，也会在令人不快的依赖或独立的关系中产生不和。而今许多孩子生活在单亲家庭中，这种关系可能根本不存在。But to a little boy right after World War II,a father seemed a god with strange strengths and uncanny离奇的 powers enabling him to do and know things that no mortal could do or know.Amazing things,like putting a bicycle chain b
42、ack on,just like that.Or building a hamster仓鼠 cage.Or guiding a jigsaw拼板玩具 so it forms the letter F;I learned the alphabet字母表 that way in those pre-television days.然而，对于一个生活在二战刚刚结束时期的小男孩来说，父亲就像神，他拥有神奇的力量和神秘的能力，他无所不能，无所不知。那些奇妙的事儿有上自行车链条，或是建一个仓鼠笼子，或是教我玩拼图玩具，拼出个字母“F”来。在那个电视机还未诞生的年代，我便是通过这种方法学会了字母表的。The
43、re were,of course,rules to learn.First came the handshake.None of those fishy冷冰冰的 little finger grips,but a good firm squeeze accompanied by an equally strong gaze into the others eyes.“The first thing anyone knows about you is your handshake,”he would say.And wed practice it each night on his retur
44、n from work,the serious toddler in the battered用旧了的 Cleveland Indians cap running up to the giant father to shake hands again and again until it was firm enough.当然，还得学些做人的道理。首先是握手。这可不是指那种冷冰冰的手指相握，而是一种非常坚定有力的紧握，同时同样坚定有力地注视对方的眼睛。老爸常说：“人们认识你首先是通过同你握手。”每晚他下班回家时，我们便练习握手。年幼的我，戴着顶破克利夫兰印第安帽，一本正经地跌跌撞撞地跑向巨人般的
45、父亲，开始我们的握手。一次又一次，直到握得坚定，有力。As time passed,there were other rules to learn.“Always do your best.”“Do it now.”“Never lie!”And most importantly,“You can do whatever you have to do.”By my teens,he wasnt telling me what to do anymore,which was scary令人害怕的 and heady使人兴奋的 at the same time.He provided perspe
46、ctive,not telling me what was around the great corner of life but letting me know there was a lot more than just today and the next,which I hadnt thought of.随着时间的流逝，还有许多其他的道理要学。比如：“始终尽力而为”，“从现在做起”，“永不撒谎”，以及最重要的一条：“凡是你必须做的事你都能做到”。当我十几岁时，老爸不再叫我做这做那，这既令人害怕又令人兴奋。他教给我判断事物的方法。他不是告诉我，在人生的重大转折点上将发生些什么，而是让我明
47、白，除了今天和明天，还有很长的路要走，这一点我是从未考虑过的。One day,I realize now,there was a change.I wasnt trying to please him so much as I was trying to impress him.I never asked him to come to my football games.He had a high-pressure career,and it meant driving through most of Friday night.But for all the big games,when I
48、looked over at the sideline,there was that familiar fedora.And by God,did the opposing team captain ever get a firm handshake and a gaze he would remember.有一天，事情发生了变化，这是我现在才意识到的。我不再那么迫切地想要取悦于老爸，而是迫切地想要给他留下深刻的印象。我从未请他来看我的橄榄球赛。他工作压力很大，这意味着每个礼拜五要拼命干大半夜。但每次大型比赛，当我抬头环视看台时，那顶熟悉的软呢帽总在那儿。并且感谢上帝，对方队长总能得到一次让他
49、铭记于心的握手坚定而有力，伴以同样坚定的注视。Then,a school fact contradicted something he said.Impossible that he could be wrong,but there it was in the book.These accumulated over time,along with personal experiences,to buttress my own developing sense of values.And I could tell we had each taken our own,perfectly norma
50、l paths.后来，在学校学到的一个事实否定了老爸说过的某些东西。他不可能会错的，可书上却是这样写的。诸如此类的事日积月累，加上我的个人阅历，支持了我逐渐成形的价值观。我可以这么说：我俩开始各走各的阳关道了。I began to see,too,his blind spots,his prejudices偏见 and his weaknesses.I never threw these up at him.He hadnt to me,and,anyway,he seemed to need protection.I stopped asking his advice;the experie