科学探索篇

科学探索篇

The Space Shuttle

by Ronald Regan^[76]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger^[77]. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight. We’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, “Give me a challenge, and I’ll meet it with joy.” They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage^[78] of the shuttle’s take-off. I know it’s hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.

I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program. And what happened today does nothing to diminish^[79] it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute.

We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.

I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA^[80], or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.”

There’s a coincidence^[81] today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.” Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly^[82] bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.”

Thank you.

[点评] 这是一篇纪念“挑战者号”航天飞机的文章。文章开始，作者怀着沉痛的心情回顾往昔。接下来，作者用坚定的语气表示人类向未知太空探索的决心。尽管在科学探索的道路上，牺牲是不可避免的。但前进的步伐是永远不会停止的。最后，点明主题，我们将永远记住那些为人类探索外太空而献身的英雄们。

The Spread of HIV^[83] And Will We Ever Cure AIDS?

by David Ho^[84]

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning!

Predicting the future is risky business for a scientist. It is safe to say, however, that the global AIDS epidemic will get much worse before it gets any better. Sadly, this modern plague will be with us for several generations, despite major scientific advances.

As of January 2000, the AIDS epidemic has claimed 15 million lives and left 40 million people living with a viral infection that slowly but relentlessly erodes^[85]the immune system. According for more than 3 million deaths in the past year alone, the AIDS virus has become the deadlines microbe in the world, more lethal than even TB^[86] and malaria. There are 34 developing countries where the prevalence of this infection is 2% or greater. In Africa nearly a dozen countries have a rate higher than 10%, including four southern African nations in which a quarter of the people are infected. And the situation continues to worsen; more than 6 million new infections appeared in 1999. This is like condemning 16,000 people each day to a slow and miserable death.

Fortunately, the AIDS story has not been all gloom and doom^[87]. Less than two years after AIDS was recognized, the guilty agent—human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV—was identified. We now know more about HIV than about any other virus, and 14 AIDS drugs have been developed and licensed in the U.S. and Western Europe.

The epidemic continues to rage, however, in South America, Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. By the year 2025, AIDS will be by far the major killer of young Africans, decreasing life expectancy to as low as 40 years in some countries and single-handedly erasing the public health gains of the past 50 years.

It is Asia, with its huge population at risk, which will have the biggest impact on the global spread of AIDS. The magnitude of the pandemic^[88]could range from 100 million to 1 billion, depending largely on what happens in India and China. Four million people have already become HIV-positive in India, and infection is likely to reach several percent in a population of 1 billion. Half a million Chinese are now infected; the trajectory^[89] of China’s epidemic, however, is less certain.

An explosive AIDS epidemic in the U.S. is unlikely. Instead, HIV infection will continue to fester in about 0.5% of the population. But the complexion of the epidemic will change. New HIV infections will occur predominately in the underclass, with rates 10 times as high in minority groups. Nevertheless, American patients will live quality lives for decades, thank to advances in medical research. Dozens of powerful and well-tolerated AIDS drugs will be developed, as will novel means to restore the immune system.

A cure for AIDS by the year 2025 is not inconceivable. But constrained by economic reality, these therapeutic advances will have only limited benefit outside the U.S. and Western Europe.

A vaccine is our only real hope to avert disaster unparalleled in medical history. A large, concerted effort of research was launched three years ago in the U.S. and hints of promising strategies are emerging from experiments in monkeys. But even if an AIDS vaccine is developed before 2025, it will require an extraordinary effort of political will among our leaders to get to the people who need it most.

Thank you!

[点评] 这是一篇有关艾滋病问题的文章，作者通过大量的数据理性地分析了艾滋病的发展状况和人类所面临的严峻问题，同时也对目前的科学研究成果和人类战胜疾病所做出的努力进行了肯定。作为一篇科技文章，它没有修辞的大量运用和情感的抒发，只有客观地陈述实际情况和未来的发展。通过科学的方法收集数据，探究问题出现的原因，制定相应解决问题的对策，通过反复地试验进行验证，最终攻克难关。

How Hot Will It Get?

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning!

In the past decade we have experienced seven of the ten warmest years on record. In the last Ice Age, about 18,000 years ago, glaciers^[90] came as far south Pittsburgh.

Not so long ago, people talked about global warming in apocalyptic^[91] terms—imagine the Statue of Liberty up to its chin in water, for example. Recently, however, advances in our understanding of climate have moved global warming from a subject for a summer disaster movie to a serious but manageable scientific and policy issue.

Here’s what we know. Since sunlight is always falling on the earth, the laws of physics decree that the planet has to radiate the same amount of energy back into space to keep the books balanced. The earth does this by sending infrared radiation out through the atmosphere, where an array^[92] of molecules the best known is carbon dioxide form a kind of blanket, holding outgoing radiation for a while and warming the surface. The molecules are similar to the glass in a greenhouse, which is why the warming process is called the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is nothing new; it has been operating ever since the earth formed. Without it, the surface of the globe would be a frigid—20℃, the oceans would be frozen, and no life would have developed. So the issue we face in the next millennium is not whether there will be a greenhouse effect, but whether humans, by burning fossil fuels, are adding enough carbon dioxide to the atmosphere to change it and our climate in significant and dangerous ways.

Scientists agree that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing steadily. It is near 360 parts per million p.p.m. today, vs. 315 p.p.m. in 1958 when modern measurements started and 270 p.p.m. in pre-industrial times as measured by air bubbles trapped in the Greenland ice sheet.

An analysis of temperature records indicates that the world’s average temperature has gone up about 0.5℃ in the past century, with the 90s being the hottest decade in recent history. This fact is quoted widely, although there are doubts even among researchers. Recent satellite records, using different kinds of instrumentation, fail to show a warming trend.

If we accept that there has been warming, we turn to computer models to see if humans are to blame and what will happen to the earth’s climate in the future. These models are complex because climate depends on thousands of things, from Antarctic sea ice to sub-Saharan soil conditions. They have difficulty handling factors like clouds and ocean currents two major influences on climate. Like everything else in this frustrating field, the model’s limitations force us to make important decisions in the face of imperfect knowledge.

The most authoritative predictions about future warming come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), a worldwide consortium^[93] of more than 2,000 climate scientists. The current forecast is that by 2100 the earth’s temperature will go up 1℃ to 3.5℃, with the best guess being an increase of 2℃.

It makes no sense to overreact to the prospect of global warming, but it makes no sense to ignore it either. A prudent^[94] policy that stresses conservation and alternate energy sources seems to be wise insurance in an uncertain age. After all, our grandchildren will thank us for developing high-mileage cars, energy-efficient appliances and cheap solar energy, no matter how the future of global warming plays out.

[点评] 目前全球变暖问题已成为世界共同关心的重大问题。作者在开始提出论点，问题虽然存在，但随着对气候认识的不断加深，全球转暖已经从灾难影片的主题转为一个严肃但可控制的科学与政策问题。接着，作者理性地分析了温室效应产生的原因，气候变化的背后潜藏的巨大的危险；客观地陈述了先进科技手段的运用对问题的解决所起的作用。最后，进一步强调，只要采取积极有效的措施保护自然环境，人类的未来一片光明。此外，大量数字的运用使文章更具科学性和说服性。

【注释】

[1]　economize: [i(:)5kCnEmaiz]v.节约, 节省, 有效地利用

[2]　 assault [E5sC:lt]n.攻击, 袭击v.袭击

[3]　 degrade [di5^reid]v.(使)降级, (使)堕落, (使)退化

[4]　 revive [ri5vaiv]v. (使)苏醒, (使)复兴, (使)复活, (使)再生效, 回想

[5]　sewage [5sju(:)idV]n.下水道, 污水v.用污水灌溉, 装下水道于

[6]　badge: [bAdV]n.徽章, 证章

[7]　本文选自1996年“21世纪杯全国大学生英语演讲比赛”二等奖获得者徐义成的作品。

[8]　evade: [i5veid]v.规避, 逃避, 躲避

[9]　shoddy: [5FCdi]adj.翻制的, 以次充好的, 假冒的n.赝品

[10]　aggravate: [5A^rEveit]vt.使恶化, 加重

[11]　factual :[5fAktjuEl]adj.事实的, 实际的

[12]　cite: [sait]vt.引用, 引证, 提名表扬

[13]　morality : [mR5rAliti]adj.道德的n.道德

[14]　marginalize : [`mB:dVinElaiz] vt. (1)使处于社会边缘,使脱离社会发展进程 (2)忽视,排斥

[15]　vice versa: [5vaisi5vE:sE]adv.反之亦然

[16]　Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) 美国短篇小说家、教育家、诗人和散文家。毕业于普林斯顿大学神学院，后成为长老会牧师。曾在普林斯顿大学任英国文学教授。作品有《第一棵圣诞树》 《激情》 《金钥匙》等。

[17]　tribulation:[7tribju5leiFEn]n.苦难, 忧患, 磨难

[18]　trample[5trAmpl]n.踩踏, 蹂躏v.践踏, 踩坏, 轻视

[19]　brood:[bru:d]n.(动物中鸟或家禽的)一窝, (同种或同类的)一伙vt.孵, 沉思

[20]　sullen:[5sQlEn]adj.愠怒的, 沉沉不乐的, (天气等)阴沉的

[21]　sprinkle:[5spriNkl]v.撒(某物)于(某物之表面), 洒, 喷撒

[22]　Samuel Smiles: 塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯，英国19世纪著名的社会改革家和十分多产的人生随笔作家。他写过许多脍炙人口的人生随笔作品，如《自己拯救自忆》《品格的力量》《人生的职责》《金钱与人生》《信仰的力量》《命运之门》等，这些作品在全球畅销一百多年而不衰，改变了亿万人的命运，对近代以来西方社会的道德风尚产生了很大的影响。

[23]　bond : [bCnd]n.结合(物), 粘结(剂), 联结, 公债, 债券, 合同v.结合

[24]　enshrine: [in5Frain]vt. 入庙祀奉, 铭记

[25]　avail: [E5veil]vi.有益于, 有帮助, 有用, 有利vt.有利于n.效用, 利益

[26]　 mutual: [5mju:tjuEl, 5mju:tFuEl]adj.相互的, 共有的

[27]　 expertise : [7ekspE5ti:z]n.专家的意见, 专门技术

[28]　diaper: [5daiEpE]n.尿布

[29]　这篇短文写于25年前，那时作者被卡内基基金会(Carnegie Foundation)和教育发展与促进协会(Council for Advancement and Support of Education) 提名为当年最佳教授 (Professor of the Year)。获奖后，《校友联合杂志》(Alumni Magazine Consortium) 的编辑邀请他为他们的杂志写篇文章。

[30]　enmity: [5enmiti]n.敌意, 憎恨

[31]　criterion : [krai5tiEriEn]n.(批评判断的)标准, 准据, 规范

[32]　predominate : [pri5dCmineit]vt.掌握, 控制, 支配vi.统治, 成为主流, 支配, 占优势

[33]　jade : [dVeid]n.碧玉, 翡翠adj.绿色的, 玉制的

[34]　vessel : [5vesl]n.船, 容器, 器皿, 脉管, 导管

[35]　sensational : [sen5seiFEnEl]adj.使人感动的, 非常好的

[36]　conversely : [5kRnv\:sli]adv.倒地,逆地

[37]　adolescence : [9AdEJ5lesEns]n.青春期（一般指成年以前由13至15岁的发育期）

[38]　candidly : [5kAndidli]adv.率直地, 坦白地

[39]　deride : [di5raid]vt.嘲弄, 嘲笑

[40]　preoccupied: [pri:5CkjJpaid]adj.被先占的, 全神贯注的

[41]　inherit : [in5herit]vt.继承, 遗传而得

[42]　impressionable :[im5preFEnEb(E)l]adj.容易受感动的, 敏感的

[43]　wedge: [wedV]n.楔vt.楔入, 楔进

[44]　sorrow : [5sCrEu]n.悲哀, 悲痛

[45]　capacity : [kE5pAsiti]n.容量, 生产量, 容量, 智能, 才能, 能力, 接受力, 地位

[46]　安德魯·卡內基(Andrew Carnegie，1835–1919)，美国钢铁大王。

[47]　salutary : [5sAljutEri]adj.有益的

[48]　be exposed to遭受, 暴露于……

[49]　be qualified for（1）有……的资格（2）适于担任……

[50]　apprentice: [E5prentis]n.学徒v.当学徒

[51]　proficiency: [prE5fiFEnsi]n.熟练, 精通, 熟练程度

[52]　soever: [sEu5evE]adv.无论, 不论何种

[53]　EL Nino: 厄尔尼诺

[54]　La Nina : 尼娜

[55]　preen: [pri:n] vt.(鸟)用嘴整理, 打扮, 赞扬vi.把(自己)打扮漂亮

[56]　daffodil : [5dAfEdil]n.水仙花adj.水仙花色的

[57]　inexorably : [in5eksErEbli]adv.无情地, 冷酷地

[58]　magnitude : [5mA^nitju:d]n.大小, 数量, 巨大, 广大, 量级

[59]　unabated : [5QnE5beitid]adj.不衰退的, 不减弱的

[60]　colonial : [kE5lEunjEl]adj.殖民的, 殖民地的 n.殖民地居民

[61]　feudal : [5fju:dl]adj.世仇的, 封建制度的, 封地的, 领地的

[62]　resort : [ri5zC:t]n. 常去之地, 胜地

[63]　Nancy M. Peterson:美国著名短篇小说家，其小说以清新、优美著称。

[64]　marshmallow : [mB:F5mAlEJ]n.药属葵, 药属葵蜜饯

[65]　grumble : [5^rQmbl] vi.抱怨, 发牢骚, 咕哝, 嘟囔, 隆隆响vt.喃喃地说出

[66]　plink : [pliNk]v.(使)发出叮玲声n.叮玲声

[67]　assault : [E5sC:lt]n.攻击, 袭击v.袭击

[68]　streak : [stri:k]v.飞跑, 加上条纹

[69]　saturate: [5sAtFEreit]v.使饱和, 浸透, 使充满

[70]　John Boynton Priestley (1894-1984) 英国小说家、评论家和剧作家。早期从事传记和评论的撰写，代表作有《英国小说》《好伙伴》等；中期开始创作剧本，作品有《危险的角落》《明天到家》等；晚年主要从事对英国社会的调查与研究，作品有《维多利亚的鼎盛时期》等。

[71]　contrive[kEn5traiv]v.发明, 设计, 图谋

[72]　sinister:[5sinistE]adj.险恶的

[73]　weathercock[5weTEkRk]n.风标, 随风倒的人

[74]　hypochondriasis:[9haipEJkCn5draiEsis]n.疑病(症状)

[75]　prank[prANk]n.胡闹, 开玩笑, 恶作剧vt.装饰, 打扮vi.打扮得漂亮

[76]　本文选自1986年1月28日，“挑战者号”升空7秒钟爆炸后，美国总统里根专门发表的演说。

[77]　shuttle Challenger：“挑战者号”航天飞机。1986年1月28日，作为美国第二架航天飞机在进行第10次飞行时，从发射架上升空70多秒后发生爆炸，价值12亿美元的航天飞机化作碎片，坠入大西洋，7名机组人员全部遇难，造成了世界航天史上最大的惨剧。这是美国进行25次载人航天飞行中首次发生在空中的大灾难。

[78]　coverage:[5kQvEridV]n.覆盖

[79]　diminish:[di5miniF]v.(使)减少, (使)变小

[80]　NASA:[5nAsE]abbr. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (美国)国家航空和宇宙航行局

[81]　coincidence[kEu5insidEns]n.一致, 相合, 同时发生或同时存在(尤指偶然)的事

[82]　surly[5sE:li]adj.粗暴的, 乖戾的, 阴沉的, 无礼的, 板面孔的

[83]　HIV n. =Human Immunodeficiency Virus 人类免疫缺陷病毒

[84]　David Ho：何大一，著名国际艾滋病研究专家，1952年出生于台湾，在台中度过了12年的童年生活之后，随家人移居美国。二十多年来，何大一一直致力于攻克艾滋病的研究，他始创“鸡尾酒疗法”，鸡尾酒疗法可以将艾滋病患者的死亡率降低到20%，同时他使用多种药物有效抑制早期感染的艾滋病毒。他也因此成为《时代》周刊1996年度风云人物。虽然有人对药物治疗艾滋病的有效性持怀疑态度，但《时代》周刊对何大一的评价——他是为人类对抗艾滋病扭转乾坤的真正英雄。

[85]　erode: [i5rEud]vt.侵蚀, 腐蚀, 使变化vi.受腐蚀, 逐渐消蚀掉

[86]　TB =tuberculosis [tju7bE:kju5lEusis]n. 肺结核

[87]　gloom and doom : （成语）黑暗和绝望

[88]　pandemic : [pAn5demik]adj.全国流行的

[89]　trajectory : [5trAdViktEri, trE5dVekEtEri]n.[物](射线的) 轨道, 弹道, 轨线

[90]　glacier:[5^lAsjE, 5^leiFE]n.冰河

[91]　apocalyptic: [E7pRkE5liptik]adj.启示录的, 天启的

[92]　array:[E5rei]n.排列, 编队, 军队, 衣服, 大批vt.部署, 穿着, 排列

[93]　consortium[kEn5sC:tjEm]n.社团, 协会, 联盟, (国际)财团, [律]配偶的权利,＜美＞大学联盟协定

[94]　prudent[5pru:dEnt]adj.谨慎的