大学英语精读第四册

Twocollege-ageboys,unawarethatmakingmoneyusuallyinvolveshardwork,aretemptedbyan

advertisementthatpromisesthemaneasywaytoearnalotofmoney.Theboyssoonlearnthat

ifsomethingseemstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis.

BIGBUCKSTHEEASYWAY

JohnG.Hubbell

"Yououghttolookintothis,"Isuggestedtoourtwocollege-agesons."Itmightbeawayto

avoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskformoneyallthetime."Ihandedthemsomemagazinesina

plasticbagsomeonebadhungonourdoorknob.Amessageprintedonthebagofferedleisurely,

lucrativework("BigBuckstheEasyWay!")ofdeliveringmoresuchbags.

"Idon'tmindtheindignity,"theolderoneanswered.

"Icanlivewithit,"hisbrotheragreed.

"Butitpainsme,"Isaid,"tofindthatyoubothhavebeenpanhandlingsolongthatitno

longerembarrassesyou."

Theboyssaidtheywouldlookintothemagazine-deliverything.Pleased,Ilefttownona

businesstrip.BymidnightIwascomfortablysettledinahotelroomfarfromhome.Thephone

rang.Itwasmywife.Shewantedtoknowhowmydayhadgone.

"Great!"Ienthused."Howwasyourday?"Iinquired.

"Super!"Shesnapped."Justsuper!Andit'sonlygettingstarted.Anothertruckjustpulledup

outfront."

"Anothertruck?"

"Thethirdonethisevening.ThefirstdeliveredfourthousandMontgomeryWards.The

secondbroughtfourthousandSears,Roebucks.Idon'tknowwhatthisonehas,butI'msureit

willbefourthousandofsomething.Sinceyouareresponsible,Ithoughtyoumightliketoknow

what'shappening.

WhatIwasbeingblamedfor,itturnedout,wasanewspaperstrikewhichmadeitnecessary

tohand-delivertheadvertisinginsertsthatnormallyareincludedwiththeSundaypaper.The

companyhadpromisedourboys$600fordeliveringtheseinsertsto4,000housesbySunday

morning.

"Pieceofcake!"ouroldercollegesonhadshouted.

“Sixhundredbucks!"Hisbrotherhadechoed,"Andwecandothejobintwohours!"

"BoththeSearsandWardadsarefournewspaper-sizepages,"mywifeinformedme."There

arethirty-twothousandpagesofadvertisingonourporch.Evenaswespeak,twobigguysare

carryingarmloadsofpaperupthewalk.Whatdowedoaboutallthis?"

"Justtelltheboystogetbusy,"Iinstructed."They'recollegemen.They'lldowhattheyhave

todo."

AtnoonthefollowingdayIreturnedtothehotelandfoundanurgentmessagetotelephone

mywife.Hervoicewasunnaturallyhighandquavering.Therehadbeenseveralmoretruckloads

ofadinserts."They'refordepartmentstores,dimestores,drugstores,grocerystores,autostores

andsoon.Somearewholemagazinesections.Wehavehundredsofthousands,maybemillions,

ofpagesofadvertisinghere!Theyarecrammedwall-to-wallallthroughthehouseinstackstaller

thanyouroldestson.There'sonlyenoughroomforpeopletowalkin,takeoneeachofthe

eleveninserts,rollthemtogether,sliparubberbandaroundthemandslidethemintoaplastic

bag.WehaveenoughplasticbagstosupplyeverytakeoutrestaurantinAmerica!"Hervoicekept

rising,asifworkingitswayoutoftherangeofthehumanear."Allthismustbedeliveredby

seveno*clockSundaymorning."

"Well,youhadbettergetthoseguysbandingandslidingasfastastheycan,andI'lltalkto

youlater.Gotalunchdate.

WhenIreturned,therewasanotherurgentcallfrommywife.

"Didyouhaveanicelunch?"sheaskedsweetly.Ihadhadamarveloussteak,butknew

betterbynowthantosayso.

"Awful,"Ireported."Somesortofsourfish.Eel,Ithink.*'

"Good.Yourcollegesonshavehiredtheiryoungerbrothersandsistersandacoupleof

neighborhoodchildrentohelpforfivedollarseach.Assemblylineshavebeensetup.Inthe

languageofdiplomacy,thereis'movement.'"

"That'sencouraging."

"No,it'snot,"shecorrected."Ifsverydiscouraging.They'rebeenasitforhours.Plasticbags

havebeenfilledandpiledtotheceiling,butallthishasn'tmadeadent,notadent,inthe

situation!It'salmostasiftheinsertskeepreproducingthemselves!"

"Anotherthing,"shecontinued."Yourcollegesonsmustlearnthatonedoesnotgetthebest

outofemployeesbythreateningthemwithbodilyharm.

ObtaininganaudiencewithsonNO.1,Isnarled,'THkillyouifthreatenoneofthosekids

again!Idiot!Youshouldbeofferingabonusofadollareveryhourtotheworkerwhofillsthe

mostbags.

"Butthatwouldcutintoourprofit/'hesuggested.

"Therewon'tbeanyprofitunlessthosekidsenableyoutomakeallthedeliveriesontime.If

theydon't,youtwowillhavetoremoveallthatpaperbyyourselves.Andtherewillbenoeating

orsleepinguntilitisremoved."

Therewasashort,thoughtfulsilence.Thenhesaid,"Dad,youhavejustworkedaprofound

changeinmypersonality."

"Doit!"

"Yes,sir!"

Bythefollowingevening,therewasmuchformywifetoreport.Thebonusprogramhad

workeduntilsomeonedemandedtoseethecolorofcash.Thensomeactivistontheworkforce

claimedthattheworkershadnobusinesssettlingfor$5andafewcompetitivebonuseswhilethe

bossedcollectedhundredsofdollarseach.Theorganizerhaddeclaredthatalltheworkerswere

entitledto$5perhour!Theywouldnotworkanotherminuteuntilthebossesagreed.

Thestrikelastedlessthantwohours.Inmediation,thepartiesagreedon$2perhour.

Gradually,thehugestacksbegantoshrink.

Asitturnedout,thejobwascompletedthreehoursbeforeSunday's7a.m.deadline.Bythe

timeIarrivedhome,theboyshadalreadysettledtheiraccounts:$150inlaborcosts,$40for

gasoline,andalikeamount

forgifts—boxesofcandyforsaintlyneighborswhohadvolunteeredstationwagonsandhelp

indeliveryanddozenrosesfortheirmother.Thisleftthemwith$185each——abouttwo-thirds

theminimumwageforthe91hourstheyworked.Still,itwas"enough",asoneofthemputit,to

enablethemto"avoidindignity"forquiteawhile.

Allwentwellforsomeweeks.ThenoneSaturdaymorningmyattentionwasdrawntothe

oddgoings-onofourtwoyoungestsons.Theykeptcarryingcartonaftercartonfromvarious

cornersofthehouseoutthefrontdoortocurbside.Iassumedtheirmotherhadenlistedthemto

removejunkforatrashpickup.ThenIoverheardthemdiscussingfinances.

"Geez,we'regoingtomakealotofmoney!"

"We'regoingtoberich!"

Investigationrevealedthattheywereoffering"forsaleorrent"ourentirelibrary.

"No!No!"Icried."Youcan'tsellourbooks!"

"Geez,Dad,wethoughtyouweredonewiththem!"

"You'renever'done'withbooks,"Itriedtoexplain.

"Sureyouare.Youreadthem,andyou'redonewiththem.That'sit.Thenyoumightaswell

makealittlemoneyfromthem.Wewantedtoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskyoufor"

NewWords

buck

n.(si.)U.S.dollar

plastic

a.塑料的

n.(pl)塑料

doorknob

n.门把手

leisurely

a.unhurried从容的，慢慢的

leisure

n.freetime空闲时间，闲暇

lucrative

fitable有利的；赚钱的

pain

vt.causepainto

panhandle

vi.(AmE)beg.esp.onthestreets

delivery

n.delivering(ofletters,goods,etc.)投递；送交

enthuse

vi.showenthusiasm

inquire

vt.ask

super

a.(colloq.)wonderful,splendid;excellent

snap

vt.say(sth.)sharply厉声说

insert

n.插页

normally

heusualconditions;ordinarily通常

company

n.公司

echo

vt.sayordowhatanotherpersonsaysordoes;repeat附和；重复

ad

n.(shortfor)advertisement

inform

vt.tell;giveinformation告知

porch

n.(AmE)veranda门廊

armload

n.asmuchasonearmorbotharmscanhold;armful

walk

n.apathspeciallyarrangedorpavedforwalking人行道

unnaturally

ad.inanunnaturalway不自然地

quaver

vi.(ofthevoiceorsound)shake;tremble颤抖

truckload

n.asmuchorasmanyasatruckcancarry

departmentstore

n.storesellingmanydifferentkindsofgoodsinseparatedepartments百货公司

dime

n.coinofU.S.andCanadaworthtencents

dimestore

n.（AmE）astoresellingalargevarietyoflow-pricedarticles;varietystore廉价i药品店；商口

店

drugstore

n.（AmE）astorethatsellsnotonlymedicine,butalsobeautyproducts,film,magazines,and

food药店，杂货店

grocery

n.astorethatsellsfoodandhouseholdsupplies食品杂货店

section

n.partofsubdivisionofapieceofwriting,book,newspaper,etc.;portion（文章等的）段落；

节；部分

cram

vt.filltoofull;forceorpressintoasmallspace把...塞满；把塞进

stack

n.anorderly;heaporgroupofthings一叠（堆、垛等）

band

n.flat,thinpieceofmaterial带；带状物

vt.tieupwithaband捆扎

rubberband

n.橡皮筋

takeout

a.（餐馆）出售外卖菜的

range

n.thedistanceatwhichonecanseeorhear（听觉、视觉等）的范围

marvel（l）ous

a.wonderful;astonishing

steak

n.牛排；大块肉(或鱼)片

sour

a.酸的

eel

n.鳗蛆

diplomacy

n.外交

encouraging

a.鼓舞人心的

dent

n.ahollowinahardsurfacemadebyabloworpressure;initialprogress凹痕，凹坑，初步进

展

reproduce

ducetheyoungof(oneselforone'sownkind)生殖，繁殖

bodily

a.ofthehumanbody;physical

harm

n.damageorwrong伤害

audience

n.thepeoplegatheredinaplacetohearorsee;achancetobeheard观众；听众；陈述意见

的机会

snarl

vt.speakinaharshvoice咆哮着说

bonus

n.anextrapaymenttoworkers奖金

thoughtful

a.givetoorindicatingthought思考的

cash

n.moneyincoinsornotes现金

activist

n.apersontakinganactivepartesp.inapoliticalmovement激进分子

workforce

n.totalnumberofworkersemployedinaparticularfactory,industryorarea工人总数；劳动

人口

competitive

a.竞争的

organizer

n.personwhoorganizesthings组织者

mediation

n.调解

party

n.oneofthepeopleorsidesinanagreementorargument一方；当事人

gradually

ad.slowlyandbydegrees.

gradual

a.

shrink(shrank,shrunk)

vi.becomelessorsmaller减少；变小

deadline

n.fixedlimitoffinishingapieceofwork最后期限

stationwagon

n.小型客车，客货两用车

minimum(pl.minimaorminimums)

n.thesmallestpossibleamount,number,etc.最低限度的量、数等

minimumwage

n.thelowestwagepermittedbylaworbyagreementforcertainwork法定最工资

odd

a.strange;unusual

goings-on

n.activities,usu.ofanundesirablekind

carton

n.acardboardboxforholdinggoods纸板箱(或盒)

curbside

n.theareaofsidewalkatornearcurb(curb:人行道的镶边石)

enlist

vt.obtainthesupportandhelpof;causetojointhearmedforces取得...的支持和帮助;征募

trash

n.wastematerialtobethrownaway;rubbish垃圾

pickup

n.asmalllighttruckwithanopenbackusedforlightdeliveries小卡车；轻型货车

overhear

vt.hearbychance;hearwithouttheknowledgeofthespeaker(s)无意中听到；偷听到

finance

n.moneymatters;(usedinpl.)money;(scienceof)themanagementoffunds财政；钱财；金

融

geez

int.哎呀，呀

sale

n.theactofsellingsth.

Phrases&Expressions

pullup

bringorcometoastop(使)停下

apieceofcake

(informal)sth.veryeasytodo

evenas

justatthesamemomentas

knowbetterthan

bewiseorexperiencedenoughnot(todosth.)明事理而不至于

beat

beoccupiedwith,bedoing

makeadent(in)

makelessbyaverysmallamount;reduceslightly;makeafirststeptowardssuccess(in)减少一

点；取得初步进展

cutinto

reduce;decrease减少

havenobusiness

havenorightorreason无权,没有理由

settlefor

accept,althoughnotaltogethersatisfactory(无可奈彳可土也)前足于

settleone'saccount

paywhatoneowes结帐

quiteawhile

afairlylongtime

draw(sb.'s)attentionto

makesb.notice,orbeawareof

forsale

intendedtobesold

forrent

availabletoberented

bedonewith

stopdoingorusing;finish做完，不再使用

may/might/couldaswell

withequalorbettereffect不妨,还不如，最好

ProperNames

MontgomeryWard

蒙哥马利―沃德百货公司

Sears,Roebuck

西尔斯一罗百克百货公司

Isthereanythingwecanlearnfromdeer?Duringthe"energycrisis"of1973-1974thewriterof

thisessaywaslivinginnorthernMinnesotaandwasabletoobservehowdeersurvivewhen

winterarrives.Thelessonshelearnsabouthewaydeerconserveenergyturnoutapplicableto

oureverydaylife.

DEERANDTHEENERGYCYCLE

Somepersonssaythatlovemakestheworldgoround.Othersofalessromanticandmore

practicalturnofmindsaythatitisn'tlove;it'smoney.Butthetruthisthatitisenergythatmakes

theworldgoround.Energyisthecurrencyoftheecologicalsystemandlifebecomespossible

onlywhenfoodisconvertedintoenergy,whichinturnisusedtoseekmorefoodtogrow,to

reproduceandtosurvive.Onthiscyclealllifedepends.

Itisfairlywellknownthatwildanimalssurvivefromyeartoyearbyeatingasmuchasthey

canduringtimesofplenty,thesummerandfall,storingtheexcess,usuallyintheformoffat,and

thenusingthesereservesoffattosurviveduringthehardtimesinwinterwhenfoodisscarce.

Butitisprobablylesswellknownthatevenwiththeirstoredfat,wildanimalsspendlessenergy

toliveinwinterthaninsummer.

Agoodcaseinpointisthewhiter-taileddeer.Likemostwildlife,deerreproduce,grow,and

storefatinthesummerandfallwhenthereisplentyofnutritiousfoodavailable.Aphysically

maturefemaledeeringoodconditionwhohasconceivedinNovemberandgivenbirthtotwo

fawnsduringtheendofMayorfirstpartofJune,mustsearchforfoodforthenecessaryenergy

notonlytomeetherbody'sneedsbutalsotoproducemilkforherfawns.Thebestmilk

productionoccursatthesametimethatnewplantgrowthisavailable.Thisisgoodtiming,

becausemilkproductionisanenergyconsumingprocess——itrequiresalotoffood.Thecostcan

notbemetunlesstheregionhasamplefoodresources.

Asthesummerprogressesandthefawnsgrow,theybecomelessdependentontheir

mother'smilkandmoredependentongrowingplantsasfoodsources.Theadultmalesspendthe

summergrowingantlersandgettingfat.Bothmalesandfemalescontinuetoeathighquality

foodinthefallinordertodepositbodyfatforthewinter.Inthecaseofdoesandfawns,agreat

dealofenergyisexpendedeitherinmilkproductionoringrowing,andfatisnotaccumulatedas

quicklyasitisinfullgrownmales.Fatreservesarelikebankaccountstobedrawnoninthe

winterwhenfoodsuppliesarelimitedandsometimesdifficulttoreachbecauseofdeepsnow.

Asfallturnsintowinter,otherchangestakeplace.Fawnslosetheirspottedcoat.Haironall

thedeerbecomesdarkerandthicker.Thechangeinthehaircoatsisusuallycompleteby

SeptemberandmaximumhairdepthsarereachedbyNovemberorDecemberwhentheweather

becomescold.

Butinaddition,natureprovidesafurthersafeguardtohelpdeersurvivethewinter—an

internalphysiologicalresponsewhichlowerstheirmetabolism,orrateofbodilyfunctioning,and

henceslowsdowntheirexpenditureofenergy.Thedeerbecomesomewhatslowanddrowsy.

Theheartratedrops.Animalsthathibernatepracticeenergyconservationtoagreaterextreme

thandeerdo.Althoughdeerdon'thibernate,theydothesamethingwiththeirseasonalrhythms

inmetabolism.Deerspendmoreenergyandstorefatinthesummerandfallwhenfoodis

abundant,andspendlessenergyandusestoredfatinthewinterwhenfoodislessavailable.

Whenthe"energycrisis"firstcamein1973-1974,Iwaslivingwithmyfamilyinacabinon

theedgeofanareawheredeerspendthewinterinnorthernMinnesota,observingthedeeras

theirbehaviorchangedfrommoreactivityinsummerandfalltolessaswinterprogressed,

followedbyanincreaseagaininthespringasthesnowmelted.Itwasinterestingandrather

amusingtolistentotheadvicegivenontheradio:"Driveonlywhennecessary,"weweretold.

"Putonmoreclothestostaywarm,andturnthethermostatonyourfurnacedown."Meanwhile

wewatchedthedeerreducetheiractivity,growawintercoatofhair;andreducetheir

metabolismastheyhaveforthousandsofyears.Itisbiologicallyreasonablefordeertoreduce

theircostoflivingtoincreasetheirchanceofsurvivinginwinter.

Noteverywinteriscriticalfordeerofcourse.Ifthewinterhaslightsnow,survivaland

productivitynextspringwillbehigh.Butifdeepsnowscomeandtheweatherremainscoldfor

severalweeks,thenthedeermustspendmoreenergytomoveabout,foodwillbehardertofind,

andtheymustthendependmoreontheirfatreservestopullthemthrough.Ifsuchconditionsgo

onfortoolongsomewilldie,andonlythelargestandstrongestarelikelytosurvive.Thatisa

fundamentalruleoflifeforwild,freewanderinganimalsuchasdeer.

Yes,life—anddeath,too-isacyclethatgoesroundandround,andwhenanimalsdietheir

bodiesbecomefoodforotherlifeformstousebyconvertingthemintoenergy.

Andthecyclecontinues.

NewWords

Deer

n.(sing,orpl.)鹿

romantic

a.belongingtoorsuggestingromance;fancifulnotpractical浪漫的；幻想的

turn

n.anaturaltendency;inclination(天生)倾向

currency

n.moneythatisactuallyinuseinacountry通货，货币

ecological

a.oforconcerninginterrelationshipoforganismsandtheirenvironment生态的

ecology

n.生态学

convert

vt.change(fromoneform,use,oanother);cause(aperson)tochangehisbeliefs,etc.使

转变；使改变信仰(等)

excess

n.thepartthatismorethanenough;theconditionofexceedingwhatisusualornecessary过

量；过度

reserve

n.sth.thatisbeingorhasbeenstoredforlateruse储备(物)

scarcea.notavailableinsufficientquantity缺乏的

wildlife

n.animalsandplantswhichliveandgrowwild

nutritious

a.fullgrownanddeveloped成熟的；成年的

female

a.ofthesexthatgivesbirthtoyoung女(性)的；雌的

n.afemaleperson,animalorplant

conceive

vt.becomepregnantwith(young);form(anidea,plan,etc.)inthemind怀(胎)；构思

fawn

n.ayoungdeerlessthanayearold

timing

n.selectionformaximumeffectoftheprecisemomentforbeginningordoingsth.时机的选择

consume

vt.eatordrink;use;useup消耗；消费

region

n.aplace,spaceorarea;apartofthebody地区；(身体的)部位

ample

a.plentiful充裕的

resource

n.(pl.)possessions(esp.ofacountry),intheformofwealthandgoods,thathelponetodo

whatonewants资源

dependent

a.relying(onanother)forsupport

male

a.ofthesexthatdoesnotgivebirthtoyoung男(性)的；雄的

n.amaleperson,animalorplant

antler

n.thesolid,bonyhornofamaledeer鹿角，茸角

deposit

vt.putorstoreforsafekeeping;(esp.ofaliquid,ariver)leavelying(alayerofmatter)存放；使沉

积

doe

n.afully-grownfemaledeer

expend

vt.spendoruseup花费；耗尽

accumulate

v.makeorbecomegreaterinnumberorquantity;collectorgather积累；积聚

account

n.asumofmoneykeptinabankwhichmaybeaddedtoortakenfrom帐户；存款

spotted

a.markedwithspots

depth

n.thestateordegreeofbeingdeep深；深度，厚度

safeguard

n.ameansofprotectionagainststh.unwanted预防措施

internal

a.oforintheinside,esp.ofthebody内部的；体内的

physiological

a.生理的；生理学的

metabolism

n.新陈代谢

hence

ad.therefore因此，所以

expenditure

n.expendingorusingup;theamountofmoney,time,etc.expended花费；用光；支出额，费

用

somewhat

ad.bysomedegreeoramount;alittle有点，稍微

drowsy

a.sleepyorhalfsleepy;makingonesleepy困倦的；催眠的

hibernate

vi.(ofsomeanimals)passthewholeofthewinterinastatelikesleep冬眠

extreme

n.eitherendofanything;highestdegree极端

seasonal

a.dependingontheseason;changingwiththeseasons季节性的

rhythm

n.节奏

abundant

a.morethanenough充足的；丰富的

cabin

n.asmallroughlybuilt,usu.woodenhouse小木屋；茅舍

melt

v.cause(asolid)tobecomeliquid;(ofasolid)becomeliquid(使)融化；(使)熔化

amusing

a.funny逗人笑的；引起乐趣的

amuse

vt.causetolaughorsmile

thermostat

n.anautomaticdeviceforregulatingtemperature恒温器

biologically

ad.生物学上

biologicala.

survival

n.thefactorlikelihoodofsurviving幸存

productivity

n.theabilityorcapacitytoproduce,productiveness生产力；生产率；多产

fundamental

a.basic;mostimportant

Phrases&Expressions

goround

functionsmoothly

intheformof

以…形式

inpoint

appropriate;pertinent适用的；相关的

in(good)condition

ingoodhealth,physicallyfit

givebirth(to)

bear;(fig.)produce生(孩)子，产(仔)；产生，引起

drawon

takeoruseasasource利用；动用

slowdown

(causeto)gomoreslowlythanusual;(causeto)live,work,etc.inalessactiveandintense

way(使)慢下来；(使)放松

turndown

reducetheforce,speed,loudness,etc.of(sth.)byusingcontrols减弱；关小,调低

moveabout

travelaround;gofromoneplacetoanother

pullthrough

help(sb.)tosurviveaperiodofdangerorcrisis使渡过危险或危机

ProperName

Minnesota

明尼苏达(美国州名)

Canyouprovethattheearthisround?Goaheadandtry!Willyourelyonyoursensesorwillyou

havetodrawontheopinionsofexperts?

WHYDOWEBELIEVETHATTHEEARTHISROUND?

GeorgeOrwell

Somewhereorother-IthinkitisintheprefacetosaintJoan-BernardShawremarksthat

wearemoregullibleandsuperstitioustodaythanwewereintheMiddleAges,andasan

exampleofmoderncredulityhecitesthewidespreadbeliefthattheearthisround.Theaverage

man,saysShaw,canadvancenotasinglereasonforthinkingthattheearthisround.Hemerely

swallowsthistheorybecausethereissomethingaboutitthatappealstothetwentieth-century

mentality.

Now,Shawisexaggerating,butthereissomethinginwhathesays,andthequestionis

worthfollowingup,forthesakeofthelightitthrowsonmodernknowledge.Justwhydowe

believethattheearthisround?Iamnotspeakingofthefewthousandastronomers,geographers

andsoforthwhocouldgiveocularproof,orhaveatheoreticalknowledgeoftheproofbutofthe

ordinarynewspaper-readingcitizen,suchasyouorme.

AsfortheFlatEarththeory,IbelieveIcouldrefuteit.Ifyoustandbytheseashoreonaclear

day,youcanseethemastsandfunnelsofinvisibleshipspassingalongthehorizon.This

phenomenoncanonlybeexplainedbyassumingthattheearth'ssurfaceiscurved.Butitdoes

notfollowthattheearthisspherical.ImagineanothertheorycalledtheOvalEarththeory,which

claimsthattheearthisshapedlikeanegg.WhatcanIsayagainstit?

AgainsttheOvalEarthman,thefirstcardIcanplayistheanalogyofthesunandmoon.The

OvalEarthmanpromptlyanswersthatIdon*tknow,bymyownobservation,thatthosebodies

arespherical.Ionlyknowthattheyareround,andtheymayperfectlywellbeflatdiscs.Ihaveno

answertothatone.Besides,hegoeson,whatreasonhaveIforthinkingthattheearthmustbe

thesameshapeasthesunandmoon?Ican*tanswerthatoneeither.

Mysecondcardistheearth'sshadow:Whencastonthemoonduringeclipses,itappearsto

betheshadowofaroundobject.ButhowdoIknow,demandstheOvalEarthman,thateclipses

ofthemoonarecausedbytheshadowoftheearth?TheansweristhatIdon'tknow,buthave

takenthispieceofinformationblindlyfromnewspaperarticlesandsciencebooklets.

Defeatedintheminorexchanges,Inowplaymyqueenoftrumps:theopinionoftheexperts.

TheAstronomerRoyal,whooughttoknow,tellsmethattheearthisround.TheOvalEarthman

coversthequeenwithhisking.HaveItestedtheAstronomerRoyal'sstatement,andwouldIeven

knowawayoftestingit?HereIbringoutmyace.Yes,Idoknowonetest.Theastronomerscan

foretelleclipses,andthissuggeststhattheiropinionsaboutthesolarsystemareprettysound.I

am,tomydelight,justifiedinacceptingtheirsay-soabouttheshapeoftheearth.

IftheOvalEarthmananswers—whatIbelieveistrue—thattheancientEgyptians,who

thoughtthesungoesroundtheearth,couldalsopredicteclipses,thenbanggoesmyace.Ihave

onlyonecardleft:navigation.Peoplecansailshiproundtheworld,andreachtheplacestheyaim

at,bycalculationswhichassumethattheearthisspherical.IbelievethatfinishestheOvalEarth

man,thougheventhenhemaypossiblyhavesomekindofcounter.

Itwillbeseenthatmyreasonsforthinkingthattheearthisroundareratherprecariousones.

Yetthisisanexceptionallyelementarypieceofinformation.OnmostotherquestionsIshould

havetofallbackontheexpertmuchearlier,andwouldbelessabletotesthispronouncements.

Andmuchthegreaterpartofourknowledgeisatthislevel.Itdoesnotrestonreasoningoron

experiment,butonauthority.Andhowcanitbeotherwise,whentherangeofknowledgeisso

vastthattheexperthimselfisanignoramusassoonashestraysawayfromhisownspecialty?

Mostpeople,ifaskedtoprovethattheearthisround,wouldnotevenbothertoproducethe

ratherweakargumentsIhaveoutlinedabove.Theywouldstartoffbysayingthat"everyone

knows"theearthtoberound,andifpressedfurther;wouldbecomeangry.InawayShawisright.

Thisisacredulousage,andtheburdenofknowledgewhichwenowhavetocarryispartly

responsible.

NewWords

preface

n.anintroductiontoabookorspeech前言，序

gullible

oafalsebelief;credulous易受骗的;轻信的

superstitious

a.fullofsuperstition;believinginsuperstitions迷信的

credulity

n.atendencytobelievetoreadily轻信

cite

vt.mentionasanexample;quote(apassage,book,etc.)举出;弓I出

widespread

a.foundordistributedoveralargearea分布广的;普遍的

advance

vt.putorbringforward;offer提出

appeal

vi.please,attractorinterest投合所好;有感染力;有吸引力

mentality

n.wayofthinking,outlook;mentalpowerorcapacity/心理〃思想;脑力

exaggerate

vt.think,speakorwriteofasgreaterthanisreallyso;overstate夸张;夸大

sake

n.end,purpose缘故

geographer

n.aspecialistingeography

ocular

a.of,for,bytheeyes;basedonwhathasbeenseen眼睛的;凭视觉的

theoretical

a.oforbasedontheory

citizen

n.公民;市民

refute

ve(astatement)tobeuntrue;prove(aperson)tobemistaken驳斥

mast

n.alonguprightpole