M1B4 Cultural Corner

Famous Last Words沒有實現(xiàn)的著名預(yù)言

Not all predictions come true。并非所有的預(yù)言都能成真。 Many of them are wrong， and some are very wrong. 許多預(yù)言是錯的,并且有些還是大錯特錯。Here are just a few of the bad predictions people made in the twentieth century about the twenty-first century:下面就是人們在20世紀(jì)對21世紀(jì)所作出的一些錯誤的預(yù)言： AIRPLANES飛機

”No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris。\"“將不會有從紐約飛往

巴黎的飛機.\"

Orville Wright, 1908。奧維爾·賴特,1908。

COMPUTERS電腦

”I think there is a world market for maybe five computers?！薄拔艺J(rèn)為將會有一個

大約有五臺電腦的世界市場。”

Thomas Waston， chairman of IBM， 1943.托馬斯·沃森，IBM，1943.

CLOTHES衣服

\"Thirty years from now people will be wearing clothes made of paper which they will be able to throw away after wearing them two or three times.”“從現(xiàn)在起30年

后人們將穿紙制的衣服，穿過兩三次后就可以把它們?nèi)拥?”

Changing Times Magazine， 1957。《流年雜志》,1957。

MEN ON THE MOON月球上的人類

”With the first moon colonies predicted for the 1970’s， work is now in progress on the types of building required for men to stay in when they're on the moon.”“因

為預(yù)測在20世紀(jì)70年代會有第一批到月球的移民，現(xiàn)在正在修建幾種類型的建筑物，當(dāng)人類在月球上時,他們需要住在里面。”

Arnold B. Barach in The Changes to Come， 1962.阿諾德·B。 貝拉克在《未來

變化》中，1962。

THE BEATLES甲殼蟲樂隊

”We don't like their sound， and guitar music is on the way out.\"“我們不喜歡

他們的歌聲，吉他音樂即將過時.”

Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962。反對甲殼蟲樂隊的臺卡唱

片公司，1962。

ROBOTS IN THE HOUSE家庭機器人

\"By the year 2000， housewives will probably have a robot shaped like a box with one large eye on the top, several arms and hands, and long narrow pads on the side for moving about?！薄暗?000年之前，家庭主婦們可能會有一個盒狀的機器人，它

的頂部有一只大眼睛,它還有幾只胳膊和手，身體兩邊還有又長又窄的用來四處移動的腳?！?p>New York Times， 1966?！都~約時報》，1966。

KEYS鑰匙

\"By the mid—1980’s no one will ever need to hide a key under the doormat again, because there won’t be any keys。”“到20紀(jì)世80年代中期人們將沒有必要把

鑰匙藏在門口的擦鞋墊下面了，因為那時將不會有鑰匙了。”

Computer scientist Christopher Evans,

The Micro Millennium, 1979.

電腦科學(xué)家克里斯多弗埃文斯，《微機黃金時代》，1979。

M1B4 Cultural Corner Famous Last Words

Not all predictions come true。 Many of them are wrong, and some are very wrong。 Here are just a few of the bad predictions people made in the twentieth century about the twenty—first century: AIRPLANES

\"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris.”

Orville Wright, 1908.

COMPUTERS

\"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers?！?p>Thomas Waston， chairman of IBM, 1943。

CLOTHES

\"Thirty years from now people will be wearing clothes made of paper which they will be able to throw away after wearing them two or three times.\"

Changing Times Magazine， 1957.

MEN ON THE MOON

\"With the first moon colonies predicted for the 1970’s, work is now in progress on the types of building required for men to stay in when they're on the moon?！?p>Arnold B. Barach in The Changes to Come, 1962.

THE BEATLES

”We don't like their sound， and guitar music is on the way out。”

Decca Recording Co。 rejecting the Beatles， 1962。

ROBOTS IN THE HOUSE

”By the year 2000， housewives will probably have a robot shaped like a box with one large eye on the top, several arms and hands， and long narrow pads on the side for moving about。\"

New York Times, 1966.

KEYS

\"By the mid—1980’s no one will ever need to hide a key under the doormat again, because there won't be any keys.\"

Computer scientist Christopher Evans,

The Micro Millennium， 1979。

M1B4 Cultural Corner譯文

沒有實現(xiàn)的著名預(yù)言

并非所有的預(yù)言都能成真。許多預(yù)言是錯的,并且有些還是大錯特錯。下面就是人們在20世紀(jì)對21世紀(jì)所作出的一些錯誤的預(yù)言： 飛機

“將不會有從紐約飛往巴黎的飛機?！?奧維爾·賴特，1908. 電腦

“我認(rèn)為將會有一個大約有五臺電腦的世界市場?！?托馬斯·沃森，IBM,1943。 衣服

“從現(xiàn)在起30年后人們將穿紙制的衣服,穿過兩三次后就可以把它們?nèi)拥?。?《流年雜志》，1957。 月球上的人類

“因為預(yù)測在20世紀(jì)70年代會有第一批到月球的移民，現(xiàn)在正在修建幾種類型的建筑物,當(dāng)人類在月球上時，他們需要住在里面。\"

阿諾德·B. 貝拉克在《未來變化》中，1962。 甲殼蟲樂隊

“我們不喜歡他們的歌聲,吉他音樂即將過時?！?反對甲殼蟲樂隊的臺卡唱片公司，1962。 家庭機器人

“到2000年之前，家庭主婦們可能會有一個盒狀的機器人,它的頂部有一只大眼睛,它還有幾只胳膊和手，身體兩邊還有又長又窄的用來四處移動的腳?！?p>《紐約時報》，1966。 鑰匙

“到20紀(jì)世80年代中期人們將沒有必要把鑰匙藏在門口的擦鞋墊下面了，因為那時將不會有鑰匙了?！?p>電腦科學(xué)家克里斯多弗埃文斯，《微機黃金時代》，1979.

M2B4 Cultural Corner

The London Congestion Charge倫敦的交通擁堵費

Beijing isn’t the only city with traffic problems。 北京不是唯一有交通阻塞問題的

城市。You can get stuck in a traffic jam anywhere in the world。在世界任何地方你都可能遭遇堵車. The worst problems occur in cities which are growing fast, such as Sao Paolo in Brazil and Lagos in Nigeria。 發(fā)展快的城市問題最嚴(yán)重，如巴西的圣保羅和尼日利亞的拉各斯.But even cities in developed countries such as the US suffer。 Los Angeles, which was built with the motor car in mind, 但甚至在一些像美國這樣的發(fā)達(dá)國家的城市里也有這樣的問題。洛杉磯，and is famous for its six—lane highways, is now the USA's most congested city.一座在建設(shè)時就考慮了機動車輛并以其六車道公路聞名的城市，現(xiàn)在卻是美國交通最擁擠的城市。

In Europe most capital cities were planned and built before cars， 大多數(shù)歐洲

的首都城市在小汽車大量涌現(xiàn)之前就已規(guī)劃建設(shè)好了，and city centre traffic jams have been part of daily life for a long time.因此市中心的堵車長久以來成為人們?nèi)粘Ｉ畹囊徊糠帧?The situation in central London， where drivers spent fifty

percent of their time in queues， became so bad that the local government decided to do something about it。倫敦市中心的交通狀況變得如此糟糕,司機們要用

50％

的時間來排隊，于是當(dāng)?shù)貨Q定就此采取一些措施。 In February 2003 the

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone， introduced a \"congestion charge”-a tax for cars entering the centre of the city.2003

年2月，倫敦肯?利文斯通宣布進(jìn)入市

中心的車要交“交通擁堵費\"。

The idea is simple： every car coming into the centre has to pay ￡5 a day.想法很簡單：每輛進(jìn)入市中心的車一天要交5英鎊的費用。 Drivers can pay the charge at any of 10，000 pay points in the capital before 10 p。m。 司機們可以在晚上10點之前在首都的10000個收費點中的任何一個上繳該費用。As the cars

come into the centre， video cameras record their registration numbers， and these are checked with a list of drivers who have paid the charge for that day。 進(jìn)入市

區(qū)的小汽車都會被攝像機拍下車牌號碼，用以檢查當(dāng)天司機是否繳費。People who do not pay the charge will face a fine of ￡80.不繳費者將會面臨80英磅的罰

款.

Most Londoners are not happy with the idea. 大多數(shù)倫敦人對此都不開心。They agree that London has a traffic problem， but the congestion charge is expensive， and limits their freedom ...他們承認(rèn)倫敦存在交通問題,但是“交通擁堵費”太高，

而且了他們的自由……

But does the congestion charge work？ 但是“交通擁堵費”發(fā)揮作用了嗎？A survey carried out at the end of 2003 suggests it does。 2003

年年底進(jìn)行的一項

調(diào)查結(jié)果顯示效果很不錯。After only six months, traffic coming into central London was reduced by about 30 percent， and journey times by 15 percent.僅僅只是6個月之后,進(jìn)入倫敦市中心的車減少了約30%，旅程的次數(shù)減少了15%. More

people used public transport to get to work, and bicycles were suddenly very popular。 更多的人乘公共交通工具上班,自行車突然流行起來。What's more， central London shops did not lose business even though there were fewer cars。更

值得一提的是，雖然車少了，但倫敦市中心的商鋪并沒有減少營業(yè)額。

But there are a few people who think the charge should be much higher, for example rich businessmen who work in the city centre and can easily afford it. 但

是，有些人認(rèn)為收費應(yīng)該更高，（因為)像那些在市中心工作的富有的商務(wù)人士能輕松支付此項費用.This would keep even more cars out of central London, and the roads would be nearly empty。 這(收費更高）會避免更多的車輛進(jìn)入倫敦市中心,道路也幾乎會是空的。However， there are no plans to increase the charge.但是，倫敦還沒有提高該費用的計劃。

M2B4 Cultural Corner譯文

M2B4 Cultural Corner The London Congestion Charge

Beijing isn’t the only city with traffic problems。 You can get stuck in a traffic jam anywhere in the world。 The worst problems occur in cities which are growing fast, such as Sao Paolo in Brazil and Lagos in Nigeria. But even cities in developed countries such as the US suffer. Los Angeles， which was built with the motor car in

mind, and is famous for its six—lane highways, is now the USA’s most congested city.

In Europe most capital cities were planned and built before cars, and city centre traffic jams have been part of daily life for a long time. The situation in central London， where drivers spent fifty percent of their time in queues， became so bad that the local government decided to do something about it. In February 2003 the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced a ”congestion charge\"—a tax for cars entering the centre of the city.

The idea is simple: every car coming into the centre has to pay ￡5 a day. Drivers can pay the charge at any of 10,000 pay points in the capital before 10 p.m。 As the cars come into the centre, video cameras record their registration numbers， and these are checked with a list of drivers who have paid the charge for that day. People who do not pay the charge will face a fine of ￡80。

Most Londoners are not happy with the idea。 They agree that London has a traffic problem， but the congestion charge is expensive, and limits their freedom ...

But does the congestion charge work? A survey carried out at the end of 2003 suggests it does。 After only six months, traffic coming into central London was reduced by about 30 percent, and journey times by 15 percent. More people used public transport to get to work, and bicycles were suddenly very popular。 What’s more, central London shops did not lose business even though there were fewer cars。

But there are a few people who think the charge should be much higher， for example rich businessmen who work in the city centre and can easily afford it。 This would keep even more cars out of central London, and the roads would be nearly empty. However, there are no plans to increase the charge。

M2B4 Cultural Corner譯文 倫敦的交通擁堵費

北京不是唯一有交通阻塞問題的城市。在世界任何地方你都可能遭遇堵車.發(fā)展快的城市問題最嚴(yán)重，如巴西的圣保羅和尼日利亞的拉各斯。但甚至在一些像美國這樣的發(fā)達(dá)國家的城市里也有這樣的問題。洛杉磯，一座在建設(shè)時就考慮了機動車輛并以其六車道公路聞名的城市，現(xiàn)在卻是美國交通最擁擠的城市。

大多數(shù)歐洲的首都城市在小汽車大量涌現(xiàn)之前就已規(guī)劃建設(shè)好了,因此市中心的堵車長久以來成為人們?nèi)粘Ｉ畹囊徊糠?。倫敦市中心的交通狀況變得如此糟糕，司機們要用50％的時間來排隊,于是當(dāng)?shù)貨Q定就此采取一些措施。2003年2月，倫敦肯?利文斯通宣布進(jìn)入市中心的車要交“交通擁堵費”。 想法很簡單：每輛進(jìn)入市中心的車一天要交5英鎊的費用。司機們可以在晚上10點之前在首都的10000個收費點中的任何一個上繳該費用.進(jìn)入市區(qū)的小汽車都會被攝像機拍下車牌號碼,用以檢查當(dāng)天司機是否繳費.不繳費者將會面臨80英磅的罰款。

大多數(shù)倫敦人對此都不開心。他們承認(rèn)倫敦存在交通問題，但是“交通擁堵費”太高，而且了他們的自由……

但是“交通擁堵費”發(fā)揮作用了嗎？2003年年底進(jìn)行的一項調(diào)查結(jié)果顯示效果很不錯。僅僅只是6個月之后,進(jìn)入倫敦市中心的車減少了約30%，旅程的次數(shù)減少了15%。更多的人乘公共交通工具上班，自行車突然流行起來。更值得一提的是，雖然車少了，但倫敦市中心的商鋪并沒有減少營業(yè)額。

但是，有些人認(rèn)為收費應(yīng)該更高，（因為）像那些在市中心工作的富有的商務(wù)人士能輕松支付此項費用。這（收費更高)會避免更多的車輛進(jìn)入倫敦市中心，道路也幾乎會是空的。但是,倫敦還沒有提高該費用的計劃。

M3 B4 Cultural Corner

Clapping鼓掌

Why do we clap? 我們?yōu)槭裁垂恼疲縏o show we like something, of course.當(dāng)然

是為了表示我們喜歡某件東西。 But we don’t clap at the end of a television programme or a book， however good they are。 但不論一個電視節(jié)目或一本書有多好，在結(jié)束時我們都不鼓掌。We clap at the end of a live performance, such as a play， or a concert， to say thank you to the performers。 我們在現(xiàn)場表演，如戲劇或音樂會結(jié)束時鼓掌，以表示對演出者的感謝。First they give， and then we give。 首先他們給予精彩的表演，然后我們給予熱烈的掌聲。Without us—the audience—the performance would not be complete.沒有我們——觀眾--表演就是不完整的。

The custom of clapping has early beginnings.鼓掌的習(xí)俗很早就開始了. In classical Athens， applause meant judgement and taking part。在古代雅典，掌聲意味著

評判和參與。 Plays were often in competition with each other， and prolonged clapping helped a play to win。 戲劇常常是彼此競爭的，延長的掌聲可以幫助某出戲劇獲勝。The theatre was large—it could hold 14，000 people,劇場很大——可容納14000人, half the adult male population of the city, which meant that the audience could make a lot of noise.是城市成年男性人口的一半,這就意味著觀眾們可以制造出很多聲響。

Applause was a sign of being part of the community， and of equality between actors and audience. 掌聲是一個人成為團體一員的標(biāo)志，是演員與觀眾平等的標(biāo)志.The important thing was to make the noise together， to add one's own small handclap to others。 重要的是整齊地制造聲響，將一個人微弱的鼓掌聲與其他人的融合起

來。Clapping is social， like laughter：鼓掌具有其社會性，就像笑聲： you don't very often clap or laugh out loud alone.你獨自一人時不會經(jīng)常鼓掌或大笑。 It is like laughter in another way, too：鼓掌在另一方面也很像笑聲： it is infectious， and spreads very quickly。會傳染，而且傳播得很快. Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universal habit.在音樂會上和劇場里鼓掌是世界性的習(xí)慣. But some occasions on which people clap change from one country to another。但是每個國家人們鼓掌的習(xí)慣在某些場合是不同的。 For example， in Britain people clap at a wedding， but in Italy they sometimes clap at a funeral。例如，在英國人們在婚禮上鼓掌，而在意大利人們有時會在葬禮上鼓掌。

M3 B4 Cultural Corner

Clapping

Why do we clap? To show we like something， of course。 But we don’t clap at the end of a television programme or a book， however good they are. We clap at the end of a live performance, such as a play, or a concert， to say thank you to the performers。 First they give， and then we give. Without us—the audience—the performance would not be complete.

The custom of clapping has early beginnings。 In classical Athens, applause meant judgement and taking part。 Plays were often in competition with each other， and prolonged clapping helped a play to win。 The theatre was large—it could hold

14,000 people, half the adult male population of the city， which meant that the audience could make a lot of noise.

Applause was a sign of being part of the community, and of equality between actors and audience。 The important thing was to make the noise together, to add one’s own small handclap to others。 Clapping is social, like laughter: you don’t very often

clap or laugh out loud alone. It is like laughter in another way， too: it is infectious, and spreads very quickly. Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universal habit。 But some occasions on which people clap change from one country to another。 For example, in Britain people clap at a wedding， but in Italy they sometimes clap at a funeral。

M3B4 Cultural Corner譯文

鼓掌

我們?yōu)槭裁垂恼?？?dāng)然是為了表示我們喜歡某件東西。但不論一個電視節(jié)目或一本書有多好，在結(jié)束時我們都不鼓掌。我們在現(xiàn)場表演，如戲劇或音樂會結(jié)束時鼓掌,以表示對演出者的感謝。首先他們給予精彩的表演，然后我們給予熱烈的掌聲。沒有我們——觀眾—-表演就是不完整的。

鼓掌的習(xí)俗很早就開始了.在古代雅典,掌聲意味著評判和參與。戲劇常常是彼此競爭的，延長的掌聲可以幫助某出戲劇獲勝。劇場很大-—可容納14000人，是城市成年男性人口的一半，這就意味著觀眾們可以制造出很多聲響。 掌聲是一個人成為團體一員的標(biāo)志，是演員與觀眾平等的標(biāo)志。重要的是整齊地制造聲響，將一個人微弱的鼓掌聲與其他人的融合起來。鼓掌具有其社會性，就像笑聲：你獨自一人時不會經(jīng)常鼓掌或大笑。鼓掌在另一方面也很像笑聲：會傳染，而且傳播得很快。在音樂會上和劇場里鼓掌是世界性的習(xí)慣。但是每個國家人們鼓掌的習(xí)慣在某些場合是不同的。例如，在英國人們在婚禮上鼓掌，而在意大利人們有時會在葬禮上鼓掌。

M4 B4 Cultural Corner

Rockets火箭

Today rockets are very advanced machines which we can use to send astronauts into space. 今天,火箭是我們用來將宇航員送入太空的非常先進(jìn)的機

器。They are also used in firework displays to celebrate great events, such as the

end of the Olympic Games or the beginning of the new millennium in the year 2000。

它們也被用在慶祝重大事件的焰火表演中，像奧運會的閉幕式或2000年新千年的開始。

Rockets were probably invented by accident about 2，000 years ago?；鸺?p>大概是大約兩千年前被偶然發(fā)明出來的。 The Chinese had a form of gunpowder

which was put in bamboo tubes and thrown into fires to make explosions during festivals。中國人有一種裝在竹管里的火藥,這種火藥是節(jié)日中被用來扔進(jìn)火里爆

炸的. Perhaps some of the tubes jumped out of the fire instead of exploding in it。也許一些竹管從火堆里躥了出來，而不是在里面炸開. The Chinese discovered that the gas escaping from the tube could lift it into the air.中國人發(fā)現(xiàn)從竹管里釋放出來的氣體可以使其飛向空中. The idea of the rocket was born。于是關(guān)于火箭的想法誕生了。

The first military use of rockets was in 1232.火箭第一次被用于軍事上是在

1232年。 The Song Dynasty was at war with the Mongols.那時宋朝正與蒙古作戰(zhàn)。 During the battle of Kaifeng, the Song army shot \"arrows of flying fire\"。 在開封戰(zhàn)役中，宋軍射出了“飛火箭\"。The tubes were attached to a long stick which helped keep the rocket moving in a straight direction.這些竹管被綁到一根長棍上，這根長棍可幫助火箭沿筆直的方向飛行。 Soon the Mongols learned how to make rockets themselves and it is possible that they introduced them to Europe.不久，蒙古人學(xué)會了怎樣自己制造火箭,并且可能是他們將其引入歐洲的。 Between the

13th and 15th centuries there were many rocket experiments in England, France and Italy. 在

13世紀(jì)到15世紀(jì)期間，在英國、法國和意大利有很多關(guān)于火箭的

實驗。They were used for military purposes。 One Italian scientist even invented a rocket which could travel over the surface of water and hit an enemy ship.它們都用于軍事目的。一個意大利科學(xué)家甚至發(fā)明了一種可以飛過水面打中敵艦的火箭.

But not everybody wanted to use rockets in battles。 但并不是每個人都想將

火箭用于戰(zhàn)爭。Wan Hu, a Chinese government official, invented a flying chair。一個名叫萬戶的中國發(fā)明了一種“飛椅”。 He attached two big kites to the chair， and 47 rockets to the kites。他把兩個大風(fēng)箏綁到椅子上，又把47個火箭綁一風(fēng)箏上. The rockets were lit， there was a huge explosion and clouds of thick smoke. 火箭被點燃了,發(fā)生了巨大的爆炸,出現(xiàn)了厚厚的濃煙.When the smoke cleared Wan Hu and his chair had disappeared.當(dāng)煙霧消散時，萬戶和他的椅子已經(jīng)不見。 No one knows what happened.沒有人知道發(fā)生了什么. Did Wan Hu die in the explosion? 萬戶被炸死了？Or was he carried miles into space, becoming the

world's first astronaut？還是他被載入了數(shù)英里遠(yuǎn)的太空而成為世界上第一個宇

航員了呢？

M4 B4 Cultural Corner

Rockets

Today rockets are very advanced machines which we can use to send astronauts into space. They are also used in firework displays to celebrate great events, such as the end of the Olympic Games or the beginning of the new millennium in the year 2000.

Rockets were probably invented by accident about 2，000 years ago。 The Chinese had a form of gunpowder which was put in bamboo tubes and thrown into fires to make explosions during festivals. Perhaps some of the tubes jumped out of the fire instead of exploding in it。 The Chinese discovered that the gas escaping from the tube could lift it into the air. The idea of the rocket was born。

The first military use of rockets was in 1232。 The Song Dynasty was at war with the Mongols. During the battle of Kaifeng, the Song army shot ”arrows of flying fire”。 The tubes were attached to a long stick which helped keep the rocket moving in a straight direction。 Soon the Mongols learned how to make rockets themselves and it is possible that they introduced them to Europe. Between the 13th and 15th centuries there were many rocket experiments in England， France and Italy. They were used for military purposes. One Italian scientist even invented a rocket which could travel over the surface of water and hit an enemy ship。

But not everybody wanted to use rockets in battles. Wan Hu, a Chinese government official, invented a flying chair。 He attached two big kites to the chair， and 47 rockets to the kites. The rockets were lit， there was a huge explosion and clouds of thick smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan Hu and his chair had

disappeared. No one knows what happened。 Did Wan Hu die in the explosion？ Or was he carried miles into space, becoming the world's first astronaut?

M4B4 Cultural Corner譯文

火箭 今天，火箭是我們用來將宇航員送入太空的非常先進(jìn)的機器。它們也被用在慶祝重大事件的焰火表演中，像奧運會的閉幕式或2000年新千年的開始。

火箭大概是大約兩千年前被偶然發(fā)明出來的。中國人有一種裝在竹管里的火藥，這種火藥是節(jié)日中被用來扔進(jìn)火里爆炸的。也許一些竹管從火堆里躥了出來，而不是在里面炸開。中國人發(fā)現(xiàn)從竹管里釋放出來的氣體可以使其飛向空中。于是關(guān)于火箭的想法誕生了.

火箭第一次被用于軍事上是在1232年。那時宋朝正與蒙古作戰(zhàn)。在開封戰(zhàn)役中，宋軍射出了“飛火箭\"。這些竹管被綁到一根長棍上，這根長棍可幫助火箭沿筆直的方向飛行。不久，蒙古人學(xué)會了怎樣自己制造火箭,并且可能是他們將其引入歐洲的.在13世紀(jì)到15世紀(jì)期間，在英國、法國和意大利有很多關(guān)于火箭的實驗。它們都用于軍事目的。一個意大利科學(xué)家甚至發(fā)明了一種可以飛過水面打中敵艦的火箭。

但并不是每個人都想將火箭用于戰(zhàn)爭.一個名叫萬戶的中國發(fā)明了一種“飛椅\"。他把兩個大風(fēng)箏綁到椅子上，又把47個火箭綁一風(fēng)箏上.火箭被點燃了，發(fā)生了巨大的爆炸，出現(xiàn)了厚厚的濃煙。當(dāng)煙霧消散時，萬戶和他的椅子已經(jīng)不見.沒有人知道發(fā)生了什么.萬戶被炸死了？還是他被載入了數(shù)英里遠(yuǎn)的太空而成為世界上第一個宇航員了呢?

M5B4 Cultural Corner

Postcards to Myself給自己的明信片

In 50 years of travelling Colin McCorquodale has visited every country in the world, except three.在

50年的旅行中，科林麥科克代爾已經(jīng)游覽過除三個國家以外的

世界各國。 And everywhere he goes, he sends himself a postcard。 無論他去哪兒，他都給自己寄一張明信片.He always chooses a postcard with a beautiful view， and sticks on an interesting stamp.他總是選一張有著美麗風(fēng)景的明信片。并貼上一枚有趣的郵票。 Usually he writes just a short message to himself. His latest one， from the Malvinas islands， reads Good fishing。通常他只是給自己寫一條簡短的信息。他最近的一張明信片來自馬爾維納斯群島，上面寫著“釣魚很好”。

On a wall in his home in London there is a large map of the world。 在倫敦他家

里的一面墻上有一張大的世界地圖.There are hundreds of little red pins stuck in it.上面扎著數(shù)百個紅色的小別針。 \"It's good to get a pin in the map,” says Mr McCorquodale, “在地圖上扎個別針很好，”麥科克代爾先生說，”but I follow the

rules。 I'm allowed to stick one in only if I’ve been in a place for more than 24 hours。

“但我遵守規(guī)定。\"只有當(dāng)我在一個地方待24個小時以上,我才允許自己扎一個?！? Naturally, Mr McCorquodale has his favourite places.自然，麥科克代爾先生有他最喜歡的地方。 New Zealand he describes as ”wonderful\"。他用“妙極了\"來形容新西蘭。 In Europe, Italy is a favourite place。 在歐洲，意大利是他最喜歡的地方。\"There’s a saying in the travel trade that all tourists are ripped off。 “在旅游業(yè)有一種說法是所有的游客都被敲了竹杠。Well， at least the Italians rip you off with a smile.\" 不過,至少意大利人是面帶微笑地敲你的竹杠?！監(jiān)f China he says，”This is one country in the world which is completely different。 對于中國，他說:“在這世界上這是一個完全與眾不同的國家。There's no European influence. It’s been around for 6，000 years, yet it’s a country of the future。\"它沒有受到歐洲的影響。它已經(jīng)存在了6000年，但仍然是一個充滿未來的國家?！?p>Wherever he goes, Mr McCorquodale takes with him a photo of his wife, a candle， a torch, a shirt with a secret pocket, and a pen for writing his postcards.不管到哪

里，麥科克代爾先生都帶著妻子的一張照片、一根蠟燭、一個手電筒、一件有著一個隱秘口袋的襯衫，還有一支用來寫明信片的鋼筆。

So why does he do it? 那么他為什么要這樣做呢？For the postcards or the travel？ 是為了明信片還是為了旅行？Mr McCorquodale laughs。 麥科克代爾先

生笑了.\"I do it for the journey,\" he says. ”I get a kick out of travelling。 And all the planning。\"“為了旅行，”他說?！拔蚁矚g旅行以及所有的計劃。\"

M5B4 Cultural Corner

Postcards to Myself

In 50 years of travelling Colin McCorquodale has visited every country in the world， except three. And everywhere he goes, he sends himself a postcard. He always chooses a postcard with a beautiful view, and sticks on an interesting stamp。 Usually he writes just a short message to himself. His latest one， from the Malvinas islands, reads Good fishing。

On a wall in his home in London there is a large

map of the world。 There are hundreds of little red pins stuck in it. \"It's good to get a pin in the map，\" says Mr McCorquodale， \"but I follow the rules. I'm allowed to stick one in only if I’ve been in a place for more than 24 hours.” Naturally， Mr McCorquodale has his favourite places. New Zealand he describes as ”wonderful\"。 In Europe， Italy is a favourite place. \"There's a saying in the travel trade that all tourists are ripped off. Well， at least the Italians rip you off with a smile.” Of China he says，\"This is one country in the world which is completely different. There’s no European influence. It's been around for 6,000 years， yet it’s a country of the future.\"

Wherever he goes， Mr McCorquodale takes with him a photo of his wife, a candle， a torch, a shirt with a secret pocket, and a pen for writing his postcards。

So why does he do it？ For the postcards or the travel? Mr McCorquodale laughs. \"I do it for the journey，” he says。 ”I get a kick out of travelling。 And all the planning。\"

M5B4 Cultural Corner譯文

給自己的明信片

在50年的旅行中，科林麥科克代爾已經(jīng)游覽過除三個國家以外的世界各國。無論他去哪兒，他都給自己寄一張明信片.他總是選一張有著美麗風(fēng)景的明信片。并貼上一枚有趣的郵票。通常他只是給自己寫一條簡短的信息.他最近的一張明

信片來自馬爾維納斯群島，上面寫著“釣魚很好\"。

在倫敦他家里的一面墻上有一張大的世界地圖.上面扎著數(shù)百個紅色的小別針。“在地圖上扎個別針很好,”麥科克代爾先生說，“但我遵守規(guī)定。只有當(dāng)我在一個地方待24個小時以上，我才允許自己扎一個.”

自然，麥科克代爾先生有他最喜歡的地方。他用“妙極了”來形容新西蘭。在歐洲，意大利是他最喜歡的地方?！霸诼糜螛I(yè)有一種說法是所有的游客都被敲了竹杠。不過，至少意大利人是面帶微笑地敲你的竹杠。”對于中國,他說：“在這世界上這是一個完全與眾不同的國家。它沒有受到歐洲的影響。它已經(jīng)存在了6000年，但仍然是一個充滿未來的國家?！?p>不管到哪里，麥科克代爾先生都帶著妻子的一張照片、一根蠟燭、一個手電筒、一件有著一個隱秘口袋的襯衫,還有一支用來寫明信片的鋼筆。

那么他為什么要這樣做呢？是為了明信片還是為了旅行？麥科克代爾先生笑了?！盀榱寺眯?，”他說?！拔蚁矚g旅行以及所有的計劃。”

M6B4 Cultural Corner

The Universal Dragon世界上的龍

Dragons can be friendly or fierce, 龍可能是友好的也可能是兇猛的,they can bring good luck or cause death and destruction, 可能會帶來好運也可能帶來死亡

與毀壞，but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world. 但有一點是確定的——幾乎世界上所有地方的人都談?wù)撍鼈儭or a

creature that doesn’t actually exist, that's quite something.對于一種實際上并不存

在的生物，那是非同尋常的。

In Chinese culture， dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable。 在中國的文化里，龍是慷慨和智慧的,盡管它們也許是變化莫測

的。The dragon was closely connected to the royal family:龍跟皇室家族是緊密聯(lián)系在一起的： the emperor’s robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws。 皇袍上有一個五爪金龍的標(biāo)志。Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols， too, but with fewer claws and of a different colour。 皇室其他成員也被允許穿帶有龍的標(biāo)志的服裝，但爪子要少，顏色也不同.According to

popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent， brave， and a natural leader.根據(jù)大眾的看法,如果出生在龍年，你就聰明、勇敢，并且

是天生的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。

But in the west， dragons had a different reputation. 但在西方，龍有不同的名

聲。The very first text in English， the Anglo—Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero， Beowulf， 最早的英語文章是盎格魯一撒克遜人的詩《貝奧武夫》,它講述了這樣一個故事：who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. 一位斯堪的納維亞英雄貝奧武夫與一條危險的龍戰(zhàn)斗并殺死了它,可英雄自己也死于戰(zhàn)斗中.However, across the border in Wales, the

red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol， indicating strength and a sense of national identity。然而,越過威爾士的邊境，出現(xiàn)在威爾

士國旗上的紅色的龍則是一個正面象征，暗示著力量與民族特性的認(rèn)同感。

Why should the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world? 為

什么龍在世界不同地區(qū)有不同的特征？Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of.一些專家認(rèn)為是由于這些神話所借助的動物的不同(才有了不同的認(rèn)識）。 In the west, the idea of the dragon probably came from the snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of。在西方,龍的概念可能來自蛇——一種人們既憎慨又害怕的動物。

But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers,而在中國,龍的概念可能來自短吻鱷-—一種生活在江河里的

害羞的動物， but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of water—a good sign for agriculture. 但它通常只能在水源充沛的時候才能見到——這對農(nóng)業(yè)來說是好兆頭。So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.因此，中國的龍是帶來好運的使者。

M6B4 Cultural Corner

The Universal Dragon

Dragons can be friendly or fierce， they can bring good luck or cause death and destruction, but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world. For a creature that doesn't actually exist， that’s quite something.

In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. The dragon was closely connected to the royal family: the emperor's robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws。 Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols， too， but with fewer claws and of a different colour. According to popular belief， if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.

But in the west， dragons had a different reputation. The very first text in English, the Anglo—Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. However， across the border in Wales, the red dragon which appears on the Welsh

flag is a positive symbol， indicating strength and a sense of national identity.

Why should the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world？ Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of。 In the west, the idea of the dragon probably came from the

snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of。

But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers， but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of water—a good sign for agriculture. So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune。

M6B4 Cultural Corner譯文

世界上的龍

龍可能是友好的也可能是兇猛的，可能會帶來好運也可能帶來死亡與毀壞，但有一點是確定的-—幾乎世界上所有地方的人都談?wù)撍鼈?。對于一種實際上并不存在的生物，那是非同尋常的。

在中國的文化里，龍是慷慨和智慧的,盡管它們也許是變化莫測的。龍跟皇室家族是緊密聯(lián)系在一起的:皇袍上有一個五爪金龍的標(biāo)志.皇室其他成員也被允許穿帶有龍的標(biāo)志的服裝，但爪子要少，顏色也不同。根據(jù)大眾的看法，如果出生在龍年，你就聰明、勇敢，并且是天生的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。

但在西方,龍有不同的名聲。最早的英語文章是盎格魯一撒克遜人的詩《貝奧武夫》,它講述了這樣一個故事：一位斯堪的納維亞英雄貝奧武夫與一條危險的龍戰(zhàn)斗并殺死了它，可英雄自己也死于戰(zhàn)斗中。然而，越過威爾士的邊境，出現(xiàn)在威爾士國旗上的紅色的龍則是一個正面象征，暗示著力量與民族特性的認(rèn)同感。 為什么龍在世界不同地區(qū)有不同的特征？一些專家認(rèn)為是由于這些神話所借助的動物的不同（才有了不同的認(rèn)識)。在西方,龍的概念可能來自蛇-—一種人們既憎慨又害怕的動物。

而在中國，龍的概念可能來自短吻鱷—-一種生活在江河里的害羞的動物，但它通常只能在水源充沛的時候才能見到——這對農(nóng)業(yè)來說是好兆頭。因此，中國的龍是帶來好運的使者。