新概念英语第四册翻译Lesson7~9

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　　新概念英语第四册原文及翻译Lesson7

　　Bats

　　蝙蝠

　　In what way does echo-location in bats play an utilitarian role?

　　Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to

　　that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the

　　voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.

　　To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some

　　recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a

　　wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back. The further off this solid

　　obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made

　　by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by

　　measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the

　　depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echo-sounding

　　apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound,

　　varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do

　　this. So it is a comparatively simple step from locating the sea bottom to

　　locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now

　　possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other

　　well-known fish, by the pattern of its echo.

　　It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes,

　　they can locate and steer clear of obstacles -- or locate flying insects on which

　　they feed. This echo-location in bats is often compared with radar, the principle

　　of which is similar.

　　MAURICE BURTON Curiosities of animal life

　　New words and expressions生词和短语

　　bat

　　n. 蝙蝠

　　strictly

　　adv. 明确地

　　utilitarian

　　adj.实用的

　　appreciation

　　n. 理解

　　elapse

　　v. 障碍物

　　hull

　　n. 消逝

　　interval

　　n. 船体

　　receipt

　　n. 间隔

　　apparatus

　　n. 收到

　　shoal

　　n. 仪器

　　herring

　　n. 鱼群

　　cod

　　n. 鳕鱼

　　squeak

　　n. 尖叫声

　　参考译文

　　动物发出的声音不都是用作语言交际。我们只要看一看蝙蝠回声定位这一极不寻常的发

　　现，就可以探究一下声音在什么情况下有绝对的实用价值。

　　要透彻理解这句话的意义，我们应先回顾一下人类最近的几项发明。大家都知道，在墙

　　壁或山腰附近发出的喊声，就会听到回声。固体障碍物越远。回声返回所用时间就越长。敲

　　打船体所发了的声音会从海底传回来，测出回声间隔的时间，便可算出该处海洋的深度。这

　　样就产生了目前各种船舶上普遍应用的回声探测仪。任何固体者反射声音，反射的声音因物

　　体的大小和性质的不同而不同。鱼群也反射声音。从测定海深到测定鱼群，这一进展比较容

　　易。根据经验和改进了的仪器，不仅能够确定鱼群的位置，而且可以根据鱼群回声的特点分

　　辨出是鲱鱼、鳕鱼，这是人们所熟悉的其他鱼。

　　人们发现，某些蝙蝠能发出尖叫声，并能通过回声来确定并躲开障碍物，或找到它们赖

　　以为生的昆虫。蝙蝠这种回声定位常常可与雷达相比较，其原理是相似的。

　　新概念英语第四册原文及翻译Lesson8

　　Trading standards

　　贸易标准

　　What makes trading between rich countries difficult?

　　Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are

　　not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we

　　simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national

　　regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between

　　rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. An electric razor

　　that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American

　　testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis

　　machine needs the EU's okay before is hits the market in Europe.

　　As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute

　　Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of

　　tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU

　　have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test

　　many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and

　　the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex

　　enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.

　　Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would

　　happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out

　　different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU --

　　following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles,

　　which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other

　　countries.

　　From: The Economist, May 24th, 1997

　　New words and expressions 生词和短语

　　slaughter

　　v. 屠宰

　　fit

　　adj. 适合

　　grace

　　v. 给...增光

　　tariff

　　n. 关税

　　standard

　　n. 标准

　　dialysis

　　n. 分离，分解;透析，渗析

　　electrocute

　　v. 使触电身亡

　　eliminate

　　v. 消灭

　　accord

　　n. 协议

　　device

　　n. 仪器，器械

　　hammer out

　　v. 推敲

　　pact

　　n. 合同，条约，公约

　　参考译文

　　布鲁塞尔的官员说，在美国屠宰的鸡不适于用来装点欧洲的餐桌。不，美国人说，我们

　　的家禽很好，只是我们使用了另一种清洗方式。当前，是各国管理条例上的差异，而不是关

　　税阻碍了发达国家之间的贸易。并不仅仅是农民在抱怨。一把符合欧洲联盟安全标准的电动

　　剃须刀必须得到美国检测人员的认可，方可在美国市场上销售;而美国制造的透析仪也要得到

　　欧盟的首肯才能进入欧洲市场。

　　碰巧在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀不大可能使美国人触电身亡，因此，大西洋两岸的企业都

　　在问，当一套测试可以解决问题时，为什么需要两套呢?政治家在原则上同意了， 因此，美

　　国和欧洲一直在寻求达成协议，以便为许多产品取消双重检查。他们希望尽早达成协议，为5

　　月28日举行的美国和欧洲贸易的通级会议作准备。然谈判代表持乐观态度，但协议细节如此

　　复杂，他们所面临的困难很可能使他们无法取得一致。

　　为什么呢?困难之一是起草这些协议。美国人很愿意就医疗器械的标准达成一个协议，然

　　后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵盖 -- 比如说 -- 电子产品和药品的生产。欧洲人遵循优良的

　　大陆传统，则希望就普遍的原则取得一致，而这些原则适用于许多不同产品，同时可能延伸

　　到其它国家。

　　新概念英语第四册原文及翻译Lesson9

　　Royal espionage

　　王室谍报活动

　　What important thing did King Alfred learn when he penetrated the Danish camp

　　of Guthrum?

　　Alfred the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a

　　minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were

　　not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of

　　their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks

　　and simple conjuring.

　　While Alfred's little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king

　　himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish

　　invaders. There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred

　　went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-

　　confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived

　　well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected

　　women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.

　　Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force

　　there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had

　　deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their

　　commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.

　　So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but

　　harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him.

　　His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now

　　Alfred began a long series of skirmishes -- and within a month the Danes had

　　surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal

　　espionage!

　　BERNARD NEWMAN Spies in Britain

　　New words and expressions 生词和短语

　　espionage

　　n. 间谍活动

　　Alfred

　　公元871-899 年间任英国国王

　　Danish

　　adj. 丹麦的，丹麦人的，丹麦语的

　　minstrel

　　n. 中世纪的吟游歌手

　　wandering

　　adj. 漫游的

　　harp

　　n. 坚琴

　　ballad

　　n. 民歌

　　acrobatic

　　adj. 杂技的

　　conjuring

　　n. 魔术

　　Athelney

　　n. 阿塞尔纳(英国一个小岛)

　　Chippenham

　　n. 切本哈姆(英国一个城市)

　　thither

　　adv. 向那里

　　Dane

　　n. 丹麦人

　　slack

　　adj. 涣散的

　　conqueror

　　n. 征服者

　　casual

　　adj. 马虎的，随便的

　　precaution

　　n. 预防，警惕

　　proceeds

　　n. 所得

　　assemble

　　v. 集合

　　trivial

　　adj. 微不足道的

　　prolonged

　　adj. 持久的

　　commissariat

　　n. 军粮供应

　　episode

　　n. 一个事件，片断

　　epic

　　n. 史诗

　　harry

　　v. 骚扰

　　assail

　　v. 袭击

　　skirmish

　　n. 小规模战斗

　　参考译文

　　阿尔弗雷德大帝曾亲自充当间谍。他扮作吟游歌手到丹麦军队的营地里侦察。当时，浪

　　迹天涯的吟游歌手到处受欢迎，他们不是作战人员，竖琴就是他们的通行证。阿尔弗德年轻

　　时学过许多民歌，并能穿插演一些杂技和小魔术使自己的节目多样化。

　　阿尔弗雷德人数不多的军队开始在阿塞尔纳慢慢集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦入侵司令官古

　　瑟罗姆的营地。丹麦军已在切本哈姆扎下营准备过冬，阿尔弗雷便来到此地。他马上发现丹

　　麦军纪律松弛，他们以征服者自居，安全措施马马虎虎。他们靠掠夺附近的地区的财物过着

　　舒适的生活。他们不仅搜刮吃的喝的，而且抢掠妇女，安逸的生活已使丹麦军队变得软弱无

　　力。

　　阿尔弗雷德在敌营呆了一个星期后，回到了阿塞尔纳。他集结在那里的军队和丹麦大军

　　相比是微不足道的，然而，阿尔弗雷德断定，丹麦人已不再适应持久的战争，他们的军需供

　　应处于无组织状态，只是靠临时抢夺来维持。

　　因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有贸然同敌人作战，而是采用骚扰敌人的战术

　　。他的部队不停地移动，牵着敌人的鼻子，让他们跟着跑。他派出巡逻队阻止敌人抢劫，因

　　而饥饿威胁着丹麦军队。这时，阿尔弗雷德发起一连串小规模的进攻，结果不出一个月，丹

　　麦人就投降了。这一幕历史可以说是王室谍报活动中最精彩的篇章。

　　以上就是新东方在线新概念英语学习网为你带来的新概念英语第四册翻译Lesson7~9，更多精彩内容。敬请关注新东方在线新概念英语学习网(http://nce.koolearn.com)。

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