Te xt A
Scientific Attitudes
科学态度
Study of Text
1.Science began to develop rapidly when man laid aside his wrong
beliefs and began to seek true explanations. 当人们放弃错误的信仰开始寻求正确的解释时, 科学就开始迅速发展了。
1 )lay aside 把..放在一边；把..搁置一旁
We have laid aside a day for golf. 我们打了一天的高尔夫球。
He was laid aside for three months by a car accident.
他因事故已停止工作三个月了
2 )seek 在这里是个动词, 意思是“ 寻求, 追求”, 后跟动词不定式时, 意思为“ 试图, 企图”。
When you are ill, you had better seek your doctor’s advice.
生病时, 你最好去看医生。
She sought to please him, but to her disappointment, what she did
only made him very angry.
她本想使他高兴, 但令她失望的是, 她做的一切仅使他更生气。
2.The child wants to take apart a watch to see what makes it work.
小孩想拆开一只表看看它是如何运转的。
1 )take apart 拆开
The professor spent the whole morning ta king a pa rt his old car.
教授花了一整个上午拆开了他的车。
Tom took a part the clock and spread the bits all over the carpet.
汤姆把钟拆开, 零件散落在地毯上。
2 )work 在这里是个不及物动词, 意思是“ (机器等)工作, 运转”。
The way the brain works attracts scientists.
大脑的思维方式吸引了科学家们。
The method really works. 这方法真有效果。
3.He combined his curiosity with imagination and carried out his
well-known experiment to show that lightning and an electric spark
are the same thing. 他把好奇和想像结合起来, 进行了那个着名的实验, 表明闪电和电火花是一回事。
1 )combine A with B 使AB 相结合；兼备AB。in combination with
意思是“和..共同(结合, 协力等)”。
The book combines knowledge with amusement.
那本书使知识和娱乐结合在一起。
They combined their holiday with a visit to their relatives.
度假时, 他们拜访了亲戚。
The two writers worked well in combination with each other.
两位作家协作得很好。
2 )carry out 实行, 完成(计划, 试验等)
They carried out the difficult task ahead of time.
他们提前完成了任务。
We attempted to ca rry out the plan, but failed.
我们试图执行那计划, 但失败了。
4.Curiosity and imagination are important qualities which help stimulate
the discovery of new facts and advance science. 好奇和想像是重要的品质, 它有助于刺激新事实和促进科学的发展。
1 )名词quality 在这里的意思是“ 品质, 素质”。
She has many good qualities. 她有许多长处。
Kindness is one of the qua lities that we look for in a friend.
善良是我们在一个朋友身上寻找的品质之一。
2 )stimulate 是个动词, 在这里的意思是“ 刺激, 激励”。
Your encouragement will stimula te me to further efforts.
你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
The Party’s policies will stimulate the masses’enthusiasm for socialist
construction. 党的政策会激发群众社会主义建设的积极性。
3 )advance 在这里是个动词, 意思是“推进, 促进”。
His comments will do nothing to a dvance the cause of world peace.
他的评论将无助于推动世界和平事业。
5.Scientifically minded people believe in a“ cause-and-effect”relationship.
有科学头脑的人们相信“ 因果”关系。
1 )scientifically minded 有科学头脑的。这是一个由“ 副词+ 名词+ ed ”构成的复合形容词。类似的表达法还有: academicallyminded 有学术头脑的；mechanically-minded 机械头脑的等等。
2 )believe in 相信, 信奉
We all believe in the theory that the earth is round.
我们都相信地球是圆的这一理论。
She believes in God. 她信奉神灵。
3 )cause-and-effect 是连词and 连结的一个并列结构, 由作者临时造的一个复合词, 在句中作relationship 的定语。
例如: wait-and-see 等着瞧的；down-to-earth 求实的；face-to-face
面对面的；up-to-date 最新式的；word-for-word 逐字的；never-tobe-forgotten 永远不会忘记的。
4 )辨异: believe, believe in, trust, v.
believe 是指相信某人或某人说的话；而believe in 指的是相信, 信任某人到了崇拜、迷信的地步；trust 则指信任某人, 认为某人是诚实的, 真诚的。
6.In cases where the explanation is unknown the scientific point of view is that there is a reason if it can only be discovered. 在对一些现象的解释还不为人们所知的情况下, 科学的观点是, 其中必有原因, 只是尚未发现罢了。
1 )In case 如果, 万一；在..的时候
In case it should rain, don’t expect me. 如果下雨, 我就不来了。
In case of difficulty call me please. (in case of 是介词短语, 相当于if there is.的意思)如有困难, 请打电话给我。
2 )where 是个关系副词, 意思是“ 在.. 地方”, 但有时可以不译出来。
There are cases where they quarrel, too. 有时候他们也吵架。
3 )If.only 在此表示尚欠缺的条件, 意思是“ 但愿, 要是..就好了”。
If only he didn’t drive so fast! (I wish he didn’t drive so fast, but he did. )要是他没有开那么快就好了(事实是“ 他开了那么快”)。
If only she had asked someone’s advice. (I’m sorry that she didn’t ask anyone ’s advice. )如果她遵循了别人的意见该多好啊。
(我很遗憾她没有问及别人的意见。)
7.This means the ability to face the facts as they are regardless of what one has previously thought.
这指的是面对现存的事实而不管自己原来想法的能力。
1 )face 在这里是个动词, 意思“ 面对, 面临”。
Can you face the difficulties of the task？你能面对艰巨的任务吗？
The furniture faces the wall. 家具向着墙壁。
2 )regardless of 不管；不顾；不注意
We will go to visit the Great Wall regardless of the weather.
无论天气好坏, 我们都要去参观长城。
She went on with the dangerous work regardless of my warning.
她不顾我的警告继续做那危险的工作。
8.The solution to real problems can’t be seen in advance.
解决实际问题的方法无法事先看到。
1 )solution 在这里是个名词, 意思是“ 解决问题的方法”, 它的动词形式为“solve”。
He has come to a successful solution to the problem.
他成功地解决了难题。
He has come up with a better solution to the question than this one.
他拿出了一个比这更好的解决问题的方法。
2 )in advance 事先；预先
We had to pay the rent two weeks in advance.
我们得提前两周付房租。
What is going to happen can’t be seen in a dvance.
无法预见将要发生的事。
9.Scientists must be able to change their thinking and to adapt their theories to new facts as they are discovered. 科学家们必须改变他们的思路, 以使他们的理论适应所发现的事实。
1 )动词adapt 在这里意思是“ 使适应”；后跟to 表示“ 适用于..”；后跟for 指“适用的目的”。
It is easy for children to adapt themselves to the new life in a new place. 孩子们适应一个新地方的新生活很容易。
He can’t adapt himself for such work. 他不适合于干这样的活。
2 )辨异: discover, invent, find, vt.
discover 指的是某事已经是存在的, 只是不为人们所知的这种发现。invent 指的是某事以前不存在而后来发明了, 比如发明机器、方法等。
find 指的是通过搜寻而找到、得到隐藏起来的、丢失的或不为人所知的某事或某人。
Bell invented the telephone in 1876. 贝尔在1876 年发明了电话。
Columbus discovered America in 1492.
哥伦布在1492 年发现了美洲。
We looked everywhere for the keys, but they were nowhere to be found. 我们到处找钥匙, 但哪儿也找不到。
10. A scientific truth offers an explanation that is acceptable only in the light of what is known at a particular time. 科学的真理提供了这一解释。这种解释只有按照某一特定时间内人们的知识才是可以接受的。
1 )that 引导的是定语从句, 修饰explanation。what is known 指“ 人们所知道的东西；或为人们所知的事情”, 起名词的作用。
2 )in the light of 根据, 按照, 参照；考虑到
It is to be regarded as exclusive in the light of circumstances.
考虑到具体情况, 这将被看做是可以原谅的。
I wanted to hold the meeting today, but in the light of the changed circumstances I have to postpone it.
我本想今天召开这个会的, 但由于情况变化, 只好推迟了。
3 )形容词particular 在这里的意思是“ 特殊的；特定的”。
There was nothing in the letter of particular importance.
这封信没有什么特别重要的东西。
There is no pa rticula r reason why she shouldn’t go.
她没有不应该去的特殊理由。
11. Respect for new ideas is important for continued progress in all fields of knowledge. 尊重新观点对于各领域知识的持续进步都是重要的。
1 )respect 在这里是个名词, 意思是“ 尊重”。它可以组成固定短语have respect for 或show respect to 等。
In China people are taught to have some respect for their parents.
在中国人们受的教育就是尊重父母。
The scholar is a learned man, and all his colleagues show respect
to him. 那个学者是个知识渊博的人, 他所有的同事都尊敬他。
2 )knowledge 在这里是个名词, 意思是“ 知识”。它的动词形式是
know 知道, 了解。试比较:
Knowledge is power.知识就是力量。