新概念英语第4册-第13章
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并不只是那些无知和没受过良好教育的人才迷信药瓶子。据说托马斯。卡莱尔有过这么一件事：他听说朋友亨利。泰勒病了，就立刻跑去看他，衣袋里装上了他妻子不舒服时吃剩下的一瓶药。卡莱尔不知道药瓶子里装的是什么药，不知道他的朋友得的是什么病，也不知道妻子以前得的是什么病，只知道一种药对一种病有好处，肯定对另一种病也会有好处。想到能对朋友有所帮助，他感到很欣慰，于是急急忙忙来到了亨利。泰勒的家里，他的朋友是否接受了他的药物治疗，历史没有记载，但很可能接受了。服药的最大优点是：除了暂时忍受一下令人作呕的味道外，对服药人别无其他要求。这也正是病人对医生的要求 病要治好，但不要太麻烦。
Lesson 29
The hovercraft
气垫船
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What is a hovercraft riding on when it is in motion？
Many strange new means of transport have been developed in our century； the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft。 In 1953； a former electronics engineer in his fifties； Christopher Cockerell； who had turned to boat…building on the Norfolk Broads； suggested an idea on which he had been working for many years to the British Government and industrial circles。 It was the idea of supporting a craft on a 'pad'； or cushion； of low…pressure air； ringed with a curtain of higher pressure air。 Ever since； people have had difficulty in deciding whether the craft should be ranged among ships； planes； or land vehicles for it is something in between a boat and an aircraft。 As a shipbuilder； Cockerell was trying to find a solution to the problem of the wave resistance which wastes a good deal of a surface ship's power and limits its speed。 His answer was to lift the vessel out of the water by a great number of ring…shaped air jets on the bottom of the craft。 It 'flies'； therefore； but it cannot fly higher its action depends on the surface； water or ground； over which it rides。
The first tests on the Solent in 1959 caused a sensation。 The hovercraft travelled first over the water； then mounted the beach； climbed up the dunes； and sat down on a road。 Later it crossed the Channel； riding smoothly over the waves； which presented no problem。
Since that time； various types of hovercraft have appeared and taken up regular service。 The hovercraft is particularly useful in large areas with poor munications such as Africa or Australia； it can bee a 'flying fruit…bowl'； carrying bananas from the plantations to the ports； giant hovercraft liners could span the Atlantic； and the railway of the future may well be the 'hovertrain'； riding on its air cushion over a single rail； which it never touches； at speeds up to 300 m。p。h。 the possibilities appear unlimited。
EGON LARSEN The Pegasus Book of Inventors
New words and expressions 生词和短语
hovercraft
n。 气垫船
Norfolk Broads
n。 诺福克郡的湖泊地区
cushion
n。 座垫
ring
v。 围
Solent
n。 （英国的）苏伦特海峡
sensation
n。 轰动
dune
n。 沙丘
plantation
n。 种植园
hovertrain
n。 气垫火车
参考译文
本世纪已研制出许多新奇的交通工具，其中最新奇的要数气垫船了。1953年，有一位50多岁名叫克里斯托弗。科克雷的原电子工程师，改行在诺福克郡的湖泊地区从事造船业，他向英国政府和工业界提出了他研究多年的一项计划。他的设想是：用一个低压空气或软垫来支撑船体，软垫周围用高压空气环绕。自那以后，人们很难决定是否应该将这种运载工具列为轮船、飞机，或是陆上交通工具，因为它是介于船和飞机之间。作为一个船舶技师，科克雷尔在寻找解决波浪阻力的方法，因为波浪阻力浪费掉了船在水面行驶的大量动力，从而限制了船的速度。他的解决办法是把船体提离水面，让船在一个气垫上行驶，气垫只有一两英尺厚。船底装上大量环状喷气嘴以实现这一目的。这样，船就能飞了，但飞不高。它的飞行限决于它所悬浮的水面或地面。
1959年，在苏伦特海峡进行的首次试航引起了轰动，气垫船先是在水面上行驶，后又登上海岸，爬上沙丘，最后停在路上。后来气垫船跨越英吉利海峡，平衡地在波浪上方行驶，波浪不再产生阻力。
从那以后，各种各样的气垫船出现了，并开始了定期航行服务。气垫船在非洲、澳大利亚等交通不发达地区特别有用。它能成为“飞行水果盘子”，把香蕉从种植园动到港口。大型的气垫班轮或许能跨越大西洋。未来的火车或许能成为“气垫火车”，靠气垫在单轨上行驶而不接触轨道，时速可达每小时300英里。气垫船的前途是不可限量的。
Lesson 30
Exploring the sea…floor
海底勘探
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
How did people probably imagine the sea…floor before it was investigated？
Our knowledge of the oceans a hundred years ago was confined to the two…dimensional shape of the sea surface and the hazards of navigation presented by the irregularities in depth of the shallow water close to the land。 The open sea was deep and mysterious； and anyone who gave more than a passing thought to the bottom confines of the oceans probably assumed that the sea bad was flat。 Sir James Clark Ross had obtained a sounding of over 2；400 fathoms in 1839； but it was not until of deep soundings was obtained in the Atlantic and the first samples were collected by dredging the bottom。 Shortly after this the famous H。 M。 S。 Challenger expedition established the study of the sea…floor as a subject worthy of the most qualified physicists and geologists。 A burst of activity associated with the laying of submarine cables soon confirmed the challenger's observation that many parts of the ocean were two to there miles deep； and the existence of underwater features of considerable magnitude。
Today； enough soundings are available to enable a relief map of the Atlantic to be drawn and we know something of the great variety of the sea bed's topography。 Since the sea covers the greater part of the earth's surface； it is quite reasonable to regard the sea floor as the basic form of the crust of the earth； with； superimposed upon； it the continents； together with the islands and other features of the oceans。 The continents form rugged tablelands which stand nearly three miles above the floor of the open ocean。 From the shore line； out a distance which may be anywhere from a few miles to a few hundred miles； runs the gentle slope of the continental shelf； geologically part of the continents。 The real dividing line between continents and oceans occurs at the foot a steeper slope。
This continental slope usually starts at a place somewhere near the 100…fatheom mark and in the course of a few hundred miles reaches the true ocean floor at 2；500…3；500 fathoms。 The slope averages about 1 in 30。 but contains steep； probably vertical； cliffs； and gentle sediment…covered terraces； and near its lower reaches there is a long tailing…off which is almost certainly the result of material transported out to deep water after being eroded from the continental masses。
T。F。GASKELL Exploring the Sea…floor from Science Survey
New words and expressions 生词和短语
navigation
n。 航海
sounding
n。 水深度
fathom
n。 寻（1寻等于1。8米）
porcupine
n。 箭猪
dredge
v。 挖掘
expedition
n。 远征
physicist
n。 物理学家
magnitude
n。 很多
topography
n。 地形
crust
n。 地壳
rugged
adj。崎岖不平
tableland
n。 高地
sediment
n。 沉淀物
terrace
n。 阶地
erode
v。 侵蚀
参考译文
100年前，我们只知道海洋是二维平面形的，以及靠近陆地浅水区的深浅不一能给航行带来危险。无边无际的海洋深邃而又神秘，凡是稍稍想过大海海底的人大概都会认为海底是平坦的。1839年，詹姆斯。克拉克。罗斯爵士曾测得海水深度超过2，400英寻；但直到1869年，皇家学会用英国“豪猪”号舰艇进行了几次巡航后，才在大西洋测得一个海水深度，同时能过挖掘海底，取得了研究海底的首批样品。此后不久，英国著名的“挑战者”号舰艇对海底的那次考察，把对海床的研究确立为一个值得一流物理学家和地质学家从事的研究课题，铺设海底电缆的热潮很快证实了“挑战者”号的观察结果：海洋中很多地方可深达两三英里，水下特征差异极大。
现在已有足够的水深测量数据来绘制一张大西洋洋底地形图，而且我对海底地形的千变万化也有了一定的了解。既然海洋覆盖着地球的大部分表面，因此完全有理由把海床看作地壳的基本模壳，上面附加着大陆以及岛屿和海洋的其他形态。大陆是崎岖不平的高地，高
