新外研版高中英语选择性必修三Unit 4-6全部课文文本+翻译+录音，收藏备用
Unit 4 A glimpse of the future
Artificial Intelligence: A REAL THREAT?
人工智能:真正的威胁?
In the words of Professor Stephen Hawking, Artificial Intelligence will be "either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity". Technology of Tomorrow Forum wants to hear your thoughts on Al. Is it our greatest human achievement so far? Or is it the biggest threat to our existence?
用斯蒂芬霍金教授的话说，人工智能将是“人类有史以来最好或最坏的事情”。明日科技论坛希望听到您对人工智能的想法。到目前为止，人工智能算是我们人类最伟大的成就还是对我们生存的最大威胁呢?
Millenniumbutterfly
千禧蝶
Thanks to, I've got my own super-smart personal assistant built into my phone. She always has an immediate answer for any question I put to her, and even uses my answers to learn more about my preferences. It used to feel like 50 per cent of my time was spent researching new restaurants. In contrast, my PA only needs a few seconds to find the right place. Every recommendation she gives me is great since she can predict if I will like a particular restaurant.
多亏了人工智能，我才可以在手机中内置个人超级智能私人助手。我向她提任何问题，她总能立即答复，甚至可以通过我的答案了解更多关于我的个人偏好。过去，我觉得自己有50％的时间花在了研究新餐厅上，相比之下，有了私人助手，只需数秒就能找到正确的餐厅了。因为她可以预测我是否会喜欢某一个餐厅，所以她给我的每一个建议都很棒。
And speaking of hanging out, I'm hoping that self-driving cars are available soon. I've been taking driving lessons for over a year, and still haven't got my licence. Self-driving cars can learn to drive in the same way that we do, and can make judgements based on information. And as they won't be susceptible to human error, they'll certainly be a lot safer. The only thing is that there might be a few machine-learning problems when the first cars hit the market, so perhaps I'd better learn to drive first. Still, do think that developments in Al will on the whole make doing day-to-day things lot easier.
说到出去玩，我希望自动驾驶汽车能很快面世。我已经上驾驶课一年多了，但仍然没有拿到驾照自动驾驶汽车可以学习与我们相同的驾驶模式，并且可以根据信息做出判断。而且由于它们不会受到人为错误的影响肯定会安全得多。唯一的问题是，当第一批汽车上市时，可能会有一些机器学习问题，所以也许我最好先学会驾驶。不过，我确实认为，总体而言，人工智能的发展将使日常工作变得更加容易。
Popkid
小破孩儿
The technology you're using and enjoying today is a basic form of AI which can't think independently without programming. Of course, it could be very useful to have a more advanced form of Al-a truly independent form of artificial intelligence, capable of exercising its own judgement, could help us solve many of the world's problems. But have you ever thought about the risks? After all, why would an independent form of Al need to consider the opinions and desires of humans? We could be seen as "small" inconvenience that's in the way of a solution to a bigger problem. If we're lucky, AI might think we're valuable enough to keep around. If not, it might wipe us all out!
你今天正在使用和享受的技术是人工智能的基本形式，没有程序它就无法独立思考。当然，拥有更先进的人工智能形式非常有用，这种更先进的人工智能形式是一种真正独立的人工智能形式，能够运用自己的判断力，可以帮助我们解决世界上的许多问题。但是你是否考虑过风险?毕竞，为什么独立的人工智能形式需要考虑人类的选择和欲望?我们可能会被视为解决更大问题道路上的一个“小麻烦。如果幸运的话，人工智能可能会认为我们足够有价值，可以留下来。否则，它可能会扫清我们所有人!
Even if that doesn't happen, there are other risks. Millenniumbutterfly, you say how great it would be to have self-driving cars, but what about all the taxi drivers who would lose their jobs? They would just be among the first victims of AI. Nearly every job is potentially at risk in the long run. Even journalists are now being replaced with technology that can write basic news reports. As it is, almost 50 per cent of US jobs are at risk from automation in the next 20 years.
尽管还没有发生什么，但确实存在其他的风险。千禧蝶，你说拥有自动驾驶汽车会很棒，但出租车司机会失业这个问题呢?他们将会是人工智能的第一批受害者。长此以往，几乎所有工作都可能处于潜在危险之中。甚至现在的新闻工作者也正在被可以撰写简单的新闻报道的技术所取代。实际上，在未来20年中，美国有将近50％的工作会受到自动化的威胁。
The truth is that none of us is prepared for the challenges of AI.
事实上，我们中没有人做好了面对人工智能的挑战的准备。
Pink haze
粉红烟雾
Machine learning is something we have come to accept as a part of our modern world. I believe most of the value of Al lies in its capacity to analyse and interpret vast amounts of data, which means it can even solve problems that are too challenging for human experts.
机器学习作为现代世界的一部分，已经成为我们接受的东西。我认为人工智能的大部分价值在于它分析和解析庞大数据的能力，也就是说它甚至能够解决对于人类专家来说具有挑战性的问题。
But while super-intelligent AI could be the biggest leap forward in human history, if it goes wrong or falls into the wrong hands, it could also be the most dangerous. However, AI is not going to go away. We have no choice but to embrace it and regulate it. One thing I think we all agree on, though, is that saying "My AI did it" won't be any excuse for illegal or immoral behaviour!
虽然超智能AI可能是人类有史以来的最大飞跃，但如果出错或者落入坏人手中，它同时可能是最危险的。但是，人工智能不会消失。我们别无选择，只能接受它并加以规范。不过，我想大家都认可的点就是，“这是我的AI做的!”这句话不会成为非法行为或不道德行为的任何借口。
A Boy's Best Friend
男孩的挚友
Mr Anderson said, "Where's Jimmy, dear" "Out on the crater, said Mrs Anderson. "Robutt is with him. Did he arrive?" "Yes. He's at the rocket station, going through the tests. I haven't really seen one since I left Earth 15 years ago."
安德森先生问:“亲爱的，吉米在哪儿”“在外面的环形山上，”安德森太太回答道，“罗布特跟吉米在一起。它到了吗?”“是的，在火箭站，正在接受测试。自从15年前我离开地球后，就从没见过真正的狗了。”
"Jimmy has never seen one, said Mrs Anderson.
“吉米从来没见过狗。”安德森太太说。
"Because he's Moon-born and can't visit Earth. That's why I'm bringing one here. I think it's the first one ever on the Moon."
“因为吉米是在月球上出生的，他不能去地球。所以我要带过来一只。我觉得这应该是月球上有史以来的第一只狗。”
Jimmy was out on the crater, as his mother had said. His arms and legs were long and agile. He looked thicker and stubbier with his spacesuit on, but he could handle the lunar gravity as no Earth-born human being could. The outer side of the crater sloped southward and the Earth, which was low in the southern sky was nearly full, so that the entire crater-slope was brightly lit. The slope was a gentle one and even the weight of the spacesuit couldn't keep Jimmy from racing up it in a floating hop that made the gravity seem nonexistent.
正如吉米妈妈所说，他在外面的环形山上。吉米手长脚长，行动灵活。穿着太空服的吉米虽看起来臃肿矮胖了一些，但他能承受月球引力，而在地球出生的人是不能承受这种引力的。环形山外侧向南倾斜，南面天空下方的地球全部显现出来，因此整个环形山山坡明亮了起来。山坡非常平缓，即使吉米穿着厚重的太空服，也不能阻碍他跳着跃向山坡，就好像引力不存在一样。
"Come on, Robutt," he shouted. Robutt, who could hear him by radio, squeaked and bounded after.
“快过来，罗布特。”他大喊。靠电波辨认声音的罗布特发出叫声，跳着跑向吉米。
Jimmy, expert though he was, couldn't outrace Robutt, who didn't need spacesuit, and had four legs and tendons of steel. Jimmy couldn't go wrong while Robutt was around, tripping him when he was too near a rock, or jumping on him to show how much he loved him, or circling around and squeaking low and scared when Jimmy hid behind a rock, when all the time Robutt knew well enough where he was.
论速度，吉米虽然是个能手，但他比不过罗布特，因为它有四条腿和钢铁做的肌腱，还不用穿太空服。只要有罗布特相伴，吉米就没有危险。当吉米过于靠近一块岩石，它会扑倒他;罗布特还会扑向他，以表达爱意;当吉米藏在岩石后，罗布特就原地打转，低吼，战战兢兢，不论什么时候，罗布特都对吉米的位置了如指掌。
He heard his father's voice on his private wavelength. Jimmy, come back. I have something to tell you."
吉米通过自己的专属波长接收到了爸爸的声音，“吉米，回来一下。我有事情要和你说。”
Mr Anderson was smiling. "We have something for you, Jimmy. It's at the rocket station now, but we'll have it tomorrow after all the tests are over."
安德森先生面带微笑，“吉米，我们有东西要给你，它现在就在火箭建站，但是要等到明天所有测试结束后，我们才能接到它。”
"From Earth, Dad?"
“是从地球来的吗，爸爸?”
"A dog from Earth, son. The first dog on the Moon. You won't need Robutt any more. We can't keep them both, and some other boy or girl will have Robutt. He seemed to be waiting for Jimmy to say something, then he said, "You know what a dog is, Jimmy. It's the real thing. Robutt's only a mechanical imitation, a robot-mutt. That's how he got his name.
“是从地球来的小狗，儿子，是月球上的第一只狗。你将不再需要罗布特了。我们不能同时要两只，其他的孩子会收养罗布特。”他好像在等吉米说点什么，接着又说，“你会知道什么才是真正的狗，吉米。狗是有生命的。罗布特仅仅是机械仿制品，是一只机器狗罢了。所以它才叫罗布特。”
Jimmy frowned. "Robutt isn't an imitation, Dad."
吉米皱皱眉头，“爸爸，罗布特不是仿制品。”
"Robutt's just steel and wiring and a simple positronic brain."
“罗布特只是用钢铁和电线制造的，只有一个简单的正电子大脑。”
"He does everything want him to do, Dad. He understands me.”
“爸爸，我想让它做什么，它都能做到，它懂我。”
No, son. Robutt is just a machine. It's just programmed to act the way it does. A dog is alive. You'll see the difference once he gets here.
“不是这样的，儿子。罗布特只是一个机器。它的反应只不过是按照编好的程序去做而已。正的狗是有生命的。等小狗来了，你就会明白二者的不同之处了。”
Jimmy looked at Robutt, who was squeaking again, a very low, slow squeak that seemed frightened. Jimmy held out his arms and Robutt was in them in one bound.
吉米看着又在吼叫的罗布特，它的叫声非常低沉缓慢，好像受到了惊吓。吉米伸出双臂，罗布特一跃跳了上去。
Jimmy said, "What will the difference be between Robutt and the dog?”
吉米问:“那罗布特和真正的小狗有什么不一样呢?”
"It's hard to explain, "said Mr Anderson, "but it will be easy to see. The dog will really love you. Robutt is just adjusted to act as though it loves you.
“这很难解释。”安德森先生说，“但用眼睛看的话，会很容易。小狗会真的爱你，而罗布特只是设定好，假装很爱你。”
"But, Dad, we don't know what's inside the dog, or what his feelings are. Maybe it's just acting, too.
“但是，爸爸，我们并不知道小狗真正想的是什么，它是什么感觉。可能它也只是在假装。”
Mr Anderson frowned. "Jimmy, you'll know the difference when you experience the love of a living thing."
安德森先生眉头一皱，“吉米，如果你体验过一个生命体对你的爱时，你就会明白其中的不同。”
Jimmy held Robutt tightly. He was frowning too, and the desperate look on his face meant that he wouldn't change his mind. He said, "But what's the difference how they act? How about how I feel? I love Robutt and that's what counts."
吉米紧紧抱着罗布特。他也皱着眉头，脸上的坚定表明他不愿改变心意。他说:“那它们在行为上有什么不一样?那我的想法呢?我爱罗布特，我觉得这是最重要的。”
And the little robot-mutt, which had never been held so tightly in all its existence, squeaked high and rapid squeaks-happy squeaks.
小小的机器狗自出现以来从未被抱得那么紧，它发出尖细且急促的叫声，那是快乐的叫声。
(Adaptation of excerpts from "A Boy's Best Friend"by Isaac Asimov)
(节选自艾萨克·阿西莫夫的《男孩的挚友》)
Unit 5 Learning from nature
Nature in Architecture
建筑中的自然元素
Trees, plants and flowers are all around us and we enjoy their beauty every day. In fact, we are so used to them that we may even take them for granted without realising how much inspiration they have given us. When we look at a pine cone,we might think how much it looks like the tiles on a roof. An open flower might make us think how closely it resembles an umbrella. It is natural to think in this way, but of course it wasn't the umbrella that inspired the flower or the roof that inspired the pine cone.
我们身边都有花、草、树木，并且每天都能欣赏到它们的美。事实上，我们已经习惯了它们的存在，甚至可能把它们视为理所当然，却没有意识到它们给了我们多少灵感。看到一个松果，我们可能会想它看起来多么像屋顶上的瓦片;看到一朵绽开的花，我们可能会觉得它和雨伞是多么相似。以这种方式思考是很自然的，但当然不是雨伞给了花朵灵感，也不是屋顶给了松果灵感。
Nature has inspired many of the most fascinating designs around us, including those in architecture. From Barcelona's forest-like Sagrada Familia to the modern style of Beijing's Water Cube, nature is presented in various architectural designs. Today, architects continue to explore ways to capture the beauty of natural forms, to mimic the way nature works or even to make natural organisms part of a building.
我们身边许多最迷人的设计，包括建筑设计，它们的灵感都来自大自然。从巴塞罗那的森林般的圣家族大教堂到现代风格的北京水立方，在各式各样的建筑设计中都能发现自然元素。如今，建筑师不断探寻捕捉自然形态之美的方法，模仿自然运行的方式，或者让自然生物融为建筑的一部分。
ArtScience Museum, Singapore
新加坡艺术科学博物馆
People whose interest is exploring the relationship between art and science will enjoy Singapore's ArtScience Museum.The building was designed to show the connection between nature and the modern city environment in which it sits. Shaped to resemble a lotus flower, it appears to float above the waterfront promenade and the water that surrounds it. Its roof collects rainwater and channels it 35 metres down to a waterfall in the centre of the space. The water is then recycled through the building's plumbing system. Visitors are often amazed to find themselves in an urban building that so truly captures the beauty of natural forms.
对探索艺术与科学的关系感兴趣的人会乐于参观新加坡的艺术科学博物馆。该建筑旨在展示自然和现代城市环境之间的联系。它的形状像一朵莲花，漂浮在海滨长廊上，四周被水环绕。它的屋顶可收集雨水，雨水顺着管道向下35米到达博物馆中心的瀑布。然后，水通过建筑的管道系统循环使用。当置身于这样一座真实地捕捉到自然形态之美的城市建筑中时，参观者常常叹为观止。
The Eastgate Centre, Harare
哈拉雷东门大厦
Harare's Eastgate Centre is a superb example of biomimicry; To use biomimicry is to create structures based on natural forms and processes. Zimbabwean architect Mick Pearce was inspired to create the Centre while watching a nature documentary in which termites were constructing their nests. The insects built mounds covered in little holes designed to allow air to move freely in and out of the mounds. In a similar way, the Eastgate Centre has a "skin" covered in holes During the day, warm air is drawn into the building through the holes, cooling as it reaches the middle of the building. At night, the heat absorbed by the wall during the day warms the cool air, creating a comfortable temperature inside. The design reduces the need for traditional air conditioning and heating systems, so the building uses less energy and costs less to run.
哈拉雷东门大厦是极好的仿生学范例利用仿生技术，在自然形态和过程的基础上创造建筑结构津巴布韦建筑师米克皮尔斯在一部大自然纪录片中看到白蚁筑造蚁穴，从中得到启发，从而设计了东门大厦。这种昆虫搭建表面覆有小洞的蚁丘，以保证蚁丘内外部的空气流通。东门大厦也用了相似的方法，大厦的“皮肤”上设计了很多洞。白天，暖空气通过洞口引入建筑内部，在流向建筑中部的过程中冷却下来。夜间，墙壁吸收的热量使冷空气变暖，创造着适宜的内部温度条件。该设计减少了对传统空调和供暖系统的需求，因此建筑运行能耗和成本都较低。
The Algae House, Hamburg
汉堡藻屋
The world's first algae-powered building is in Hamburg, Germany. The surface of the apartment building is covered in panels that contain algae. The algae are fed with liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide to encourage them to grow. In bright sunshine, they grow faster and provide shade. The panels also capture heat from the sun and convert it into energy that powers the building. And thats not all-the algae inside the panels can be harvested and used to produce fuel The building therefore not only responds to its environment and uses less energy, but also reduces damage to the environment by generating its own renewable energy.
世界上第一座藻类能源建筑位于德国汉堡。公寓楼表面的面板上覆盖着藻类。藻类以液体营养素和二氧化碳为养料，促进自身生长。阳光明媚的时候，它们长得更快，可以遍阴。这些面板还可以吸收太阳的热量，并转化为电能，给建筑物供电。除此之外，面板内的藻类可以收集起来，做燃料用。因此，该建筑不仅能够适应环境，减少能耗，而且自身可以产生可再生能源，减少对环境的危害。
Creating buildings such as these enables us to live in closer harmony with our environment. To meet the needs of today while protecting the world of tomorrow may be a challenge, but even the simplest organisms can help teach us how to achieve this.
创造这样的建筑物能够使我们与我们的环境更和谐地相处。保护明天的世界，同时满足当下的需求这可能是一项挑战，但即使是最简单的生物也能帮忙，教我们如何实现目标。
Back to Nature
回归大自然
Tao Yuanming and Henry David Thoreau were both poets, but one lived in Ancient China and the other in 19th century America. Superficially, these two men, whose lives were separated in time by nearly 1,500 years, were polar opposites. And yet they shared an intense respect for nature, which made them each an influential figure of their time.
陶渊明和亨利大卫梭罗都是诗人，但是一位生活在古代中国，另一位生活在19世纪的美国。表面上看，这两个人生活在不同的时代，相隔近一千五百年，迥然不同。然而，他们都非常尊重自然，这使得他们在各自的时代都成为有影响力的人物。
Both men made dramatic transformations to their lives in order to reconnect with nature. As an official in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Tao felt conflicted over life at court. In 405, he quit the service of the court for good, expressing his unhappiness in the now famous line that he would not "bow like a servant in return for five dou of grain". He spent the next 22 years until his death, working the land in a poor, rural area From his poetry, we can learn that although his life was arduous, he succeeded in finding contentment in its simplicity and in drawing pleasure from nature.
为了重归自然，两人的生活都发生了戏剧性的转变。陶渊明是东晋的官员，但是对官场生活感到困惑。公元405年，陶渊明辞去了官职，以表达他对仕途的不满，用今天的一句名言形容就是“不为五斗米折腰”。在之后的22年里，直到生命的尽头，他躬耕于田野，生活在清贫的农村。我们可以从他的诗歌中看出，尽管生活艰苦，但他从这种简单的生活中成功获得了满足感，并从大自然中获得了乐趣。
While Tao's return to nature was a reaction to a lifestyle he was opposed to, Thoreau's was a personal decision to transform the way he lived. He had a decent quality of life, but he wanted to live in a simpler way. For two years, two months and two days, he lived in a cottage in the forest on the edge of Walden Pond, focusing on himself and his writing. He explained his reason for doing so in Walden: " went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. Both men were happy to withdraw from contemporary life, seeking a harmonious relationship with nature in the quietness of their lives.
陶渊明回归大自然是对自己反对的生活方式做出的一种反应，而梭罗则是出于个人的决定而改自己的生活方式虽然梭罗过着体面的生活，但他希望活得更简单些。两年两个月零两天，他住在瓦尔登湖边森林里的一间小屋里，专注于自身和写作。他在《瓦尔登湖》中解释了这样做的原因:“我步入丛林，是因为我希望自由地生活只面对生活中的基本事实。”两个人都乐于从当下的生活中抽身而退，在平静的生活中寻求与自然和谐的关系。
Although Tao and Thoreau do not treat nature in quite the same way, their works show its beauty and value. Tao's nature is a place of fields and villages, in other words, rural, and his animals are domestic ones, such as chickens and dogs. The calm and peaceful life he wrote about is in contrast to and critical of the depressive court life:
尽管陶渊明和梭罗对待自然的方式不同，但他们的作品都展现了自然的美丽和价值。陶渊明的自然是田野和村庄，换句话说，是田园。他的动物们都是家养的，比如鸡和狗。他描写的平静祥和的生活，与压抑的官场生活形成鲜明对比，是对压抑的官场生活的批判:
Beyond the dark and distance lies a village,
The smoke above reluctant to depart.
A dog is barking somewhere down the lane,
And chickens sit atop the mulberry tree.
暧暧远人村，
依依墟里烟。
狗吠深巷中，
鸡鸣桑树颠。
Thoreau's descriptions of nature emphasised the beauty and purity of the wild areas around him Devoting himself to observations of the natural phenomena he recorded his detailed findings in his journals. Thoreau's writing aimed to convince people that animals and plants had a right to live and prosper, as we do. We should live with them in harmony and enjoy nature's gifts, as he describes in his journals:
梭罗在描述自然时，重点描绘了他周围原野的美丽与纯粹。他全身心投入到观察自然现象中，并在日记中详细地记录了自己的发现。梭罗的写作意在使人们信服，动物和植物就像我们人类样都有生存和繁荣的权利。我们应该与它们和谐共处，受大自然的恩赐，正如他在日记中描述的那样:
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. Let them be your only diet, drink and botanical medicines.
好好度过每一个季节，呼吸新鲜的空气，畅饮美酒，品尝水果，尽情受这一切。让生活中只有饮食和草药。
It takes considerable courage to reject the easy and familiar and instead try to live closer to nature, as both Tao and Thoreau did. Their choices led them to quiet and reflective lives with fewer material desires. In today's modern world, their ideas about living simply and being at ease with nature may take us a step closer to attaining personal well-being and fulfilment.
像陶渊明和梭罗那样，拒绝简单熟悉的事物，转而尝试亲近大自然，这需要相当大的勇气。他们的选择使他们过上了平静而沉思的生活，物质欲望减少了。在今天这个现代世界，他们关于简单生活和与自然和谐相处的想法，可能会让我们离获得个人幸福和满足感更近一步。
Unit 6 Nature in words
First Snow
初雪
Mr Robert Lynd once said of Jane Austen's characters: "They are people in whose lives slight fall of is an event, even at the risk of appearing to this fair and witty reviewer as another Mr Woodhouse, I must insist that last night's fall of snow here was an event. I was nearly as excited about it this morning as the children, whom I found all looking through the window at the magic outside and talking away as excitedly as if Christmas had suddenly come round again. The fact is, however, that the snow was as strange and fascinating to me as it was to them. It is the first fall we have had here this winter, and last year was out of the country, sweating in a hot climate, during the snowy season, so that it really does seem an age since saw the ground so fantastically carpeted.
罗伯特·林德先生曾这样评论过简·奥斯汀笔下的人物:“在这些人的生命里，场场小雪皆是大事”在这位公正睿智的评论家面前，即便是冒着让自己看起来像伍德豪斯先生那样的风险，我也得坚持说:“昨晚这儿的那场雪是件大事。”对于这场雪，我今早近乎像孩子们那样兴奋。孩子们透过窗子看着外面奇妙的世界，兴奋地说个不停，就像圣诞节突然又要来了一般。事实上，这场雪于我而言，也是同样的奇异，同样的迷人。这是今年冬天我们在这里的第一场雪，而在去年的季，我身在异国，在酷热的天气理汗流不止，所以离我上次欣赏到这银装素裹的世界，着实过了些时日了。”
The first fall of snow is not only an event but it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different, and if this is not magic, then where is it to be found? The very secrecy and quietness of the thing makes it more magical.
这场初雪不仅是一件大事，而且还是一件具有魔力的大事。入睡时，世界是一个模样，醒来则是完全不同的另一番模样，若非有魔力，如何才能这般?神秘，悄然，这给雪又添了几分魔力。
When I got up this morning the world was a cold place of dead white and pale blues. The light that came through the windows was very strange, and it made the familiar business of splashing and shaving and brushing and dressing very strange too. Then the sun came out, and by the time I had sat down to breakfast it was shining bravely and flushing the snow with delicate pinks. The dining-room window had been transformed into love Japanese print. The little plum tree outside, with the faintly flushed snow lining its branches and artfully disposed along its trunk, stood in full sunlight.
今早我起床时，世界是一片寂然的白色与浅淡的蓝色，到处清清冷冷。窗子透进来的光线很是怪异，使得洗脸、刮胡子、刷牙、穿衣服这些熟悉的日常行为也显得离奇古怪。接着太阳出来了，等到我坐下来吃早餐时，太阳的光彩已是绚烂夺目，给雪地添了一抹柔和的粉红色。餐厅的窗户成了一幅可爱的日本版画。在阳光的普照之下，屋外的李子树的树干和枝丫被淡粉的积雪精致巧妙地装点着。
An hour or two later everything was a cold sparkle of white and blue. The world had completely changed again. The little Japanese prints had all disappeared. looked out of my study window, over the garden, the field, to the low hills beyond, and the ground went on and on, the sky was thick grey, and all the trees so many black and threatening shapes There was indeed something curiously disturbing about the whole prospect. It was as if our kindly countryside, close to the very heart of England, had been turned into a cruel grassland. At any moment, it seemed, a body of horsemen might be seen breaking out from the black trees, so many weapons might be heard and some distant spot of snow be reddened. It was that kind of landscape.
一两个小时过后，一切都闪着或白或蓝的微光。世界又彻底改变了模样。小小的日本版画都消失不见了，我从书房看向窗外，越过花园、田野，再望向远处低矮的小山，沿着不断向前延伸的地面望去，天空成了厚重的灰色，所有的树木都显出一副黑黢黢和凶神恶煞的样子。整个景象确实会给人带来一种奇怪的、不安的感受。就好像我们这个靠近英格兰中心位置的亲切小乡村变成了暴躁的草原;仿佛随时可能看见一群骑兵从黑黝黝的树丛中冲出，可能听见武器的交错响声，最后好像看见远处的白雪一点点被血液染红。这幅景象就是给人这种感觉。
Now it has changed again. The glare has gone and no touch of the disturbing remains. But the snow is falling heavily, in great soft flakes, so that you can hardly see across the shallow valley, and the roofs are thick and the trees all bending, and the weathercock of the village church, still to be seen through the grey loaded air, has become some creature out of Hans Andersen. From my study, which is apart from the house and faces it, I can see the children flattening their noses against the window, and there is running through my head rhyme I used to repeat when I was a child and flattened my nose against the cold window to watch the falling snow:
现在，一切又变了。炫目的日光已然消失，也不再有那种紧张不安感。大片柔软的雪花铺天盖地地飘落，遮挡了你的视线，让你几乎看不到浅浅的山谷，屋顶上存了厚厚的雪，树木被压得弯下腰来，村庄教堂的风信鸡在灰蒙蒙的空气中依稀可见，像是从安徒生童话里走出来的活物。我的书房是和房子独立开来的，书房在房子的对面从书房看去，可以看到孩子们把鼻子抵在窗户上看雪的样子，我的脑海里出现了一首儿歌，那是我小时候将鼻子抵在冰凉的窗户上看雪时会一直重复哼着的歌:
Snow, snow faster:
White alabaster!
Killing geese in Scotland,
Sending feathers here!
下雪吧，下快一点吧:
石膏样的雪白!
在苏格兰宰些鹅，
把雪白的羽毛送到这儿来吧!
(Adaptation from First Snow by John Boynton Priestley)
(改编自约翰·博因顿普里斯特利的《初雪》)
Silent spring
寂静的春天
There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example-where had they gone? Many people spoke of them, puzzled and disturbed. The feeding stations in the backyards were deserted The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.
“一片古怪的寂静笼罩着这里。小鸟都飞到哪里去了?许多人谈论着，茫然困惑惴惴不安。后院的饲养站已经被遗弃，为数不多的几只鸟也奄奄息;它们浑身打战，无法飞翔。这是一个寂静的春天。原本喧闹的清晨，再也没有了知更鸟、北美猫鸟、鸽子、松鸦、鹪鹩的奏鸣曲以及其他小鸟的鸣叫声;只留下一片寂静，笼罩在田野、树林和沼泽的上空。”
Rachel Carson was a scientist by profession but these lines from the opening chapter of her 1962 book Silent Spring,A Fable for Tomorrow", show her talent as a writer. By imagining a world without birds, she aimed to alert not only the scientific community but also the general public to the damaging effects of human activity on natural ecosystems-in particular, to the harmful use of pesticides, such as DDT. She believed that the chemical industry was knowingly causing harm to plants, animals and even humans, and wished to see pesticides used in a more responsible, limited and carefully monitored way.
蕾切尔卡森本是一位科学家，但是192年，她在《寂静的春天》一书的开篇章节“明天的寓言”中的这段描写，展现了她作为作家的天赋。通过想象一个没有鸟儿的世界，她想要警告科学界，提醒公众，人类活动已经对自然界生态系统造成了破坏性的后果，尤其是使用DDT之类的杀虫剂给自然界带来了严重的危害。她认为化学工业正在明目张胆地对动植物，甚至对人类本身造成伤害，她希望人们在使用杀虫剂时能够更加负责、节制，并且严加监管。
Carson urged people to make themselves aware of the facts and do something about the situation. Silent Spring contains a lot of scientific research and case studies. The book details the gypsy moth eradication programme, which killed birds, in addition to gypsy moths. Another case study was the fire-ant programme that killed cows, but not fire ants. The book also gives examples of other eradication programmes that did nothing to reduce the problems they were originally designed to solve. The 50 or so pages at the end of the book list Carson's sources, showing how thorough and precise she was as scientist.
卡森敦促人们认清事实，并且为此做出努力。《寂静的春天》中含有大量的科学研究和真实案例。在灭除舞毒蛾运动这一案例中，她细致讲述了人们在消灭舞毒蛾的同时，也杀死了鸟类;另一个案例则是在开展消灭火蚁计划时，人们杀死的是奶牛，而非火蚁。书中还讲了几十个其他灭除计划的案例，都未能像预期那样解决问题。这本书最后的五十几页列出了卡森的资料来源，显示出她作为一名科学家的周密和严谨。
Carson's' message was very alarming, causing great increase in environmental awareness. Its impact was immediate and far-reaching: the use of DDT was banned and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in the US. Silent Spring was therefore regarded as a milestone in the launch of the green movement in the Western world. It also earned Carson a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom and put her face on the 17-cent US stamp.
卡森所述的事实让人们十分担忧，大大提升了人们保护环境的意识。这本书的效果立竿见影，并且影响深远:DDT被禁用;环境保护署也在美国成立。《寂静的春天》因此被视为西方发起绿色运动的里程碑，这使作者在去世后获得了“总统自由勋章”的荣誉，美国17美分的邮票上也印上了她的头像。
Silent Spring was not, however, received positively by everyone. Though Carson's research was strong and was supported by most scientists who reviewed her work, the book quickly became a target for critics in the pesticide industry. They said that Carson did not understand the science behind her arguments because she was a marine biologist rather than a chemist. Some also said that her work was more emotional than scientific. These were attempts to damage Carson's reputation and stop her work from influencing public policy but she remained determined to stand by her research. Carson appeared in public and on television to defend her claims-and today, more than 50 years after it was published, the voice of Silent Spring is still ringing loud and clear.
但并不是所有人都支持《寂静的春天虽然卡森的研究很有说服力，而且得到多数审阅过这本书的科学家的支持，但是这本书很快成为了杀虫剂行业批判的对象。他们说卡森并不理解她论证背后的科学原理，因为她是一位海洋生物学家，而非化学家。还有一些人说她的作品过于情感化，科学性并不强。他们想要通过破坏卡森的名声来削减她的作品对公共政策的影响，但卡森仍然坚持自己的研究，在公众面前、在电视节目中捍卫自己的观点。时至今日，《寂静的春天》已经出版五十多年了，但它的影响力依旧深远绵长。
Personally, enjoy Carson's book. She made a crucial but potentially difficult-to-understand subject interesting and accessible to millions of people. This is not so much because of the quality of her arguments, strong though they are, but because of the beauty and elegance of her writing. Her book not only changed the world; half a century later it remains a book that deserves to be reread today, so that we can once again feel ourselves warm to the fire of its passionate message. For unless we do listen to Rachel Carson's warning, one day we may wake up to the strange and quiet horror of another silent spring.
而我个人也十分喜欢卡森的书。她把一个至关重要但十分复杂的问题用简单有趣的方式传达给了数百万人。这并不都是因为她书中高质量的论点是多么强有力，而是因为她美丽和高雅的文笔让读者喜欢。她的书不仅在当时改变了世界，就是在半个世纪后的今天，它仍然值得人们重新阅读，以感受她充满感情的文字带给我们如火焰般的温暖。因为如果我们不听从卡森的劝告，可能有一天在我们醒来之后，真的会面对一个古怪而又相当恐怖的寂静的春天。
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