发信人: sudidi (纤柔彩梵), 信区: EnglishTest
标  题:  I can not talking about NCE(unit 32)
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Sun May 11 19:12:59 2003), 转信

Lesson 32 Galileo reborn

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Michael Hoskin
Galileo Reborn from The Listener

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这篇文章的观点较为另类，但却能够自圆其说，很好的起到
了翻案的效果。排比句用得极为出色，颇有汉文中赋的风骨
，大家不妨采摘一二，装饰你的文章。
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In his own lifetime Galileo was the centre of violent controversy; but the
scientific dust has long since settled, and today we can see even his
famous clash with the Inquisition in something like its proper
perspective. But, in contrast, it is only in modern times that Galileo has
become a problem child for historians of science.
The old view of Galileo was delightfully uncomplicated. He was, above
all, a man who experimented: who despised the prejudices and book
learning of the Aristotelians, who put his questions to nature instead of
to the ancients, and who drew his conclusions fearlessly. He had been
the first to turn a telescope to the sky, and he had seen there evidence
enough to overthrow Aristotle and Ptolemy together. He was the man
who climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and dropped various weights
from the top, who rolled balls down inclined planes, and then
generalized the results of his many experiments into the famous law of
free fall.
But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of the
period, and particularly by a new consciousness of the philosophical
undercurrents in the scientific revolution, has profoundly modified this
view of Galileo. Today, although the old Galileo lives on in many
popular writings, among historians of science a new and more
sophisticated picture has emerged. At the same time our sympathy for
Galileo's opponents has grown somewhat. His telescopic observations
are justly immortal; they aroused great interest at the time, they had
important theoretical consequences, and they provided a striking
demonstration of the potentialities hidden in instruments and apparatus.
But can we blame those who looked and failed to see what Galileo saw,
if we remember that to use a telescope at the limit of its powers calls for
long experience and intimate familiarity with one's instrument? Was the
philosopher who refused to look through Galileo's telescope more
culpable than those who alleged that the spiral nebulae observed with
Lord Rosse's great telescope in the eighteen-forties were scratches left
by the grinder? We can perhaps forgive those who said the moons of
Jupiter were produced by Galileo's spyglass if we recall that in his day,
as for centuries before, curved glass was the popular contrivance for
producing not truth but illusion, untruth; and if a single curved glass
would distort nature, how much more would a pair of them?
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Words：

1. controversy
i.A dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing
views.
争论，辩论在持相反观点两方之间进行的（尤指公开的）争
论或辩论
ii.The act or practice of engaging in such disputes:
争辩进行这种争论或辩论的行为或实践：
writers skilled at controversy.
擅长辩论的作家们
辨别一下：
controversy:一般是指理论上的分歧，争议，主要是抽象意义上的
argument: 一般是指言语上的争论，cross words
quarrel:  争论的级别比较高，甚至于动手了
debate:  辩论
clash:   主要是强调mental conflict
confrontation: 冲突
————————————————————————————
2.prejudice

i.An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without
knowledge or examination of the facts.
偏见未经了解或查明事实而预先所形成的反面的判断或看法
ii.A preconceived preference or idea.
成见预先的爱好或主意
iii.The act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or
convictions.
偏见提前持有非理智判断或信念的行为或状态
iv.Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.
歧视对特定群体、种族或宗教的非理性的怀疑或仇恨
v.Detriment or injury caused to a person by the preconceived,
unfavorable conviction of another or others.
伤害对他人抱有既成恶感的人所造成的损害或伤害
vi.To cause (someone) to judge prematurely and irrationally.
使产生先入之见使（某人）做出不成熟和非理性的判断
呵呵，一部很有名的小说'Pride and Prejudice'
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3.despise
i.To regard with contempt or scorn:
鄙视用轻蔑和指责对待：
despised all cowards and flatterers.
鄙视所有的胆小鬼和溜须拍马者
ii.To dislike intensely; loathe:
厌恶非常强烈地不喜欢；厌恶：
despised the frigid weather in January.
厌恶一月份寒冷的天气
iii.To regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern:
蔑视认为不值得关心或感兴趣：
despised any thought of their own safety.
蔑视任何关于他们自身安全性的考虑
有几个相类似的词语，程度上不一致。
dislike/belittle/contempt/despise/loathe
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4.culpable
i.Deserving of blame or censure as being wrong, evil, improper, or
injurious.
受责备的因做错事、干坏事、做不合时宜或导致伤害的事而
应受责备或惩处的
See: blameworthy
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5.distort
i.To twist out of a proper or natural relation of parts; misshape.
扭歪，扭曲，使变形扭动而脱离了正确的或天生的部位联系
；使变形
ii.To give a false or misleading account of; misrepresent.
曲解，歪曲，误传给出假象或使人迷惑的原因；误传
iii.To cause to work in a twisted or disorderly manner; pervert.
误用，滥用以扭曲或混乱的方式工作；误用
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Sentences and words:

1. In his own lifetime Galileo was the centre of violent controversy; but
the scientific dust has long since settled, and today we can see even his
famous clash with the Inquisition in something like its proper
perspective.

Notes:
i.文章开篇提到的事情都是以往的看法，并且有很明显的表示
过去的词汇。按照GRE阅读的分析观点，这篇文章是很明显
的新旧观点对照型，扫描后文果然不出所料，第三段的开头
第一个词汇就是But，一个大转折，所以阅读的重点在于后文
，新观点的提出。
ii. long since 早已
the scientific dust has long since settled，
可以这么理解the scientific dust since the has settled for a long time
iii.something like, 多少，大约
something like its proper perspective 基本正确地看待
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2.He was, above all, a man who experimented: who despised the
prejudices and book learning of the Aristotelians, who put his questions
to nature instead of to the ancients, and who drew his conclusions
fearlessly.
Notes：
i. 文中出现的排比手法非常值得揣摩，并且每一点都是说明伽
利略的成功之处，语气上也显得极有气势；
ii. draw one's conclusion 做出结论
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3. He was the man who climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and
dropped various weights from the top, who rolled balls down inclined
planes, and then generalized the results of his many experiments into the
famous law of free fall.
Notes：
i. 继续前面的排比气势，在句式上继承前文，起到继续引起读
者注意，突出主题的作用。
ii. Leaning Tower of Pisa 比萨斜塔
    inclined planes   斜面
    law of free fall  自由落体定律
其实我们初中的时候学过一篇文章，两个铁球同时落地，呵
呵，当初还是全文背诵。
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4.But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of
the period, and particularly by a new consciousness of the
philosophical undercurrents in the scientific revolution, has profoundly
modified this view of Galileo.
Notes:
i. 第三段的TS。同时也是全文的TS,并没有完全的否定旧观点
，而是对于旧观点有条件的修正。
ii. 这个句子大家可以好好借鉴，用于修正自己前文的观点，
这在驳论文中是很好套用的。
    But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of
    the period, and particularly by a new consciousness of ...., has
    profoundly modified this view of ...
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5.But can we blame those who looked and failed to see what Galileo
saw,if we remember that to use a telescope at the limit of its powers
calls for long experience and intimate familiarity with one's instrument?
Notes:
i. use a telescope at the limit of its powers
     用望远镜的极限功率
ii. But can we blame those who ...., if we remember that to use sth at
the   limit of its powers calls for ...
   同样是值得大家好好揣摩的好句型。在让步的基础上提出一
个改进的观点，甚至使用设问句型，这样表达显得极为漂亮
。
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6.We can perhaps forgive those who said the moons of Jupiter were
produced by Galileo's spy-glass if we recall that in his day, as for
centuries before, curved glass was the popular contrivance for
producing not truth but illusion, untruth; and if a single curved glass
would distort nature, how much more would a pair of them?
Notes：
i. We can perhaps forgive those who said..., if we recall .....
这篇课文真是划算啊，又是一个经典句式，大家也可以好好
揣摩。
ii.本文最后一句最为经典，

何况一片曲面镜就可歪曲自然，那么伽利略的两片曲面镜对
自然的歪曲又该多大呢？

颇有《钱神论》中“有钱能使鬼，而况人乎！”之风骨^_^
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