The end of e-mail age
1 Email has had a good run as king of communications. But its reign is over.
电子邮件作为通信之王经历了飞速发展。不过它的统治时代已经终结。
2 In its place, a new generation of services is starting to take hold -- services like Twitter and Facebook and countless others vying for a piece of the new world. And just as email did more than a decade ago, this shift promises to profoundly rewrite the way we communicate -- in ways we can only begin to imagine.
新一代服务开始取而代之，比如Twitter、Facebook和其他无数争着想在新世界中分一杯羹的服务。如同10多年前电子邮件的出现一样，这一转变有望深刻地改写人们通信的方式──以我们刚刚能够开始想像得到的方式。
3 We all still use email, of course. But email was better suited to the way we used to use the Internet -- logging off and on, checking our messages in bursts. Now, we are always connected, whether we are sitting at a desk or on a mobile phone. The always-on connection, in turn, has created a host of new ways to communicate that are much faster than email, and more fun.
当然，我们仍会使用电子邮件。不过电子邮件更适合以往人们使用互联网的方式──隔三差五地登录、登出、查看信息。如今，我们总是联着网，无论我们是坐在桌子前还是用手机。这种总是联网的状态产生了一系列新的通信方式，比电子邮件要快的多，也有趣的多。
4 Why wait for a response to an email when you get a quicker answer over instant messaging? Thanks to Facebook, some questions can be answered without asking them. You don't need to ask a friend whether she has left work, if she has updated her public 'status' on the site telling the world so. Email, stuck in the era of attachments, seems boring compared to services like Google Wave, currently in test phase, which allows users to share photos by dragging and dropping them from a desktop into a Wave, and to enter comments in near real time.
如果你可以通过及时消息更快地得到答案，为什么还要等待电子邮件回复呢？由于Facebook的出现，有些问题不必问就已经知道答案了。如果一位朋友更新了Facebook上的公开状态，告诉全世界她已经下班了，你就无需再问她了。与目前处于测试阶段的谷歌Wave等服务相比，拖着“附件”的电子邮件看起来要枯燥得多。通过谷歌Wave，用户可以把照片从桌面拖放到Wave中，与别人分享照片，并输入评论。
5 Little wonder that while email continues to grow, other types of communication services are growing far faster. In August 2009, 276.9 million people used email across the U.S., several European countries, Australia and Brazil, according to Nielsen Co., up 21% from 229.2 million in August 2008. But the number of users on social-networking and other community sites jumped 31% to 301.5 million people. 难怪在电子邮件继续增长之际，其他类型的通信服务却在以更高的速度增长。据尼尔森(Nielsen Co.)的数据，2009年8月，美国、欧洲的几个国家、澳大利亚和
巴西有2.769亿电子邮件用户，较2008年8月的2.292亿增长了21%。而社交网站和其他社群网站的用户数量飙升了31%，至3.015亿。
6 So, how will these new tools change the way we communicate? Let's start with the most obvious: They make our interactions that much faster.
那么，这些新的工具将如何改变我们通信的方式？让我们先看看最一目了然的方面：它们使我们的交流互动更快了。
7 Years ago, we were frustrated if it took a few days for a letter to arrive. A couple of years ago, we'd complain about a half-hour delay in getting an email. Today, we gripe about it taking an extra few seconds for a text message to go through. In a few months, we may be complaining that our cellphones aren't automatically able to send messages to friends within a certain distance, letting them know we're nearby. (A number of services already do this.)
很多年前，如果信件要几天才能到达，我们会感到沮丧不已。几年前，如果电子邮件接收迟了半小时，我们就会抱怨连连。而今天，如果一条文字信息的传送多花了几秒钟的时间，我们就会发牢骚。几个月后，我们可能会抱怨自己的手机不能自动地向一定距离内的朋友发短信，让他们知道我们就在附近。（已经有很多服务提供这样的功能了。）
8 These new services also make communicating more frequent and informal -- more like a blog comment or a throwaway aside, rather than a crafted email sent to one person. No need to spend time writing a long email to your half-dozen closest friends about how your vacation went. Now those friends, if they're interested, can watch it unfold in real time online. Instead of sending a few emails a week to a handful of friends, you can send dozens of messages a day to hundreds of people who know you, or just barely do.
这些新的服务还会使通信更频繁和随意──更像是博客评论或随便说出的话，而不是发给一个人的精雕细琢的电子邮件。无需花费时间给你那几个最好的朋友写长长的电子邮件，谈论你的假期过的如何。如今，如果这些朋友感兴趣的话，他们可以实时地在网上了解你的度假生活。你不是每周向屈指可数的几个朋友发送几封电子邮件，而是可以每天向数百个认识你或和你半生不熟的人发送几十条消息。
9 Consider Twitter. The service allows users to send 140-character messages to people who have subscribed to see them, called followers. So instead of sending an email to friends announcing that you just got a new job, you can just tweet it for all the people who have chosen to 'follow' you to see. You can create links to particular users in messages by entering @ followed by their user name or send private 'direct messages' through the system by typing d and the user name.
你可以考虑用Twitter。这个服务使用户可以向注册阅读用户（即关注者，followers）发送140个字符的信息。因此，你不用向朋友发封电子邮件，宣布你刚刚找到了一份新工作，你只要向所有选择“关注(follow)”的人“推(tweet)”一下就可以了。你可以在信息中创建特殊用户链接，只要输入@再加上他们的用
户名，也可以通过输入“d”加用户名通过系统发送私人“直接消息”。
10 Facebook is part of the trend, too. Users post status updates that show up in their friends' 'streams.' They can also post links to content and comment on it. No in-box required.
Facebook也是这一趋势的一部分。用户可以更新状态，显示在朋友的“流”中。他们还可以发内容链接、对其进行评论。无需收件箱。
11 Dozens of other companies, from AOL and Yahoo Inc. to start-ups like Yammer Inc., are building products based on the same theme.
其他几十个企业都开始建立基于同样主题的产品，包括美国在线(AOL)、雅虎(Yahoo)和Yammer这样的初创企业。
12 David Liu, an executive at AOL, calls it replacing the in-box with 'a river that continues to flow as you dip into it.'
美国在线的一位高管David Liu说，收件箱的替代品好像是“在你踏入其中，一条仍继续流淌的河”。
13 But the speed and ease of communication cut both ways. While making communication more frequent, they can also make it less personal and intimate. Communicating is becoming so easy that the recipient knows how little time and thought was required of the sender. Yes, your half-dozen closest friends can read your vacation updates. But so can your 500 other 'friends.' And if you know all these people are reading your updates, you might say a lot less than you would otherwise.
不过，通信的速度和舒适性也是双刃剑。尽管可以使通信变得更频繁，却也可能使它变得更缺乏私密性。通信开始变得如此简单，收件人知道发件人只需很少的时间和思考。不错，你那几个最好的朋友可以阅读你的度假情况。不过你的其他500个“朋友”也可以。如果你知道所有这些人都在阅读你的更新，你可能就不会说那么多了。
14 Another obvious downside to the constant stream: It's a constant stream.
持续不断流动的信息有着另外一个显而易见的不利因素：它是持续不断的
15 That can make it harder to determine the importance of various messages. When people can more easily fire off all sorts of messages -- from updates about their breakfast to questions about the evening's plans -- being able to figure out which messages are truly important, or even which warrant a response, can be difficult. Information overload can lead some people to tune out messages altogether.
这可能会加大判断各种信息重要性的难度。当人们可以更容易地发送从早餐到夜生活计划的各种各样的信息时，能够判断出哪些信息是确实重要的，或哪些需要回复，都不是轻而易举的事。过量的信息可能会导致一些人干脆对全部信息都置之不理。
16 Such noise makes us even more dependent on technology to help us
communicate. Without software to help filter and organize based on factors we deem relevant, we'd drown in the deluge.
这样的“噪声”使我们更加依赖于技术来帮助交流。如果没有软件帮助我们根据我们认为相关的因素对信息进行过滤和组织，我们就会淹没在海量的信息中。
17 Perhaps the biggest change that these email successors bring is more of a public profile for users. In the email world, you are your name followed by a 'dot-com.' That's it. In the new messaging world, you have a higher profile, packed with data you want to share and possibly some you don't.
或许电子邮件的这些接班人带来的最大变化是用户的公开信息增多。在电子邮件的世界里，你就是你的名字加上“.com”。仅此而已。在新的通信世界里，你的个人信息增多了，充满你希望与人分享的数据，可能还有一些你不希望与人分享的信息。
18 Such a public profile has its pluses and minuses. It can draw the people communicating closer, allowing them to exchange not only text but also all sorts of personal information, even facial cues. You know a lot about the person you are talking to, even before you've ever exchanged a single word.
这样的公开信息有利也有弊。它可以让人们更近地交流，使他们不仅可以交流文字，还有各种各样的个人信息，甚至是面部表情。你会通过互联网非常了解和你对话的人，甚至是在你们真正开口说第一个字之前
研究生英语系列教材上unit1-原文+翻译
TRAITS OF THE KEY PLAYERS 核心员工的特征 What exactly is a key play？ 核心员工究竟是什么样子的? A “Key Player” is a phrase that I've heard about from employers during just about every search I've conducted. 几乎每次进行调查时，我都会从雇主们那里听到“核心员工”这个名词。 I asked a client —a hiring manager involved in recent search — to define it for me. 我请一位客户——一位正参与研究的人事部经理，给我解释一下。 “Every company has a handful of staff in a given area of expertise that you can count on to get the job done. “每家公司都有少数几个这样的员工，在某个专业领域，你可以指望他们把活儿干好。 On my team of seven process engineers and biologists, I've got two or three whom I just couldn't live without,” he said. 在我的小组中，有七名化工流程工程师和生物学
家，其中有那么两三个人是我赖以生存的，”他说， “Key players are essential to my organization. “他们对我的公司而言不可或缺。 And when we hire your company to recruit for us, we expect that you'll be going into other companies and finding just: 当请你们公司替我们招募新人的时候，我们期待你们会去其他公司找这样的人： the staff that another manager will not want to see leave. 其他公司经理不想失去的员工。 We recruit only key players.” 我们只招募核心员工。” This in part of pep talk intended to send headhunters into competitor's companies to talk to the most experienced staff about making a change. 这是一段充满了鼓动性的谈话，目的是把猎头们派往竞争对手的公司去游说经验丰富的员工们做一次职业变更。
Text1 Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not ch In but habit rules the unreflecting herd,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative connotation. So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. 习惯是件有趣的事情。我们无意识间养成了一些习惯，我们的大脑是自动运 转的，轻松进入熟知套路所带来的不自觉舒适状态。“这并非选择，而是习惯控 制了那些没有思想的人”，这是威廉?华兹华斯（William Wordsworth）19世纪时 说的话。在现在这个日新月异的21世纪，甚至习惯这个词本身也带有负面涵义。 因此，在创造和革新的背景下来谈论习惯，似乎显得有点矛盾。 But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks. But don’t bother trying to kil off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads. 但大脑研究人员发现，当我们有意识地培养新的习惯的时候，我们创建了平 行路径，甚至是全新的脑细胞，可以让我们的思路跳转到新的创新轨道上来。但 是，不必费心试图摈弃各种旧习惯；一旦这些程序惯例融进大脑，它们就会留在 那里。相反，我们刻意培养的新习惯会创建平行路径能避开原来那些老路。 “The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says D Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as decide is to kill off president calls himself ‘the Decider.’” She adds, however, that “to all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.” 大学英语
1 While some studies have suggested that frequent use of cell phones causes increased risk of brain and mouth cancers, others have found no such links. But since cell phones are relatively new and brain cancers grow slowly, many experts are now recommending taking steps to reduce exposure. by bruce stutz 一些研究显示，经常使用手机会增加得脑部和口腔癌症的几率。有的研究却没发现两者之间有什么联系。但是，手机算是个新兴事物，而脑癌发展也缓慢，许多专家还是建议减少使用手机。 2 Does your cell phone increase your risk of brain cancer? Does it affect your skin or your sperm viability? Is it safe for pregnant women or children? Should you keep it in your bag, on your belt, in your pants or shirt pocket? Should you use a hands-free headset? Are present cell phone safety standards strict enough? 手机会增加得脑癌的几率吗？会不会影响皮肤或者精子活性？使用手机对孕妇或孩子安全吗？应该把手机放在哪，包里、衣服口袋，还是挂在腰带上？打电话的时候要用耳机吗？现在的手机安全标准够不够严？ 3 You don’t know? You’re not alone. 你不知道？这很正常。 4 With some 4 to 5 billion cell phones now in use worldwide and hundreds of studies seeking evidence of their health effects published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 10 years, there’s precious little scientific certainty over whether cell phones pose any danger to those using them. For nearly every study that reports an effect, another, just as carefully conducted, finds none. All of which leaves journalists, consumer advocates, regulatory agencies, politicians, industry spokespersons, and cell phone users able to choose and interpret the results they prefer, or ignore the ones they don’t. 如今，全世界共有40-50亿手机正在使用。过去十年里，成百上千的研究也在致力于寻找手机影响健康的证据，并在相关刊物上发表论文。但还没有确凿的证据能证明，使用手机损害健康。几乎没有研究发现手机对健康有不良影响。但这还是没影响到政治家、新闻记者、管理机构、产业发言人、消费者保护团体，还有消费者自己，选择他们喜好的结果去理解，忽略不喜欢的那些。 5 Do you, for instance, cite the studies that report adverse effects on sperm viability and motility, due to exposure to cell phone radiation or the studies that showed no —or mixed —results? 6 Do you cite the 2001 study that found increased incidence of uveal melanoma (a cancer of the eye) among frequent cell phone users, or the 2009 study by the same authors that, in reassessing their data, found no increase? 2001年的研究显示，常用手机的人患葡萄膜黑色素瘤（一种眼内癌症）几率会增大。2009年这些研究员又发表报告称，他们再分析当年的数据时，又不能确
human creations, language may be the most remarkable. Through language we share experience, values, exchange ideas, transmit knowledge, and sustain culture. Indeed, language is vital to sense of reality by giving meaning to events. 在人类所有的创造中，语言也许是影响最为深远的。我们用语言来分享经验，表达(传递？)价值观，交换想法，传播知识，传承文化。事实上，对语言本身的思考也是至关重要的。和通常所认为的不同的是，语言并不只是简单地反映现实，语言在具体描述事件的时候也在帮助我们建立对现实的感知。——语序的调整。 Good speakers have respect for language and know how it works. Words are the tools of a speaker?s craft. They have special uses, just like the tools of any other profession. As a speaker, you should be aware of the meaning of words and know how to use language accurately, clearly,vividly,and appropriately. 好的演讲者对语言很重视，也知道如何让它发挥更好的效果。词语是演讲者演讲的重要“武器”，具有特殊的用途，这和任何其他的工作技艺没什么两样。作为演讲者，必须知道词语的具体含义，也要懂得如何做到用词准确、清晰、生动、适当。 Using language accurately is as vital to a speaker as using numbers accurately to a accountant. Never use a word unless you are sure of its meaning. If you are not sure, look up the word in the dictionary. As you prepare your speeches, ask yourself constantly, “What do I really want to say? What do I really mean?” Choose words that are precise and accurate. 演讲者准确地使用语言和会计准确使用数字是一样重要的。确定词意后再措词。如果不确定，请先查词典。当你在准备演讲的时候，要不断地问自己：“我到底要说什么？我到底想表达什么意思？”用词一定要精准。 Using language clearly allows listeners to grasp your meaning immediately. You can ensure this [by using familiar words （that are known to the average person and require no specialized background）; by choosing concrete words in preference to more abstract ones, and by eliminating verbal clutter]. 用词清晰可以让听众迅速理解你的意思（抓到你的点）。要做到这一点，就要尽量使用一般人都熟悉的不需要专业知识就能懂的词语；多用具象词汇少用抽象词汇；还有要减少口误。 Using language vividly helps bring your speech to life. One way (to make your speech vivid)|is through imagery，or the creation of word pictures. You can develop imagery by using concrete language, simile, and metaphor. Simile is an explicit comparison between things （that are essentially different yet have something in common）; it always contains the words “like”or “as”. Metaphor is an impli cit comparison between things that are different yet have something in common; it does not contain the words “like” or “as”. 生动地用词能让演讲鲜活起来！比喻，这种能产生文字图像的修辞，可以使演讲达到生动的效果。比喻要用具象的语言，分为明喻和隐喻。 明喻是指在本质上有区别但仍然有相同点的事物之间做一个明确的比较，一般句中会含有“像”或“似”。隐喻则是一种隐藏的比较，不会出现like 和as 这些连接词。 Another way to make your speeches vivid is by exploiting the rhythm of language. Four devices for creating rhythm are parallelism, repetition, alliteration, and antithesis. Parallelism is the similar arrangement of a pair or series of related words, phrases, or sentences. Repetition is the use of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences. Alliteration comes from repeating the initial constant sounds of close or adjoining words. Antithesis is the juxtaposition of
研究生英语系列教材综合教程(上)课文翻译 Unit 1 核心员工的特征 1核心员工究竟是什么样子的?几乎每次进行调查时，我都会从雇主们那里听到“核心员工”这个名词。我请一位客户——一位正参与研究的人事部经理，给我解释一下。“每家公司都有少数几个这样的员工，在某个专业领域，你可以指望他们把活儿干好。在我的小组中，有七名化工流程工程师和生物学家，其中有那么两三个人是我赖以生存的，”他说，“他们对我的公司而言不可或缺。当请你们公司替我们招募新人的时候，我们期待你们会去其他公司找这样的人：其他公司经理不想失去的员工。我们只招募核心员工。” 2这是一段充满了鼓动性的谈话，目的是把猎头们派往竞争对手的公司去游说经验丰富的员工们做一次职业变更。他们想从另一家公司招募核心员工。然而，每家公司也从新人中招人。他们要寻找的是完全一样的东西。“我们把他们和公司顶级员工表现出的特质进行对照。假如他们看起来有同样特征的话，我们就在他们身上赌一把。”只是这样有点儿冒险。 3“这是一种有根据的猜测，”我的人事经理客户说。作为未来的一名员工，你的工作是帮助人事部经理降低这种风险，你需要帮助他们认定你有潜力成为一名核心员工。 4特征1：无私的合作者 职业顾问和化学家约翰·费策尔最早提出了这个特征。关于这个特征，人们已经写了大量的文章。它之所以值得被反复谈及，是因为这一特征是学术界和企业间最明显的差别。“这里需要合作，”费策尔说，“企业的环境并不需要单打独斗，争强好胜，所以表现出合作和无私精神的员工就脱颖而出了。在企业环境中，没有这样的思维方式就不可能成功。” 5许多博士后和研究生在进行这种过渡的过程中表现得相当费力。因为生命中有那么长一段时间他们都在扮演一个独立研究者的角色，并且要表现得比其他年轻的优秀人才更出色。你可以藉此提高在公司的吸引力：为追求一个共同的目标和来自其他实验室和学科的科学家们合作——并且为你的个人履历上的内容提供事迹证明。这个方法，加上你在描述业绩时开明地使用代词“我们”，而不是“我”，能使公司对你的看法从“单干户”转变成“合作者”。更为有利的是，要在你实验室内部，以及在和你们实验室合作的人们之间，培养一个良好声誉：一个鼓励并发动合作的人——还要保证让那些会接听调查电话的人们谈及你的这个品质。 6特征2：紧迫感 唐-豪特是一位给aaas.sciencecareers@org 网站论坛频繁写稿的撰稿人。他之前是一名科学家。许多年前他转向了企业，并一直做到高级管理的职位。他在3M公司一个部门负责策略和商业开发工作，这个部门每年上缴的税收高达24亿多美元。他就是一个重视紧迫感的人。 7“一年365天，一周7天，一天24小时，生意始终在进行，那意味着一年365天，一周7天，一天24小时，竞争也同样在进行，”豪特说，“公司取胜的方法之一就是要更快地到达‘目的地’。这就是说，你不仅要把所有能支持公司快速运转的功能都调动起来，而且还得知道如何决定‘目的地’是哪里。这样，不仅对那些行动快速的人们，也对那些思维敏捷，并有勇气按自己的想法行事的人们都提出了要求。这需要全公司各部门的运作，而不仅仅是管理部门的工作。” 8特征3：风险容忍度 企业要求员工能承受风险。“一名求职者需要表现出仅凭不准确、不完整的信息就做出决策的能力。他或她必须能接纳不确定因素并冒着风险做出结论，”一位客户在职业描述中写道。 9豪特赞同这一说法。“商业成功通常有这样一个特质：那就是能接受不确定因素和风险——个人的，组织上的和财务上的。这就让许多科学家感到不适应，因为学术上的成功其实是依靠认真而严谨的研究。更进一步说，伟大的科学常常是由找寻答案的过程和答案本身两者同时来定义的。因此科学家们往往沉迷于过程。在企业里，你需要了解过程，但最终你会迷上答案，然后根据你认为该答案对你的企业所具有的意义来冒风险。像这样敢冒风险是一套技能组合，是所有雇主在他们最好的员工身上所寻找的东西。” 10风险容忍度的另外一个要点是求职者对失败的承受度。失败很重要，因为这表示你不怕冒险。所以各家公司总会寻找有可能犯错误并敢于承认错误的求职者。大家都知道如何谈论成功——或者当他们在寻找工作的时候应该知道。但很少有人乐意谈论失败，更少有人知道如何从失败的边缘吸取教训和获得经验。“对我的企业来说，求职者需要坦然地谈论他或她的失败，而且他或她需要有真正的失败经历，而不是特意为面试而杜撰的东西。如果做不到的话，那么这个人冒的风险还不够，”豪特说。 11特征4：善于处理人际关系 瑞克·李奇在迪科德遗传工程公司从事业务拓展。李奇最近才转行到企业，做业务方面的工作。我向他咨询这个重要特征，是因为在他的新业务角色中，人际沟通能力在成功和失败之间发挥着很大的作用。“科学家毕生都在积累知识，培养技术上的敏锐感，”他说，“但为企业工作需要完全不同的东西——人际交往的能力。想转行到企业界的科学家们必须优先考虑他们的社会关系资源而不是技术资源。对一个以前一直根据专业知识水平被评价的人来说，突然之间要根据他的人际交往能力来评价他，真是十分令人恐惧。” 12然而，如果认为只有像李奇那样的生意人才需要熟练的人际沟通技巧，那就错了。事实上，我所遇见的在企业工作的核心费工们之所以取得成功，很大程度上是因为他们能够与公司上下各种各样的人共事。 Unit 4 爱和情感连系 1爱，对于人类的生存是不可或缺的。它既是一种情感，又是一种行为。家庭通常是我们最早和最重要的爱和
Unit 1 Genetically modified foods -- Feed the World? If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic of genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions -- and vocal green lobbies -- the idea seems against nature. 如果你想在某次晚宴上挑起一场激烈的争论，那就提出转基因食品的话题吧。对许多人来说，高科技的转基因作物生产的概念会带来诸如环境、健康、安全和伦理等方面的各种问题。特别是在有悠久的农业生产传统和主张环保的游说集团的国家里，转基因食品的主意似乎有悖自然。 In fact, genetically modified foods are already very much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the US last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the US this year. The genetic is out of the bottle. 事实上，转基因食品已经成为我们生活重要的一部分。根据农业部的统计，美国去年所种植玉米的1／3，大豆和棉花的一半以上都是生物技术的产物。今年，美国将种植6500多万英亩的转基因作物。基因妖怪已经从瓶子里跑出来了。 Yet there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from -- and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks? 但是，显然还有一些非常现实的问题需要解决。就像任何一种要进入食物链的新食品一样，转基因食品必须经过严格的检验。在富裕的国家里，由于有大量丰富的食品可供选择，而且供应远远超过需求，所以关于生物技术的争论相对缓和一些。在迫切想要养活其迅速增长而又吃不饱的人口的发展中国家，问题比较简单，也更加紧迫：生物技术的好处是否大于风险呢? The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has
Why We're Fat 1 So why is obesity happening? The obvious, clichéd-but-true answer is that we eat too much high-calorie food and don't burn it off with enough exercise. If only we had more willpower, the problem would go away. But it isn't that easy. 为什么会有肥胖症？一个明显、老生常谈但又真实的答案就是我们吃太多高热量食物并且没有进行足够的运动消耗它。要是我们的意志力更强大，这个问题便迎刃而解了。但是，问题并不是那么简单。 2 When warned about the dangers of overeating, we get briefly spooked and try to do better. Then we're offered a plateful of pancakes smothered in maple syrup, our appetite overpowers our reason, and before we know it, we're at it again. Just why is appetite such a powerful driver of behavior, and, more important, how can we tame it? 当我们被警告说吃得太多的时候，一时总会被吓倒并努力做好一些。然后一碟涂满槭糖浆的煎饼摆在面前，我们的食欲战胜了我们的理智，等到我们意识到它的时候，我们又重蹈覆辙了。到底为什么食欲具有如此强大的推动力？更重要的是，我们怎么才能够控制它？ 3 Within the past few years, science has linked our ravenous appetites to genes and hormones. Among the hormones that fuel these urges are ghrelin and leptin, known as the "hunger hormones." Ghrelin is produced mostly by cells in the stomach lining. Its job is to make you feel hungry by affecting the hypothalamus, which governs metabolism. Ghrelin levels rise in dieters who lose weight and then try to keep it off. It's almost as if their bodies are trying to regain the lost fat. This is one reason why it's hard to lose weight and maintain the loss. 近几年来，科学将我们迫不及待要吃的食欲跟基因和激素联系起来。激起这些强烈的欲望的激素有胃促生长素和消瘦素，也被称作“饥饿激素”。胃促生长素主要由胃保护层的细胞产生。它的职责是影响控制新陈代谢的下丘脑，让你感到饥饿。当节食者减肥并且努力维持减肥效果，他的胃促生长素水平就会升高。就像他们的身体要试图恢复失去的脂肪。这是为什么很难减肥并维持减肥效果的原因之一。 4 Leptin turns your appetite off and is made by fat cells. Low leptin levels increase your appetite and signal your body to store more fat. High leptin levels relay the opposite signal. Many obese people have developed a resistance to the appetite-suppressing effects of leptin and never feel satisfied, no matter how much they eat. Basically, your body uses these hormones to help you stay at your weight and keep you from losing fat —which is another reason why dieting can be so difficult. 消瘦素消除你的食欲，它来自脂肪细胞。低消瘦素水平增加你的食欲并通知你的身体储存更多的脂肪。高消瘦素水平传递相反的信号。很多肥胖的人已经形成了一种对消瘦素抑制食欲效应的抵抗，不管他们吃多少也从不感到满足。从根本上说，你的身体利用这些激素帮助你保持现在的体重，不让你的脂肪流走——这是节食如此之难的另外一个原因。
Presenting a speech （做演讲） Of all human creations, language may be the most remarkable. Through 在人类所有的创造中，语言也许是影响最为深远的。我们用语言 language we share experience, formulate values, exchange ideas, transmit 来分享经验，表达(传递？)价值观，交换想法，传播知识， knowledge, and sustain culture. Indeed, language is vital to think itself. 传承文化。事实上，对语言本身的思考也是至关重要的。[Contrary to popular belief], language | does not simply mirror reality but also helps to create our sense of reality [by giving meaning to events]. 和通常所认为的不同的是，语言并不只是简单地反映现实，语言在 具体描述事件的时候也在帮助我们建立对现实的感知。 ——语序的调整。 Good speakers have respect for language and know how it works. Words are the tools of a speaker’s craft. They have special uses, just like the tools of any other profession. As a speaker, you should be aware of the meaning of words and know how to use language accurately, clearly,vividly,and appropriately. 好的演讲者对语言很重视，也知道如何让它发挥更好的效果。词语是演讲者演讲的重要“武器”，具有特殊的用途，这和任何其他的工作技艺没什么两样。作为演讲者，必须知道词语的具体含义，也要懂得如何做到用词准确、清晰、生动、适当。 Using language accurately is as vital to a speaker as using numbers accurately to a accountant. Never use a word unless you are sure of its meaning. If you are not sure, look up the word in the dictionary. As you prepare your speeches, ask yourself constantly, “What do I really want to say? What do I really mean?”Choose words that are precise and accurate. 演讲者准确地使用语言和会计准确使用数字是一样重要的。确定词意后再措词。如果不确定，请先查词典。当你在准备演讲的时候，要不断地问自己：“我到底要说什么？我到底想表达什么意思？”用词一定要精准。 Using language clearly allows listeners to grasp your meaning immediately. You can ensure this [by using familiar words （that are known to the average person and require no specialized background）; by choosing concrete words in preference to more abstract ones, and by eliminating verbal clutter]. 用词清晰可以让听众迅速理解你的意思（抓到你的点）。要做到这一点，就要尽量使用一般人都熟悉的不需要专业知识就能懂的词语；多用具象词汇少用抽象词汇；还有要减少口误。 Using language vividly helps bring your speech to life. One way (to make your speech vivid)|is through imagery，or the creation of word pictures. You can develop imagery by using concrete language, simile, and metaphor. Simile is an explicit comparison between things （that are essentially different yet have something in common）; it always contains the words “like”or “as”. Metaphor is an implicit
Unit One 旅行通用语 1 数十年来，法兰西语言研究院一直捍卫着法语的尊严。几年前，由于法国人对英语词汇的入侵非常敏感，该机构颁布了净化法语的法律，其内容甚至涉及专业术语。就拿波音747 (Boeing747)来说吧，现在法国人必须用法语词gros-porteur；表示出租的leasing也变成了credit-bail。此类例子不胜枚举，触及生活的方方面面。法国总统希拉克很可能会继续加大力度，直至连英特网internet和字节流(信息组)byte stream之类的词也找到相应的法语新词。哎，真不知未来的法语会变成什么样。 2 不幸的是(或许并非不幸)，英语没有受到如此的保护。在美国，随处可见严重偏离英国标准英语的美式英语。“honour”普遍被写成“honor”，“night”也变成了“nite”。许多词意广为人知的英式英语单词被赋予新的解释，交流也变得有些困难。比如说，汽车的行李箱“boot”变成了“trunk”(一个在英国指代树干的单词)；引擎盖“bonnet”变成了“hood”(英式英语中的风帽)；老式婴儿尿布“nappy”变成了“diaper”(英式英语中的菱格花纹织物)；婴儿小外套“matineejacket”也变成了“vest”(英国的内衣汗衫)。显而易见，两国英语曾同出一源，而如今却将两国彼此隔离。当然了，按美国人的观点，是英国人的语言表达出了问题。 3 实际使用中，甚至还有更糟的英语呢!只要你在外国旅游并注意一下菜单、海报、旅店、甚至当地日常生活中的英语，就可以证明过去的标准用语在这些地方已变得不伦不类，让我详例如下： 4 旅行作家波洛?菲利浦曾不惜笔墨地渲染自己的几番经历，我觉得该有更多的读者了解一下。他提及某份荷兰的灯泡目录，上面对用户承诺有“a speedy execution’——快速处死(毫无疑问，想表达的应是“送货及时”)。此外，东柏林的一个衣帽间告示要求客人“please hang yourself here”——请在这儿吊死自己(本想说的是“将衣帽挂在这儿”)。只希望没人会真的从字面上去理解。 5 我还可以补充一些多年周游世界时的亲身经历。例如，奥斯坦德的一家精品店正在宣扬其货品立意新颖，却用了“revolting new ideas”，即“令人作呕的立意”。孟买的几家糕饼屋也鼓吹自己是“No.1 loafers”，目口头号游手好闲者，可是其本意是要宣称自己的糕饼全市第一。 6 我并不知道基督教影响如此之广，直到我在香港看到一位牙医的宣传：“我们由最新的循道宗信徒拔牙”，这儿的“Methodists”(循道宗信徒)显然应改为“methods”，即“方法”。 7 恐怕没人能确定这些误用实际上是体现了英语的普及还是仅仅反映了局限于地方的习惯用法。但可以确定的是，海法医学会绝对应该阻止其会员挂这样的铜招牌：“妇女及其它疾病的专家”。 8 看来旅店对多语种告示颇为青睐，希望它们会有利于人们更好地使用现代化设施。没有它们，旅店就会显得沉闷而缺乏效率。然而，在布鲁塞尔的一家旅店中，这条电梯告示只会令毫无防范的房客更愿意爬楼梯：“使用电梯时，请按要去楼层的按钮。若更多人进入电梯，请分别按各自要去楼层的按钮。电梯会按楼层的字母顺序，依次送客。没复位的按钮显示着接收到的要去楼层的指令”。伊斯坦布尔的一则旅店告示则没这么复杂：“想要客房服务时，请开门喊叫‘客房服务’”。至少那儿的客人不用对付也许经常失灵的电子设备。 9 在土耳其，人们对于“直言不讳”的喜爱在一个已远近闻名的安卡拉导游册中得到了充分体现。导游册这样招揽顾客：“来我们餐馆吧，你会在欧洲救护车中享用中东风味美食”(显然这儿的救护车“ambulance”应为氛围“ambience”)。而另一家瑞士餐馆的菜单也同样吸引人：“我们的葡萄酒绝人他念”。(“our wines leave nothing to hope for'’一语双关，可本意显然是“我们的葡萄酒美味绝伦”)。 10在东欧，奥匈帝国时期的老牌大旅馆从未放弃过礼节。一则旅馆房间告示上写着“诚邀尊贵的客人在12点到14点之间占客房女服务员的便宜”(take advantage of t he chambermaids)。然而，这可能造成意外的交通阻塞。最近的一次莫斯科画展也未必能让偶尔光顾者欣然前往，根据其告示，“画展将展出俄罗斯艺术家的300幅作品，他们中的大部分人在过去十年中已被处死了”。 11 曼谷一家洗衣房的广告词邀请来访的顾客“留下你的衣服，尽情享受吧!”就像是鼓励人们在这座远东娱乐首府干些出格之事。