《新概念英语》第四册 Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world? Surely progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest. Although mankind has undergone no general improvement in intelligence or morality, it has made extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge began to increase as soon as the thoughts of one individual could be communicated to another by means of speech. With the invention of writing, a great advance was made, for knowledge could then be not only communicated but also stored. Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing. All this was comparatively slow until, with the coming of science, the tempo was suddenly raised. Then knowledge began to be accumulated according to a systematic plan. The trickle became a stream; the stream has now become a torrent. Moreover, as soon as new knowledge is acquired, it is now turned to practical account. What is called 'modern civilization' is not the result of a balanced development of all man's nature. but of accumulated knowledge applied to practical life. The problem now facing humanity is: What is going to be done with all this knowledge? As is so often pointed out, knowledge is a two-edged weapon which can be used equally for good or evil. It is now being used indifferently for both. Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners ourselves very seriously what will happen if this twofold use of knowledge, with its ever-increasing power, continues.

G.N.M.TYRRELL The Personality of Man

New words and expressions

生词和短语

loom [luːm] v. 赫然耸起

A dark shape loomed up ahead of us.

一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。

manifest [ˈmænɪfest] adj.明显的

mani 手 + fest 仇恨 → 仇恨得用手打 →〔恨意〕显然的

His nervousness was manifest to all those present.

所有在场的人都看出了他很紧张。

morality[məˈræləti] n. 道德

moral + ity 名词后缀

moral [ˈmɔːrəl] adj.道德的;道义上的;道德上的;品行端正的;有道德的 n.

品行，道德(尤指性关系方面);寓意;教益

mor 道德 + al 形容词后缀 → 道德的

Standards of morality seem to be dropping.

道德标准似乎在下降。

communicate [kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt] v. 交流，交际

com 共同 + mun 公共的 + ic + ate 动词后缀→〔大家〕交谈；使大家知道 → 交流；通知

Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.

海豚用声音相互沟通。

compound [ˈkɑːmpaʊnd , kəmˈpaʊnd] adj. 复合的

com 共同 + pound 放，放置 → 都放到一起 → 化合物

Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.

普通食盐是钠和氯的化合物。

enhance [ɪnˈhæns] v. 增进

This is an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the company.

这是提高公司声誉的机会。

tempo [ˈtempoʊ] n. 速率

temp〔= tempor时间〕+ o 音乐术语及乐器名称 → 节拍；速度

the increasing tempo of life in Western society

西方社会日益加速的生活节奏

trickle [ˈtrɪkl] n. 涓涓细流

同源词：stricke

Tears were trickling down her cheeks.

眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。

torrent [ˈtɔːrənt] n. 滔滔洪流

After the winter rains, the stream becomes a raging torrent .

冬雨过后，溪流湍急。

humanity [hjuːˈmænəti] n. 人类

human + ity 名词后缀

human [ˈhjuːmən] n.人类;人 adj.人的;显示人类特有弱点的;人本性的;有人情味的;通人情的

词源：

关于人类的起源，全世界都有很多“泥土造人”的神话传说。比如，在中国神话中，人类是女娲用黄土捏成的。《圣经》上说，上帝用地上的尘土造人，将生气吹进他的鼻孔里，他就成了有生气的人，名字叫Adam，源自希伯来语adamah（地面）。在希腊神话中，人类是普罗米修斯用泥土造成的。英语中表示“人类”的单词human就与此类神话传说相关。很多人认为，human的前一部分来自拉丁语humus（泥土），表示“泥土所造的、地球上的生物”，与“神灵”相对。英语词根hum-也来自拉丁语humus（泥土），表示“泥土、潮湿”，含有该词根的单词有：humble（谦卑的）、humid（潮湿的）、inhume（埋葬）。

crimes against humanity

危害人类罪

indifferently adv. 不在乎地

indifferent + ly 副词后缀

indifferent [ɪnˈdɪfrənt] adj.漠不关心的;漠不关心;不感兴趣;不很好的;一般的

n.(对政治,宗教等)冷淡的人

in 否定+ different

different [ˈdɪfrənt] adj.不同的;有区别的;有差异的;分别的;各别的;各种的;不平常;与众不同;别致

differ 不同 + ent 形容词后缀 → 不同的

differ [ˈdɪfər] vi.相异;有区别;不同于;意见相左;持不同看法;不同意

dif 分开 + fer 带来，拿来 → 分开带 → 不同

grimly adv. 可怖地

grim + ly 副词后缀

grim [ɡrɪm] adj.严峻的;严肃的;坚定的;阴冷的;令人不快的;令人沮丧的;无吸引力的;阴森的;凄凉的

The city might be grim at first, but there is a vibrancy and excitement.

这座城市最初可能并不吸引人，但是它有一种生机和活力。

whimsical [ˈwɪmzɪkl] adj. 怪诞的

whimsy + ic + al 形容词后缀

whimsy [ˈwɪmzi] n.怪念头;古怪可笑的举动;吊儿郎当;随心所欲

whim [wɪm] n.心血来潮;一时的兴致;突发的奇想 vi.心血来潮地向往

Much of his writing has a whimsical quality.

他的大部分作品都很出奇。

shatter [ˈʃætər] v. 毁坏

scatter的变体。

He dropped the vase and it shattered into pieces on the floor.

他失手把花瓶掉到地板上摔碎了。

twofold [ˈtuːfoʊld] adj. 双重的

合成词：two + fold

Her original investment has increased twofold.

她原先的投资已经增加到两倍。

参考译文

为什么进步这个概念在现代世界显得如此突出？无疑是因为有一种特殊的进步实际上正在我们周围发生，而且变得越来越明显。虽然人类有智力和道德上没有得到普遍提高，但在知识积累方面却取得了巨大的进步。人一旦能用语言同别人交流思想，知识的积累便开始了。随着书写的发明，又迈进了一大步，因为这样一来，知识不仅能交流，而且能储存了。藏书使教育成为可能，而教育反过来又丰富了藏书，因为知识的增长遵循着一种“滚雪球”的规律。印刷术的发明又大大提高了知识增长的速度。所有这些发展都比较缓慢，而随着科学的到来，增长的速度才突然加快。于是，知识便开始有系统有计划地积累起来。涓涓细流汇成小溪，小溪现已变成了奔腾的江河。而且，新知识一旦获得，便得到实际应用。所谓“现代文明”并不是人的天性平衡发展的结果，而是积累起来的知识应用到实际生活中的结果。现在人类面临的问题是：用这些知识去做什么？正像人们常常指出的，知识是一把双刃刀，可以用于造福，也可以用来为害。人们现在正漫不经心地把知识用于这两个方面，例如：炮兵利用科学毁坏人的身体、而外科医生就在附近用科学抢救被炮兵毁坏的人体，还有什么情景比这更可怕、更怪诞的吗？我们不得不严肃地问问我们自己：随着日益增长的知识的力量，如果我们继续利用知识的这种双重性，将会发生什么样的情况呢？

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