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1DisappearingThroughTheSkylights从天窗消失ObsorneBennetHardisonJr.StyleThisisapieceofscientificexpositorywriting.Thoughthereareseveralscientificandtechnicalterms,mostsentencesareshortandtothepoint,andthesimplepresenttenseisusedtoexpressuniversalstatements.Throughout,theauthorusesclear,concise,objectiveandlogicaldescriptions,especiallyinthetopic-centredparagraphs.Inordertoreachawideraudience,nonscientistsandscientistsalike,heintroducesabroadersubject-“thecultureweinhabit”.Thewriteremploysfigurativelanguagefreelysuchasmetaphors,analogies,rhetoricalquestions,repetitionandbalancedstructure,etc.,togainvividnessandforcefulness.Wordsandphrases1mutation2imperative3insubstantiality4thingliness5self-squared6becommittedto7beassociatedwith8geneticmutation9asthecorollaryof10uniquetosb.11cylinderblock12comeupwith13anothernameforlimitations14inthefullnessoftime15ordersofreality16thethinglinessofthings17imperativeoftechnology18bringsbtosth19reminisceon20oweittosbtodosth21turnone’sbackonsb22beconsistentwith23empitiedofhistory24fromamiddledistance25bycorollary26surroundwith27assertivenessofoiltankers28inthespiritofplay29airymedium30aboundin31juxtapositionofarchitecturalstylePartone(1-6)Thisexpoundsthefirsttwotopics:”scienceiscommittedtotheuniversal”and“thedisappearanceofhistory”,andillustratestheconceptswithexamplesfromscienceandtechnology,citingespeciallytheautomobile,andarchitecture.1Scienceiscommittedtotheuniversal.Asignofthisisthatthemoresuccessfulasciencebecomes,thebroadertheargumentaboutitsbasicconcepts:thereisnotaseparateChineseorAmericanorSovietthermodynamics,forexample;thereissimplythermdynamics.Forseveraldecadesofthe20th2centurytherewasaWesternandaSovietgenetics,thelatterassociatedwithLysenko’stheorythatenvironmentalstresscanproducegeneticmutations.TodayLysenko’stheoryisdiscredited,andthereisnowonlyonegenetics.IV.1.Scienceisengagedinthetaskofmakingitsbasicconceptsunderstoodandacceptedbyscientistsallovertheworld.科学具有普遍性，一致性。一门科学越发达，其基本概念就越能让人接受-这就是表现。比如说，世界上只有一种热力学，并不存在独立的中国学派，美国学派或苏联学派热力学。在20世纪的几十年中，遗传学曾分为西方学派和苏联学派两种，后者源于李森科的理论，即环境应力能造成遗传基因变异。今天，李森科的理论已被推翻，因而世界上只剩下一种遗传学了。2Asthecorollaryofscience,technologyalsoexhibitstheuniversalizingtendency.Thisiswhythespreadoftechnologymakestheworldlookevermorehomogeneous.Architecturalstyles,dressstyles,musicalstyles-eveneatingstyles-tendincreasinglytobeworldstyles.Theworldlooksmorehomogeneousbecauseitismorehomogeneous.Childrenwhogrowupinthisworldthereforeexperienceitasasamenessratherthanadiversity,andbecausetheiridentitiesareshapedbythissameness,theirsenseofdifferencesamongculturesandindividualsdiminishes.Asbuildingsbecomemorealike,thepeoplewhoinhabitthebuildingsbecomemorealike.Theresultisdescribedpreciselyinaphrasethatisalreadyfamiliar:thedisappearanceofhistory.作为科学的必然产物，技术也显示出普遍一致性的趋势。这正是技术普及使得世界显得愈加趋同的原因。建筑风格，服饰风格，音乐风格-甚至饮食风格-都越来越趋向于统一的世界风格。世界显得愈加趋同是因为它本身就越来越具有同一性。因此，在这个世界长大的儿童体验到的是千篇一律的世界，而不是异彩纷呈的世界。由于他们的个性也受到这种同一性的影响，所以他们感受不同文化和不同个体的能力也在减弱。由于建筑越来越千篇一律，这些建筑里的居民也越来越千人一面。这样的结果用人们一句耳熟能详的短语来概括最恰当不过：历史的消失。3Theautomobileillustratesthepointwithgreatclarity.Atechnologicalinnovationlikestreamliningorall-weldedbodyconstructionmayberejectedinitiallybutifitisimportanttotheefficiencyoreconomicofautomobiles,itwillreappearindifferentwaysuntilitisnotonlyacceptablebutuniversallyregardedasanasset.Today’sautomobileisnolongeruniquetoagivencompanyoreventoagivennationalculture.Itsbasicfeaturesarefound,withvariations,inautombilesingeneral,nomatterwhomakesthem.汽车的历史非常清楚的说明了这一点。诸如流线型或全焊式车身的技术创新，开始人们排斥，但如若这种创新的却能够提高汽车制造业的效率和经济效益，它就会改头换面，以不同的形式不断再次出现，直到最终人们不仅接受它，还3公认它是宝贵的财富。今天的汽车不再是某公司或某民族文化所独有的特征。汽车，不论产自何处，其基本特征和差别都大同小异。4AfewyearsagotheFordMotorCompanycameupwiththeFiesta,whichitcalledthethe“WorldCar”.Advertisementsshoweditsurroundedbytheflagsofallnations.FordexplainsthatthecylinderblockwasmadeinEngland,thecarburetorinIreland,thetransmissioninFrance,thewheelsinBelgium,andsoforth.几年前，福特汽车公司推出一款所谓“世界流行车”的菲爱斯塔牌汽车。在广告上，各国国旗簇拥着这款车。福特公司解释说，这种车的气缸套产于英国，化油器产于爱尔兰，变速器产于法国，轮胎产于比利时，等等。5TheFiestaappearstohavesunkwithoutatrace.Buttheideaofaworldcarwasinevitable.ItwastheautomotiveequivalentoftheInternationalStyle.TenyearsaftertheFiesta,allofthelargeautomakerswereinternational.AmericanshadplantsinEurope,AsiaandSouthAmerica,andEuropeansandJapanesehadplantsinAmericaandSouthAmerica,andintheSovietUnion(FiatworkersrefreshedthemselveswithPepsi-Cola).InthefullnessoftimeinternationalautomakerswillhaveplantsinEgyptandIndiaandthePeople’sRepublicofChina.2.Thecarmodel,calledFiesta,seemstohavedisappearedcompletely.3.Theideaofaworldcarissimilartotheideaofhavingaworldstyleforarchitecture./AsarchitecturewasmovingtowardacommonInternationalStyle,itwasnaturalfortheautomobiletodothesame.这种菲爱斯塔牌汽车现在看来已经销声匿迹了，但制造世界流行车的设想却势在必行。汽车业也想建筑业一样着朝着国际流行风格的方向发展。菲爱斯塔牌车诞生十年后，所有大型汽车公司都已国际化。美国人在欧亚，南美都设了汽车分厂，而欧洲人和日本人在美国，南美洲和苏联也设立了汽车分厂（菲亚特汽车公司的工人在那儿喝百事可乐解渴）。等时机成熟时，跨国汽车制造商也会将汽车分厂设在埃及，印度和中华人民共和国。6Asinarchitecture,soinautomaking.Inagivencostrange,thesametechnologytendstoproducethesamesolutions.Thevisualevidenceforthisisasobviousforcarsasforbuildings.Today,ifyouc