新标准大学英语(第二版)综合教程2 Unit 6 B篇练习答案及课文翻译

ContentsActiveReading2Workingroupsanddiscussthequestions:1.Howmanybranchesofsciencecanyouthinkof?anatomy:studyingthebodyastronomy:studyingspacebiochemistry:studyingchemicalprocessesbotany:studyingplantschemicalengineering:studyingchemicalsubstancescosmology:studyingtheuniverseWarmingUpecology:studyingorganismsandtheirenvironmentgenetics:studyinggenesandvariationmeteorology:studyingweathermicrobiology:studyingvirusesetcnutrition:studyingfoodoceanography:studyingtheseaspharmacology:studyingmedicaldrugsradiology:studyingradiantenergysuchasX-raysWarmingUpWarmingUp2.Wheredidyoulearnmostaboutscience?3.Howmuchdoyourememberaboutyoursciencelessonsatschool?4.Whowasyourbestscienceteacher?Whydoyourememberhim/her?5.Canyourememberanylessoninparticular?6.Whatwouldyoudotoimprovescienceteachingatschool?TextScience:factorfiction?Science:factorfiction?1Studentsaren’twhattheyusedtobe.Thesedays,itseems,someofthemneverevenopenabook.SuchisthedepressingpicturepaintedbypopularsciencewriterSteveJonesinhisbookTheSingleHelix,layingthefingerofblameonmoderncommunicationsystems.Themessageisthemedium;onceuponatimetherewerebooks,butnow,Jonessays,“themediumis,orsoitseems,anythingbutlinesofprintonapage.”Manystudentsarejustnotusedtoreadingbooksanymore–they’resuchanoutdatedformofcommunication.Text2Sohowdoyougetthemtolearnaboutscience?Well,ifyougointoacampusbookstoreyoucanfindout.Therearesongbooksforbiochemists,withchemicalformulaesettomusictomakethemeasiertoremember.Relativityisexplainedinavideogamewhichisasimulationofarocketjourneythroughspace:Youcanplaytennisonboardastherocketspeedsuporslowsdown.Andtherearecartoonstomakeeventhemostobscurescientificsubjectsaccessible,andfunaswell.Text3Buteventhesemethodsofgeneratinginteresthavebecomeconventional.Rathermoreradicalistheproposalwhichaphysicsprofessorhascomeupwith–tolearnsciencefromthemistakesinsciencefictionfilms.Someofthefilmsmaybedreadful,buttheyhidealotofhelpfulmessages.Studentsjusthavetositback,relax,enjoythefilm,andsoakupabitofscienceatthesametime.Text4Afewexampleswillshowwhattheprofessorhasinmind.InTheDaytheEarthCaughtFire(1961),theearthispushedtowardsthesunasaresultoftwosimultaneousatomicexplosions.ButthiscontravenesNewton’sThirdLawofMotion–namely,thatactionandreactionareequalandopposite.SincetheEarthweighssixthousandbillionbilliontons,ahugeblastwouldbeneededtopushitintotherightdirection.Supposingithurledahundredmilliontonsofrockanddebrisintospace.Thisexplosionwouldrequireabombfargreaterthananythathaseverexploded.Butafewbasicsumswouldshowthatsuchablast,aswellaskillingeverysingleinhabitantoftheearth,wouldonlyshifttheEarthaboutaquarterofaninchoutofitsorbit.Text5Sothefilmisfictionwithoutthescience.Thesamecouldbesaidofthe1986filmAliens.Inthisfilmthecrewsaunteraroundthespaceshipasiftheywereathomeonearth–whereastheyshouldbefloating,inagravity-freeenvironment.TheproducersofAlienswouldfailafirstyearphysicsexam,butStanleyKubrickandArthurClarke,thebrainsbehind2001:ASpaceOdyssey,wouldpassthesameexamwithflyingcolours.Onboardthespaceshipagiantwheelrotates,generatingcentripetalforceandgivingtheastronautsonboardasenseof“up”and“down”.Text6Thetreatmentofrelativityinsciencefictionfilmsisevenmoreconfusing.TakeStarTrek:TheVoyageHome(1987).Asthespaceshiprevolvesroundthesun,itgatherssomuchspeedthatitmovesbackwardsintohistory.Butthisisnonsense,notrelativity.AsJonesputsit,“Einsteinsaidthatnothingtravelsatmorethanthespeedoflight,notthattheclockswillruntheotherwayifyougofastenough.”EvenSuperman(1978)isbaffledbytheconcept.IttakeshimasplitsecondtoflyroundtheearthanticlockwisetosaveLoisLane,whohasfallenvictimtoanearthquake.Jones:“Timeisnotlikeacar.Ithasnoreversegear.”Text7Finally,whataboutthosegiantinsectsliketheonesinEmpireoftheAnts,the1977filmbasedonastorybyH.G.Wells?Theproblemistheirlungs,orrather,thelackofthem.Antsdon’thavelungs,sotheygetoxygenbyabsorbingitthroughthetissuesoftheirbodies.Thebiggertheant,thelongeritwouldtaketoabsorbtheoxygen–andtheirbodypartswouldnotbeabletofunctionwell.Soanantthesizeofahumanwouldbemorelikelytobegaspingforbreaththanbitingofftheheadofarecklessteenager.Text■Text科学：事实还是虚构?1学生已今非昔比。如今，似乎有些学生从来就没有翻开过书本。这是科普作家斯蒂夫·琼斯在其《单螺旋线》一书中描绘的令人沮丧的情景，他把批评的矛头指向现代通信系统。信息即媒介；从前有书本，可是现在，琼斯说：“媒介是，或者说似乎是，一切，但绝不是纸上印的一行行字。”许多学生就是不再习惯读书了——书是老掉牙的沟通方式。Text2那么怎样使他们学习科学呢？好吧，你要是走进校园书店，就会找到办法。那里有生物化学家的歌本，其中化学分子式被配上乐曲以便记忆。相对论是用电子游戏来解释的，那是个虚拟乘火箭在空间旅行的游戏：你可以在火箭加速或减速飞行时在上面打网球。还有卡通，它们使哪怕最艰涩的科学话题都变得有趣易懂。Text3可是就连这些激发兴趣的方法也已变得老套了。更激进的方法是一个物理学教授提出来的：从科幻电影的错误中学习科学。有些电影也许糟透了，但其中隐藏有大量有益的信息。学生只需舒舒服服地坐着、放松、欣赏电影，同时吸收一点科学知识。Text4有几个例子可以说明教授的想法。在《地球着火之日》（1961）中，两颗同时爆炸的原子弹把地球推向太阳。可是这违反了牛顿的第三运动定律——即，作用力和反作用力相等且方向相反。既然地球重达六千艾吨，那就需要特大的爆炸才能把它推入正确的方向。假设爆炸将一亿吨岩石和碎渣抛入宇宙，那么这个炸弹的威力要比任何以往的炸弹都要大。但是，稍做运算就能说明，这样一场爆炸除了会把地球上的生物全部杀死之外，充其量也只能让地球偏离轨道大约四分之一英寸。注：地球的重量应该是6×10的24次方千克（10的18次方叫艾）。Text5所以，这部电影是没有科学含量的虚构作品。1986年出品的电影《异形》也是同样。在这部影片中，宇航员们在宇宙飞船中走来走去，就好像在地球上的家里一样——而实际上他们应当在无重力环境中漂浮才对。《异形》的制片人可能会在大学一年级的物理学考试中不及格，但是《2001：太空漫游》背后的智囊斯坦利·库布里克和亚瑟·克拉克却会在同样的考试中以高分通过。宇宙飞船上有一巨大的轮子转动着，产生向心力，并给船上的宇航员一种“起伏”感。Text6科幻电影中对相对论的处理更是令人摸不着头脑。以《星舰迷航：回家