新概念英语85年上外美音版第四册 第30课

　　Lesson 30 Adventures of Ideas 大胆的想法
Each civilization is born, it culminates², and it decays. There is a widespread estimony that this ominous³ fact is due to inherent biological defects in the crowded life of cities. Now, slowly and at first faintly, an opposite tendency is showing itself. Better roads and better vehicles at first induced the wealthier classes to live on the outskirts⁴ of the cities. The urgent need for defence had also vanished. This tendency is now spreading rapidly downwards⁵. But a new set of conditions is just showing itself. Up to the present time, throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this new tendency placed the home in the immediate⁶ suburbs, but concentrated manufacturing activity, business relations, government, and pleasure in the centres of the cities. Apart from the care of children and periods of sheer rest, the active lives were spent in the cities.
In some ways the concentration of such activities was even more emphasized, and the homes were pushed outwards⁷ even at the cost of the discomfort⁸ of commuting⁹. But, if we examine the trend of technology during the past generation, the reasons for this concentration are largely disappearing. Still more, the reasons for the choice of sites for cities are also altering.
Mechanical power can be transmitted for hundreds of miles, men can communicate almost instantaneously by telephone, the chiefs of great organizations can be transported by airplanes, the cinemas can produce plays in every village, music, speeches, and sermons can be broadcast. Almost every reason for the growth of the cities,concurrently with the growth of civilization has been profoundly modified.
Ⅰ、words
▲culminate¹  vi.鼎盛，达到顶点
n.culmination¹⁰ n.（顶点,多用做抽象意义）/summit n.顶峰/peak/top
He reaches/attains the culmination in his thirties.他三十岁达到了顶峰。
His efforts culminate in his success.他的努力终于使他成功了。（culmite＝lead to
His efforts culminate in the prosperity of his family.
His efforts culminate in failure.他的努力付诸东流。
His excessive drinking culminates in his moral degeneration/decay.他的过度饮酒导致他道德败坏
mend one's morals改过自新
decayvt 衰亡，腐烂   同义词：rot见第二课
My health decays.我的身体江河日下。
Tooth decays.牙齿咬不动东西了。
testimony¹¹  n  证据=evidence testmen n.证人 testify v.
Bear/produce the testimony to his innocence¹².我证明他无罪。
oral证词/verbal证词/ material物证
▲inherent   adj固有的
the sloth¹³ that inherent in him天生的懒惰
inbred 天生的  inbuilt嵌入的 ingrain 根深蒂固的 deep－rooted根深蒂固的
faintly    adv不明显的
faint微弱的
The light is so faint.光线太暗。
I fainted.我晕了过去。
tendency   n倾向
I have the tendency to shop.我是个购物狂。
I have the tendency to smoke/read.我是个烟鬼/书迷
trend潮流/inclination（自己的）倾向 /current潮流（更常用）
vanish     vi消失见26课
▲a set of   一批后只跟sth不跟sb
a set of rules一系列规则/a set of equipmeng一套设备/a set of furniture一套家具/a set of short stories短篇小说集
▲sheeradj纯粹的
sheer brandy纯白兰地/sheer liar大骗子/sheer rubbish一派胡言
emphasize  vt强调 n.emphasis
place/lay/put emphsis……on
We have to place emphasis on construction of civilization.我们要加强文明建设。
同义词：underline/spotlight
at the cost of  以……位代价＝at the ptice of =sactifice v.牺牲，n牲
I learn English at the cost of my holidays.
▲commute     adv即刻地  n.commuter¹⁴ 通勤者/commuter time/rush hour上下班时间
There is a New York or commuters devoured¹⁵ by locusts¹⁶ in the day and spit out at night.
It's commuter time,I will go.要下班了，我要走了。
instantaneously adv.即刻地
instant noodles 方便面，快餐面
in no time快，很快
I will come in no time.我马上回来。
sermonn布道
preach a sermon by a priest牧师布道
▲profoundly  adv深刻地
profound theory深奥的理论
bid for Olympics申奥
profound sleep死睡/sleep like a log睡得像猪/eat like a dog
This is about civilization and industry.That is the association between industry and civilization.
Each civilization is born( 产生), it culminates, and it decays①. There is a widespread testimony that this ominous（ominous不吉祥地） fact is due to② inherent biological defects（biological defect 生物地缺陷，指前文中的产生、发展、灭亡的过程） in the crowded life of cities③. Now, slowly and at first faintly, an opposite tendency④ is showing itself⑤. Better roads and better vehicles ⑥at first induced the wealthier classes to live on the outskirts of the cities. The urgent need ⑦for defence had also vanished. This tendency is now spreading rapidly downwards⑧. But a new set of conditions is just showing itself. Up to the present time, throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this new tendency placed the home in the immediate suburbs⑨, but concentrated manufacturing activity, business relations（商业贸易）, government, and pleasure in the centres of the cities. Apart from（除了） the care of children and periods of sheer rest, the active lives （活动生活，主要生活）were spent in the cities. In some ways（在某些方式上而言） the concentration of such activities was even more emphasized, and the homes were pushed outwards even at the cost of the discomfort （：menace，威胁，不舒适）of commuting. But, if we examine（探究） the trend of technology during the past generation, the reasons for this concentration（指前文relations 、government, and pleasure ）are largely disappearing. Still more, the reasons for the choice of sites for cities are also altering.（下文解释说明） Mechanical power can be transmitted for hundreds of miles, men can communicate almost instantaneously by telephone, the chiefs of great organizations can be transported by airplanes, the cinemas can produce plays in every village, music, speeches, and sermons can be broadcast. Almost every reason for the growth of the cities,concurrently with the growth of civilization has been profoundly modified.
①例句：A man is born,he culminates/grows up,and he decays/dies.
②due to=becouse of，而due to 多指不好之意
Due to my carelessness/drinking/overspeeding
③本句看试与首句不相关联，但前句中的 civilization  城市生活多半代表了文明的含义，而countryside多有backward（落后）、
supersitious （迷信的），故由前句讲到本句的城市生活。
④opposite tendency 相反的倾向，指与城市生活拥挤不堪相反
⑤showing itself 显露迹象
suggest itself
As time goes on,the adwantage of my sound English is showing itself.随着时光流逝，我良好的英语功底终于派上用场了！
⑥vehide(in Britain)/lorry or motocar,automobile(in America)
induce 归纳 from every point to the center
induced=attracted
outskirts:it is only within the city but actually it is outer city
⑦urgent need迫切需求,指人们开始搬到市郊居住，使得城市的应急防护就显得不必要了
⑧downwards向下转移
I am homeward.我朝家里走去。
I am schoolward.我上学去。
I am eastward¹⁷.我向东走去
I am restaurantward.我吃饭去。
I am bridgeward.我向桥上走去。
I am bookstoreward.我买书去。
⑨ city－outskirts-suburb：expansion outward向外扩展
immediate:近的，接近的
immediate goal近期目标
long term goal长期目标
immediate boss顶头上司
concentrate集中，若后接抽象内容则需加on，具体事物则不必。
concentrate on my studies集中学习
 

1 culminate   

v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮

参考例句：

• The celebration of the centenary will culminate with a dinner.百年庆典活动将以宴会作为高潮。
• Everyone feared that the boundary dispute between these two countries would culminate in a war.人人都担心,这两国间的边境争端将以一场战争到达顶点。

2 culminates   

v.达到极点( culminate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Each civilization is born, it culminates, and it decay. 各种文明都要历经诞生，鼎盛和衰落。 来自《用法词典》
• The tower culminates in a 40-foot spire. 这塔的顶端是一个40英尺高的塔尖。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。

8 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

9 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

10 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

11 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

12 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

13 sloth   

n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散

参考例句：

• Absence of competition makes for sloth.没有竞争会导致懒惰。
• The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.大部分时间里树懒都是倒挂在树枝上。

14 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

15 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

16 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。