💬 新概念英语第四册

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

People woken during these periods of eye-movements generally reported that they had been dreaming.

在眼球活动期间被叫醒的人都说自己在做梦；

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

When woken at other times they reported no dreams.

在其他期间叫醒他们，则说没有做梦。

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

If one group of people were disturbed from their eye-movement sleep for several nights on end,

如果有两组人，一组人连续几夜在眼球队活动时被叫醒；

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

and another group were disturbed for an equal period of time but when they were no exhibiting eye-movements,

另一组人也是连续几夜被叫醒，但是在眼球队没活动时被叫醒的。

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

the first group began to show some personality disorders while the others seemed more or less unaffected.

结果，第一组人开始出现性格失常，而第二组人似乎没受什么影响。

Lesson 19 The stuff of dreams

The implications of all this were that it was not the disturbance of sleep that mattered, but the disturbance of dreaming.

睡眠受到干忧没关系，而做梦受到干忧是有问题的。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

How it came about that snakes manufactured poison is a mystery.

蛇是怎样产生毒液的，这是一个谜。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Over the periods their saliva, a mild, digestive juice like our own, was converted into a poison that defies analysis even today.

蛇的唾液本来和我们人的消化液一样柔和，但经过漫长的时间，演变成了今天仍无法分析清楚的毒液。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

It was not forced upon them by the survival competition; they could have caught and lived on prey without using poison, just as the thousands of non-poisonous snakes still do.

毒液不是生存竞争强加给它们的，它们也可以不用毒液捕捉动物而生存，就像今天成千上万的无毒蛇那样。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Poison to a snake is merely a luxury; it enables it to get its food with very little effort, no more effort than one bite.

毒液对毒蛇来说只不过是一种舒适生存的优越手段，它使蛇不用费多大力气就能捕获到食物，轻咬一口即可。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

And why only snakes? Cats, for instance, would be greatly helped; no running fights with large, fierce rats or tussles with grown rabbits -- just a bite and no more effort needed.

为什么只有蛇才有毒液呢？譬如说，如果猫有毒液，那对猫会大有帮助，它就不必再和又大又凶的老鼠边跑边博斗了，也不必再和大兔子扭斗了，只要咬一口，就不必再费大力气。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

In fact, it would be an assistance to all carnivores though it would be a two-edged weapon when they fought each other.

因此，任何食肉动物有了毒液，都能从中获益。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

But, of the vertebrates, unpredictable Nature selected only snakes (and one lizard).

不过，当它们相互撕打时，毒液就成了利弊参半的武，可以杀死对方，也可以被对方的毒液杀死。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

One wonders also why Nature, with some snakes, concocted poison of such extreme potency.

然而，在脊椎动物中，大自然神秘模测地只选择了蛇（还有一种蜥蜴），人们弄不清楚大自然为什么在某些蛇的身上调制出如此高效的毒液来。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

In the conversion of saliva into poison, one might suppose that a fixed process took place.

人们可能认为，唾液转变成毒液，其中有固定的程序。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

It did not;

其实没有。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

some snakes manufacture a poison different in every respect from that of others,

有些蛇产生的毒液也在各方面与另外一些毒蛇产生的毒液不同，

Lesson 20 Snake poison

as different as arsenic is from strychnine,

就像砒霜不同于马钱子碱一样。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

and having different effects. One poison acts on the nerves, the other on the blood.

不同毒蛇产生的毒液产生的效果不同，一种毒液作用于神经，另一种毒液作用于血液。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

The makers of the nerve poison include the mambas and the cobras and their venom is called neurotoxic.

产生神经毒液的蛇有一种非洲树眼镜蛇和眼镜蛇，它们的毒液称为神经毒素。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Vipers (adders) and rattlesnakes manufacture the blood poison, which is known as haemolytic.

蝰蛇（蝮蛇）和响尾蛇产生血液毒素，称为溶血性毒液。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Both poisons are unpleasant, but by far the more unpleasant is the blood poison.

这两种毒液都很可怕，但溶血性毒液尤其厉害。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

It is said that the nerve poison is the more primitive of the two, that the blood poison is, so to speak, a newer product from an improved formula.

据说，神经毒液在两种毒液中是较为原始的一种，而溶血性毒液，打个比方说，是根据改良配方生产的一种较新的产品。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Be that as it may, the nerve poison does its business with man far more quickly than the blood poison.

不过，神经毒辣液比溶血性毒液在人身上起作用快得多。

Lesson 20 Snake poison

This, however, means nothing.

但是，这没有什么关系，

Lesson 20 Snake poison

Snakes did not acquire their poison for use against man but for use against prey such as rats and mice, and the effects on these of viperine poison is almost immediate.

因为蛇有毒液不是用来对付人的，而是对付它的猎物，诸如鼠类，毒液对这些猎物会立刻起作用。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

William S.hart was, perhaps, the greatest of all Western stars, fro unlike Gary Cooper and John Wayne he appeared in nothing but Westerns.

威廉。哈特大概是美国西部电影明星中的佼佼者。他和加里。 古柏、约翰。韦恩不同，他只在西部电影中扮演角色。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

From 1914 to 1924 he was supreme and unchallenged.

在1914年至1924年期间，他首屈一指，独霸影坛。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

The good-had man, the accidental-noble outlaw, or the honest-but-framed cowboy, or the sheriff made suspect by vicious gossip;

被认为是坏人的好人，出人意料的高尚的逃犯，诚实却遭陷害的牛仔或因流言蜚语蒙受嫌疑的司法官。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

in short, the individual in conflict with himself and his frontier environment.

总之，主人公是一个自相矛盾，又与他的拓荒环境相矛盾的人物。