💬 新概念英语第四册

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

both on the west coasts of continents with similar climates,

都在各自大陆的西海岸，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

and probably with rather similar natural resources.

气候相似，自然资源也可能相似。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Yet their present development is wholly different,

但是，这两个地方目前的发展程度完全不一样。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

not so much because of different people even,

这倒不是因为人民不同，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

but because of thedifferent thoughts that exist in the minds of their inhabitants.

而是由于居民头脑中的思想不同。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

This is the point I wish to emphasize.

这就是我要强调的论点。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

The most important factor in our environment is the state of our own minds.

我们环境中最重要的因素就是我们的思想状况。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

It is well known that where the white man has invaded a primitive culture,

众所周知，凡是白人侵入原始文化的地方，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

the most destructive effects have come not from physical weapons but from ideas.

破坏作用最大的不是杀人的武器，而是思想。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Ideas are dangerous.

思想是危险的。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

The Holy Office knew this full well when it caused heretics to be burned in days gone by.

宗教法庭对此是非常清楚的，因此从前它总是把异教徒烧死。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Indeed, the concept of free speech only exists in our modern society because when you are inside a community,

的确，言论自由的概念只存在于我们现代社会中，因为当你生活在一个社团当中时，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

you are conditioned by the conventions of the community to such a degree that it is very difficult to conceive of anything really destructive.

社团的风俗习惯会严格地制约你，使你很难有破坏性的想法。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

It is only someone looking on from outside that can inject the dangerous thoughts.

只有外部的旁观者才能灌输危险的思想。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

I do not doubt that it would be possible to inject ideas into the modern world that would utterly destroy us.

向现代世界灌输一种思想以便摧毁我们人类是可能的事，对此我并不怀疑。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

I would like to give you an example, but fortunately I cannot do so.

我愿为你举个例子，但幸亏我举不出。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Perhaps it will suffice to mention the nuclear bomb.

也许提一下核弹就足以说明了。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Imagine the effect on a reasonably advanced technological society,

那么可以设想，这将对这个社会产生何等的影响。但科技相当发达的社会，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

one that still does not possess the bomb, of making it aware of the possibility,

对一个尚未拥有核弹、如果告诉它制造核弹的可能性，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

of supplying sufficient details to enable the thing to be constructed.

而且向它提供制造核弹的细节，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

Twenty or thirty pages of information handed to any of the major world powers around the year 1925 would have been sufficient to change the course of world history.

如果把二三十页的情报交给1952年前后的任何一个世界强国，就足以改变世界历史的进程。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

It is a strange thought, but I believe a correct one,

这是个离奇的想法，不过我认为这个想法是正确的。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

that twenty or thirty pages of ideas and information would be capable of turning the present-day world upside down, or even destroying it.

二三十页材料中的思想和情报会使当今的世界天翻地覆，甚至毁灭这个世界。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

I have often tried to conceive of what those pages might contain,

我常常试图想像这些纸上所写的东西，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

but of course I cannot do so because I am a prisoner of the present-day world,

不过我是做不到的，因为我和你们大家一样，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

just as all of you are.

是当今世界上的凡人。

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

We cannot think outside the particular patterns that our brains are conditioned to,

我们不能脱离我们大脑所限定的模式去思考问题，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

or, to be more accurate, we can think only a very little way outside,

我们只能稍微离开一点儿，

Lesson 45 Of men and galaxies

and then only if we are very original.

就这也需要我们有独创的思想。

Lesson 46 Hobbies

A gifted American psychologist has said,'Worry is a spasm of the emotion;

烦恼是感情的发作，