Lesson 15 Disappearing Through the Skylight
全文翻譯
消失于天窗
小奧斯本·本內(nèi)特·哈迪森
1.科學(xué)具有世界同一性。有一個事實(shí)可用來說明這一點(diǎn)：一門科學(xué)發(fā)展程度越高，其基本概念就越能為人們所接受。舉例來說，世界上就只有一種熱力學(xué)，并不存在什么分立的中國熱力學(xué)、美國熱力學(xué)或者蘇聯(lián)熱力學(xué)。在二十世紀(jì)的幾十年的時間里，遺傳學(xué)曾分為兩派：西方遺傳學(xué)和蘇聯(lián)遺傳學(xué)。后者基于特羅菲爾·李森科的理論，認(rèn)為環(huán)境的影響可能造成遺傳基因的變異。今天，李森科的理論已經(jīng)被推翻，世界也就只有一種遺傳學(xué)了。
2.作為科學(xué)發(fā)展的必然產(chǎn)物，工藝技術(shù)也同樣表現(xiàn)出世界同一性的趨勢。這就是為什么技術(shù)的普及傳播使世界越來越同質(zhì)化的原因。建筑風(fēng)格、服飾風(fēng)格、音樂風(fēng)格—甚至飲食風(fēng)格——都愈來愈趨向于統(tǒng)一的國際化風(fēng)格。世界呈現(xiàn)出同一性特征是因?yàn)樗旧砭哂型恍?。因而在這樣一個世界里成長起來的孩子們感受到的只是雷同而非多樣性的世界，也正由于個性被塑造得雷同了，其文化與個體差異感變得越來越小。隨著世界各地的建筑越來越干篇一律，居住在這些建筑里的人也越來越千人一面了。這樣帶來的結(jié)果用一句人們已經(jīng)耳熟能詳?shù)脑拋砻枋鲈偾‘?dāng)不過：歷史的消失。
3.汽車工業(yè)的發(fā)展非常清楚地說明了這一點(diǎn)。諸如流線型車身或車身全焊接式組裝之類的新技術(shù)，一開始可能不被人接受，但如果這種新技術(shù)能夠極大地提高汽車生產(chǎn)的效率和經(jīng)濟(jì)效益的話，它便會不斷以各種變異的形式出現(xiàn)，直到最終，人們不僅普遍接受了它的存在，而且還將其公認(rèn)為是一筆寶貴的財富。當(dāng)今時代生產(chǎn)的汽車不再表現(xiàn)某一特定汽車公司或是某一特定國家文化的獨(dú)特特征。一般的汽車雖各有不同，其基本特征整體正卻是大同小異。
4.幾年前，福特汽車制造公司推出一款號稱“世界汽車”的嘉年華新車型。在公司打出的廣告中，車身四周花團(tuán)錦簇插滿了世界各國的國旗。福特公司宣稱，該汽車的汽缸缸體生產(chǎn)于英國，化油器生產(chǎn)于愛爾蘭，變速器生產(chǎn)于法國，輪胎生產(chǎn)于心比利時，等等。
5.現(xiàn)在這種汽車似乎已完全銷聲匿跡了，但這種制造世界汽車的設(shè)想?yún)s深入人心。這表明汽車業(yè)也像建筑等行業(yè)一樣在向“國際化風(fēng)格”的方向發(fā)展。嘉年華汽車問世十年后，所有的大型汽車制造公司都走上國際化的道路。美國的汽車制造商在歐洲、亞洲和南美洲都開設(shè)了汽車制造廠。歐洲和日本的汽車制造商也在美國、南美洲以及蘇聯(lián)擁有汽車制造廠(菲亞特汽車公司的工人在那兒喝百事可樂來恢復(fù)精神)。當(dāng)時機(jī)成熟的時候，這些跨國型的汽車制造公司還將在埃及、印度和中華人民共和國開設(shè)汽車生產(chǎn)廠。
6.汽車制造業(yè)與建筑業(yè)的情形相同。在定的成本投入范圍內(nèi)，同樣的技術(shù)開發(fā)出的產(chǎn)品也大同小異。這一點(diǎn)的直觀證據(jù)在汽車方面和建筑方面都是顯而易見的。今天，如果要你在同等價位的各類汽車中進(jìn)行選擇，從距離五百步的地方看是很難區(qū)分各種不同品牌的汽車的。換句話說，那些一直延續(xù)到20世紀(jì)60年代的獨(dú)具美國特色的汽車特征——將美國汽車與美國歷史聯(lián)系起來的特征——正在逐漸消失。甚至連德國大眾汽車公司的大眾甲殼蟲汽車也喪失了自身原有的特色，而通過自己的車身變化演示了從達(dá)西·湯普森到卡爾·布里爾到費(fèi)迪南德·保時捷代代相傳的流線型汽車設(shè)計發(fā)展史。
7.人創(chuàng)造了機(jī)器，機(jī)器反過來也可以塑造其締造者。當(dāng)人類將汽車制造得越來越干篇一律，汽車又反過來將那些使用它的人變得千篇一律。正如他們駕駛的世界化汽車一樣，現(xiàn)代社會的人也正逐漸趨向于世界同一化。他們不再是性格鮮明的個體，不再帶有某個特定地理或文化環(huán)境的特質(zhì)。他們可以從一個裝有空調(diào)的購物中心逛到另一個購物中心，從一個機(jī)場飛到下一個機(jī)場，從一個假日酒店到三百英里外的另一家酒店；雖然他們的位置在不斷變化，但所處的環(huán)境卻毫無變化。他們是世界人，他們?yōu)榇烁冻龅拇鷥r是他們不再擁有一個傳統(tǒng)意義的家。他們從中得到的好處則是開始懷疑傳統(tǒng)意義上的家只能是牢籠的代名詞，而現(xiàn)代意義上的家則無處不在，且四周之人盡皆鄰友。
8.工藝技術(shù)的國際化趨勢是不可抗拒的。除非經(jīng)歷核戰(zhàn)爭的毀滅性災(zāi)難，否則，工業(yè)技術(shù)還將繼續(xù)塑造現(xiàn)代文明以及生活在這種文明中的現(xiàn)代人的思想意識。
9.這又把我們的注意力帶回到藝術(shù)和歷史方面來了。在回憶弗朗西斯·皮卡比阿和馬塞爾·杜尚的早期作品時，加百里埃爾·布菲·皮卡比阿夫人曾對1949年機(jī)器美學(xué)的發(fā)現(xiàn)作過這樣的描述：“我還記得那時……每個藝術(shù)家都把譴責(zé)埃菲爾鐵塔當(dāng)作自己義不容辭的責(zé)任，因?yàn)樗吒叽Ａ⒃谔斓亻g，是對神明的褻瀆……機(jī)器的發(fā)明與進(jìn)步很快就提出了一些背離傳統(tǒng)的主張，首當(dāng)其沖的便是一種全新的、機(jī)動靈活的、超出人的理解力的可塑性……"
10.有一種定義說，藝術(shù)不過是一種給真實(shí)世界命名的嘗試。機(jī)器是“真實(shí)世界”本身還是僅僅是這個真實(shí)世界的表象?難道真實(shí)世界這么容易探求得到嗎?科學(xué)已經(jīng)證明了世界的非實(shí)在性。這就動搖了人們的一個信念：物質(zhì)的客觀實(shí)在性。同時，科學(xué)又創(chuàng)造出了潛存于客觀現(xiàn)實(shí)之中的各種不同種類和范疇的真實(shí)世界的形象。細(xì)胞、分子或是銀河系這些物體形象會比機(jī)器的形象更真實(shí)嗎?科學(xué)還創(chuàng)造出了純屬人造物的形象。想象中的龍的形象會比分子的形象更接近現(xiàn)實(shí)還是更遠(yuǎn)離現(xiàn)實(shí)呢?
11.現(xiàn)代科學(xué)懷疑世界萬物的客觀實(shí)在性，這就表明需要重新評估藝術(shù)的人文特性。藝術(shù)的人文特性以康定斯基在《論藝術(shù)中之精神性》一書中的理論為代表。他認(rèn)為，美的藝術(shù)是“源于內(nèi)在需要，而這種內(nèi)在需要又源自人的靈魂深處”?，F(xiàn)代藝術(shù)所描繪的是一個真實(shí)性不是存在于自然、外在可見的物質(zhì)世界，而是從靈魂或心靈所反應(yīng)出來的現(xiàn)實(shí)。這是個完全喪失了歷史的世界，因?yàn)樗皇且环N感知的形勢而沒有內(nèi)涵。
12.因此，歷史的消失是一種解放——正如布菲皮卡比阿夫人所說的：“一種全新的、機(jī)動靈活的、超出人的理解力的可塑性”的發(fā)現(xiàn)。與科學(xué)相似，現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)也往往以消遣的方式來表達(dá)這種解放——在繪畫藝術(shù)方面，以畢加索和瓊·米羅的嬉戲性作品為例；在詩歌藝術(shù)方面，以達(dá)達(dá)派的朦朧詩以及諸如華萊士·斯蒂文斯的《C字母一樣的喜劇演員》一類的諷刺滑稽史詩為代表。
13.現(xiàn)代美學(xué)的嬉戲性歸根到底是其最顯著的，也是最嚴(yán)肅的，而且勢必也是最令人不安的特征。這種嬉戲性正是模仿了產(chǎn)生了博弈論、虛擬粒子和黑洞的科學(xué)的荒誕性，并通過把人的生長基因植入牛體，迫使倫理學(xué)的研究者重新審定同類相食的定義。嬉戲性在現(xiàn)代美學(xué)中的重要性無須驚嘆。它體現(xiàn)在現(xiàn)代所有發(fā)達(dá)國家的城市建筑中。在這些城市里，總會有一些后現(xiàn)代主義和新現(xiàn)代主義風(fēng)格的奇形怪狀的建筑物，同時各種風(fēng)馬牛不相及的建筑風(fēng)格被奇妙地拼湊到一起，而這恰恰※是拼貼畫式的城市和無計劃的大雜燴城市的典型表現(xiàn)。
14.當(dāng)今世界的現(xiàn)代文化包括國際化風(fēng)格的幾何學(xué)、幻想式的正面圖案以及體現(xiàn)著改良藝術(shù)的主題公園和博物館建筑群。這種文化有時裝作是靜態(tài)不變的，但實(shí)際上卻是動態(tài)變化的。包含這種文化特點(diǎn)的建筑物給人一種飄搖、浮動的感覺，在它上面夢幻般地映射著周圍發(fā)生的一切。這種文化以線條的形式，通過各種管道、州際公路和高壓輸電線路展示出來。它也以富有藝術(shù)性的流線型克萊斯勒公司的氣流汽車、波音747飛機(jī)以及蝕刻在集成電路板上的精細(xì)印刷電路圖案來展示。同時，它還把其磅礴冷酷的特性，通過油輪、推土機(jī)、網(wǎng)格拱形灣頂?shù)暮附愉摿阂约霸虑蛱綔y車等形式展示出來。它的音、像形式復(fù)雜多變，完全不同于我們?nèi)庋鬯吹降闹車澜绲淖匀痪拔铩?/span>
15.現(xiàn)代文化是一個人性化的世界，只不過這里的人性化并不是人們想象的那種模樣。它所展現(xiàn)的形象不是萊昂納多·達(dá)·芬奇自畫像上那種倦怠消瘦的臉孔，更不是每天清晨從浴室鏡子里見到的睡眼惺松、毫無激情的面容。這些都是歷史的真實(shí)面目。與此不同，現(xiàn)代文化是一種永遠(yuǎn)具有嬉戲性而又生機(jī)蓬勃的力量。這種力量總會無視已經(jīng)存在的某種秩序，而建立起新的秩序；而且，在建立起這種新的秩序后，反完全有可能打破這種秩序另建一套全新的秩序，如此周而復(fù)始，無休無止。就像一個小孩用積木搭起一個結(jié)構(gòu)】然后純粹為了好玩毫無惡意地把它毀掉再重新開始一樣。正是這種力量的形象鮮明地展示了人性的特點(diǎn)。
16.十九世紀(jì)的銀行多是以大理石或花崗石砌成的新古典式建筑，正面裝飾著一排排粗重的廊柱。它們是在向世人宣告：“我們堅如磐石；我們永不衰朽；我們像歷史一樣令人信賴。您的錢存放在我們的保險庫里絕對完全?！?/span>
17.現(xiàn)在的銀行不是一些鋼架玻璃建成的直聳入云端的高樓大廈，就是一些門前裝有像插卡機(jī)一樣的終端設(shè)備的商店門面，或是一些停放在市郊購物中心停車場上的掛車式活動房屋。
18.原先的保險庫如今已被磁帶所取代。錢在電腦中變成了一系列數(shù)字信號，根據(jù)帳號業(yè)務(wù)的變動，不斷地被其他的電腦錄入、刪除、處理、再處理并加以修改?，F(xiàn)代銀行向世人宣告的是：“我們抽象如藝術(shù)，無形如水晶宮。如果說我們存在的話，我們就是那無形的媒介，通過這種媒介您的交易得以進(jìn)行，您的財富得以增值?！?/span>
19.也許這就可以成為現(xiàn)代美學(xué)發(fā)展的邏輯上的極限。如果這樣的話，這個極限點(diǎn)離我們還很遙遠(yuǎn)，但其大致形象透過路上的氤氳薄霧已依稀可辨。正如自然的本質(zhì)在人腦中逐漸消失一樣，也許我們可以說，現(xiàn)代銀行也正逐漸消失于自己的天窗。
(摘自《消失于天窗》)
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練習(xí)答案
Ⅱ.
A.
1.There are broad agreements about the basic concepts of science,for example,thereis only a single science of thermodynamicswhose basic concepts are accepted by all countries,including such diverse countries as China,America or the Soviet Union.For ashort time there were two genetics,a Soviet genetics as proposed by Lysenko and a Western genetics.However,Soviet Lysenko'stheories were refuted and in 1956 the Soviet Union accepted the Western genetic concepts.
2.It makes the world look more and more uniform.Different styles in architecture,dress,music and eating that exist in variouscountries and among different people are tending to disappear.They are being replaced by more unifom styles or world styles.Thehouses the people live in,the cars they drive,etc.,are becomingmore alike.
3.A technological innovation in the manufacture of automobiles like streamlining or allwelded body construction may be initiated byone company in one country,but when it proves to make cars more efficient and cheaper,it is soon adopted universally by allautomobile manufacturers.Today,the basic features of an automobile are to be found in autonobls m general,no matter whomakes them.Besides this feature,all large automakers are now intemational companies,Americans have auto plants in Europe,Asiaand South America,and Europeans and Japanese have plants in America and South,America and so on.
4.He drives cars that have the same basic features.When he goes shopping,helinds the climate in l the shops is the same becausethey are al similarly air-conditioned.When he travels he finds allthe airports jo be familiar because they are all onstructed alongsimilar lines and the hotels to have the same amenities.In a word,he finds himbelf at home in allcountries and places.
5.She says in the past artists regarded machines and machinelike structures like the Eiffel Tower in Paris as ugly and ireverent.After 1949 the artists discovered a new beauty in machines which could now be shaped and moulded very easily into various artisticdesigns.
6.The writer doesn't directly answer the question.Hesays science has now thrown doubt on“"the thingliness of things".It does notproduce the material objects we see with our eyes but inages,geometric and mathematical,of the reality underlying these things.Ithas made the world rather"insubstantial?The wiitel in his prologue states:"Today,nature has sliped,perhaps finally,beyond ourfield of vision.We can imitate it in mathematies-we can even produce convincing images of it—but we can never know it.We canonly know our own creations."
7.It is displayed in the architectural styles found in cities of the developed world—styles that typify colage city and urban adhocism.It is also displayed in the mosaic architecture of facadism and the playful theme parks and museum villges.It abounds in images andsounds and values utterlydifferent from those of the world of natural things seen from a middle distance.
8.The banks are no longer the solid,ponderous buidings of the past but airy structures of steel and glass.People need not go to thebanks directly for many financial transactions which can now be carried out in stores or trailers with slot-machinelike terminals linkedto the banks.Money is now recorded,erased,processed and reprocessed as digital signals by a computer.
B.
1.In the passage,the writer puts forward his central theme of“disappearance”-nature disappears,history disappears and even thesolid banks disappear.Besides expressing the central theme of the book,the metaphorical phrase,"Disappearing Through theSkylight",is used also specifically in this chapter to describe the changed appearance of modern banks which seem to bedisappearing.The second important idea he puts forward is the universalizing tendency of science and technology.The basicconcepts of science are understood,accepted and adopted by scientists allover the world.There is only one science ofthermodynamics,genetics,etc.This universalizing effect is reflected in architectural styles,dress styles,musical styles,etc.They all?tend to become world styles.The third concept is,"If man creates machines,machines in turn shape their creators."The modem
man is no longer a unique individual,the product of a special environment and culture.The homogeneous world he now lives in
universalizes him.He becomes a cosmopolitan,a citizen of the world.Finall,the disappearance of history is a form of liberation and
this feeling of liberation is often expressed through play.The playfulhes of science has produced game theory and vitual particles,inart it has produced the paintings of Picasso and Joan Miro and so on.
2.Just as the writer claims,this text is not a typical piece of scientific writing since it is intended for all readers,nonscientists andscientists alike.But stil t exhibits some features of scientific English for it deals with rich scientific and technological information.There are lots of terminologies in the text.However,many short and simple sentences are also constructed so that the writer canpresent his ideas clearly and concisely and readers can understand them easily.Besides,the writer uses figurative language to makehis writing more vivid and forceful to assist readers'comprehension.
3.The writer's views are generally clearly and succinctly presented as a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph and thendeveloped or ilustrated in the paragraph itself or by succeeding paragraphs.For example,the first sentence in the opening paragraphis a topic sentence that presents a very important view of the writer,“Science is committed to the universal”This idea of universalityis developed and ilustrated in the five paragraphs that follow and each paragraph that follows also has its own topic sentence.Theorganizational pattern is very clear and logical.
4.The writer uses figurative language freely to make his ideas more vivid and forceful.Readerskǎn fiod many metaphors,analogies,rhetorical questions,repetition and balanced structure,etc.in this piece.The very title of this piece,"Disappearing Through theSkylight",is a metaphorical phrase that immediately stirs the imagination of readers.Herkthe dominant metaphor is the changes ofbanks,which is used to ilustrate the theme of disappearing—modern banks seemfote disappearing through their skylights.
5.Paras.3,4,5,and 6 present the universalizing effect of science and techiology on/automobile manufacturing-modem cars havesimilar features all over the world and all of the large automakers are internatioyal.The writer uses the example of automobiles toillustrate his point clearly that there is an irresistible tendency of universatizing technology.
6.The writer describes the changes of banks from Paras.16 to 19-hów the solid,ponderous buildings ofbanks are replaced by airy,modern structures of steel and glass,and how modem banks exist as an airy medium in which transactions are completed and wealthincreased.Based on these changes presented above,the wfiter concludes that modem banks are disappearing through their ownskylights.
Ⅲ.
1.Science is engaged in the task of naking its basic concepts understood and accepted by scientists all over the world.
2.The car model,called Fiesta,seems to have disappeared completely.
3.The idea ofa world car is similar to the idea of having a world style for architecture.As architecture was moving toward acommon International Style,it was natural for the automobile to do the same.
4.Things that are happening in auto-making are similar tothose happening in architecture.
5.The modern man no longer has very distinct individual traits shaped by a special environment and culture.
6.The disadvantage of being a cosmopolitan is that he loses a home in the old sense of the world.
7.The benefit of being a cosmopolitan is that he begins to think the old kind of home probably restricts his development andactivities.
8.The compelling force of technology to universalize cannot be resisted.
9.When every artist thought it was his duty to show his contempt for and objection to the Eiffel Tower which they considered anirreverent architectural structure.
10.People used to firmly believe that the things they saw around them were real solid substances but this has now been thrown intodoubt by science.
11.This disappearance of history frees people's minds from traditional concepts.As Madame Buffet-Picabia says:this flexible andpliable quality was beyond human powers and absolutely new.
12.That,perhaps,shows how far lbgically modem aesthetic can go.The solid banks can become almost abstract and invisible.Thisis perhaps the furthest limit of how solid objective things may be disappearing.
IV.
A.
1.skylight:a window in the roof or ceiling
2.discredited:rejected as untrue
3.homogeneous:the same in structure,quality,etc.;similar or identical
4.economics:things related to the economy(of automobile manufacturing,such as productioneos consumer appeal,sale price,etc.)
5.asset:a valuable or desirable thing
6.given:particular,specified
7.in the fullness of time:when the right time comes
8.make:(noun)type,sort or brand,with reference to the maker or the place,time,etc.of making
9.shape:to influence something such as a belief,opinion,etc.and make it develop in a particular way
10.barring:unless there should be;excepting
11.blasphemy:any remark or action or thing hed to beirreverent or disrespectful
12.proposition:a person,problem,undertaking,etc.,being or to be dealt with
B.
1.uni-,having or consisting of one only:universe,uniaxial,unicellular,unilateral,unipolar,univalve
2.thermo-,heat:thermodynamics,thermochemistry,thermoelectric,thermometer,thermomagnetic,thermoplastic
3.dis-,fail,cease,refuse to:disappear,dissatisfy,disallow,disappoint,disapprove,disbelieve
4.hom-or homo-,one and the same;similar,alike:homogeneous,homograph,homochromatic,homology,homonym,homophone
5.auto-,self-propelling:automobile,autotruck,autobus,autocade,autogyro,automotive
6.trans-,over,across,through:transmission,transfer,transmigrate,transfuse,,transform,transition
7.post-,after in time,later(than),following:postmodernism,postglacial,postnatal posthumous,postimpressionism,postmortem
8.neo-,new,recent,latest:neomodernism,neolithic,neo-Darwinism,neoimpressionism,neologism,neophyte
C.
1.a steam turbine
2.an air outlet
3.aircraft noise
4.laboratory research
5.a research laboratory
6.a mercury thermometer
7.a nuclear power plant
D.
1.thermodynamics熱力學(xué)
2.genetic遺傳學(xué)
3.genetic mutation遺傳突變
4.streamlining(設(shè)計成)流線型5 all-welded body全焊車身
6.cylinder block氣缸套
7.carburetor汽化器
8.transmission傳動；變速器
9.cell細(xì)胞
10.molecules分子
11.black hole(天文)黑洞
12.high-tension lines高壓線
13.circuit(集成)電路
14.silicon硅
V.See the translation of the text.
VI.
1.This piece mainly talks about people's attitudes towards the construction of Eiffel Tower in 1889 and its symbolic meaning
2.The leaders of the French establishment were outraged when they heard the cry of the Eiffel Tower because they thought itviolated fine artistic taste.
3.The writer calls the Eiffel Tower "the?first great icon of the technological aesthetic"because it is a work of abstract art and can be?understood as a symbolof many things,but actually it is none of these things.It forces the viewer to look beyond historical myths to?the revolution that surrounds him.It does not argue with history;it ignores history.
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