The New Year is a time for resolutions.
新年是下决心的时候，
Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of \'dos\' and \'don\'ts\'.
至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。
The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.
相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。
We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less,
我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；
find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house,
多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏；做大量的家务；
be nice to people we don\'t like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.
对不喜欢的人友善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。
Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.
以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。
If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.
如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去信心。
Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out.
我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。
We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody
我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。
so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.
这样一旦滑回到那些老习惯上去，我们在别人的眼里会显得更加难堪。
Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.
我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密，
I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercise every morning and to read more of an evening.
只给自己定下两项适中的任务；每天早上锻炼身体，每天晚上多看点书。
An all-night party on New Year\'s Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year,
新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会，使我理直气壮地在新年头一天免去了这两项任务。
but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
不过，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照着去做了。
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.
早锻炼一共只有11分钟，我打算在别人起床之前进行。
The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable.
这就要求我比平时早11分钟把自己从床上拽起来，这种自我约束是很艰苦的。
Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out.
不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室，被谁也没发现。
After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions,
我在地毯上跳来蹦过去，扭曲身子，摆出各种姿势，弄得浑身不舒服，
I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition.
然后坐到桌边吃早饭，一副筋疲力尽的样子。
It was this that betrayed me.
正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密。
The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance.
第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演。
That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea.
这真叫人不好意思，但我心平气和地顶住全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家对我习以为常了，
However, my enthusiasm waned.
而这时我的热情却减退了。
The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished.
我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少，
Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero.
慢慢地从11分钟减到了零。
By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.
到了1月10日，我恢复了原来的作息时间。
I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work.
我辩解说，早晨少耗费精力锻炼，晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些。
Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book.
有几天晚上，我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑，坐在自己的房间里，两眼盯在书上。
One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read.
可是，有一天夜里，我感到又冷又孤单，便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书。
That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.
这下我可完了，因为不一会儿，我就恢复了以前的坏习惯，在屏幕前打起瞌睡来。
I still haven\'t given up my resolution to do more reading.
但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心。
In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute.
事实上，我刚买来一本叫《一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书。
Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven\'t had time to read it!
也许这本书能解决我的问题，但我一直还没时间去看这本书！
Predicting the future is notoriously difficult.
众所周知，预测未来是非常困难的。
Who could have imagined, in the mid 1970s, for example, that by the end of the 20th century, computers would be as common in people\'s homes as TV sets?
举个例子吧，在20世纪70年代中叶又有谁能想得到在20世纪末的时候，家庭用的计算机会像电视机一样普遍?
In the 1970s, computers were common enough, but only in big business, government departments, and large organizations.
在70年代，计算机已经相当普及了，但只用在大公司，政府部门和大的组织之中，
These were the so-called mainframe machines.
它们被称为主机。
Mainframe computers were very large indeed, often occupying whole air-conditioned rooms,
计算机主机确实很大，常常占据了装有空调的多间房间，
employing full-time technicians and run on specially-written software.
雇用专职的技师，而且得用专门编写的软件才能运行。
Though these large machines still exist, many of their functions have been taken over by small powerful personal computers, commonly known as PCs.
虽然这种大计算机仍然存在，但它们的许多功能已被体积小但功能齐全的个人电脑--即我们常说的PC机--所代替了。
In 1975, a primitive machine called the Altair, was launched in the USA.
1975年，美国推出了一台被称为“牛郎星”的原始机型。
It can properly be described as the first \'home computer\' and it pointed the way to the future.
严格地说起来，它可以被称为第一台“家用电脑”，而且它也指了今后的方向。
This was followed, at the end of the 1970s, by a machine called an Apple.
70年代末，在牛郎星之后又出现了一种被称为“苹果”的机型。
In the early 1980s, the computer giant, IBM produced the world\'s first Personal Computer.
80年代初，计算机行业的王牌公司美国国际商用机器公司（IBM）生产出了世界上第一台个人电脑。
This ran on an \'operating system\' called DOS, produced by a then small company named Microsoft.
这种电脑采用了一种被称为磁盘操作系统（DOS）的工作程序，而这种程序是由当时规模不大的微软公司生产的。
The IBM Personal Computer was widely copied.
IBM的个人电脑被大规模地模仿。
From those humble beginnings, we have seen the development of the user-friendly home computers and multimedia machines which are in common use today.
从那些简陋的初级阶段，我们看到了现在都已普及的、使用简便的家用电脑和多媒体的微机的发展。
Considering how recent these developments are, it is even more remarkable that as long ago as the 1960s, an Englishman,
想一想这些发展的时间多么短，就更觉得英国人莱昂.巴格瑞特有着非凡的能力。
Leon Bagrit, was able to predict some of the uses of computers which we know today.
他在60年代就能预言我们今天知道的计算机的一些用途。
Bagrit dismissed the idea that computers would learn to \'think\' for themselves and would \'rule the world\',
巴格瑞特根本不接受计算机可以学会自己去“思考”和计算可以“统治世界”这种想法，
which people liked to believe in those days.
而这种想法是当时的人们都愿意相信的。
Bagrit foresaw a time when computers would be small enough to hold in the hand,
巴格瑞特预示有一天计算机可以小到拿在手上，
when they would be capable of providing information about traffic jams and suggesting alternative routes,
计算机可以提供交通堵塞的信息并建议可替换的路线.
when they would be used in hospitals to help doctors to diagnose illnesses,
计算机可以帮助医生诊断病情。
when they would relieve office workers and accountants of dull, repetitive clerical work.
计算机可以使办公室人员和会计免除那些枯燥、重复的劳动。
All these computer uses have become commonplace.
计算机的所有这些功能现在都变得很平常。
Of course, Leon Bagrit could not possibly have foreseen the development of the Internet,
当然了，莱昂.巴格瑞特根本没有可能预测到国际交互网--就是把计算机连结到电话线路上，
the worldwide system that enables us to communicate instantly with anyone in any part of the world by using computers linked to telephone networks.
以便和世界上任何一个地方的人立即进行联系的一个世界范围的通讯系统--的发展。
Nor could he have foreseen how we could use the Internet to obtain information on every known subject,
他也无法预测到我们可以利用国际交互网获取有关任何已知专题的信息，
so we can read it on a screen in our homes and even print it as well if we want to.
以便在家里的屏幕上阅读，如果愿意的话甚至可以将其打印出来。
Computers have become smaller and smaller, more and more powerful and cheaper and cheaper.
计算机已经变得体积越来越小，功能越来越多，价格越来越低，
This is what makes Leon Bagrit\'s predictions particularly remarkable.
这就是莱昂.巴格瑞特的预测非凡的地方。
If he, or someone like him, were alive today, he might be able to tell us what to expect in the next fifty years.
如果他或是像他的什么人今天还活着的话，他大概可以告诉我们下一个50年后会发生什么事情。
My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study.
我的堂兄哈里在他的书房里一直摆着一只形状古怪的大瓶子。
Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green,
尽管那只瓶子呈淡绿色，
an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance.
但细心的客人很快就会发现瓶里装的是一种看上去黏稠，颜色发灰的东西。
If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud.
要是你问哈里瓶里装着什么，他会告诉你是香水泥。
If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin.
如果你表示怀疑或惊奇，他会立即请你闻一闻，然后取出一些抹在你的皮肤上。
This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have.
这一简单的试验会消除你可能存有的一切疑虑。
The bottle really does contain perfumed mud.
瓶里装的的确是香水泥。
How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating.
哈里如何得到这种稀奇古怪的东西的，这里有个有趣的故事，而且他挺爱把它讲给别人听。
Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
此外，得到这瓶香水泥还治好了他多年的一个坏习惯。
Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist.
哈里曾认为走进一家名贵化妆品商店，荒唐地提出要买一种根本不存在的商品是件开心的事儿。
He would invent fanciful names on the spot.
他会当场编造出一些稀奇古怪的货名。
On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called \'Scented Shadow\' or for \'insoluble bath cubes\'.
他走进商店后，会提出要一种名叫“香影”的新型香水或什么“不溶浴皂”。
If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out.
要是女售货员告诉他从未听说过这些东西，他会装出十分遗憾和不安的样子。
He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did.
How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
我实在想像不出哈里在这些表演中是怎样装出一本正经的样子的。
Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud.
毋须暗示哈里就会向你讲起他买下那瓶珍贵香水泥的经过。
One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for \'Myrolite\',
一天，他去伦敦一家高级商店要买一种叫“密诺莱特”的东西，
the shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable.
店员露出诧异的神色。哈里又慢慢地，一字一顿说了一遍这个词，
When the woman shook her head in bewilderment,
那个女售货员还是迷惑不解地摇了摇头。
Harry went on to explain that \'myrolite\' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles.
哈里便进一步解释“密诺莱特”是一种质地坚硬、状似琥珀的东西，可以用来除去雀斑。
This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf.
他的解释显然对女售货员有些启示。她一个货架接着一个货架地寻找，
She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry\'s requirements.
拿出各种各样稀奇古怪的化妆品，但没有一样能够符合哈里的要求。
When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him.
哈里装出不高兴的样子时，女售货员答应为他定货。
Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.
哈里为他的骗术而感到洋洋得意，又提出要买香水泥。
He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment.
他原想女售货员会惊奇地望着他，不知所措，
However, it was his turn to be surprised,
没料到这回该轮到他自己吃惊了。
for the woman\'s eyes immediately lit up and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect.
因为那女售货员听完哈里的话后，马上眼睛一亮，拿出几瓶东西放在柜台上让哈里挑选。
For once, Harry had to admit defeat.
哈里只好认输。
He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price.
他挑出一个看上去最小的瓶子，谨慎地问了价。
He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm.
他庆幸自己只破费了20英镑便得以脱身。他把那宝贵的瓶子放在腋下夹着，溜之大吉。
From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive.
从那以后，他认识到自己发明的小小恶作剧是要付出很大的代价的。
The curious bottle, which now adorns the bookcase in his study, was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.
在他书房的书柜里摆着那瓶形状古怪的香水泥就是他第一次也是最后一次购买的稀有化妆品。
The Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world for their enlightened social policies.
斯堪的纳维亚半岛各国实行开明的社会政策，受到全世界的推崇。
Sweden has evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from highhanded or incompetent public officers.
在瑞典，已逐渐形成了一种完善的制度以保护每个公民不受专横的和不称职的政府官员的欺压。
The system has worked so well, that it has been adopted in other countries too.
由于这种制度行之有效，已被其他国家采纳。
The Swedes were the first to recognize that public official like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors or tax-collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously in the belief that they are serving the public.
是瑞典人首先认识到政府工作人员如文职人员、警官、卫生稽查员、税务人员等等也会犯错误或者自以为在为公众服务而把事情做过了
头。
As long ago as 1809, the Swedish Parliament introduced a scheme to safeguard the interest of the individual.
早在1809年，瑞典论会就建立一个保护公民利益的制度。
A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is suitably qualified to investigate private grievances against the State.
议会内有一个代表各政党利益的委员会，由它委派一位称职的人选专门调查个人对国家的意见。
The official title of the person is \'Justiteombudsman\', but the Swedes commonly refer to him as the \'J.O.\' or \'Ombudsman\'.
此人官衔为“司法特派员”，但瑞典人一般管他叫“J.O.”，即“司法特派员”。
The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure.
司法特派员不受任何政治压力的制约。
He investigates complaints large and small that come to him from all levels of society.
他听取社会各阶层的各种大小意见，并进行调查。
As complaints must be made in writing, the Ombudsman receives an average of 1,200 letters a year.
由于意见均需用书面形式提出，司法特派员每年平均收到1,200封信。
He has eight lawyer assistants to help him and he examines every single letter in detail.
他有8位律师作他的助手协助工作，每封信都详细批阅。
There is nothing secretive about the Ombudsman\'s work, for his correspondence is open to public inspection.
司法特派员的工作没有什么秘密可言，他的信件是公开的，供公众监督。
If a citizen\'s complaint is justified, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf.
如果公民的意见正确，司法特派员便为他伸张正义。
The action he takes varies according to the nature of the complaint.
司法特员采取的行动因意见的性质不同而有所不同。
He may gently reprimand an official or even suggest to parliament that a law the altered.
他可以善意地批评某位官员，也可以甚至向议会提议修改某项法律。
The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman\'s work.
下述事件是司法特派员工作的一个典型例子。
A foreigner living in a Swedish village wrote to the Ombudsman complaining that he had been ill-treated by the police,
一个住在瑞典乡村的外国人写信给司法特派员，抱怨说他受到警察的虐待，
simply because he was a foreigner.
原因就是因为他是个外国人。
The Ombudsman immediately wrote to the Chief of Police in the district asking him to send a record of the case.
司法特派员立即写信给当地警察局长，请他寄送与此事有关的材料。
There was nothing in the record to show that the foreigner\'s complaint was justified and the Chief of Police strongly denied the accusation.
材料中没有任何文字记载证明外国人所说的情况符合事实，警察局长矢口否认这一指控。
It was impossible for the Ombudsman to take action,
司法特派员难以处理。
but when he received a similar complaint from another foreigner in the same village,
但是，当他又收到住在同一村庄的另一个外国人写的一封内容类似的投诉信时，
he immediately sent one of his layers to investigate the matter.
他立即派出一位律师前去调查。
The lawyer ascertained that a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners on several occasions.
律师证实有个警察确实多次粗鲁地对待外国人。
The fact that the policeman was prejudiced against foreigners could not be recorded in the official files.
警察歧视外国人的事在官方档案中不可能加以记载，
It was only possible for the Ombudsman to find this out by sending one of his representatives to check the facts.
司法特派员只有派他的代表去核对事实才能了解真相。
The policeman in question was severely reprimanded and was informed that if any further complaints were lodged against him, he would be prosecuted.
当事的警察受到严厉的斥责，并被告知，如果再有人投诉他，他将受到起诉。
The Ombudsman\'s prompt action at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have gone unnoticed.
司法特派员及时采取的行动，迅速制止了这一起不愉快的事件，不然这件事可能因未得到人们注意而不了了之。
We have been brought up to fear insects.
我们自幼就在对昆虫的惧怕中长大。
We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good.
我们把昆虫当作害多益少的无用东西。
We continually wage war on them, for they contaminate our food, carry diseases, or devour our crops.
人类不断同昆虫斗争，因为昆虫弄脏我们的食物，传播疾病，吞噬庄稼。
They sting or bite without provocation;
它们无缘无故地又叮又咬；
they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows.
夏天的晚上，它们未经邀请便飞到我们房间里，或者对着露出亮光的窗户乱扑乱撞。
We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless one like moths.
我们在日常生活中，不但憎恶如蜘蛛、黄蜂之类令人讨厌的昆虫，而且憎恶并无大害的飞蛾等。
Reading about them increases our understanding without dispelling our fears.
阅读有关昆虫的书能增加我们对它们的了解，却不能消除我们的恐惧的心理。
Knowing that the industrious ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion
即使知道勤奋的蚂蚁生活具有高度组织性的社会里，我们也无法抑制对它们的反感。
when we find hordes of them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch.
当看到大群蚂蚁在我们精心准备的午间野餐上爬行时，
No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the uncanny sense of direction which bees possess,
不管我们多么爱吃蜂蜜，或读过多少关于蜜蜂具有神秘的识别方向的灵感的书，
we have a horror of being stung.
我们仍然十分害怕被蜂蜇。
Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase.
我们的恐惧大部分是没有道理的，但去无法消除。
At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating.
同时，不知为什么昆虫又是迷人的。
We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives.
我们喜欢看有关昆虫的书，尤其是当我们了解螳螂等过着一种令人生畏的生活时，就更加爱读有关昆虫的书了。
We enjoy staring at them, entranced as they go about their business, unaware (we hope) of our presence.
我们喜欢入迷地看它们做事，它们不知道（但愿如此）我们就在它们身边。
Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider pouncing on a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle?
当看到蜘蛛扑向一只苍蝇时，一队蚂蚁抬着一只巨大的死甲虫凯旋归时，谁能不感到敬畏呢?
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree.
去年夏天，我花了好几天时间站在花园里观察成千只蚂蚁爬上我那棵心爱的桃树的树干。
The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house.
那棵树是靠着房子有遮挡的一面暖墙生长的。
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
我为这棵树感到特别自豪，不仅因为它度过了几个寒冬终于活了下来，而且还因为它有时结出些甘甜的桃子来。
During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to wither.
到了夏天，我发现树叶开始枯萎，
Clusters of tiny insects called aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
结果在树叶背面找到成串的叫作蚜虫小虫子。
They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them.
蚜虫遭到一窝蚂蚁的攻击，蚂蚁从它们身上可以获得一种蜜。
I immediately embarked on an experiment which, even though if failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours.
我当即动手作了一项试验，这项试验尽管没有使我摆脱这些蚂蚁，却使我着迷了24小时。
I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids.
我用一条胶带把桃树底部包上，不让蚂蚁接近蚜虫。
The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it.
胶带极粘，蚂蚁不敢从上面爬过。
For a long time. I watched them scurrying around the base of the tree in bewilderment.
在很长一段时间里，我看见蚂蚁围着大树底部来回转悠，不知所措。
I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still swarming around the sticky tape without being able to do anything about it.
半夜，我还拿着电筒来到花园里，满意地（同时惊奇地）发现那些蚂蚁还围着胶带团团转。无能为力。
I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.
第二天早上，我起床后希望看见蚂蚁已因无望而放弃了尝试，
Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route.
结果却发现它们又找到一条新的路径。
They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree.
它们正在顺着房子的外墙往上爬，然后爬上树叶。
I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their ingenuity.
我懊丧地感到败在了足智多谋的蚂蚁的手下。
The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
蚂蚁已很快找到了相应的对策，来对付我那套完全不科学的办法！
Recent developments in astronomy have made it possible to detect planets in our own Milky Way and in other galaxies.
天文学方面最新发展使得我们能够在银河系和其他星系发现行星。
This is a major achievement because, in relative terms, planets are very small and do not emit light.
这是一个重要的成就，因为相对来说，行星很小，而且也不发光。
Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will prove infinitely more difficult.
寻找行星证明相当困难，但是要在行星上发现生命会变得无比艰难。
The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life.
第一个需要解答的问题是一颗行星是否有能够维持生命的条件。
In our own solar system, for example, Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life.
举例来说，在我们的太阳系里，对于生命来说，金星的温度太高，而火星的温度则太低。
Only the Earth provides ideal conditions, and even here it has taken more than four billion years for plant and animal life to evolve.
只有地球提供理想的条件，而即使在这里，植物和动物的进化也用了40亿年的时间。
Whether a planet can support life depends on the size and brightness of its star, that is its \'sun\'.
一颗行星是否能够维持生命取决于它的恒星--即它的“太阳”--的大小和亮度。
Imagine a star up to twenty times larger, brighter and hotter than our own sun.
设想一下，一颗恒星比我们的太阳还要大，还要亮，还要热20倍，
A planet would have to be a very long way from it to be capable of supporting life.
那么一颗行星为了维持生命就要离开的它的恒星非常远。
Alternatively, if the star were small, the life-supporting planet would have to have a close orbit round it and also provide the perfect conditions for life forms to develop.
But how would we find such a planet?
但是，我们如何才能找到这样一颗行星呢?
At present, there is no telescope in existence that is capable of detecting the presence of life.
现在，没有一台现存的望远镜可以发现生命的存在。
The development of such a telescope will be one of the great astronomical projects of the twenty-first century.
而开发这样一台望远镜将会是21世纪天文学的一个重要的研究课题。
It is impossible to look for life on another planet using earth-based telescopes.
使用放置在地球上的望远镜是无法观察到其他行星的生命的。
Our own warm atmosphere and the heat generated by the telescope would make it impossible to detect objects as small as planets.
地球周围温暖的大气层和望远镜散出的热量使得我们根本不可能找到比行星更小的物体。
Even a telescope in orbit round the earth, like the very successful Hubble telescope, would not be suitable because of the dust particles in our solar system.
即使是一台放置在围绕地球的轨道上的望远镜--如非常成功的哈勃望远镜--也因为太阳系中的尘埃微粒而无法胜任。
A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space,
望远镜要放置在木星那样遥远的行星上才有可能在外层空间搜寻生命。
because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system.
因为我们越是接近太阳系的边缘，尘埃就越稀薄。
Once we detected a planet, we would have to find a way of blotting out the light from its star,
一旦我们找到这样一颗行星，我们就要想办法将它的恒星射过来的光线遮暗，
so that we would be able to \'see\' the planet properly and analyse its atmosphere.
这样我们就能彻底“看见”这颗行星，并分析它的大气层。
In the first instance, we would be looking for plant life, rather than \'little green men\'.
首先我们要寻找植物，而不是那种“小绿人”。
The life forms most likely to develop on a planet would be bacteria.
行星上最容易生存下来的是细菌。
It is bacteria that have generated the oxygen we breathe on earth.
正是细菌生产出我们在地球上呼吸的氧气。
For most of the earth\'s history they have been the only form of life on our planet.
在地球上发展的大部分进程中，细菌是地球上唯一的生命形式。
As Earth-dwellers, we always cherish the hope that we will be visited by little green men and that we will be able to communicate with them.
作为地球上的居民，我们总存有这样的希望：小绿人来拜访我们，而我们可以和他们交流。
But this hope is always in the realms of science fiction.
但是，这种希望总是只在科幻小说中存在。
If we were able to discover lowly forms of life like bacteria on another planet, it would completely change our view of ourselves.
如果我们能够在另一颗行星上找到诸如细菌的那种低等生命，那么这个发现将彻底改变我们对我们自己的看法。
As Daniel Goldin of NASA observed, \'Finding life elsewhere would change everything.
正如美国国家航空和宇宙航空局的丹尼尔.戈尔丁指出的“在其他地方发现生命会改变一切。
No human endeavor or thought would be unchanged by it.
任何人类的努力和想法都会发生变化。”
The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.
形成我们农场东部边界的一条河流一直在我们生活中发挥着重要作用。
Without it we could not make a living.
要是没有这条河，我们就无法生存下去。
There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house, so we have to pump from the river for farm use.
泉水只能满足家庭生活用水，因此我们必须从河里抽水以用于农业生产。
We tell river all our secrets.
我们向那条河倾诉我们的秘密。
We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees,that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.
我们本能地懂得，就像养蜂人和他的蜜蜂那样，
We have special river birthday parties in the summer.
夏天，我们为这条河举办特殊的生日宴会。
Sometimes were go upstream to a favourite backwater,
有时，我们溯流而上来到我们喜爱的回水河汊举办；
sometimes we have our party at the boathouse,
有时在船坞举办。
which a predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving.
那船坞是农场一位前辈在一块草地上盖的，草地紧挨着一个专供游泳、跳水的深水池。
In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all.
天气炎热时，我们便选择在半夜举办生日聚会，这种聚会是最令人激动的。
We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring,
我们在河边迎接一年四季。春天在河边为最年轻的姑娘戴上花冠，
holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn,
夏天在河边欢庆“仲夏前夜”，秋天在河边丰收而感恩，
and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter.
冬天往河中抛撒一个冬表花环。
After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks.
久雨这后，河水会泛滥成灾，
This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.
但是在我们这里，气候很少发生异常，河水极少泛滥。
We are lucky in that only the lower fields, which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding,
值得庆幸的是，只有低洼的受到洪水影响，而低洼地在我们农场比例很小。
but other farms are less favorably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.
其他农场地势欠佳，洪水有时会给农场主带来灾难。
One had winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.
有一年冬天，天气不好，我们眼看着河水浸没了地势较低的草场。
All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little.
所有的牲口已提前转移到畜圈里，没有造成什么损失。
We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district.
不过，我们很为我们的近邻担心。他们的农场地势低洼，而且他们又新来乍到。
As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing.
由于洪水造成了电话中断，我们无法了解他们情况。
From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours,
从顶楼窗口看去，我们农场与他们农场接壤处的那段河流一览无余。
and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point.
在最紧急的时刻，我们轮流监视那段河流的险情。
The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down.
灾难的第一迹象是一只死羊顺流而下，
Next came a horse, swimming bravely,
接着一匹活马勇敢地与水搏击。
but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted.
但我们担心，洪水力量将使它上岸之前就筋疲力尽了。
Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah\'s ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.
突然，出现了一只筏子，看起来很像诺亚方舟，上面载着他们全家老小，还有几只母鸡、几只狗，一只猫与一只鸟笼，那里头有一只小
鸟。
We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood,
我们意识到他们一定是被不断上涨的洪水吓坏了。
for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged.
因为他们的房子地基牢固，即使洪水几乎灭顶也不会倒塌。
The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boathooks,in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.
我家的男人们手拿船篙过被水淹没草场，
We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.
至今我们仍认为这是个奇迹。
I stopped to let the car cool off and to study the map.
我停下车，让汽车发动机冷却一下，同时查看一下地图。
I had expected to be near my objective by now, but everything still seemed alien to me.
我本想离目的地已经不远，但周围一切对我仍很陌生。
I was only five when my father had taken me abroad, and that we eighteen years ago.
我5岁那年，父亲就带我出了国，那是18年前的事了。
When my mother had died after a tragic accident, he did not quickly recover from the shock and loneliness.
当时我母亲在一次事故中惨死，父亲未能很快从悲痛与孤独中恢复过来。
Everything around him was full of her presence, continually reopening the wound.
他身边的一切都是母亲的影子不断勾起他的伤感。
So he decided to emigrate.
于是他决定移居他国。
In the new country he became absorbed in making a new life for the two of us, so that he gradually ceased to grieve.
在这个新的国家里，父亲专心致志地为我们俩开创一种新的生活，慢慢地不伤心了。
He did not marry again and I was brought up without a woman\'s care;
父亲没有再娶，因此，我在没有母亲的环境里长大成人。
but I lacked for nothing, for he was both father and mother to me.
但我却什么都不缺，他既当父亲又当母亲。
He always meant to go back one day, but not to stay.
他总想将来回国看看，但却不愿长期住下去，
His roots and mine bad become too firmly embedded in the new land.
因为他与我一样已经把根深深地扎在异国的土地上。
But he wanted to see the old folk again and to visit my mother\'s grave.
但是，他想看一看家乡父老乡亲，为我的母亲扫墓。
He became mortally ill a few months before we had planned to go and, when he knew that he was dying, he made me promise to go on my own.
就在他计划回国的前几个月，他突然身患绝症。他知道自己已奄奄一息，于是他要我答应一定单独回故乡一趟。
I hired a car the day after landing and bought a comprehensive book of maps,
我下飞机后租了一辆车，并买了一本详尽的地图册。
which I found most helpful on the cross-country journey, but which I did not think I should need on the last stage.
在乡间行车途中，我觉得它非常有用，但快到家了，我倒觉得它没什么用了。
It was not that I actually remembered anything at all.
这倒并非是我背熟了地图，
But my father had described over and over again what we should see at every milestone, after leaving the nearest town,
而是父亲曾详细给我讲了，在过了离故乡最近的那个小镇后，在每一个路标处可见到些什么。
so that I was positive I should recognize it as familiar territory.
因此，我相信这段路对我来说会是很熟悉的。
Well, I had been wrong, for I was now lost.
唉，实际我错了，我现在迷路了。
I looked at the map and then at the millimeter.
我看了看地图，又查了一下里程表。
I had come ten miles since leaving the town,
从小镇出来，我走了10英里。
and at this point, according to my father, I should be looking at farms and cottages in a valley,
照父亲的说法，我面前应是一个山谷，有农场与村舍，
with the spire of the church of our village showing in the far distance.
还可远远望见老家村子里的教堂的尖顶。
I could see no valley, no farms, no cottages and no church spire -- only a lake.
可现在我却看不出山谷，看不见农舍，也看见教学尖顶，看见只是一片湖泊。
I decided that I must have taken a wrong turning somewhere.
我想一定是什么地方拐错了弯儿。
So I drove back to the town and began to retrace the route, taking frequent glances at the map.
于是我驾车返回小镇，重新按路线行驶。
I landed up at the same corner.
结果又来到刚才那个拐弯处。
The curious thing was that the lake was not marked on the map.
奇怪的是那个湖没有在地图上标出。
I felt as if I had stumbled into a nightmare country, as you sometimes do in dreams.
我感到自己就像平时作梦那样迷迷糊糊地闯进了恶梦境地。
And, as in a nightmare, there was nobody in sight to help me.
就像在恶梦里一样，见不到一个人可以帮助我。
Fortunately for me, as I was wondering what to do next, there appeared on the horizon a man on horseback, riding in my direction.
不过，我是幸运的，正当我走投无路之时，从天边出现一个骑马的人向我骑来。
I waited till he came near, then I asked him the way to our old village.
等他走近了，问他去老家的路。
He said that there was now no village.
他说那村子已经没有了。
I thought he must have misunderstood me, so I repeated its name.
我想他一定误解了我的意思，于是又说一遍村庄的名字。
This time he pointed to the lake.
这次他用手指了一下那个湖。
The village no longer existed because it had been submerged, and all the valley too.
村庄已不复存在，因为已经为水所淹，山谷也被水淹没了。
The lake was not a natural one, but a man-made reservoir.
这不是一个天然湖泊，是一座人工修建的水库。
The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived.
老妇人回到了她居住的公寓楼，心里很高兴。
Her shopping had tired her and her basket and grown heavier with every step of the way home.
去商店买东西把她搞得筋疲力尽；在回家的路上，她每走一步，就感到手里的篮子又重了一点。
In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest;
她乘上电梯后，只想着午餐和好好休息一下。
but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open.
但她到自己的楼层走出电梯后，就把这两件事忘了个干净，因为她突然发现她家的大门开着。
She was thinking that she must reprimand her home help the next morning for such a monstrous piece of negligence,
她心想明天上午一定要好好训斥那个干家务的帮手，她竟如此疏忽大意。
when she remembered that she had gone shopping after the home help had left and she knew that she had turned both keys in their locks.
但突然记起来了，帮手是在她出去买东西之前走的，她还记得曾用了两把钥匙把大门锁上了。
She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open,
她慢慢地走进前厅，立即发现所有的房门都敞开着，
yet following her regular practice she had shut them before going out.
而她记得在出门买东西前，她按老规矩是把房门一一锁上的。
Looking into the drawing room, she saw a scene of confusion over by her writing desk.
她往起居室里看去，写字台边一片狼籍。
It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry during her absence.
事情很清楚，在她外出时，窃贼曾闯进家门。
Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves,
她第一个条件反射是各个房间搜寻一下窃贼，
but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her,
但转念一想，像她这个年纪，最好找个人一起去。
so she went to fetch the porter from his basement.
于是她到地下室去找看门的人。
By this time her legs were beginning to tremble, so she sat down and accepted a cup of very strong tea, while he telephoned the police.
这时她两腿累得开始发抖，于是坐了下来，喝了一杯浓茶。与此同时，看门的人给警察挂了电话。
Then, her composure regained, she was ready to set off with the porter\'s assistance to search for any intruders who might still be lurking in her flat.
此刻老妇人也镇定了下来，准备在看门人的协助下搜寻可能仍躲藏在她房里的窍贼。
They went through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing,
他俩搜遍这每一个房间，小心翼翼地不接触任何东西，
as they did not want to hinder the police in their search for fingerprints.
因为他们怕妨碍警察寻找指纹。
The chaos was inconceivable.
房间里的紊乱状况是无法想像的。
She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a veritable magpie at hoarding;
老妇人在这套公寓里住了30年，她又是个名副其实的收藏家。
and it seemed as though everything she possessed had been tossed out and turned over and over.
看来她的每一件东西都被翻了出来，并且被里里外外看了遍。
At least sorting out the things she should have discarded years ago was now being made easier for her.
这样一来，她倒是容易将那些几年前就该扔掉的东西找出来了。
Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of the ransacked flat.
过了一会儿，一位巡官带着一名警察来了。她向他们讲述了发现公寓遭劫的经过。
The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced,
巡官开始搜寻指纹，警察经检查发现大门锁头并无撬过的迹象。
thereby proving that the burglars had either used skeleton keys or entered over the balcony.
由此可以证明，窍贼或者是用万能钥匙，或者是翻越阳台进来的。
There was no trace of fingerprints,
巡官没有发现指纹，
but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers.
却发现了一个装有珠宝的、肮脏的红包袱。老妇人说那不是她的。
So their entry into this flat was apparently not the burglars\' first job that day and they must have been disturbed.
很明显，闯进这套公寓的窃贼那天并不是首次作案，而且他一定受了惊吓。
The inspector then asked the old lady to try to check what was missing by the next day and advised her not to stay alone in the flat for a few nights.
巡官请老妇人在次日之前设法查清丢了些什么，并劝她几夜之内不要独自一人在公寓过夜。
The old lady though he was a fussy creature,
老妇人觉得巡官大惊小怪，
but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.
但既然看门人也同意他的意见，她只得打电话向女儿求援，说她碰到了一点儿小麻烦。
People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so.
人们喜欢收藏东西，有时并没有意识到自己在这样做。
Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned.
确实，一旦无意之中从自己的收藏品中找到某件有用的东西时，可以给人一种惊喜的感觉。
Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter.
那些从来不必搬家的人们成了一种无所无容的收藏家。
They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things.
他们专门收藏那些只能被称作杂货的东西。他们在抽屉里，碗柜中、阁楼上堆放着一些不用的东西，一放就是好几年，
As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons,
相信总有一天需要的正好是那些东西。人们年老之后也喜欢收藏东西，不过是出于两个不同的原因：
lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment.
一是体力，精力均告不佳，这二者是清除无用的东西必不可少的因素；另一原因是感情因素。
Things owned for a long time are full associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead,
东西搁得时间久了，便会充满着与过去岁月的联系，比方说与死去的亲戚有关。
and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.
因此这些东西慢慢获得了一种超出它本身的价值。
Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste.
居家度日，有目的地收藏某些东西是为了防止浪费。
Among these I would list string and brown paper,
这些东西中我想举出线绳和包装纸为例。
kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisites.
节俭的人们打开包裹后便把这两样必备的东西收藏起来。省得日后去买。
Collecting small items can easily become a mania.
收集小玩艺儿很容易着迷。
I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money.
我认识一个人，她总喜欢从报纸上剪下流行服装的图样，等以后有钱时去买服装。
As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote;
由于她并不富裕，她买得起这些服装的可能性十分渺茫。
but she is never sufficiently strong-minded to be able to stop the practice.
但她又缺乏足够坚强的意志把这一收集活动停下来。
It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
这种习惯无害，只把写字台里堆得满满当当，以致每次打开抽屉总能带出许多纸片四处飞扬。
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages.
作为一种严肃的业余爱好的收藏活动完全是另外一回事，
It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one\'s treasures is always a joy.
它具有许多益处。它可以使人在闲暇中得到休息，因为欣赏自己收藏的珍品总会充满了乐趣。
One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home.
人们不必走到户外去寻求娱乐，因为收藏品都是存放在家中。
Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books china,
不管收藏品是什么，邮票、唱片、头版书籍、瓷器、
glass, antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals,
玻璃杯、老式家具、绘画、模型汽车、鸟类标本，还是玩具动物，
there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference books.
从为新增添的收藏品寻找摆放位置到核对参考书中的事实，总归有事可做。
This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
这种爱好不仅能使人从选择的专题中受到教育，而且也能从与之有关的一般事物中获得长进。
There are also other benefits.
除此之外，还有其他的益处。
One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find.
收藏者要会见情趣相投的收藏者，以获取教益，交流经验、交换收藏品，炫耀自己的最新收藏。
So one\'s circle of friends grows.
朋友的圈子就这样不断扩大。
Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen,
用不了多久，有这种爱好的人便开始旅行，也许是去另一个城市参加会议，也可能是出国寻找一件珍品，
for collectors are not confined to any one country.
因为收藏家是不分国籍的。
Over the years, one may well become an authority on one\'s hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then,
一人积了多年经验会成为自己这种爱好的权威，很可能应邀在小型集会上作非正式的讲话。
if successful, to larger audiences.
如果讲得好，可能向更多人发表演说。
In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it.
这样，你自信心不断增强，先是因为掌握一门学问，接下来是因为能够就此发表见解。
Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.
收藏活动通过富有建设性地利用业余时间使人感到心满意足，不再有无聊之日。
楼主