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现代大学英语精读第二册Unit07

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Lesson Seven

Pre-class Work

Read the text a third time. Learn the new words and expressions listed below.

Glossary1

alter
v. to become different

appeal
v. to make a serious and urgent request to sb. for sth.
n. a serious and urgent request to sb. for sth.

artificial
adj. made by people, not made of natural materials

ashore2
adv. onto the shore 上岸

aspiration3
n. a strong desire to do sth.

blade
n. a long flat leaf of grass

bribe4
n. money or sth. valuable given to sb. to persuade him to do sth. dishonest

brood
v. to think for a long time about sth. you are upset or angry about

Caribbean
adj. 加勒比海的;the ~:加勒比海

cavalry5
n. (in former times) soldiers who fight on horseback

deadly
adj. likely to cause death

dominate
v. to have power or influence over sb. or sth.

facility
n. a special part of a piece of equipment or a system which makes it possible to do sth.

folly6
n. (fml) foolishness

germ
n. a very small living thing which can make you ill

glory
n. great fame, praise and honour that people give sb. or sth. they admire very much

grip
v. to seize one's attention; to affect sb. very strongly; to hold sth. tightly

idle
adj. not working

inspiration
n. a sudden good idea about what you should do 灵感

intelligence
n. (good) ability to learn and understand

laboratory
n. a building or room where a scientist works, with testing materials and equipment

mastery
n. complete control or power over

minister
n. a person who is in charge of a particular government department

ministry7
n. a government department that deals with a particular area of administration within a country

plague
n. any disease causing death and spreading quickly to a large number of people 瘟疫

project
n. a task of investigation8 in scholarship; a major undertaking9 involving money, personnel and equipment 项目

rival
n. a person with whom one competes

soothingly10
adv. in a way to make sb. feel less upset or angry

splendor11
n. very impressive magnificence

spread
v. to make sth. cover a large area

spur
v. to urge sb. to try harder

strip
n. a narrow piece

tale
n. a story of imaginary events

tavern12
n. a bar

threat
n. a statement that you will cause sb. pain, unhappiness or trouble

threaten
v. to make a statement that you will cause sb. pain, unhappiness or trouble if he does not do what you want

tropics
n. the hottest part of the earth

warfare13
n. war activities

wisdom
n. the quality of being wise

Proper Names

Jorkens
乔肯斯

Silvary Carasierra
西尔韦雷·卡拉西拉

Text A

The Greatest Invention

Lord Dunsany

Read the text once for the main idea. Do not refer to the notes, dictionaries or the glossary yet.

"What do you think is going to happen, Jorkens?" one of us asked one day at the club.
"Happen?" Jorkens said. "That is hard to say: in the old days one had a rough idea of what other countries wanted to do and their ability to do it. But it is all different now."
"How is it different?" asked the man.
"There are so many inventions," Jorkens said, "of which we know nothing. Now that a man can carry in a bag a bomb that is more powerful than several battleships, it is hard to find out what any country can do or will do next. I will give you an example."
I was on a ship in the tropics (Jorkens told us), and we put into a port. I was tired of looking at the tropical sea, so I went ashore and walked into a tavern to see if they had any decent wines in that country. As it turned out, they hadn't. But there was a man there with a black mustache and a certain look in his eyes that made me wonder if he might not have something interesting to tell. So I asked him if I might offer him a glass of wine. Well, he was good enough to accept, and I called for a bottle of the strange local wine. When the bottle had been uncorked and the wine poured out, like liquid tropical sunlight, I watched it go down under that black mustache. And when a certain amount had gone down, he began to talk.
"We aimed at the mastery of the whole Caribbean," he said, "and don't think that because we are a little country we could not have succeeded. War is no longer a matter of armies; it depends on the intelligence of scientists. And we had a scientist who, as I have since seen proved, had no rival west of the Atlantic."
"You proved it?" I could not help saying.
"Yes," he said. "You shall hear."
I had another bottle of wine set before him, and I did hear.
"You may not have thought it," he said, "but I was in our Ministry of Warfare."
And I had not thought it, for he was not at all what one would regard as the figure of a soldier. But warfare, as he explained to me, has altered.
"Our Minister," he said, "was a cavalry officer and could not adapt his ideas to modern science. He thought of war simply as an opportunity for cavalry charges and fine uniforms and glory. We had to get rid of him in order to fulfill14 our just aspirations15."
"And what are they?" I asked.
"Why, the domination of the whole Caribbean," he said. "And it is just that we should have it. We are the people who have been born to it."
"Of course," I said soothingly, though I did not know for which country he spoke16.
"Once the Minister of Warfare was gone," he went on, "we turned our minds to modern warfare, and we began to make great progress. Modern warfare gives grand opportunities to little countries. Once, if a nation had twelve battleships it was a Great Power, and we could only obey. But what if we know how to let loose a plague capable of destroying whole nations? Must we be silent then about our just aspirations? No. We shall speak."
"Certainly," I said.
"Other nations know something of germ warfare," the stranger said. "We looked for a new and deadlier germ. And we had the man who could not only give us that, but a more effective way to spread it — his name was Silvary Carasierra. We knew that we had marvelous powers within our grasp, if only Carasierra could be kept at his work."
"Idle, was he?" I said, for I thought it very likely in a hot country like that.
"No," said the stranger. "Never idle. Always spurred on by a fierce ambition. His very life was devoted17 to making inventions. Yes, he worked and he was working for us on something wonderful. Ah, well. We relied, and rightly, on that man's wisdom; but we forgot his folly."
The man was silent.
"What did Carasierra do?" I asked.
"That ambition was driving him all the time," he said. "He knew that he was the greatest scientist in the world, and he was determined18 to show it. As long as the germ on which he was working seemed the most wonderful thing ever invented, he was more than content. But before he had completed it, another inspiration came to him and drove him away. I tried everything: threats, appeals to him to think of our ancient glory, even bribes19. But nothing would turn him from his project. The splendor of his new inspiration gripped him, and he was like a man drugged."
"And the splendor of our position faded like dreams. We were so nearly one of the Great Powers but for a fancy that came to this man's mind."
"What was Carasierra's fancy?" I asked.
"I will tell you," he said. "Day after day I went to his laboratory and appealed to him, almost in tears, to return to his work for us. But no, he would not listen. I gave him every chance. But at last I had to threaten him with death. I told him that if he would not return to his proper work he would have to be shot. But there was a queer light in his eyes that day, and really I think he hardly heard me. He would only say, 'I have done it, have done it.'"
"'Done what?' I asked him," the stranger continued.
"'The most wonderful invention,' he said, 'the most wonderful invention ever achieved by man.'"
"'You will be shot,' I repeated, 'if you don't get on with your work.'"
"'This is more wonderful,' he said."
"'Well, show it to me,' I demanded. He took me out to his lawn. And there he pointed20. I saw only a square yard of grass, marked off with a strip of white tape. 'What is it?' I asked."
"He took up his tape and marked off a smaller area, one of only a few inches. 'Do you see anything wonderful there?' he asked. 'Look close.'"
"And I looked close and said, 'No.'"
"'That is what is wonderful,' he said. 'You see no blade different from the rest?'"
"'No,' I said again."
'"Then you have seen the most wonderful invention of all that man has made,' he replied with a wild look in his eyes. 'For one of those blades of grass I made myself.'"
"'But what is the use of that?' I asked."
"'Use! Use!' he repeated, and laughed. 'I do not work for use, but for wonder.'"
"'It will be wonderful,' I said, 'when we dominate the Caribbean.'"
"'It is far more wonderful,' he said, 'to have made a blade of grass. '"
"That I had to admit. But I added, 'You will return to your work now.'"
"And at that he laughed more wildly."
"'No, now that I can do this,' he exclaimed. 'I am going on to make flowers.'"
"I examined his blade of grass, and he gave me every facility, showing me the entire process in his laboratory. The blade was perfect and was clearly alive, but he satisfied me that it was artificial. A marvelous man. It was a pity. But we responsible ministers cannot make threats that we do not carry out. I had threatened him with death, and he had to be executed,..."
"Whether it was that the stranger's tale was told," Jorkens concluded, putting down his glass, "or that the influence of the strange wine was over, he fell then to silent brooding, gazing, as it seemed, into the past at the grip that his country had lost on the Caribbean, perhaps on the world."


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
2 ashore tNQyT     
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸
参考例句:
  • The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前,孩子们就上岸了。
  • He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。
3 aspiration ON6z4     
n.志向,志趣抱负;渴望;(语)送气音;吸出
参考例句:
  • Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
  • Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。
4 bribe GW8zK     
n.贿赂;v.向…行贿,买通
参考例句:
  • He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
  • He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。
5 cavalry Yr3zb     
n.骑兵;轻装甲部队
参考例句:
  • We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
  • The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。
6 folly QgOzL     
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话
参考例句:
  • Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
  • Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。
7 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
8 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
9 undertaking Mfkz7S     
n.保证,许诺,事业
参考例句:
  • He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
  • He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小,不敢从事任何事业。
10 soothingly soothingly     
adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地
参考例句:
  • The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘,她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 splendor hriy0     
n.光彩;壮丽,华丽;显赫,辉煌
参考例句:
  • Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
  • All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。
12 tavern wGpyl     
n.小旅馆,客栈;小酒店
参考例句:
  • There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
  • Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。
13 warfare XhVwZ     
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突
参考例句:
  • He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
  • Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。
14 fulfill Qhbxg     
vt.履行,实现,完成;满足,使满意
参考例句:
  • If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了,你就要履行你的诺言。
  • This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
15 aspirations a60ebedc36cdd304870aeab399069f9e     
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
  • The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。
16 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
17 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
18 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
19 bribes f3132f875c572eefabf4271b3ea7b2ca     
n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂
参考例句:
  • It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
  • corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏
20 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
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