College English (4-3)大学英语精读第四册.doc

Unit 3: Why Do We Believe That the Earth Is Round (我们为什么相信地球是圆的？) Introductory Remarks “Why Do We Believe That the Earth Is Round” is one of a series of short essays Orwell wrote for British periodicals in the 1940’s. In it he first tries to refute both the Flat Earth theory and Oval Earth theory but says that his reasons for thinking that the earth is round are rather weak and precarious. Then from the discussion he draws his conclusion that ours is a credulous age because much of our knowledge does not rest on reasoning or on experiment, but on authority. Here Orwell expresses a healthy concern for the burden the ordinary newspaper-reading citizen carries. Overloaded with information and misinformation, the average man cannot adequately process and digest what he receives. He is apt to accept what he hears or reads as true without submitting it to factual verification or the test of reason. Man should respect the views of true experts, but he should test their theories, and compare different viewpoints in order to arrive at a truer perspective. Then, and only then, can man truly become an intelligent thinking species Preface prove (vt.) 证明, 证实 prove + noun: He has proved his courage in battle. prove + adj.: The article has proved most useful. prove to be …: The play proved to be very good. prove + that clause: I will prove (to the world) that he was right. go ahead (vi.): Go ahead, please. go ahead with sth: Go ahead with your plan. rely on = depend on sense (C): 理性 (pl.) 感觉 draw on吸收, 利用 = take advantage of = make use of Lines 1 – 13 some… or…other 某一… e.g.: somewhere or other 在某个地方; some day or other (未来)某一天; (in) some way or other (以)某种方法; He went to some place or other. 他去了某个地方. preface (to): introduction (to) (文章或书的) 序言; 引言 Saint Joan “圣女贞德” Bernard Shaw 肖伯纳 (English dramatist) remark (v. n.): say; comment gullible (adj.): credulous 易轻信的; 易受骗的 gull (vt.): cheat; deceive e.g.: Gull (=deceive / cheat) a fool out of his money骗取傻子的钱 gull (n.): a person who i