2007考研英语强化班授课讲义(十五)

stion is to find the best conditions, external and internal, which have in the past helped the progress of science and to anticipate the changed needs of the present and future. The answer to the second question, which depends on the first, is set out towards the end of this chapter. Some of the external conditions for the flourishing of science in the past have already been discussed. 2) In essence they are provided only in periods of social and economic advance, when science is given social importance and material means and is continually stimulated to new activity by problems presented to it from the economic and social spheres.

    3) Now these problems have been essentially, as we have seen, those that touched the interests of the ruling class of the time, whether real, like navigation, or imaginary, like astrology.  4) The opportunity and the honor given to the practitioners of science at any time are a measure of the degree to which they serve at these interests. They are greatest in periods of active advance, because then the people who are occupied with science are closely in touch with the main economic interests, and are often drawn from the directing classes themselves or are brought into their counsels because of their abilities. We have had many examples in these pages such as: Archimedes, Grosseteste, Leonardo, Galileo, Boyle, Davy, Pasteur, Kelvin.

    5) But for the secure advance of science it is also essential that those interests should lie along lines which bring the scientists into connection with constructive practical activities. For example, the relative sterility of natural science in the times between Pericles and Alexander is an indication of what able and gifted individuals could fail to do, if divorced from any relation to production through the overriding interests of the political problems of a decaying, small-city, slave society. (386 words)

IV. Writing

Directions:You are working as a part-timer for a foreign enterprise, your boss is asking you to writing a letter for him to John, one of the staff members, to reject a proposal on expanding field operations.

Write a letter to John to:
1) thank him for the proposal,
2) tell him gently but firmly why his offer cannot be accepted,
3) give him some encouragement for future efforts.

Letter of Rejecting

Dear John,

    I read with great interest your proposal to expand our field operations. Thanks for taking time to present this idea. 这个计划听起来不错，但是很遗憾目前还派不上用场。

    As you know, we are making preparations to introduce several new products, and recent figures indicate this operation is going to draw on all our available resources for the next eight months.只是我们现在还没有资金，人力或者培训能力来拓展我们的地盘。You may be certain I’ll remember your suggestion if the right time comes.

    希望能收到更多像你提供的这种好点子，那将会使我的工作变得更轻松。Thanks, John.

Yours sincerely,

Li Ming

作业：1. 认真复习本单元内容。   2. 词汇背记必须结合完形、阅读和英译汉练习。 3. 在使用“复习指导”时，要注意各章分头全面推进，并针对自己的弱项选择相关章节做重点突破。

赠言： 要有收获就必须不断投入。全神贯注是事业成功的必修课。胜利往往就在于坚忍不拔。 转贴于：博学在线_考研

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选择搭配题参考译文(1)

    在传统的婚礼上，新郎和新娘会相互许诺终生相爱。然而美国约有1/4的婚姻以离异收场。自1940年以来，离婚率增长了一倍还多，专家预言，20世纪70年代的婚姻中，约有50% 会以离婚告终。美国是世界上离婚率最高的国家之一，也许可称世界之最。

    问题究竟出在哪里呢？离婚在美国司空见惯并不意味着美国人视夫妻关系为儿戏，恰恰相反，他们对婚姻的期望值很高。他们追求肉体和谐、情感相通和智力相当，他们希望彼此深知深爱。正是因为美国人对婚姻的期望值太高，才使离异的人居高不下。他们宁愿不结婚，也不要没有爱情和缺乏理解的婚姻。

    哪一种婚姻最可能以离婚收场呢？低收入或少教育阶层之间的婚姻，以及青少年之间的婚姻风险最大。孩子在18岁以下的夫妇间的离婚率在下降，几乎45%的离异夫妇都没有子女。

    夫妇离婚时，法庭会要求男方每月付给前妻一笔钱，即赡养费。赡养费的金额依丈夫的收入、妻子的需要和婚姻时间长短而定。 如果妻子有工作而且收入不菲，她可能连一点赡养费也拿不到。偶尔也有法庭裁定妻子付给丈夫赡养费的。约有10% 的美国妇女收入超过他们的丈夫。如果妻子在婚姻期间一直完全供养丈夫，法庭可能裁定离婚后女方必须继续供养丈夫。这在美国是一个相当新的观念。

    如果办理离婚的夫妇有孩子，法庭必须确定父母中谁与孩子一起生活，谁为孩子提供羊育费。在大多数情况下，孩子同母亲一起生活，父亲则支付孩子的抚养费并享有探视权。然而，只要最大限度地对孩子有利，父亲拥有对孩子的全部监护权或父母共有监护权的情况并不少见。

    离婚的高风险似乎没有使美国人产生恐惧心理，他们依然一次又一次地尝试婚姻，约95% 的美国中年人至少结过一次婚， 离婚的人中，约有80% 最后还是再次成婚。只有日本人结婚的比例同美国人一样高。其实，再婚和组织新家庭在美国非常普遍。美国有一则笑话说：一位妻子对她的二婚丈夫大声喊：“快来呀，约翰，不好啦！你的孩子和我的孩子正在打我们的孩子！”

    尽管大多数都结婚成家，选择其他生活方式的人也在增加， 他们的行为日益被一般人认可。未婚同居伴侣的人数已从1970年的50万人增加到1988年的260万人。许多老年人对日益