第4章 万物的尺度 The Measure of Things · 第1讲S4

课程:《万物简史》慕课教程(WANWUJS001)主讲:余俊英副教授(数字人)词汇 9 条句型 1 条要点 0 条
二、核心词汇(9)
词条释义 / 讲解
modestadj. 不大的,谦逊的。语境:a modest scientific wager(一个小小的科学赌局)。
worthiesn. 杰出人物,显赫人士。语境:two other worthies of his day(当时另外两位杰出人物)。
statelyadj. 庄严的,气度轩昂的。语境:Sir Christopher Wren(克里斯托弗·雷恩爵士,形容其王者气概)。
inclined tophrase. 倾向于,往往。语境:planets were inclined to orbit...(行星往往以……轨道运行)。
preciseadj. 精确的,严谨的。语境:a very specific and precise curve(一条非常特定且精确的曲线)。
worthprep. 价值……的。语境:a prize worth 40 shillings(价值40先令的奖品)。
take credit forphrase. 把……的功劳归给自己。语境:taking credit for ideas that weren't necessarily his own(把非己出的点子据为己有)。
consumev. 使着迷,使充满(强烈情感)。语境:consumed with finding the answer(一门心思寻找答案)。
call uponphrase. 拜访,访问(正式)。语境:boldly called upon... Isaac Newton(大胆拜访了艾萨克·牛顿)。
三、句型与语法点(1)
要点说明
rob sb. of sth.结构:剥夺某人某物。语境:rob others of the satisfaction(剥夺他人发现的乐趣)。
四、课堂讨论题
1. 讲稿里说'Oval'和'Ellipse'意思相近,但为什么这里要用更专业的'Ellipse'来描述行星轨道呢?这两个词在用法上到底有啥具体区别?
2. 罗伯特·胡克(Hook)声称自己已经解决了行星轨道的问题,但他为什么拒绝把答案分享出来?作者用'rob others of the satisfaction'这个表达,是想表达啥意思?
3. 哈雷(Halley)对寻找答案的态度和胡克完全相反,讲稿里用'consumed with'来形容他,这个词通常指‘消耗’,用在这里形容人的心理状态有什么特别的含义?
4. 哈雷为什么非要跑去剑桥找牛顿(Isaac Newton)帮忙?从'boldly called upon'这个动作来看,当时牛顿在学术界是个什么地位,哈雷这么做风险大吗?
5. 这节课最后提到牛顿是个'decidedly odd figure',结合前面哈雷他们打赌聊天的背景,你觉得牛顿的‘古怪’和他后来能解决这个科学难题之间有啥联系吗?
五、Discussion Questions (English)
1. The transcript says 'Oval' and 'Ellipse' are similar, but why use the more technical 'Ellipse' for planetary orbits? What's the specific difference in usage between these two words?
2. Robert Hook claimed he had solved the problem but refused to share it. What does the author mean by saying it would 'rob others of the satisfaction'? What was Hook's real motive?
3. Halley's attitude towards finding the answer was the opposite of Hook's. The transcript uses 'consumed with' to describe him. Since 'consume' usually means 'use up', what does it imply about his mental state here?
4. Why did Halley specifically go to Cambridge to seek help from Isaac Newton? From the phrase 'boldly called upon', what can we infer about Newton's status at the time and the risk Halley took?
5. The lesson ends by mentioning Newton was a 'decidedly odd figure'. Considering the context of the scientific wager earlier, how do you think Newton's 'oddity' might be connected to his ability to solve this scientific problem?
六、听力 / 讲稿全文
1 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:06,920 这些成绩之后, 2 00:00:07,340 --> 00:00:10,440 哈利的最大的贡献给予人知识的贡献, 3 00:00:10,420 --> 00:00:15,100 可能只是在他过去的日子中, 4 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:17,760 与两名其他值得的科学家合作。 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,480 罗伯特霍克,可能现在最好记得的, 6 00:00:21,740 --> 00:00:24,580 是一名能够描述一整个宇宙的第一人, 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,200 而伟大的和坚定的克里斯托弗瑞恩, 8 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:30,340 其实是第一个宇宙科学家, 9 00:00:30,700 --> 00:00:35,060 第二个建筑师,Though that is not often generally 10 00:00:35,060 --> 00:00:38,960 remembered now For all his achievements means in spite 11 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:44,080 of all his achievements 尽管他有这么多令人瞩目的成 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,700 就但是他对于科学界最大的贡献恐怕还是参加了 a 13 00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:54,480 modest scientific wager Modest means not very big 一个 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,340 小小的科学赌局 With two other worthies of his day 15 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:03,480 Worthies 指的是当时显赫的人物英国人是非常喜欢打 16 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:03,900 赌的 17 00:01:04,660 --> 00:01:09,460 Robert Hook 其中一个是 Robert Hook Who is perhaps best 18 00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:13,320 remembered now as the first person to describe a cell 他 19 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:16,160 是第一个描述了细胞的人 20 00:01:16,980 --> 00:01:20,740 另外一个是 The Great and Stately Sir Christopher Wren 21 00:01:20,740 --> 00:01:26,240 又见到了这个 Stately 之前我们见到 Stately 意思是这 22 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,100 里这个 Stately 指的是气度轩昂有王者气概的这种人 23 00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:39,780 他首先是一个天文学家也是一个建筑师 24 00:01:43,490 --> 00:01:46,890 不过这一点恐怕现在很少有人记得了 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:03,060 有一天呢这三个人一起在伦敦吃饭 Dining 在那吃饭聊 26 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:08,740 天呢就聊着聊的聊到了天体的运行 Motions 指的是运 27 00:02:08,740 --> 00:02:10,820 动运行 It 28 00:02:11,070 --> 00:02:14,690 was known that planets were inclined to orbit in a 29 00:02:14,690 --> 00:02:19,650 particularkind of ovalknown as an ellipse It was known 30 00:02:19,650 --> 00:02:27,330 that 也就是当时人们都知道行星往往是以一种叫做椭 31 00:02:27,330 --> 00:02:33,060 圆的这种乱圆形轨道绕着太阳运行的这里这两个词意 32 00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:38,110 思是很相近的一个是 Oval 一个是 Ellipse 但是 Oval 是 33 00:02:38,110 --> 00:02:44,910 比较日常的用语就是卵形这个 Oval 本身就是卵的意思 34 00:02:44,910 --> 00:02:45,650 蛋 35 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:52,380 蛋的形状而这个 Ellipse 就是一个专业的词椭圆非常 36 00:02:52,380 --> 00:02:57,620 规则的椭圆 Oval 不一定是有那么规则的 A 37 00:02:57,850 --> 00:03:02,790 very specific and precise curve 后面破折号的部分是 38 00:03:02,790 --> 00:03:08,090 对 ellipse 的具体的解释就是一个特定的非常精确的 39 00:03:08,090 --> 00:03:13,490 曲线就是指那种椭圆 To quote Richard Feyn man But it 40 00:03:13,490 --> 00:03:18,270 wasn't understood why 但是人们不明白为什么它的轨 41 00:03:18,270 --> 00:03:23,570 道是椭圆 R and generously offered a prize worth 40 42 00:03:23,570 --> 00:03:26,330 shillingsequivalent to a couple of weeks 43 00:03:26,450 --> 00:03:29,990 pay to whichever of the men could provide a solution 44 00:03:30,630 --> 00:03:37,050 R and 就非常大方地拿出了一笔傻金讲给能够解决这个 45 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:37,670 问题的人 46 00:03:38,540 --> 00:03:44,660 他的这笔钱呢是 worth 40 shillings 价值 40 仙令仙令一 47 00:03:44,660 --> 00:03:49,200 仙令呢是五遍式那这笔钱 equivalent to a couple of 48 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,140 weeks pay Hook who was well known for taking credit for 49 00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:57,400 ideas that weren't necessarily his ownclaimed that he 50 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,060 had solved the problem already but declined now to 51 00:04:01,060 --> 00:04:04,560 share it on the interesting and inventive grounds that 52 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,160 it would rob others of the satisfaction of discovering 53 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:13,370 the answer for themselves Hook 这个人本来就是以凡事 54 00:04:13,370 --> 00:04:19,210 喜欢鞠躬而闻名也不管功劳是不是真的跟他有关 take 55 00:04:19,210 --> 00:04:23,790 credit for ideas that weren't necessarily his own 就有 56 00:04:23,790 --> 00:04:27,860 一些 ide a 其实并不是他提出来的可是呢他倒要揽到自 57 00:04:27,860 --> 00:04:32,050 己身上说是自己提出来的他呢 claimed that he had 58 00:04:32,050 --> 00:04:36,100 solved the problem already 他声称自己已经解决了这 59 00:04:36,100 --> 00:04:40,830 个问题已经有 solution 了但是呢 declined now to share 60 00:04:40,830 --> 00:04:44,610 it 但是他拒绝拿出来分享 on 61 00:04:44,740 --> 00:04:48,060 the interesting and inventive grounds that on the 62 00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:53,040 grounds that 就是指以什么为理由他拒绝把自己的答 63 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,040 案拿出来分享 64 00:04:54,620 --> 00:04:58,880 这个理由呢倒是非常有趣挺别出心裁的非常 65 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,480 inventive On the interesting and inventive grounds 66 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,100 that it would rob others of the satisfaction of 67 00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:09,040 discovering the answer for themselves 这里一个词主 68 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,400 就是 rob somebody of something 他说我如果都说出来的 69 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:18,300 话那不就剥夺了别人自己去发现答案的乐趣了吗 70 00:05:25,870 --> 00:05:32,170 相反他说他会把答案藏一段时间这样别人才会懂得它 71 00:05:32,170 --> 00:05:32,850 的价值 72 00:05:37,410 --> 00:05:41,870 如果他真的有对这个问题继续有更多的思考的话那他 73 00:05:41,870 --> 00:05:47,090 也没有留下什么证据其实这句是比较委婉的说法了作 74 00:05:47,090 --> 00:05:51,550 者的意思是根据现有的证据他好像没有对这个问题真 75 00:05:51,550 --> 00:05:55,370 的有什么更多的想法也就是实际上他根本就没有 76 00:05:55,370 --> 00:05:55,930 solution 77 00:05:57,210 --> 00:06:00,870 Holly however became consumed with finding the answer 78 00:06:00,870 --> 00:06:04,330 to the point that the following year he traveled to 79 00:06:04,330 --> 00:06:07,290 Cambridge and boldly called upon the university's 80 00:06:07,290 --> 00:06:11,290 Lucashen professor of mathematics Isaac Newton in the 81 00:06:11,290 --> 00:06:16,400 hope that he could helpconsume 本意是消耗或者消费 82 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:17,340 But 83 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:24,070 if a feeling or idea consumes you it affects you very 84 00:06:24,070 --> 00:06:27,390 strongly so that you cannot think about anything else 85 00:06:27,390 --> 00:06:32,150 So Harley was consumed with finding the answer 指的是 86 00:06:32,150 --> 00:06:36,090 哈雷呢一门心思地想要找到这个问题的答案 87 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:40,760 我们现在看这个例句 He was consumed with guilt after 88 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:41,540 the accident 89 00:06:42,350 --> 00:06:45,630 在这场事故以后他内心充满了内疚 90 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,820 再回到这里讲哈雷一门心思想要找到答案甚至在第二 91 ……(后略,完整文稿见视频页字幕)
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七、课堂练习(AI 生成)
1. 在描述一项规模不大但很有意义的科学赌局时,我们可以用哪个词来形容“不大的”?
A. modest
B. stately
C. precise
D. worthies
答案:A · 根据材料,modest 意为“不大的,谦逊的”,符合语境。
2. 如果某人把不是自己的创意据为己有,在英语中应该使用哪个短语?
A. call upon
B. take credit for
C. rob sb. of sth.
D. inclined to
答案:B · 材料指出 take credit for 意为“把……的功劳归给自己”,符合题意。
3. 想要表达“剥夺他人发现的乐趣”,应选用材料中的哪个固定搭配?
A. rob others of the satisfaction
B. consume others with the satisfaction
C. call upon others for the satisfaction
D. be inclined to others for the satisfaction
答案:A · 材料明确给出 rob sb. of sth. 表示“剥夺某人某物”,此处对应 rob others of the satisfaction。
4. 当形容一个人“一门心思寻找答案”或“被强烈情感充满”时,材料推荐使用的动词是?
A. stately
B. worthies
C. consume
D. modest
答案:C · 根据板书,consume 作动词时可表示“使着迷,使充满(强烈情感)”,语境为 consumed with finding the answer。
5. 在正式场合表示“大胆拜访了艾萨克·牛顿”,应使用材料中的哪个短语?
A. call upon
B. take credit for
C. rob sb. of sth.
D. inclined to
答案:A · 材料中 call upon 意为“拜访,访问(正式)”,符合该语境。