第4章 万物的尺度 The Measure of Things · 第6讲

1. 老师，讲稿里说英国科学家的遭遇是 'mild'，那这个词在这里具体是指他们的困难程度很轻微，还是指他们的心理失望感很轻呀？
2. 为什么 Mason 和 Dixon 在公海遇到法国战舰袭击后，他们给皇家学会的信里要用 'oughtn't to be called off' 这种否定形式，而不是直接说 'should be called off' 呢？
3. 讲稿里提到 'retrieve' 这个词，它既出现在 'irretrievable loss'（不可挽回的损失）里，又出现在 'golden retriever'（金毛寻回犬）里，这两个用法有什么共同点吗？
4. 为什么他们在好望角的观测结果被称为 'inconclusive'？这个词和 'conclusive' 在表达证据的说服力上有什么区别？
5. 讲稿最后提到 St. Helena 岛是个 'outcrop'，这个词原本指露出地面的岩石，为什么作者用它来形容这个岛屿，这和拿破仑被囚禁在这里有什么联系吗？

1. Teacher, when the transcript says the British scientists' misfortunes were 'mild', does it specifically mean the difficulties were slight, or that their psychological disappointment was light?
2. Why did Mason and Dixon use the negative form 'oughtn't to be called off' in their letter to the Royal Society after being attacked by a French frigate, instead of directly saying 'should be called off'?
3. The transcript mentions the word 'retrieve' in both 'irretrievable loss' and 'golden retriever'. What is the common thread between these two usages?
4. Why was their observation at the Cape of Good Hope described as 'inconclusive'? What is the difference between 'inconclusive' and 'conclusive' in terms of evidentiary weight?
5. The transcript finally mentions that St. Helena is an 'outcrop'. Since this word originally refers to rock exposed above ground, why does the author use it to describe the island, and is there any connection to Napoleon being imprisoned there?

1 00:00:08,950 --> 00:00:13,300 Hello everyone,welcome back. 2 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,660 This surreal picture was taken during the transit of 3 00:00:17,660 --> 00:00:19,140 Venus in 2012. 4 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,220 This is the sun,this is Venus, 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,940 and this is the top of Taj Mahal, 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:31,540 Paiji Ling.A bird was flying over the top of Taj Mahal as 7 00:00:31,540 --> 00:00:33,920 if it were trying to catch Venus in its beak. 8 00:00:35,340 --> 00:00:35,640 Well, 9 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:37,960 today we will continue to learn about European 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:38,620 scientists 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,520 joint effort to observe the transit of Venus. 12 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:43,120 Here we go. 13 00:00:45,070 --> 00:00:45,950 In comparison, 14 00:00:46,270 --> 00:00:49,150 the disappointments experienced by Britain's 18 15 00:00:49,150 --> 00:00:53,110 scattered observers were mild.In our previous 16 00:00:53,110 --> 00:00:55,370 lesson,we learned about French scientists 17 00:00:55,650 --> 00:00:59,650 misfortunes in their effort to chart the transit of 18 00:00:59,650 --> 00:01:02,510 Venus Now the British scientists 19 00:01:02,990 --> 00:01:07,670 misfortunes were mild in comparison to theirs 跟法国 20 00:01:07,670 --> 00:01:13,460 科学家的不幸遭遇比起来英国的 18 位科学家的失望可 21 00:01:13,460 --> 00:01:20,110 以说是算不了什么 Mild 指的是很轻微的 scattered 22 00:01:20,270 --> 00:01:26,250 意思是这十八位观测员并不是集中在一个地方而是分 23 00:01:26,250 --> 00:01:29,030 散地在各处开展观测活动 24 00:01:29,980 --> 00:01:33,570 Mason found himself paired with a young surveyor named 25 00:01:33,570 --> 00:01:37,570 Jeremia Dixon and apparently they got along well, 26 00:01:37,790 --> 00:01:42,930 for they formed a lasting partnershippaired with 是指 27 00:01:42,930 --> 00:01:49,030 跟什么人搭配一起干活 pair 是一对的意思那这里是动 28 00:01:49,030 --> 00:01:53,830 词的过去分词 Found himself paired with 就说明 Mason 29 00:01:53,830 --> 00:01:59,890 并不是自己要跟这位年轻的观测员搭配工作的而是皇 30 00:01:59,890 --> 00:02:04,450 家天文学会安排他们在一起工作但是呢 Obviously 31 00:02:04,450 --> 00:02:09,730 they got along well Apparently means obviously 显然他 32 00:02:09,730 --> 00:02:12,450 们相处的应该是不错 For 33 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,980 they formed a lasting partnership 因为他们之间形成 34 00:02:16,980 --> 00:02:19,200 了一种长期的伙伴关系。 35 00:02:20,180 --> 00:02:22,500 在这次的观测以后, 36 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:24,780 他们还一起进行了多次的合作。 37 00:02:24,780 --> 00:02:30,370 Their instructions were to travel to Sumatra and chart 38 00:02:30,370 --> 00:02:34,070 the transit there But after just one night at sea, 39 00:02:34,190 --> 00:02:38,930 their ship was attacked by a French frigate Although 40 00:02:38,930 --> 00:02:41,930 scientists were in an internationally cooperative 41 00:02:41,930 --> 00:02:42,650 mood, 42 00:02:42,850 --> 00:02:49,040 nations weren't Sumatra 是苏门达拉岛他们 43 00:02:49,140 --> 00:02:56,140 两个得到的指令是前往苏门达拉岛在那里观测惊心临 44 00:02:56,140 --> 00:03:00,860 日并且记录惊心临日的过程 But after just one night at 45 00:03:00,860 --> 00:03:05,280 sea 可是出海才刚出海才过了一个晚上 46 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:11,300 他们的船就被法国的快速战舰给袭击了虽 47 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:18,420 然科学家们有意进行国际合作 Mood 表示情绪心情的意 48 00:03:18,420 --> 00:03:23,760 思虽然他们有进行国际合作的意愿而国家与国家之间 49 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:28,180 在这个情况下就是英国和法国之间他们可没有国际合 50 00:03:28,180 --> 00:03:28,960 作的意图 51 00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:31,620 Well, 52 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:37,000 let's look at Sumatra This is Sumatra It is the second 53 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,300 largest island of today's Indonesia 是印度尼西亚的 54 00:03:41,300 --> 00:03:45,280 第二大岛 The Chinese people have been coming to this 55 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,080 island since the Tang Dynasty 郑和 in the Ming Dynasty 56 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,480 also visited Sumatra several times 57 00:03:53,040 --> 00:04:00,870 苏门达拉岛是海上丝绸之路的重要一站 Mason and 58 00:04:00,870 --> 00:04:05,450 Dixon sent a note to the Royal Societyobserving that it 59 00:04:05,450 --> 00:04:08,850 seemed awfully dangerous on the high seas and 60 00:04:08,850 --> 00:04:12,250 wondering if perhaps the whole thing oughtn't to be 61 00:04:12,250 --> 00:04:20,240 called off Mason and Dixon 给皇家科学会送了一封信一 62 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,040 封短信,所以叫 Note Note, 63 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,780 observing that and wondering if, 64 00:04:26,020 --> 00:04:30,080 画线的这两个部分,就是这封信的两个内容, 65 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,400 这封信表达了两点, 66 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,580 第一点是 observing that means saying that, 67 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:36,900 信里面表达说, 68 00:04:37,020 --> 00:04:40,020 it seems awfully dangerous on the high seas, 69 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,780 the high seas 就是中文说的公海, 70 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:45,920 不属于任何一个国家的, 71 00:04:45,980 --> 00:04:52,780 属于公共的一个海域,在公海上航行非常危险第二点 72 00:05:01,260 --> 00:05:04,810 大家可能比较熟悉另外一种说法就是 73 00:05:09,490 --> 00:05:15,350 就是我们比较习惯这里是肯定的整件事情是不是该被 74 00:05:15,350 --> 00:05:19,150 取消掉那这里呢,却是用否定, 75 00:05:19,270 --> 00:05:22,490 可是他表达的意思却是一样的, 76 00:05:22,550 --> 00:05:25,270 其实只是在语气上稍有不同, 77 00:05:25,530 --> 00:05:29,850 也就是使得这种说法显得更塔特不安, 78 00:05:30,050 --> 00:05:35,710 更战战兢兢,就这些事情是不是该被取消掉呢? 79 00:05:35,770 --> 00:05:37,550 好像很不敢提的样子。 80 00:05:47,150 --> 00:05:50,830 The nation and scientific community were counting on 81 00:05:50,830 --> 00:05:55,090 them and that their failure to proceed would result in 82 00:05:55,090 --> 00:05:57,830 the irretrievable loss of their reputations 83 00:05:58,800 --> 00:05:59,660 果然, 84 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:05,100 他们马上就收到了回复在这个回信里面呢他们两个被 85 00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:11,660 痛骂了一顿 Swift means quick Chilly means cold 在这里 86 00:06:11,660 --> 00:06:16,800 就是冷酷无情的 Rebuke means scolding 责骂他们收到 87 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,080 的回复是一通冷酷无情的责骂这个 88 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:27,620 回复表达了三个观点 Noting that Noting 就是指出 that 89 00:06:27,870 --> 00:06:32,190 and that 看到三点第一点就是 they had already been 90 00:06:32,190 --> 00:06:36,070 paid 第二点 The nation and the scientific community 91 00:06:36,070 --> 00:06:41,910 were counting on them Count on 指的是指望某人整个国 92 ……（后略，完整文稿见视频页字幕）