第4章 万物的尺度 The Measure of Things · 第7讲S3

1. 讲稿里说 Cavendish 的害羞程度 'bordering on disease'（近乎病态），这具体是指什么表现？为什么传记作家要用 'disease' 这个词来形容？
2. 文中提到 Cavendish 出生于 'sumptuous privilege'（奢华的特权）环境，但后来却极度 'retiring'（害羞/避世）。这两种截然不同的特质在他身上是怎么共存的？
3. 这里的 'retiring' 和我们在第一章学过的动词 'retire'（退休/退隐）在意思和用法上有什么具体区别？
4. 为什么 Michel 设计了测地球质量的机器，最后却是 Cavendish 完成了实验？文中提到的 'passed on' 具体是指什么过程？
5. Cavendish 连管家都只通过信件交流，这种极度的社交回避对他完成精密的科学实验（如测量地球质量）是好事还是坏事？

1. The text says Cavendish's shyness was 'bordering on disease'; what specific behaviors does this refer to, and why did his biographer choose the word 'disease'?
2. Cavendish came from a 'sumptuous privilege' background but was extremely 'retiring'. How do these two contrasting traits coexist in him?
3. What is the specific difference in meaning and usage between the adjective 'retiring' here and the verb 'retire' we learned in Chapter 1?
4. Why was it Cavendish who finally conducted the experiment for the machine designed by Michel? What exactly does 'passed on' refer to in this context?
5. Cavendish communicated with his housekeeper only by letter. Was this extreme social avoidance helpful or harmful for his precise scientific work, like measuring the mass of the earth?

1 00:00:05,780 --> 00:00:07,780 But of all that Michel accomplished, 2 00:00:08,420 --> 00:00:13,120 nothing was more ingenious or had greater impact than a 3 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:16,720 machine he designed and built for measuring the mass of 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,900 the earth.现在我们回头来讲这个 Michel。 5 00:00:20,370 --> 00:00:22,750 在 Michel 的所有的成就中, 6 00:00:22,870 --> 00:00:28,050 没有哪一样能够比这个 machine 要更加的 ingenious, 7 00:00:28,150 --> 00:00:32,210 构思更加的精巧,or had greater impact, 8 00:00:32,530 --> 00:00:34,510 或者说影响力更大。 9 00:00:34,510 --> 00:00:38,450 那他的这个 machine 是什么呢是 he designed and built 10 00:00:38,450 --> 00:00:43,430 for measuring the mass of the earth 为了测出地球的质 11 00:00:43,430 --> 00:00:48,370 量而设计并制造的一个机器那 12 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:53,740 这个句子可以再重新整合一下可以这样翻译在 Michel 13 00:00:53,740 --> 00:00:59,500 的诸多杰出成就中他设计制造的一台测量地球质量的 14 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:06,080 机器构思最为精巧对后世的影响也最深远 Unf 15 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,100 ortunately he died before he could conduct the 16 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:12,320 experiments and both the idea and the necessary 17 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,940 equipmentwere passed on to a brilliant but 18 00:01:15,940 --> 00:01:20,260 magnificently retiring London scientistnamed Henry 19 00:01:20,260 --> 00:01:22,340 Cavendish 遗 20 00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:28,860 憾的是他还没来得及开展这个实验就死了所以 21 00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:33,810 他的这个想法跟他的这个仪器设备就传给了一个 22 00:01:33,810 --> 00:01:39,290 brilliant 非常聪明的 but magnificently retiring 但 23 00:01:39,290 --> 00:01:45,390 是却又是非常非常害羞极度害羞的一个伦敦科学家叫 24 00:01:45,390 --> 00:01:46,410 Henry Cavendish 25 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:52,000 我们在第一章的时候学过这个 retire to retire to a 26 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,160 safe place 退到一个安全的地点那时候学到的是这个 27 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,780 动词现在这个 retiring 是形容词 some 28 00:02:01,580 --> 00:02:04,380 one who is retiring Retiring does not want to be with 29 00:02:04,380 --> 00:02:05,100 other people, 30 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,340 especially people they do not know. 31 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,040 这种 Retiring 就是非常害羞, 32 00:02:10,140 --> 00:02:11,780 非常不喜欢社交的。 33 00:02:12,850 --> 00:02:15,110 Cavendish is a book in himself. 34 00:02:15,590 --> 00:02:18,350 Cavendish 本人可以说是一部书, 35 00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:20,570 有很多精彩的地方可以写。 36 00:02:20,790 --> 00:02:23,450 Born into a life of sumptuous privilege, 37 00:02:23,850 --> 00:02:25,850 his grandfathers were dukes, 38 00:02:25,970 --> 00:02:26,510 respectively, 39 00:02:26,850 --> 00:02:31,110 of Devonshire and Kent.He was the most gifted English 40 00:02:31,110 --> 00:02:32,770 scientist of his age, 41 00:02:32,970 --> 00:02:37,650 but also the strangest Sumptuous means very 42 00:02:37,650 --> 00:02:40,670 impressive and expensive For example, 43 00:02:40,830 --> 00:02:42,250 a sumptuous feast, 44 00:02:42,570 --> 00:02:46,250 一顿丰盛的宴席 A sumptuous palace, 45 00:02:46,630 --> 00:02:52,670 一座辉煌的豪华的宫殿 Privileged 指的是特权 46 00:02:52,670 --> 00:02:56,930 Underprivileged 我们可以从这个词来进一步理解 47 00:02:56,930 --> 00:03:00,630 privileged 的含义 Underprivileged means without 48 00:03:00,630 --> 00:03:04,190 privilege,with no privilege It means very poor, 49 00:03:04,410 --> 00:03:05,970 with worse living conditions, 50 00:03:06,270 --> 00:03:07,790 educational opportunities, 51 00:03:08,150 --> 00:03:08,450 etc. 52 00:03:08,670 --> 00:03:12,700 than most people in society Underprivileged children 53 00:03:12,700 --> 00:03:16,040 就是那些穷困的孩子那 54 00:03:16,930 --> 00:03:22,290 他是出生于巨富豪门祖父两个的祖父 55 00:03:22,410 --> 00:03:28,190 外祖父跟祖父都是公爵分别是 Devonshire 跟 Kent 就分 56 00:03:28,190 --> 00:03:33,250 别是 Duke of Devonshire 跟 Duke of Kent 他们的封地分别 57 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:35,430 是在 Devonshire 和 Kent 这两个地方 58 00:03:36,530 --> 00:03:41,870 He was the most gifted English scientist of his age of 59 00:03:41,870 --> 00:03:46,810 his age 指的是他生活的那个时代而不是指那个年龄 60 00:03:47,430 --> 00:03:54,470 是最有天赋的英国科学家但是呢也是最奇怪的最古怪 61 00:03:54,470 --> 00:03:54,690 的 62 00:04:05,010 --> 00:04:09,310 这个句子这里 in the words of one of his few bi ographers 63 00:04:09,310 --> 00:04:13,850 这个是要抽离出来的因为这是插入语 bi ographers 是 64 00:04:13,850 --> 00:04:18,870 传记作家有他的一位传记作家是这样说的说他是 65 00:04:18,870 --> 00:04:22,810 suffered from shyness to a degree bordering on 66 00:04:22,810 --> 00:04:27,530 diseasesuffer from 是指遭受什么的困扰遭受什么的 67 00:04:27,530 --> 00:04:31,570 折磨的意思但是在这里呢我们翻译的时候不一定要把 68 00:04:31,570 --> 00:04:35,690 这个 suffer 叫我们遭受不要把这个字眼给翻译出来我 69 00:04:35,690 --> 00:04:41,110 们可以说他极度害羞到了什么程度呢 to a degree 70 00:04:41,110 --> 00:04:42,630 bordering on disease 71 00:04:43,630 --> 00:04:46,970 到了近乎病态的程度 any 72 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:51,580 human contact was for him a source of the deepest 73 00:04:51,580 --> 00:04:57,620 discomfort 任何跟人类的接触也就是任何的人际交往 74 00:04:57,620 --> 00:05:03,060 对他来说都会造成深深的不安深深的不适 75 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:14,480 有一次他 76 00:05:14,770 --> 00:05:20,650 打开门就看到自己的门口站着一个粉丝 Admirer 是仰 77 00:05:20,650 --> 00:05:24,210 慕他的人这个人来自澳大利亚, 78 00:05:24,290 --> 00:05:27,230 不是 Australia,是奥地利, 79 00:05:27,430 --> 00:05:31,250 是刚从奥地利的维也纳来到这里的, 80 00:05:31,290 --> 00:05:33,510 维也纳是澳大利亚的首都。 81 00:05:34,660 --> 00:05:37,460 这位奥地利的粉丝就非常激动, 82 00:05:37,580 --> 00:05:41,040 就开始 blah blah blah 地恭维他的这个仰慕对象。 83 00:05:52,420 --> 00:05:56,340 fl at down the path and out the gateleaving the front 84 00:05:56,340 --> 00:06:02,020 door wide openblunt objectblunt 指的是很钝的是 85 00:06:02,020 --> 00:06:09,680 sharp 锋利的反义词很钝的物体钝物比如说棍子或者 86 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:16,540 是拳头这种钝器和钝物 blows 是打击的意思刚 87 00:06:16,730 --> 00:06:22,370 开始那一伙呢 Cavendish 在那儿听着对方的恭维仿佛 88 00:06:22,370 --> 00:06:26,130 对方是一拳一拳的或者一棍一棍的打过来似的 89 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:32,200 然后 unable to take anymore 他就再也忍受不了了就 fl 90 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:38,040 at down the pathfl at 原型是 fleef l e e it means to run 91 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,120 away 就沿着小路跑出大门 92 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,360 连家里的前门大开也顾不上了也不管了 93 00:06:46,100 --> 00:06:50,180 It was some hours before he could be coaxed back to the 94 00:06:50,180 --> 00:06:50,580 property 95 00:06 ……（后略，完整文稿见视频页字幕）