In his own lifetime Galileo was the centre of violent controversy; but the scientific dust has long since settled, and today we can see even his famous clash with the Inquisition in something like its proper perspective. But, in contrast, it is only in modern times that Galileo has become a problem child for historians of science.
The old view of Galileo was delightfully uncomplicated. He was, above all, a man who experimented: who despised the prejudices and book learning of the Aristotelians, who put his questions to nature instead of to the ancients, and who drew his conclusions fearlessly. He had been the first to turn a telescope to the sky, and he had seen there evidence enough to overthrow Aristotle and Ptolemy together. He was the man who climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and dropped various weights from the top, who rolled balls down inclined planes, and then generalized the results of his many experiments into the famous
law of free fall.
But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of the period, and particularly by a new consciousness of the philosophical undercurrents in the scientific revolution, has profoundly modified this view of Galileo. Today, although the old Galileo lives on in many popular writings, among historians of science a new and more sophisticated picture has emerged. At the same time our sympathy for Balileo's opponents has grown somewhat. His telescopic observation are justly immortal; they aroused great interest at the time, they had important theoretical consequences, and they provided a striking demonstration of the potentialities hidden in instruments and apparatus. But can we blame those who looked and failed to see what Galileo saw, if we remember that to use a telescope at the limit of its powers calls for long experience and intimate familiarity with one's instrument? Was the philosopher who refused to look through Galileo's telescope more culpable than those who alleged that the spiral nebulae observed with Lord Rosse's great telescope in the eighteen-forties were scratches left by the grinder? We can perhaps forgive those who said the moons of Jupiter were produced by Galileo's spy-glass if we recall that in his day, as for centuries before, curved glass was the popular contrivance for producing not truth but illusion, untruth; and if a single curved glass would distort nature, how much more would a pair of them?
New words and expressions 生詞短語(yǔ)
Galileo 意大利物理及天文學(xué)家
Italian
He is the founder of modern physics. Sun Center/ Earth Center
Roman Catholic
heretic 異教徒governing body
All roads lead to Rome.
controversy n. 爭(zhēng)論,爭(zhēng)議=argument/quarrel/debate/clash
I had words with my wife.吵架
They two are controversial.因觀點(diǎn)不同而爭(zhēng)論
universiade debating 大學(xué)生辯論會(huì)
controversial
beyond controversy 毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)=beyond question
dust n. 糾紛,騷動(dòng)
to raise dust
Dust are you from, back to dust you will go.
rib 肋骨/steak 排骨
He always licks the dust.卑躬屈膝
eat dust 忍辱負(fù)重,臥薪嘗膽
The emperor of Yue ate dust for several years. Finally he turned against and also he successed.
raise a dust/ kick up a dust 引起爭(zhēng)論
His rude remarks raise a dust.
clash n. 沖突
mental conflict
confrontation
If you go to America, you will find very surprising and shocking clash between western and
oriental cultures.中西文化的強(qiáng)烈沖突
the Inquisition n. (羅馬天主教的)宗教法庭
thirty days grace/confess
perspective n. 觀點(diǎn),看法=view/stand/stance/proposition
My view/stand/stance/proposition is that...我的觀點(diǎn)是…
prejudice n. 偏見(jiàn)
《傲慢與偏見(jiàn)》(Pride and Prejudice)全書(shū)第一句是:It is a truth well-known to the world that an
unmarried man in possession of a big fortune must be in want of a wife.有錢的單身漢總想娶位
太太,這已成為一條舉世公認(rèn)的真理。
arranged marriage 包辦婚姻
be prejudiced against
He has a prejudice against me.他對(duì)我有偏見(jiàn)。
be discriminate against
Blacks are discriminated against.黑人受歧視。
racial discrimination 種族歧視
The mom plays favorites with her eldest son.母親對(duì)大兒子偏心。
above all 首先
He is honest. He is kind. Above all he is very diligent.(強(qiáng)調(diào)“勤奮”)
despise vt. 蔑視 dislike/belittle/contempt/despise/loathe
I despise snakes.
Aristotle 古希臘哲學(xué)家physics/rhetoric/poetry/psychology
mind of the school
Ptolemy 古希臘哲學(xué)家Leaning Tower of Pisa 比薩斜塔
inclined plane 斜面horizontal plane 水平面
generalize vt. 歸納generalization/summarize/induce
free fall 自由落體
undercurrent n. 潛流a hidden tendency behind the general opinion
sympathy n. 同情I have sympathy for him.
be sympathetic withfellow feeling
justly ad. 確實(shí)地,無(wú)疑地 no doubt
immortal a. 不朽的Humans are mortal.
mortal sins 人世間的罪He dealt me a mortal blow.他給了我致命一擊。
He is mortally ill.病重the immortals 長(zhǎng)生不老的人
intimate a. 詳盡的=detailed intimate report
exhaustive/minute/blow-by-blow
familiarity n. 熟悉familiar
I am familiar with it.It is familiar to me.
Familiarity breeds contempt.Distance lets enchantment to do well.
culpable a. 應(yīng)受譴責(zé)的=condemnable
culprit 罪犯allege vt. 斷言
spiral a. 螺旋狀的nebula n. 星云
dust and mistscratch n. 擦痕
scratch a match 劃火柴scratch a meal 扒兩口飯
scratch backscratch catpinch
Jupiter n. 木星
羅馬神話(Roman mythology)的主神是 Jupiter
希臘神話(Greek mythology)的主神是 Zeus
spy-glass n. 小望遠(yuǎn)鏡telescopecontrivance n. 器械
instrument/appliancedistort vt. 歪曲=falsify/misrepresent/warp
distort the fact 歪曲事實(shí)reborn n. 再生=rebirth
Notes on the text 課文注釋
long since 早已
He has long since died. the scientific dust since then has settled for a long time
in its proper/wrong perspectivesomething like/proper
He is something like musician.something like its proper perspective 基本正確地來(lái)看待
in its proper sense/perspectivein contrast 相反controversial figure
view of Galileo 人們對(duì) Galileo 的看法
Galileo's view Galileo 的看法book learning 書(shū)本知識(shí)blind worship 盲目崇拜
put 提出
draw one's conclusion 作出結(jié)論powerful influence of religion
there: in the skyweights 重物
generalize... into 把…總結(jié)成law/theorylaw: natural theory: mental
law of nature 自然法則a closer study 更仔細(xì)地研究support 修飾 study
sense: understandingconsciousness: understandingprofoundly: deeply
modified: changed
1 of the period
2 new consciousness of the philosophical undercurrents
old: latelive on 活躍在popular writings 科普文章 picture: idea
opponents 反對(duì)者 the majority of the commons
somewhat: a little they: telescopic observations
striking: surprising/shockingdemonstration: show/exhibition potentiality/potential
tap one's potentialspossibility
blame: criticizepowers 倍數(shù)calls for: needsextol him to the sky
backward societyardent follower of Aristotle and Ptolemy
allege (內(nèi)容一般不真實(shí))observed with
Lord 勛爵scratches 碎片grinder 磨工,尤指磨刀具的工人,研磨者
a sheer liartelling liesto tell people to tell truth
forgive: pardonmoons 衛(wèi)星 in his day 在他的時(shí)代 curved glass 曲面鏡
convex 凸透鏡concave 凹透鏡 fatter/thinner a pair of 一對(duì)too abrupt/radical
The old view of Galileo was delightfully uncomplicated. He was, above all, a man who experimented: who despised the prejudices and book learning of the Aristotelians, who put his questions to nature instead of to the ancients, and who drew his conclusions fearlessly. He had been the first to turn a telescope to the sky, and he had seen there evidence enough to overthrow Aristotle and Ptolemy together. He was the man who climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and dropped various weights from the top, who rolled balls down inclined planes, and then generalized the results of his many experiments into the famous
law of free fall.
But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of the period, and particularly by a new consciousness of the philosophical undercurrents in the scientific revolution, has profoundly modified this view of Galileo. Today, although the old Galileo lives on in many popular writings, among historians of science a new and more sophisticated picture has emerged. At the same time our sympathy for Balileo's opponents has grown somewhat. His telescopic observation are justly immortal; they aroused great interest at the time, they had important theoretical consequences, and they provided a striking demonstration of the potentialities hidden in instruments and apparatus. But can we blame those who looked and failed to see what Galileo saw, if we remember that to use a telescope at the limit of its powers calls for long experience and intimate familiarity with one's instrument? Was the philosopher who refused to look through Galileo's telescope more culpable than those who alleged that the spiral nebulae observed with Lord Rosse's great telescope in the eighteen-forties were scratches left by the grinder? We can perhaps forgive those who said the moons of Jupiter were produced by Galileo's spy-glass if we recall that in his day, as for centuries before, curved glass was the popular contrivance for producing not truth but illusion, untruth; and if a single curved glass would distort nature, how much more would a pair of them?
New words and expressions 生詞短語(yǔ)
Galileo 意大利物理及天文學(xué)家
Italian
He is the founder of modern physics. Sun Center/ Earth Center
Roman Catholic
heretic 異教徒governing body
All roads lead to Rome.
controversy n. 爭(zhēng)論,爭(zhēng)議=argument/quarrel/debate/clash
I had words with my wife.吵架
They two are controversial.因觀點(diǎn)不同而爭(zhēng)論
universiade debating 大學(xué)生辯論會(huì)
controversial
beyond controversy 毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)=beyond question
dust n. 糾紛,騷動(dòng)
to raise dust
Dust are you from, back to dust you will go.
rib 肋骨/steak 排骨
He always licks the dust.卑躬屈膝
eat dust 忍辱負(fù)重,臥薪嘗膽
The emperor of Yue ate dust for several years. Finally he turned against and also he successed.
raise a dust/ kick up a dust 引起爭(zhēng)論
His rude remarks raise a dust.
clash n. 沖突
mental conflict
confrontation
If you go to America, you will find very surprising and shocking clash between western and
oriental cultures.中西文化的強(qiáng)烈沖突
the Inquisition n. (羅馬天主教的)宗教法庭
thirty days grace/confess
perspective n. 觀點(diǎn),看法=view/stand/stance/proposition
My view/stand/stance/proposition is that...我的觀點(diǎn)是…
prejudice n. 偏見(jiàn)
《傲慢與偏見(jiàn)》(Pride and Prejudice)全書(shū)第一句是:It is a truth well-known to the world that an
unmarried man in possession of a big fortune must be in want of a wife.有錢的單身漢總想娶位
太太,這已成為一條舉世公認(rèn)的真理。
arranged marriage 包辦婚姻
be prejudiced against
He has a prejudice against me.他對(duì)我有偏見(jiàn)。
be discriminate against
Blacks are discriminated against.黑人受歧視。
racial discrimination 種族歧視
The mom plays favorites with her eldest son.母親對(duì)大兒子偏心。
above all 首先
He is honest. He is kind. Above all he is very diligent.(強(qiáng)調(diào)“勤奮”)
despise vt. 蔑視 dislike/belittle/contempt/despise/loathe
I despise snakes.
Aristotle 古希臘哲學(xué)家physics/rhetoric/poetry/psychology
mind of the school
Ptolemy 古希臘哲學(xué)家Leaning Tower of Pisa 比薩斜塔
inclined plane 斜面horizontal plane 水平面
generalize vt. 歸納generalization/summarize/induce
free fall 自由落體
undercurrent n. 潛流a hidden tendency behind the general opinion
sympathy n. 同情I have sympathy for him.
be sympathetic withfellow feeling
justly ad. 確實(shí)地,無(wú)疑地 no doubt
immortal a. 不朽的Humans are mortal.
mortal sins 人世間的罪He dealt me a mortal blow.他給了我致命一擊。
He is mortally ill.病重the immortals 長(zhǎng)生不老的人
intimate a. 詳盡的=detailed intimate report
exhaustive/minute/blow-by-blow
familiarity n. 熟悉familiar
I am familiar with it.It is familiar to me.
Familiarity breeds contempt.Distance lets enchantment to do well.
culpable a. 應(yīng)受譴責(zé)的=condemnable
culprit 罪犯allege vt. 斷言
spiral a. 螺旋狀的nebula n. 星云
dust and mistscratch n. 擦痕
scratch a match 劃火柴scratch a meal 扒兩口飯
scratch backscratch catpinch
Jupiter n. 木星
羅馬神話(Roman mythology)的主神是 Jupiter
希臘神話(Greek mythology)的主神是 Zeus
spy-glass n. 小望遠(yuǎn)鏡telescopecontrivance n. 器械
instrument/appliancedistort vt. 歪曲=falsify/misrepresent/warp
distort the fact 歪曲事實(shí)reborn n. 再生=rebirth
Notes on the text 課文注釋
long since 早已
He has long since died. the scientific dust since then has settled for a long time
in its proper/wrong perspectivesomething like/proper
He is something like musician.something like its proper perspective 基本正確地來(lái)看待
in its proper sense/perspectivein contrast 相反controversial figure
view of Galileo 人們對(duì) Galileo 的看法
Galileo's view Galileo 的看法book learning 書(shū)本知識(shí)blind worship 盲目崇拜
put 提出
draw one's conclusion 作出結(jié)論powerful influence of religion
there: in the skyweights 重物
generalize... into 把…總結(jié)成law/theorylaw: natural theory: mental
law of nature 自然法則a closer study 更仔細(xì)地研究support 修飾 study
sense: understandingconsciousness: understandingprofoundly: deeply
modified: changed
1 of the period
2 new consciousness of the philosophical undercurrents
old: latelive on 活躍在popular writings 科普文章 picture: idea
opponents 反對(duì)者 the majority of the commons
somewhat: a little they: telescopic observations
striking: surprising/shockingdemonstration: show/exhibition potentiality/potential
tap one's potentialspossibility
blame: criticizepowers 倍數(shù)calls for: needsextol him to the sky
backward societyardent follower of Aristotle and Ptolemy
allege (內(nèi)容一般不真實(shí))observed with
Lord 勛爵scratches 碎片grinder 磨工,尤指磨刀具的工人,研磨者
a sheer liartelling liesto tell people to tell truth
forgive: pardonmoons 衛(wèi)星 in his day 在他的時(shí)代 curved glass 曲面鏡
convex 凸透鏡concave 凹透鏡 fatter/thinner a pair of 一對(duì)too abrupt/radical