Lesson 7 Bats
第七課蝙蝠
by MAURICE BURTON
from Curiosities of animal life
7-1. Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echo-location in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role.
【譯文】動(dòng)物發(fā)出的聲音并不都起語言作用。我們只需舉發(fā)現(xiàn)蝙蝠的回聲定位這個(gè)不同尋常的例子，就能知道聲音起著極其實(shí)用的作用。
【講解】Not all sounds…這里否定的是其中一部分，叫部分否定句。all，every，both，always等用于否定結(jié)構(gòu)時(shí)不是全部被否定，而是表示其中的一部分被否定。而且英語多半將not置于謂語中。
例如：
All is not a gold that glitters.（即Not all that glitters is gold.）
閃閃發(fā)光物，未必盡黃金。
Every one cannot write novels.（即Not every one can write novels.）
不是所有的人都能寫小說。
I don’t like both of the novels.（即I like only one of the two novels.）
這兩本小說我不是都喜歡。
plays a strictly utilitarian role直譯為“扮演絕對(duì)實(shí)用的角色”，可譯為“發(fā)揮絕對(duì)實(shí)用的作用”。
【單詞和短語】
turn to：求助于；求教于；查閱（to try to get help, advice, or sympathy from sb.），
例如：
You can always turn to me for help. 你隨時(shí)可以來找我?guī)兔Α?utilitarian：實(shí)用的（intended to be useful and practical rather than attractive or comfortable），
例如：
A good cloth coat is more utilitarian than a fur one.
一件優(yōu)質(zhì)的布外衣要比一件毛皮外衣更有用。
另掌握utilitarianism（功利主義）一詞。
7-2. To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions.
【譯文】要透徹理解這句話的含義，我們應(yīng)先回顧人類近的幾項(xiàng)發(fā)明。
【講解】to get a full appreciation of what this means作目的狀語，修飾turn。不定式作狀語放在句首，比放在后邊更要正式，語氣較重。what this means是名詞性從句，作of的賓語。this指上句we have only to turn…plays a strictly utilitarian role。
【單詞和短語】
appreciation：估價(jià)；評(píng)價(jià)；鑒別（an understanding of the importance or meaning of sth），
例如：
They are mistaken in their appreciation of the country’s economic conditions.
他們對(duì)國家經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢的判斷是錯(cuò)誤的。
have a keen appreciation of a joke 能深刻領(lǐng)會(huì)一句笑話的妙處
appreciation的動(dòng)詞形式為appreciate，形容詞形式為appreciative。
7-3. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back.
【譯文】大家都知道，如果有人在墻壁或半山腰附近發(fā)出喊聲，他就會(huì)聽到回聲。
【單詞和短語】
in the vicinity (of sth.)：（在……）附近；（與……）接近（in the area around a particular place），
例如：
a mansion in the vicinity of the lake 湖濱大廈
His income is in the vicinity of $50,000 他每年的收入將近五萬美元
7-4. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo.
【譯文】固體障礙物越遠(yuǎn)，回聲返回所用時(shí)間就越長。
【講解】obstruction后省略了is。for the return of the echo作time的定語。
【單詞和短語】
obstruction：阻塞物；障礙（物）（when sth blocks a road, passage, tube etc, or the thing that blocks it），obstruction的動(dòng)詞形式為obstruct。
elapse：（時(shí)間）消逝，過去（if a particular period of time elapses, it passes），
例如：
Five years elapsed before he returned. 過了5年他才回來。
7-5. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated.
【譯文】敲打船體所發(fā)出的聲音會(huì)從海底反射回來，測出回聲與原聲間隔的時(shí)間就可算出該處海洋的深度。
【單詞和短語】
receipt:收到，接到（when sb. receives sth.），
例如：
We are awaiting the receipt of further information.
我們正在等著接獲進(jìn)一步的信息。
receipt另一常見意為“收據(jù)，發(fā)票”，receipt的動(dòng)詞形式為receive。
interval：（空間、時(shí)間上的）間隔；間距；間隙；空隙（the period of time between two events, activities, etc），
例如：
an interval of 30 years 30年的間隔
the interval between a lightening flash and the following thunder
電閃與隨后雷鳴之間的間歇
an interval of 10 metres between posts 柱間10米的距離
She has intervals of freedom from worry. 她間或也有擺脫煩惱之時(shí)。