真题文章（1994年翻譯）

According to the new school of scientists, technology is an overlooked force on expanding the horizons of scientific knowledge. Science moves forward, they say, not so much through the insights of great men of genius as because of more ordinary things like improved techniques and tools. “In short,” a leader of the new school contends, “the scientific revolution, as we call it, was largely the improvement and invention and use of a series of instruments that expanded the reach of science in innumerable directions”.

Over the years, tools and technology themselves as a source of fundamental innovation have largely been ignored by historians and philosophers of science. The modern school that hails technology argues that such masters as Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, and inventors such as Edison attached great importance to, and derived great benefit from, craft information and technological devices of different kinds that were usable in scientific experiments.

The centerpiece of the argument of a technology-yes, genius-no advocate was an analysis of Galileo’s role at the start of the scientific revolution. The wisdom of the day was derived from Ptolemy, an astronomer of the second century, whose elaborate system of the sky put earth at the center of all heavenly motions. Galileo’s greatest glory was that in 1609 he was the first person to turn the newly invented telescope on the heavens to prove that the planets revolve around the sun rather than around the earth. But the real hero of the story, according to the new school of scientists, was the long evolution in the improvement of machinery for making eyeglasses.

Federal policy is necessarily involved in the technology vs. genius dispute. Whether the Government should increase the financing of pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa(反之) often depends on the issue of which is seen as the driving force.

考研核心词汇

horizon / hE5raizn /  n. 地平线  n. 1地平(线)2(知识,思想等的)范围,视野

[例] Science gives us a new horizon.   科学使我们大开新的眼界。

[派生] horizontal / 7hCri5zCntl /  adj. 地平线的, 水平的

[固定搭配] on the horizon 在地平线上; 刚刚冒出地平线; 即将出现的(事件)

在遥远的将来

insight  / 5insait / n. 洞察力, 见识

[例] a man of insight   有洞察力的人

[同义] intuition, perception, wisdom

[派生] insightful  / 5in7saitful /  adj. 富有洞察力的,有深刻见解的

[固定搭配] gain an insight into 了解, 熟悉; 看透；识破

instrument  / 5instrumEnt /  n.  工具, 手段, 器械, 器具

[例] an instrument for writing    书写工具

[同义] means ,tool, apparatus, appliance, device, implement

[派生] instrumental  / 7instru5mentl /  adj.  仪器的, 器械的, 乐器的

innumerable  / i5nju:mErEbl /  adj. 无数的, 数不清的

[例] an innumerable throng of people   人山人海

[同义] many ,countless, infinite, unlimited

[派生] innumerably / i5nju:mErEbli /  adv. 数不清地, 无数地

fundamental  / 7fQndE5mentl /  adj.  基础的, 基本的  n. 基本原则, 基本原理

[例] Fresh air is fundamental to good health.

空气新鲜是身体健康之必需。

[同义] basic, elementary ,essential ,primary

[反义] secondary / 5sekEndEri /  adj. 次要的, 二级的, 中级的, 第二的

[派生] fundament / 5fQndEmEnt /  n. 基础, 基本原理, 臀部

hail  / heil /  n. 1冰雹2致敬, 招呼3一阵 vt. 1向...欢呼, 致敬, 招呼2使象下雹样落下；猛发 vi. 1招呼2下雹   int.  万岁, 欢迎

[例] The crowd hailed stones upon the thief.  群众对小偷大扔石头。

[同义] cheer, greet ,shout, sleet, welcome

[派生] haily  / 5heili /  adj.  冰雹的, 冰雹状的,夹有冰雹的

centerpiece  / 5sentEpi:s /  n. 中心装饰品, (餐桌中央的摆饰)

[例] tailpipe centerpiece   尾管中心件

astronomer / E5strRnEmE(r) /  n.  天文学家

[例]An astronomer is the one that specializes in astronomy.

   天文学家是专门从事天文学研究的人。

[派生] astronomy  / E5strRnEmI /  n.  天文学

glory  / 5^lC:ri /  n.  荣誉, 光荣

[例] Win glory for our motherland!   为祖国争光!

[同义] fame, honor, prestige

[反义] disgrace  / dis5^reis / n. 耻辱, 失宠, 丢脸的人(或事)  v. 玷污

[派生] glorify / 5^lC:rifai /   v. 使更壮丽, 赞扬

telescope  / 5teliskEup /  n.  望远镜 v.  压缩

[例] When the trains crashed into each other, the cars were telescoped.

那两辆火车相撞时, 车厢挤在一起了。

[派生] telescopic  / teli5skCpik /   adj.  远视的；伸缩的

revolve  / ri5vClv /  v. 1(使)旋转, 循环出现2考虑

[例] He revolved the main points in his mind.   他在心中思索要点。

[同义] circle ,go around ,turn

[派生] revolving  / ri5vClviN /  v.  旋转  adj.  旋转的

dispute  / dis5pju:t /  v. 1争论, 辩论；怀疑2抗拒, 阻止, 争夺(土地,胜利等)

                   n. 争论, 辩论, 争吵

[例] The lawyer disputed the truth of the witness's statement.

律师对证人的话的真实性提出了怀疑。

[同义] argue , contest, debate, fight , oppose , quarrel

[反义] agree  / E5^ri: /  vi. 1同意, 赞成...的意见, 与...一致, 承认2适合vt. 同意

[派生] disputer / dIs`pju:tE(r) /  n.  争论者

[固定搭配] in dispute with 与…争论； 与…有争议；under dispute 在争论中；在辩论中 (= in dispute)；

expense  / Ik5spens /  n. 1费用, 代价, 开支2损失

[例] What are the expenses of moving house?   搬家的花销是多少？

[同义] cost, payment

[固定搭配] spare no expense 不惜代价； at sb.'s expense 由某人付钱