1、大学英语自学教程课文上unit2100:00.00Unit 21 text A00:04.41The Language of Uncertainty00:06.69语言的不确定性00:08.96Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly00:12.29无法确定的事情在我们生活中无所不在，00:15.62that it dominates our language.00:17.91以致支配着我们的语言。00:20.19Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like p
2、robably many,00:24.87我们的日常讲话很大一部分是由probaby(大概),00:29.54soon,great,little;What do these words mean?00:33.97soon(很快)great(很大)little（很小）一类的词构成的。这些词是指什么意思呢？00:38.40Atomic war, declared a recent editorial in the London Times,00:42.67伦敦泰晤士报最近的一篇社论声称：00:46.94is likely to destroy forever the nation that wag
3、es it.00:50.77伦敦泰晤士报最近的一篇社论声称：00:54.60How exactly are we to understand the word likely?00:57.77“我们如何准确理解（很可能）这个词呢？01:00.94Lacking any standard for estimating the probability,01:04.07因为缺乏任何估计可能性的标准，01:07.19we are left with the judgment of the editorial writer.01:10.06我们只能听任社论作者的判断。01:12.93Such verbal
4、 imprecision is not necessarily to be criticised.01:16.56这类言词的不准确性并非一定要予以责备。01:20.20Indeed,it has a value just because it allows us to express judgments01:24.38甚至，它还有一定的价值，01:28.56when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.01:32.08因为它容许我们在无法作出一个精确的定量表述时来表达判断。01:35.61The language of
5、 uncertainty has three main categories:01:39.74不确定的语言主要有三种分类：01:43.86(1)words such as probably, possibly, surely,01:48.29（1）像probably（大概），possibly（可能）surely（肯定）01:52.72which denote a single subjective probability01:56.05之类的词，表达某一主观的，01:59.38and are potentially quantifiable;02:02.20可以量化的可能性；02:05.02(
6、2) words like many,often,soon,which are also quantifiable02:09.71（2）像many（很多）often（常常）soon（很快）这一类词，也是可量化的，02:14.40but denote not so much a condition of uncertainty as a quantity imprecisely known;02:19.42但它们表示的与其说是不能肯定的状态，不如说是一个知之不确的数量；02:24.43(3) words like fat,rich,drunk,02:28.11（3）像fat（胖）rich（富）d
7、runk（醉）一类的词，02:31.80which can not be reducedto any accepted number02:34.51不能将其转化为任何可接受的数字，02:37.23because they are given different values by different people.02:40.31因不同的人赋予它们不同的量值。02:43.40We have been trying to pin down by experiments02:46.18我们一直想用实验准确说明，02:48.96what people mean by these expression
8、s in specific contexts,02:52.49在特定语境下人们使用这些说法时所指的意思，02:56.01and how the meanings change with age.02:58.73以及这些意思如何随年龄而变化。03:01.45For instance, a subject is told 03:03.67比如，一名实验对象被告知03:05.89There are many trees in the park03:08.26“公园里有很多树，”，03:10.64and is asked to say what number the word many mean to
9、 him.03:14.02然后问他“很多”这个词对他的意味着多少03:17.41Or a child is invited to take some sweets from a bowl03:20.93或叫一个孩子从一个碗里拿出“一些”粮果，03:24.46and we then count how many he has taken.03:27.09然后我们数数他拿了几颗。03:29.71We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number03:32.99我们拿他单独在场时出的糖果的数目03:36.27when one
10、 or more other children are present03:39.14和有一个或几个孩子在场的，03:42.01and are to take some sweets after him,03:44.34随后也要拿糖果情况下取出的糖果的数目进行比较，03:46.66or with the number he takes when told to givesome sweets to another child.03:50.79或者和叫他取一些糖果分给别的孩子的情况进行比较。03:54.92First,we find that the number depends,of cour
11、se,on the items involved.03:59.75首先，我们当然发现数目取决于涉及的事物。04:04.58To most people some friends means about five,04:07.86对大多数人而言，“一些朋友”意味着大约5个，04:11.14while some trees means about twenty.04:14.11而“一些树”则指大约20棵。04:17.07However,unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values.04:20.79然而，同一数字在不相关的方面有时量值是相似的。04:2
12、4.52For instance,the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather04:29.19比如，表示概率的语言在预报天气04:33.87and about politics:the expression is certain to (rain, or be elected)04:38.44和政治时似乎所指意思相同：“肯定要”（下雨或被选为）04:43.01signifies to the average person about a 70 per
13、 cent chance;04:46.54对一般人意味着70%的概率；04:50.06is likely to,about a 60 per cent chance;04:53.09“很可能”大约有60%的机会；04:56.12probably will, about 55 perscent.04:59.01“大概会”则大约有55%的可能性。05:01.90Secondly, the size of the population of items influences05:05.67其次，事物总量的大小会影响05:09.45the valueassigned to an expression.
14、05:12.08一种表达方式被赋予的量值。05:14.72Thus,if we tell a subject to take a few05:17.54因此，如果叫一名实验者从盒子里取出“一些”05:20.37or a lot ofglass balls from a box,05:23.49或“很多”玻璃球，05:26.61he will take more if the box contains a large number of glass balls05:30.33盒子里玻璃球数目多的时候，他取出的就多，05:34.05than if it has a small number.05:
15、36.33反之他取出的就少。05:38.60But not proportionately more:05:40.94但不是按比例增加的：05:43.28if we increase the number of glass balls eight times,05:46.45如果将玻璃球的数目增加7倍，05:49.62the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.05:53.04被试者也只按玻璃球总数比例的一半取出玻璃球。05:56.47Thirdly, there is a marked change with
16、age.05:59.39最后，取球数目随年龄显著变化。06:02.32Among children between six and fourteen years old,06:05.19在6岁到14岁的孩子中，06:08.07the older the child,the fewer glass balls he will take.06:11.10年龄越大，孩子取出的玻璃球越少。06:14.13But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age.06:17.55但“许多”和“一些”之间的差别随年龄增长而变大。06:20.97T
17、his age effect is so consistent that it might be usedas a test of intelligence.06:25.36这种年龄产生的效果是一贯的，以致都可用其作智商测验。06:29.75In place of a long test06:32.07我们可以叫实验者06:34.40we could merely ask the subjectto give numerical values to expressions such as nearly always06:39.76给在某一特定语境下的说法如nearly always06:45.
18、13 and very rarely in a given context,06:48.16和very rarely赋予数值意义，06:51.19and then meagre hi8 intelligence by the ratio of the number for 06:54.68通过所得的 nearly always的数值与very rarely数值之间的比率，06:58.17nearly always to the one for very rarely.07:01.45来衡量实验者的智商。07:04.72We have found that this ration increas
19、es systematically07:07.51我们发现，这个比率随着年龄 的增长有规律地变大，07:10.29from about 2 to 1 for a child of seven07:13.41从7岁小孩所给的约为2：107:16.53to about 20 to 1 for a person twenty-five years old.07:19.95增大到25岁成人所给的约为20：1。07:23.38Text B07:26.12It Never Rains but It Pours!07:28.69“不雨则已，一雨倾盆”07:31.27An hour before midnig
20、ht is worth two afteror so my mother used to tell me07:35.24“午夜前睡一小时能顶午夜后两小时。”07:39.21as I sat down to breakfast after a particularly late night.07:42.03过去如果我很晚才睡第二天坐下来吃早餐时母亲 就总这么对我唠叨。07:44.85But is it really true that sleep before 12 p.m.07:47.93但真的是这样吗，晚上12点以前睡效果07:51.01is twice as good for you as
21、 sleep after that hour.?07:53.53比之后睡要好得多？07:56.06At the time, like most young people,07:58.54可那时像大多数年轻人一样，08:01.02I regarded this proverbas an old wives tale with no relevance to my own life.08:04.44我对此不以为然，把它看成是与我生活不相关的无稽之谈。08:07.86I mean, an hour is an hour . its 60 minutes, a.m. or p.m.08:11.59我的
22、意思是，一小时就是一小时，不管上午还是下午，都是60分钟。08:15.31However, now older and wiser,08:17.65但是，现在我长大了，也懂得多了，08:19.98I remember my mothers wordsas I scramble into bed at 11 oclock.08:23.26晚上11点爬上床时总记起我母亲的话。08:26.54I am now a firm believer in the value of getting at least one hours sleep before midnight!08:30.56现在我对午夜1
23、2点以前睡一小的作用笃信不疑。08:34.59Advice about how to live a healthy life08:37.56一些公认的智慧08:40.54is one example of the type of received wisdom08:42.97浓缩成格言的形式世代相传，08:45.40which is condensed and passed onto the next generation in the form of proverbs.08:49.18对如何过健康生活的建议就是一个例子。08:52.95Proverbs also serve to expre
24、ss general truths in a short and coloufful way08:56.82格言也以简短精炼，色彩丰富的方式起着表达普遍真理的作用。09:00.68for example, There s no smoke without fire,09:03.22比如，“无风不起浪”09:05.75meaning that there is generally some truth in even the wildest rumours.09:09.22思是即使最茺诞的谣言一般也有某些真实之处。09:12.70Another type of proverb acts as a
25、 reminder of the correct way to behave09:16.38另一类格言则起着提醒人们要正确行事的作用，09:20.07for example,Dont wash your dirty linen in public.09:22.95例如，“家丑不可外扬”，09:25.84This means dont discuss personal or family problems09:28.66指不要在生人面前或大庭广众下09:31.48in front of strangers or in public.09:33.70谈论个人隐私或家事。09:35.92Other
26、proverbs are offered to peopleas means of comfort in times of trouble,09:39.10另一些格言则在人们陷入麻烦时起安慰作用。09:42.27for example, Its no use crying over spilt milk.09:45.25例如，“为无可挽回的事悲伤无补”，09:48.23This proverb advises that it really is a waste of time09:51.20这句格言建议人们不要浪费时间，09:54.18to weep over mistakes that ha
27、ve already been made.09:56.61为已铸成的错误痛哭流涕，悔恨不已，09:59.04Instead, it is much better to Make the best of a bad job10:02.00而应该“在没有法中想办法”不管情况如何，10:04.97to do your best whatever the situation.10:07.19尽力而为，这样要好得多。10:09.41Some English proverbs are native to Britain,10:11.93有些英语格言原本就是英国的，10:14.45for example,I
28、t never rains but it pours10:17.09比如，“不雨则已，一雨倾盆”10:19.73a reference to the joys of the British weather!10:22.21指的是英国天气带来的结果！10:24.69This proverb means that when one thing goes wrong,10:27.17这条格言的意思是一件事出差错，10:29.66many other things go wrong as well.10:31.73很多别的事也一起错。10:33.81Another home-grown proverb
29、 is Every dog is allowed one bite.10:37.28另一句土生土长的格言的意思是，“每条狗允许咬一次人”。10:40.76This proverb is based on ma old English law dating back to the 17th century10:44.48这句格言基于一条可追溯到17世纪的古老法律。10:48.20The law said that the flint time a dog bit somebody,10:50.93这条法律说，狗第一次咬人，10:53.66its owner did not have to pay
30、 compensation to the vietim10:56.39它的主人可以不给受害者赔偿金，10:59.12because one bite did not prove that the dog was vieious.11:01.90因为仅这一咬不能证明狗就是条恶狗。11:04.69Hence the idea carried in the proverb,11:07.11因此，格言的意思11:09.54that everyone should be allowed to make a mistake without being punished for it .11:12.87应允许任何人犯一次错而不受惩罚。11:16.21Other proverbs have come into the language from Latin or Greek.11:19.18另一些格言则源于拉丁文或希腊文。11:2
