1、大学英语自学教程课文上unit600:00.00Unit six Text A00:02.09第六单元 课文A00:04.18Diamonds00:05.96金刚石00:07.73Diamonds are rare, beautiful, and also quite useful.00:10.81金刚石是稀有物质，美丽，并且有使用价值。00:13.90They are the hardest substance found in nature.00:16.27金刚石是自然界所发现的最坚硬的物质。00:18.65That means a diamond can cut any other su
2、rface.00:21.17这意味着金刚石能够切割其他任何物体表面。00:23.69And only another diamond can make a slight cut in a diamond.00:27.08只有金刚石才能在金刚石上刻划很浅的痕迹。00:30.46Diamonds are made from carbon.00:32.78金刚石的成分是碳。00:35.11Carbon is found in all living things,both plant and animal.00:38.30碳存在于包括动物与植物在内的一切生物体中。00:41.48Much of the
3、 carbon in the earth comes from things that once lived.00:44.96地球上的大部分碳来源于曾是有生命的物体。00:48.43Scientists know that the combination of extreme heat and pressure00:51.87科学家认识到极高的温度和压力00:55.30 changes carbon into diamonds.00:57.67使碳变成了金刚石。01:00.03Such heat and pressure exist only in the hot,liquid mass of
4、 molten rock01:04.25这样的高温与高压仅存在一地球内部深处01:08.47deep inside the earth.01:10.65炽热的液态熔岩中。01:12.83It is thought that millions of years ago01:15.65据认为，千百万年前01:18.47this liquid mass pushed upward through cracks in the earths crust.01:22.35液态熔岩从地壳的裂缝间挤出地表。01:26.23As the liquid cooled, the carbon changed int
5、o diamond crystals.01:29.86当熔岩冷却时，其中的碳便成了金刚石晶体。01:33.49There are only four areas where very many diamonds have been found.01:37.67人们发现只有四个地区金刚石储藏量较多。01:41.85The first known area was in India,01:44.37第一个周知的地区在印度，01:46.89where diamonds were found thousands of years ago.01:49.71那里的金刚石是几千年前发现的。01:52.54I
6、n the 1600s,01:54.7716世纪初，01:57.00travelers from Europe brought back these beautiful stones from India.02:00.63来自欧洲的旅行家们将这些美丽的宝石从印度带回欧洲。02:04.26Diamonds became very popular with the kings and queens of Europe.02:07.84于是金刚石成为欧洲各国国王与王后的宠爱之物。02:11.42In the 1720s, diamonds were discovered in Brazil.02:1
7、4.6517世纪20年代巴西发现了金刚石。02:17.87This discovery came at a good time, too.02:20.60这次发现恰逢其时，02:23.33Indias supply of diamonds was finally running out after 2,500 years of mining the stories.02:28.47因为在印度经过2500年的开采，金刚石的资源已接近枯竭。02:33.60In the 1800s,02:35.4818世纪初，02:37.36two other important areas were found
8、in Russia and South Africa.02:41.14又发现了另外两个重要的金刚石产区：一个在俄国，另一个在南非。02:44.91Today,most diamonds used in industry come from Russia.02:48.39当今，多数工业用金刚石产自俄罗斯，02:51.86Most diamonds used as gems come from South Africa.02:55.18而制作珠宝用的金刚石大部分产于南非。02:58.49Only 25 percent of all diamonds mined are good enough fo
9、r cutting into gems.03:03.37在所开采的全部金刚石中，仅有25%属于优质，适合加工成珠宝。03:08.24Most of the diamonds in India were found in stream beds.03:12.07在印度，大部分金刚石是在河床上发现的。03:15.89People would pick up handfuls of gravel from the bottom of the streams03:19.38人们从河底里拾起一把把砂砾，03:22.87and sort out the diamonds.03:25.24然后从中挑出金刚石
10、。03:27.62These diamonds were probably carried from where they were formed03:30.59这些金刚石可能是从其形成的地方03:33.55 to India by great sheets of moving ice03:36.63被大块移动的冰川带到印度的。03:39.72that covered parts of the earth 20,000 years ago.03:42.38二万年前地球的部分地区是被冰川覆盖着的。03:45.04Most diamonds today are not found in strea
11、m beds, however.03:48.77但是现在大部分金刚石已不是从河床上找到的，03:52.49They are mined from rock formations deep inside the earth called pipes.03:56.32而是从地下深称做火山筒脉的岩层结构中开采出来的。04:00.14Scientists believe04:02.17科学家相信，04:04.19that these axe parts of volcanoes that were formed when molten rock04:07.68这种火山筒是火山的一部分，04:11.17
12、 pushed upward through the earths crust.04:13.83它是熔岩向上冲出地壳时形成 的。04:16.50The hard rock in which diamonds are found is called blue ground,04:20.11含有金刚石的岩层叫蓝地，04:23.73because it is somewhat blue.04:26.15因为它多少有点蓝色。04:28.56The blue ground is blasted into large pieces of rock04:31.90开采时先将蓝地炸成大块石料，04:35.23
13、which are carried to the surface by elevator.04:37.71以免金刚石受到破坏。04:40.19Then the rocks are carefully so that the diamonds are not destroyed.04:43.96洗矿台的面板上涂有厚厚一层油脂，04:47.74Next, the crushed material is taken over to washing tables.04:50.98当碎砂石从面板上流过时，04:54.22Here, it flows over boards thickly mated w
14、ith grease.04:57.50金刚石粘在油脂上，05:00.77Since diamonds stick to grease,05:03.05而其它砂石与泥土05:05.32they are left behind by the rocks and mud whieh flow down the tables.05:09.66则从洗矿台上流走。05:13.99Diamonds,as they are found, do not look very impressive.05:17.41金刚石刚开采时并无动人之处，05:20.84They are gray, greasy-looking
15、 pebbles.05:23.41只是灰色滑溜的小卵石。05:25.98Experienced diamond miners can tell a diamond immediately.05:29.21有经验的金刚石开采者以立即人辨出金刚石，05:32.43But some people have carried around an unusual pebble for weeks05:35.67但有些人随身带着一块不寻常的石头，05:38.91before finding out that they had got a diamond.05:41.89过了好几个星期才搞清楚，这是一块金刚石
16、。05:44.87Text B05:46.29课文B05:47.72The Difference between Plants and Animals05:50.45动物与植物的区别05:53.18If you were asked.05:54.76如果有人问你，05:56.34What is the difference between a plant and an animal?05:58.66动物与植物有什么区别？”06:00.99What answer do you think you would give?06:02.97你想你会怎么回答呢？06:04.96Your first th
17、ought might be that a plant has leaves and roots and flowers,06:08.22你首先想到的是，植物有叶子、根、花，06:11.49which an animal has not.06:13.41而动物没有这些。06:15.33Yet that would not be correct;06:17.35但这样的回答并不是正确，06:19.38for there are many plants which have neither roots nor leaves nor flowers,06:22.55因为有许多植物既没有根，没有叶，也
18、不开花，06:25.72while there are some animals which seem to have all three.06:28.15而有些动物似乎这三者都具备。06:30.58Look up into the sky,and then down at the earth beneath your feet.06:33.70抬头看看天空，然后再看看你脚下的大地，06:36.83It is easy enough,you think,to tell which is earth and which is sky;06:40.21你会认为要辨别哪个是天，哪个是地，是最容易不过
19、的事情了。06:43.59but if you live in the wide, open country, or near the sea,06:46.26但是如果你住在宽广开阔的农村，或住在海边，06:48.92you will often find when you look far away06:51.42当你向远处去看那天地会合处时，06:53.91to the place where sky and earth seem to meet,06:56.13你常常会发现，06:58.35that this is a matter of some difficulty.07:00.83
20、分辨天地不那么容易。07:03.31You see only the thin blue haze,like smoke,07:05.99你只能看到如烟一般的蓝色薄雾，07:08.67which is the dividing line between the heavens and the earth.07:11.54这就是天与地的分界线。07:14.42But just where the one ends and the other begins,you cannot tell.07:17.80但这条分界线从哪里开始，到哪里结束，你不可能说清楚。07:21.18Just so it is
21、 throughout all the world of Nature.07:23.76整个自然界就是这样。07:26.33You may look at a group of cows standing under the trees07:29.06你可以看见站在树下的07:31.79or catch a bee at his early drink in a rnoming-glory bell,07:34.61一群奶牛或捉到一只起早在牵牛花的花冠上采蜜的蜜蜂。07:37.43and you would laugh if any one should ask you07:39.79如果有人
22、问你能否区分07:42.16 whether you can tell an animal from a plant.07:44.44哪个是动物，哪个是植物，你一定会感到好笑。07:46.73But suppose you mm aside from these familiar, everyday things,07:49.71但假如你撇开这些日常熟悉的东西，07:52.69and study objects which you have to look at through a magnifying glass,07:55.56而去研究只有用放大镜才能看到的东西，07:58.43and y
23、ou will find many things that will puzzle you.08:00.81你一定会发现许多东西使你迷惑不解。08:03.19You will find plants without roots, leaves, flowers, or seeds;08:06.22你会发现有无根，无叶，无花或无种子的植物，08:09.25and you will find animals without heads,legs,eyes,mouths,or stomachs.08:13.27你还会发现无头、无足、无眼、无嘴或无胃的动物。08:17.29Students of Na
24、ture are not satisfied with guessing,08:20.02大自然的研究者不满足于猜测，08:22.75but they observe,day after day,08:24.79而是日复一日地观察08:26.83the changes which take place in at,object;08:29.05物体发生的变化。08:31.27and they see many things which most people would fail to see.08:34.21他们看到了大多数人未能看到的许多东西。08:37.15And thus they h
25、ave found that the real difference between plants and animals08:40.08因此他们发现动物与植物的真正差异在于08:43.02lies in what they do, and not in what they seem to be.08:45.81它他们的行为而不是它们的形体。08:48.59We now know that about one fourth of all the kinds of seaweed are animals.08:52.06现在我们知道各种海草中大工业约有四分之一是动物。08:55.54A few
26、years ago all of them were classed as plants.08:58.37而几年前它们都归类为植物。09:01.20It was long supposed that the main difference between animals and plants09:04.17长时间以来一直认为动物与植物的主要区别09:07.13was that the former could move about while the latter could not.09:09.80是前者能到处移动而后者则不能。09:12.46But this difference will
27、 not hold good.09:14.36但这一区别不能成立。09:16.25How then are we to know whether a living object is a plant or an animal?09:19.48那么我们怎能知道一个生物是植物还是动物呢？09:22.70Plants can live on inorganic matter;09:24.78植物能靠无机物生活；09:26.86they have the power of changing earth and air and water into substances09:30.68它产具有将土地、空
28、气和水09:34.51which enter into and become a part of themsdves.09:37.14变为铖植物自身一部分的能力。09:39.76Animals can live only on what plants have already turned09:42.84动物只能靠植物将无机物09:45.93 from inorganic to vegetable matter.09:48.20变为植物性质来生活。09:50.47Animals,although they need some inorganic food,cannot live on it a
29、lone.09:54.26虽然动物也需要食用某些无机物，但不能单靠无机物生活。09:58.05All the food that keeps our bodies strong, or makes them grow,10:00.87一切使我们身体强壮或成长的食物10:03.69was once in the vegetable form.10:05.87都曾一度为植物生的。10:08.05No bird nor fish nor other animal could ever have lived on this earth,10:11.44如果没有植物首先出现在地球上10:14.82if
30、the plants had not come first10:16.95并为更高一级生物的生活条件做好准备，10:19.08and fitted it for the dwelling place of a higher order of beings.10:21.75那就不可能有鸟、鱼或其他任何动物在地球 上生存。10:24.43Plants are the true fairies that are forever working wonders around us.10:27.51植物是真正的仙子，始终在我们周围创造着奇迹。10:30.60Their roots,dig down into the earth and gather its treasums.10:33.57植物的根部深入地下，吸收土壤中的养分；10:36.55Their leaves spread their broad surfaces t
