按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
while British drivers may be rather more reliable about sticking to the rules of the road; they are dangerously intolerant of other drivers who; in their view; are doing things they shouldn’t be doing。
5 In fact; I am much more frightened of British drivers than I am of French or Italian ones; for you can at least be reasonably confident with the latter that; unlike the British; they are not prepared to die — and take you with them — in order to prove a point。
[A]I myself may sometimes be inpetent or a bit too pushy as a driver but I have often been a victim of verbal abuse and terrifying revenge manoeuvrs quite out of proportion to any offence that I may have mitted。
[B]We believe ourselves to be unique among nations in our generosity of spirit and our readiness to put up with all kinds of people。
[C]What is called tolerance may often be just unassertiveness or timidity; for it is true that most English people do not relish public rows or confrontations and will go to some lengths to avoid them。
[D]I will exclude from my reproof the animal sentimentalists and those who consistently reject cruelty in any form。
[E]It is a thoroughly hypocritical posture which makes one wonder whether British claims to being especially tolerant have any validity at all。
[F]British attitudes to bad habits like smoking and drinking also tend to be intolerant and are getting more so。
[G]And this; they conclude; is why no more of them should be allowed in。
答案及解析
1。B。这句话的意思是说“我们认为我们宽宏大量的态度和愿意容忍各种人的行为的想法在各国之中是独一无二的”,可见,这句话是用来承接第一句的,进一步说明宽容已上升为英国的一种伟大的国家美德。
2。G。文章的第二段开头就指出,那个结论,使英国人的宽容之说露出了马脚(give the game away),那么当然在那之前,应该说明他们的结论到底是什么。
3。E。这句话的意思是“这是一种彻头彻尾的虚伪姿态,这种姿态使人们怀疑,英国人所声称的特别能容忍的说法是否能站得住”这也是用来承接前一句的,因为前面已经说明“他们所说的宽容并不是实际存在,而是编造出来为观念的偏狭辩护的”。
4。C。这句话的意思是“究竟什么是宽容有时也是不确定的,因为事实上大部分英国人并不愿意在公众中争吵和对抗,并且会尽量避免它们”。这里应注意下一句中的转折词“But 。。。”,可见,它是将这句话进行了否定,并列举了几个例子。“这并不意味着他们能够容忍人们的行为”这样就正好呼应上了。
5。A。这句话的意思是“(作为一个司机),有时我自己可能不太够格或者有点莽撞,但我经常遭到辱骂和可怕的报复,这对我可能犯过的过失而言,未免太过分了”,从文章的最后一段我们看出,全段都在讲述英国人对司机的严厉与偏狭,而这里插入这样一个例子,正好说明了问题。
中心思想
本文论的是英国人的“宽容”,但是它从多个角度、多个方面,论证了英国人宽容的虚伪性,揭露了他们宽容的本质。
译文
认为偏狭是一种罪恶的看法在英国尤为强烈,因为,在英国,人们把宽容奉为伟大的国家美德。英国人认为他们宽宏大量的态度和愿意容忍各种人的行为在诸国之中最为突出。在公共辩论或广播电话中论及有关移民问题时,就会听到人们反复提及这一观点。英国人声称,只有他们允许如此之多的黑人和棕色人种进入他们的国家,给予这些移民高度礼遇,为移民提供工作机会,并且将它们纳入英国国家健康中心等等。最后,英国人说,这就是不能允许更多移民踏入该国的原因所在。
由此可见,英国人言行不一。他们所津津乐道的宽容事实上根本不存在,那只不过是为他们的偏狭辩护的幌子而已;这种行为是彻头彻尾的伪善姿态,不过也让世人认清了英国人自诩的宽容仅限口头而已。依据《牛津英语辞典》,宽容系指“对他人的观点和行为举止能以耐心或包容的态度对待”或“在审视他人之时,能避免持有偏激或苛责的态度”。能否自诩比他国民众更具此种美德呢?就我个人来讲,答案是否定的。
通常所谓的宽容往往是指不武断行事或待人谦虚;就此而言,大部分英国人的确不会逆众而行,有时还会竭力避免如此。但这并不意味着英国人十分包容他人之行为。诸如聚会此类稍异于日常之事,就会使周围邻居恨得牙痒痒。若想在居民聚居区开个商店或饭馆之类的小店,口水都足以把人淹死。
英国人喜欢对欧洲大陆的司机评头论足,他们指责大陆司机们不严格遵守交通法规。英国司机一般都能严格遵守交通法规;所以,就他们来看,绝对无法容忍那些做出他们未曾做过之事的大陆司机。我有时候不能算是好司机,因为我经常因违规而被严厉斥责,并得接受与违规驾车极不相称的处罚。事实上,我对英国司机的害怕要甚于法国司机和意大利司机;因为,可以肯定的是后两者不愿去死。但是,英国司机可不这么想;他们为了证明自己的观点,甚至不惜与你共赴黄泉。
五
Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are using a new technique to see fingerprints on surfaces that typically make them invisible。
1 ; said Christopher Worley; a scientist on the project。
“The conventional methods are meant to bring out fingerprint patterns with regular light and they have to treat those with powder; which alters them;” Worley said。 “With this you don’t have to alter it or treat it at all。 We can determine the elements in a fingerprint and get a pattern at the same time。”
2。
The equipment costs about 175;000。
For big labs; the method could be a great way to bring out prints that can’t be seen any other way; said Vahid Majidi; another lab scientist。
“The technique fills a unique niche;” Majidi said。 “These are prints that would otherwise be useless。 3。 If you have prints from an adolescent or child; the chemicals in the fingertips are different and don’t stick around long enough for traditional methods。”
The new method might also be able to tell if the person that left them handled certain types of bomb…making materials; said George Havrilla; another lab scientist。
“This is a new approach to fingerprint visualization;” Havrilla said。 “4。 ”
The technology for scanning the prints is widely available。 What's new is the method the lab has created to see them which includes puter software and ways of manipulating the machinery; Worley said。
5。 “We’ve already had some negative ments on it;” Havrilla said with a laugh。 “One reviewer told us it’s just not practical。 But the goal of our work was to demonstrate that it was feasible to see these things。”
[A]We’re lifting prints; but instead of looking at the finger’s natural oils and organic residues we’re looking at elemental features left behind。
[B]The method uses a technology called mini…X…ray fluorescence to detect chemical elements in fingerprints without altering them。
[C]Range of biometric fingerprint scanners from several panies were tested against these gelatin fingers; all consistently failed to reject the imposter finger。
[D]If you have prints on a dark surface; for example; they really don't develop well using normal techniques。
[E]But the technique isn’t for everyone。
[F]The technology focuses a tight beam of X…rays on surfaces with fingerprints and creates a puter picture out of those scans。
[G]Thus; the gelatin fingers even defeated devices that tested for human…normal capacitance; heat and pulse。
答案及解析
1。 B。本题是在段落的开头,由此可以在前后所给的句子中找出线索,推出文章在此段所应表达的思想。原文第一段告诉我们科学家采用了一种新技术