TED演讲:你能解开桥之谜题吗(1)

 　　Taking that internship¹ in a remote mountain lab might not have been the best idea. 在深山里的实验室中实习，可能不是一个好主意。

　　Pulling that lever with the skull² symbol just to see what it did probably wasn't so smart, either,  拉下画有骷髅符号的控制杆，看看会发生什么事，或许也不是个聪明的想法。

　　but now is not the time for regrets because you need to get away from these mutant zombies fast. 但现在，已经没时间后悔了，因为你得赶紧逃离这些突变的僵尸。

　　With you are the janitor³, the lab assistant, and the old professor. 与你同行的，有管理员、实验室助理和一位老教授。

　　You've gotten a headstart, but there's only one way to safety: 虽然你们已经领先一步，但要安全逃离，

　　across an old rope bridge spanning a massive gorge⁴. 还需要跨越大峡谷上的一座老旧吊桥。

　　You can dash across in a minute, while the lab assistant takes two minutes. 你冲过吊桥只需要1分钟，然而实验室助理需要2分钟。

　　The janitor is a bit slower and needs five minutes, 管理员稍慢一些，需要5分钟，

　　and the professor takes a whole ten minutes, holding onto the ropes every step of the way. 而教授需要整整10分钟，因为他走每一步都要紧握着绳索来前进。

　　By the professor's calculations, the zombies will catch up to you in just over 17 minutes, 根据教授的计算，在17分钟后，僵尸就会追上你们，

　　so you only have that much time to get everyone across and cut the ropes. 你只有这么多的时间，让所有人通过吊桥并剪掉绳索。

　　Unfortunately, the bridge can only hold two people at a time. 不幸的是，吊桥同一时间只能承载两个人。

　　To make matters worse, it's so dark out that you can barely see, 更糟糕的是，天色太暗，让你伸手不见五指，

　　and the old lantern you grabbed on your way only illuminates⁵ a tiny area. 而你手中的老旧油灯，只能照亮一个小范围。

　　Can you figure out a way to have everyone escape in time? 你能想出让每个人及时逃脱的方法吗？

　　Remember: no more than two people can cross the bridge together, 记住：不能超过两人同时走在吊桥上；

　　anyone crossing must either hold the lantern or stay right next to it,  跨越吊桥时，若不带着油灯，就得走在提灯者旁。

　　and any of you can safely wait in the dark on either side of the gorge. 而所有人都可以安全地待在漆黑的峡谷两端。

　　Most importantly, everyone must be safely across before the zombies arrive. 最重要的是，所有人必须在僵尸抵达前安全地通过吊桥。

　　Otherwise, the first zombie could step on the bridge while people are still on it. 否则，当僵尸一踏上桥时，桥上的人会使吊桥负荷过重而断裂。

　　Finally, there are no tricks to use here. 最后，不能用任何花招。

　　You can't swing across, use the bridge as a raft, or befriend the zombies. 你不能用绳索摆荡过去，也不能把桥做成木筏，或者和僵尸当朋友。

1 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

2 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

3 janitor   

n.看门人，管门人

参考例句：

• The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。
• The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。

4 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

5 illuminates   

v.使明亮( illuminate的第三人称单数 )；照亮；装饰；说明

参考例句：

• The light shines on from over there and illuminates the stage. 灯光从那边照进来，照亮了舞台。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sun illuminates the sky. 太阳照亮了天空。 来自《简明英汉词典》