名人励志英语演讲 第41期:我们选择登月(2)

 　　No man can fully¹ grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man's recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power. Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles² and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin³ and television and nuclear power, and now if America's new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally⁴ reached the stars before midnight tonight.

　　没有人能够完全明白我们已经走了多远，走得多快，但是如果你愿意，可以把人类有史以来的5万年浓缩成半个世纪的时间跨度。在这个时间跨度下，我们对于开始的40年知之甚少，只知道在这40年的最后人类学会用兽皮遮体。然后，大约10年前，根据这一标准，人类走出洞穴，开始建造其他类型的住房。只有5年前的人类才学会了写字和使用有轮子的车辆。基督教出现还不到两年。今年出现看印刷机，不到两个月前，在人类历史的整个50年跨度中，蒸汽机提供了一种新能源。牛顿研究出重力的意义。上个月电灯、电话和汽车、飞机都可以使用了。仅仅上周，我们就发明了青霉素，电视机和核能，而现在如果美国飞往金星的新的宇宙飞船成功，我们真能在今晚午夜之前到达星星之上。

　　This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels⁵ old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas⁶ of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

　　这是激动人心的一步，但这一步在驱除旧弊病的同时，也会产生新的弊病、新的无知、新的问题与新的危险。航天事业战线的远景当然是成本高，但是回报也很丰厚。

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 dispels   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This landmark case dispels the absolute finality of this dreaded disease. 这个划时代的病例终于改观了这可怕疾病的绝对结局。 来自辞典例句
• Charles's experience--and that of all other researchers I have met--dispels many myths about water buffaloes. 查尔斯以及我所见到的其他研究人员的经验破除了关于水牛的许多奇谈。 来自辞典例句

6 vistas   

长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景

参考例句：

• This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
• The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大，所表现的天地却十分广阔。