英语听力精选进阶版 6434

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn period? Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.

The possibility of time travel is indeed tantalising. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is science fiction novella The Time Machine, written by HG Wells in 1895, about a contraption that transports people into the far future.

But could time travel actually be possible?

Some scientists say yes, in theory.

They propose¹ using cracks in time and space called 'wormholes', which could be used as shortcuts² to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity³ allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist⁴ Stephen Hawking⁵ says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship – going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.

Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the 'grandfather paradox⁶'. It asks what would happen if a time traveller were to go back in time and kill their own grandfather; and therefore prevent themselves from being born.

If the time traveller wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?

And would you really like to visit the future? In HG Wells's book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs⁷. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black blob with tentacles⁸.

If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.

Quiz 测验

1. What was the name of the Queen on the throne⁹ in the time of William Shakespeare?

Queen Elizabeth.

2. Is this statement true or false? A time machine appears in a short novel by HG Wells.

True. It appears in a novella, or short novel, by HG Wells called The Time Machine.

3. Is this statement true or false? The 'grandfather paradox' says time travel is impossible because your grandfather could kill you.

False. The grandfather paradox asks what would happen if you went back in time and killed your own grandfather.

4. What is the name given to the shortcuts through space and time that might possibly be used for time travel?

Wormholes.

5. What attacks HG Wells's time traveller?

Giant crabs.

Glossary 词汇表

Elizabethan 伊丽莎白女王一世时代的

the Spring and Autumn period 春秋时期

voyage 穿越（指航海）

the present day 现在，目前

what the future holds 未来会怎样

tantalising 诱人的

novella 中短篇小说

contraption 奇妙的装置

cracks 缝隙

shortcuts 捷径

theory of relativity 相对论

physicist 物理学家

the speed of light 光速

paradox 悖论

blob （模糊不清的）一团

tentacles 触须、触角

in store 即将到来 （…在等着我们）

1 propose   

v.提出，建议；提名，推荐

参考例句：

• Did he propose marriage to you?他向你求婚了吗？
• I propose resting for an hour.我建议休息一小时。

2 shortcuts   

n.捷径( shortcut的名词复数 )；近路；快捷办法；被切短的东西（尤指烟草）

参考例句：

• In other words, experts want shortcuts to everything. 换句话说，专家需要所有的快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Offer shortcuts from the Help menu. 在帮助菜单中提供快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 relativity   

n.爱因斯坦的相对论；相关性，相对性

参考例句：

• Finally they accepted Einstein's relativity.他们终于接受了爱因斯坦的相对论。
• There is no relativity between the two matters.这两件事毫无关系。

4 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

5 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

6 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

7 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 throne   

n.御座，宝座；王位，王权

参考例句：

• He was the legal heir to the throne.他是王位的合法继承人。
• The throne was footed with gold.这御座是用黄金做的脚。