大学英语自学教程 上册 un14

[07:54.62]却怎么也达不到他们的目标.
[07:57.15]Without knowing it,they rowed in two large circles.
[08:00.48]他们不知不觉地划了两个大圆圈.
[08:03.81]When they finally got to the shore,
[08:06.14]当他们终于靠岸时,
[08:08.46]they discovered that they were at the spot they had started from.
[08:11.19]发现又回到了出发的地方.
[08:13.92]After studying many stories such as this,
[08:16.74]研究了许多这样的故事以后,
[08:19.57]Professor Guldberg wrote an article in which he discussed
[08:22.54]古尔伯格教授撰文讨论了
[08:25.52]Circular Motion as the Basic Motion of Animals.
[08:28.30]"转圈运动是动物的基本运动方式".
[08:31.09]"A simple example will help you to understand his explanation ofwhy we walk in circles.
[08:35.02]一个简单的例子可以帮助你理解他对为什么我们走路会转圈这个问题做的解释.
[08:38.95]Have you ever wound up a toy automobile and started it off across the floor?
[08:42.42]你曾经给一辆玩具汽车上满发条并让它们地板上跑过吗?
[08:45.90]Then you know that it will rarely travel in a straight path.
[08:48.47]那么你就知道它很少能沿一条直线运动.
[08:51.04]It will travel, instead, in some kind of are, or curve.
[08:54.02]相反,它会跑成一条弧线或一条曲线.
[08:57.00]If it is to travel in a straight llne,
[08:59.02]如果让它跑成直线,
[09:01.05]the wheels on both sideshave to be of exactly equal size.
[09:04.22]两边的轮子就要完全一样大小.
[09:07.40]If they are not,
[09:09.07]如果不是,
[09:10.74]the little automobile turns toward the sidewith the smaller wheels.
[09:13.86]小玩具汽车就会向较小的轮子那边转.
[09:16.98]Circular, movement in walking is caused in much the same way.
[09:20.16]行走时的转圈现象 也是由十分相同的原因引起的.
[09:23.33]Us-ally a manwalking will "watch his step" and "look where he is going."
[09:27.25]通常一个人走路时会"注意脚下"并"看清方向".
[09:31.17]He needs his senses' especially his eyesto get to the point he intends to reach.
[09:35.14]他需要运用他的感觉,特别是眼睛,以到达自己要去的地方.
[09:39.11]When he cannot use his eyes to guide his steps,
[09:41.77]当他不能用眼睛引导脚步时,
[09:44.44]he will walk straight only if he takes a stepof the same length with each foot.
[09:47.47]只有两脚迈出的步伐完全一样他才能走得笔直.
[09:50.50]In most people,however,muscle development is not the same in both legs
[09:54.18]然而对于多数人来说,两腿的肌肉发达程度并不一样,
[09:57.86]so that it is probable that the steps will be uneven.
[10:00.44]所以走起步来很可能不匀称.
[10:03.01]The difference may be so small that no one is aware of it.
[10:05.69]这种差异也许很小以至于没有人会注意到它.
[10:08.37]But small as his, it can cause circular movement.
[10:11.25]但是虽然差异很小,它却能千百万边境转圈移动.
[10:14.14]Let us suppose that a man's left foot takes a step 20 inches long
[10:17.67]假设一个人左脚每步走20英寸
[10:21.19]and that his right foot takes a step 30 inches long.
[10:24.08]而右脚每步走30英寸.
[10:26.96]Now suppose he takes ten step
[10:29.34]现在假设他走了10步
[10:31.72]--five with his left footand five with his right.
[10:34.40]----左脚5步右脚5步.
[10:37.07]His left foot will travel 100 inches.
[10:39.56]其左脚将走100英寸.
[10:42.04]His right foot will travel 150 inches.
[10:44.82]其右脚则走了150英寸.
[10:47.60]This sounds impossible. One foot cannot remain 50 inches behind the other
[10:51.53]这听起来不太可能.一只脚不可能落后于另一只脚50英寸.
[10:55.46]What really happens?At each step the man turns a little bit to the left.
[10:59.29]事实会怎样呢?每走一步,这个人就往左偏一点.
[11:03.12]Sooner or later he makes a complete circle
[11:05.69]迟早他就会走完整的一圈.
[11:08.26]The tracks of his feet, however, make two circles, one inside the other
[11:12.00]他的足迹,就这样,形成内外两个圈.
[11:15.74]His left foot makes the smaller circle because it is taking smaller steps
[11:19.00]他的左脚走了内圈,因为左脚步伐较小.
[11:22.27]His right foot makes the larger circle because it is taking larger steps
[11:25.83]他的右脚走了外圈,因为右脚步伐较大.
[11:29.40]This is why a person may walk in an are when he sets out in a straight line.
[11:32.88]这就是一个人往前走直线却反而走出弧线来的原因.
[11:36.37]The muscles of a man's arms are no more identical than the muscles of his legs
[11:40.09]一个人手臂的肌肉和他的两腿的肌肉一样不是完全相同的.
[11:43.82]This explains why the rowers who set out to cross the lakeat night rowed in a circle.
[11:47.70]这就解释了为什么划船的人在夜间想划过湖面反而却划成圆圈.
[11:51.58]By the same rule, a bird's wings do not develop evenly
[11:54.81]同样的规则 ,鸟儿的翅膀也发育不均衡,
[11:58.05]and so it will fly in circles when blinded.
[12:00.48]于是当蒙住鸟儿的眼睛时,它就会转圈飞.
[12:02.91]Thus,dear readers,our circular mystery has a very straight answer.
[12:06.39]因此,亲爱的读者,我们的圆圈奥秘却有着一个非常直截了当的答案.