大学英语自学教程 上册 un21

[00:00.00]Unit 21 text A
[00:04.41]The Language of Uncertainty
[00:06.69]语言的不确定性
[00:08.96]Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly
[00:12.29]无法确定的事情在我们生活中无所不在，
[00:15.62]that it dominates our language.
[00:17.91]以致支配着我们的语言。
[00:20.19]Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably many,
[00:24.87]我们的日常讲话很大一部分是由probaby(大概),
[00:29.54]soon,great,little;What do these words mean?
[00:33.97]soon(很快)great(很大)little（很小）一类的词构成的。这些词是指什么意思呢？
[00:38.40]"Atomic war," declared a recent editorial in the London Times,
[00:42.67]伦敦《泰晤士报》最近的一篇社论声称：
[00:46.94]"is likely to destroy forever the nation that wages it."
[00:50.77]伦敦《泰晤士报》最近的一篇社论声称：
[00:54.60]How exactly are we to understand the word likely?
[00:57.77]“我们如何准确理解（很可能）这个词呢？
[01:00.94]Lacking any standard for estimating the probability,
[01:04.07]因为缺乏任何估计可能性的标准，
[01:07.19]we are left with the judgment of the editorial writer.
[01:10.06]我们只能听任社论作者的判断。
[01:12.93]Such verbal imprecision is not necessarily to be criticised.
[01:16.56]这类言词的不准确性并非一定要予以责备。
[01:20.20]Indeed,it has a value just because it allows us to express judgments
[01:24.38]甚至，它还有一定的价值，
[01:28.56]when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.
[01:32.08]因为它容许我们在无法作出一个精确的定量表述时来表达判断。
[01:35.61]The language of uncertainty has three main categories:
[01:39.74]不确定的语言主要有三种分类：
[01:43.86](1)words such as probably, possibly, surely,
[01:48.29]（1）像probably（大概），possibly（可能）surely（肯定）
[01:52.72]which denote a single subjective probability
[01:56.05]之类的词，表达某一主观的，
[01:59.38]and are potentially quantifiable;
[02:02.20]可以量化的可能性；
[02:05.02](2) words like many,often,soon,which are also quantifiable
[02:09.71]（2）像many（很多）often（常常）soon（很快）这一类词，也是可量化的，
[02:14.40]but denote not so much a condition of uncertainty as a quantity imprecisely known;
[02:19.42]但它们表示的与其说是不能肯定的状态，不如说是一个知之不确的数量；
[02:24.43](3) words like fat,rich,drunk,
[02:28.11]（3）像fat（胖）rich（富）drunk（醉）一类的词，
[02:31.80]which can not be reducedto any accepted number
[02:34.51]不能将其转化为任何可接受的数字，
[02:37.23]because they are given different values by different people.
[02:40.31]因不同的人赋予它们不同的量值。
[02:43.40]We have been trying to pin down by experiments
[02:46.18]我们一直想用实验准确说明，
[02:48.96]what people mean by these expressions in specific contexts,
[02:52.49]在特定语境下人们使用这些说法时所指的意思，
[02:56.01]and how the meanings change with age.
[02:58.73]以及这些意思如何随年龄而变化。
[03:01.45]For instance, a subject is told "
[03:03.67]比如，一名实验对象被告知
[03:05.89]There are many trees in the park"
[03:08.26]“公园里有很多树，”，
[03:10.64]and is asked to say what number the word many mean to him.
[03:14.02]然后问他“很多”这个词对他的意味着多少
[03:17.41]Or a child is invited to take "some" sweets from a bowl
[03:20.93]或叫一个孩子从一个碗里拿出“一些”粮果，
[03:24.46]and we then count how many he has taken.
[03:27.09]然后我们数数他拿了几颗。
[03:29.71]We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number
[03:32.99]我们拿他单独在场时出的糖果的数目
[03:36.27]when one or more other children are present
[03:39.14]和有一个或几个孩子在场的，
[03:42.01]and are to take some sweets after him,
[03:44.34]随后也要拿糖果情况下取出的糖果的数目进行比较，
[03:46.66]or with the number he takes when told to give"some" sweets to another child.
[03:50.79]或者和叫他取一些糖果分给别的孩子的情况进行比较。
[03:54.92]First,we find that the number depends,of course,on the items involved.
[03:59.75]首先，我们当然发现数目取决于涉及的事物。
[04:04.58]To most people some friends means about five,
[04:07.86]对大多数人而言，“一些朋友”意味着大约5个，
[04:11.14]while some trees means about twenty.
[04:14.11]而“一些树”则指大约20棵。