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ROY SAUNGERS The Raising of the 'Vasa' from The Listener
New words and expressions 生词和短语
galleon
n。 大型帆船
Stockholm
n。 斯德哥尔摩
flagship
n。 旗舰
imperial
adj。 帝国的
hurricane
n。 飓风
armament
n。 军械
triple
adj。 三层的
mount
v。 架有
bronze
n。 青铜
cannon
n。 加农炮
参考译文
1628年，一艘大帆船在处女航时就沉没了，这个从容不迫7世纪瑞典帝国流传至今的故事无疑是航海史上最离奇的事件之一。这艘大船在斯德哥尔摩港口的海底躺了将近几年来个世纪之后，直到1956年才被发现。这就是“瓦萨”号，帝国大舰的皇家旗舰。
当时号称“北方飓风”的国王古斯夫斯。阿道尔弗正处在“三十年战争”的军事鼎盛阶段，他亲自规定了这艘船的规模和武器配备。3层的火炮甲板上装着眼点4门青铜加农炮，目的就是要在不断增长的瑞典势力中起主导作用。
1628年8月10日，“瓦萨”号准备首航时，斯德哥尔摩一片欢腾。人们从斯开波斯布朗和周围的岛屿前来观着这艘美丽的战船扬帆起航，乘风前进。瑞典人辛辛苦苦干了3年才建成这件水上艺术品，它比以往任何船只雕刻得都更加精美，装饰得都更加华丽。高耸的船楼上雕刻了令人眼花缭乱的神仙、妖魔、骑士、国王、武士、美人鱼和小天使，还有用红色、金黄色、蓝色绘制的光彩夺目的兽形图案，象征着勇敢、力量和残暴，以激起汉时崇尚迷信的水手们的想像。
这时，停泊在港口的其他战船向“瓦萨”号鸣炮致礼，“瓦萨”号也鸣炮回礼。当“瓦萨”号从弥漫的礼炮烟云中出现时，船头下浪花加溅，舰旗迎风招展，三角旗随风飘动，微风鼓起风帆，金碧辉煌的船楼闪耀着灿烂的色彩。“瓦萨”号展现的壮观景象是斯德哥尔摩人从未见过的。船上的炮眼开着，炮口虎视眈眈地向外窥视着。
当风力增强时，突然刮来一阵大风，“瓦萨”号奇怪地摇晃了一下，便向左舷倾斜。炮长命令把左舷上所有大炮搬到右舷上来以抵消船的倾斜，但甲板的倾斜度仍在增加。当物口、压舱物、弹药和400个人轰地一声滑向陡斜的左舷时，岸上的观众听到了雷鸣般的轰响。下层炮眼已淹没在水里，涌进船舱的水给“瓦萨”号带来了难以逃脱的厄运。就这样，想要统治波罗的海的大型战舰“瓦萨”号，在它壮丽的起航时刻，带着全身飘扬的彩旗，沉没在了它诞生的港口。
Lesson 28
Patients and doctors
病人与医生
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What are patients looking for when they visit the doctor？
This is a sceptical age； but although our faith in many of the things in which our forefathers fervently believed has weakened； our confidence in the curative properties of the bottle of medicine remains the same a theirs。 This modern faith in medicines is proved the fact that the annual drug bill of the Health Services is mounting to astronomical figures and shows no signs at present of ceasing to rise。 The majority of the patients attending the medical out…patients departments of our hospitals feel that they have not received adequate treatment unless they are able to carry home with them some tangible remedy in the shape of a bottle of medicine； a box of pills； or a small jar of ointment； and the doctor in charge of the department is only too ready to provide them with these requirements。 There is no quicker method of disposing of patients then by giving them what they are asking for； and since most medical men in the Health Services are overworked and have little time for offering time…consuming and little…appreciated advice on such subjects as diet； right living； and the need for abandoning bad habits etc。； the bottle； the box； and the jar are almost always granted them。
Nor is it only the ignorant and ill…educated person who was such faith in the bottle of medicine。 It is recounted of Thomas Carlyle that when him in his pocket what remained of a bottle of medicine formerly prescribed for an indisposition of Mrs。 Carlyle's。 Carlyle was entirely ignorant of what the bottle in his pocket contained； of the nature of the illness from which his friend was suffering； and of what had previously been wrong with his wife； but a medicine that had worked so well in one form of illness would surely be of equal benefit in another； and forted by the thought of the help he was bringing to his friend； he hastened to Henry Taylor's house。 History does not relate whether his friend accepted his medical help； but in all probability he did。 The great advantage of taking medicine is that it makes no demands on the taker beyond that of putting up for a moment with a disgusting taste； and that is what all patients demand of their doctors to be cured at no inconvenience to themselves。
New words and expressions 生词和短语
sceptical
adj。 怀疑的
forefathers
n。 祖先
fervently
adv。 热情地
curative
adj。 治病的
astronomical
adj。 天文学的
tangible
adj。实实在在的
remedy
n。 药物
ointment
n。 药膏
prescribe
v。 开药方
indisposition
n。 小病
inconvenience
n。 令人讨厌的
inconvenience
n。 不便
参考译文
这是一个怀疑一切的时代，可是虽然我们对我们祖先笃信的许多事物已不太相信，我们对瓶装药品疗效的信心仍与祖辈一样坚定。卫生部门的处度药费上升到了天文数字，并且目前尚无停止上升的迹象，这个事实证实了现代人对药物的依赖。在医院门诊部看病的大多数人觉得，如果不能带回一些看得见、摸得着的药物，如一瓶药水，一盒药丸、一小瓶药膏回家的话，就没算得到了充分的治疗。负责门诊的医生也非常乐意为前来看病的人提供他们想要得到的药物，病人要什么就给什么，没有比这样处理病人更快的方法了。因为卫生部门的大多数医生超负荷工作，所以没有多少时间提出一些既费时而又不受人欢迎的忠告，如注意饮食、生活有规律，需要克服坏习惯等等，结果就是把瓶药、盒药、罐药开给看病的人而完事大吉。
并不只是那些无知和没受过良好教育的人才迷信药瓶子。据说托马斯。卡莱尔有过这么一件事：他听说朋友亨利。泰勒病了，就立刻跑去看他，衣袋里装上了他妻子不舒服时吃剩下的一瓶药。卡莱尔不知道药瓶子里装的是什么药，不知道他的朋友得的是什么病，也不知道妻子以前得的是什么病，只知道一种药对一种病有好处，肯定对另一种病也会有好处。想到能对朋友有所帮助，他感到很欣慰，于是急急忙忙来到了亨利。泰勒的家里，他的朋友是否接受了他的药物治疗，历史没有记载，但很可能接受了。服药的最大优点是：除了暂时忍受一下令人作呕的味道外，对服药人别无其他要求。这也正是病人对医生的要求 病要治好，但不要太麻烦。
Lesson 29
The hovercraft
气垫船
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What is a hovercraft riding on when it is in motion？
Many strange new means of transport have been developed in our century； the strangest of them being perhaps the hovercraft。 In 1953； a former electronics engineer in his fifties； Christopher Cockerell； who had turned to boat…building on the Norfolk Broads； suggested an idea on which he had been working for many years to the British Government and industrial circles。 It was the idea of supporting a craft on a 'pad'； or cushion； of low…pressure air； ringed with a curtain of higher pressure air。 Ever since； people have had difficulty in deciding whether the craft should be ranged among ships； planes； or land vehicles for it is something in between a boat and an aircraft。 As a shipbuilder； Cockerell was trying to find a solution to the problem of the wave resistance which wastes a good deal of a surface ship's power and limits its speed。 His answer was to lift the vessel out of the water by a great number of ring…shaped air jets on the bottom of the craft。 It 'flies'； therefore； but it cannot fly higher its action depends on the surface；