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你知道新视野大学英语4：Unit4 TextB将什么内容吗?下面是yjbys小编为大家带来的新视野大学英语4：Unit4 TextB(课文+译文)的知识，欢迎阅读。
What nature is telling you
倾听自然诉说
1.Let"s sit down here, all of us, on the open prairie, where we can"t see a highway or a fence, free from the debris of the city. Let"s have no blankets to sit on, but let our bodies converge with the earth, the surrounding trees and shrubs. Let"s have the vegetation for a mattress, experiencing its texture, its sharpness and its softness. Let us become like stones, plants, and trees. Let us be animals, think and feel like animals.
1.让我们在这儿坐下来吧，我们所有的人，就在这片广阔的草原上。在这里，我们看不见高速公路，看不见围栏，远离城市垃圾。我们不要铺毯子，就让我们的身体和大地、周围的树木及灌木来个亲密接触吧。让我们把草当垫子，感受它或许坚硬或许柔软的质地。让我们想象自己变成了石头、植物和树木，想象自己变成了动物，并像动物那样思考和感觉。
2.This is my plea: Listen to the air. You can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it. We feel it between us, as a presence presiding over the day. It is a good way to start thinking about nature and talking about it. To go further, we must rather talk to it, talk to the rivers, to the lakes, to the winds as to our relatives.
2.这就是我的请求：倾听空气。你们可以听见它，感觉它，闻到它，品尝它。我们可以感到它就在我们中间，作为一种实实在在的存在，主宰着每一天。这是一个好方式，我们可以就这样开始思考自然，谈论自然。如果再想好点的话，我们就不如和自然说话，也就是和江河说话，和湖泊说话，和风说话，就像我们和亲人说话一样。
3.You have impaired our ability to experience nature in the good way, as part of it. Even here we are conscious that somewhere beyond the marsh and its cranes, somewhere out in those hills there are radar towers and highway overpasses. This land is so beautiful and strange that now some of you want to make it into a national park. You have not only contaminated the earth, the rocks, the minerals, all of which you call "dead" but which are very much alive; you have even changed the animals, which are part of us, changed them into vulgar zoological mutations, so no one can recognize them.
3.你们已经损坏了我们人类作为大自然的一部分以一种美好的方式体验大自然的能力。即使在这里，我们也知道，在沼泽地和栖息于此的鹤之外的某个地方，在远处山里的某个地方，就建有雷达塔和高速公路立交桥。这片土地如此美丽与奇特，以至于你们中的某些人想把它变成一座国家公园。你们已经污染了土地、岩石、矿物——这些都是被你们称为已经“死去”但其实是非常有生命活力的东西。不仅如此，就连属于我们一部分的动物，也被你们改造了。你们把它们变成了低级的基因变异动物，以至于没有人能再认识它们。
4.There is power in an antelope, so you let it graze within your fences. But what power do you see in a goat or sheep, prey animals with no defenses, creatures that hold still while you slaughter them? There was great power in a wolf, even in a fox. You have inverted nature and turned these noble animals into miniature lap dogs. Nature is bound by your ropes and whips and is obedient to your commands. You can"t do much with a cat, so you fix it, alter it, declaw it, and even cut its vocal cords so that you can experiment on it in a laboratory without being disturbed by its cries.
4.羚羊是一种有力量的动物，因而你们把它圈养在栅栏里。但是，山羊或绵羊，这些没有自卫能力的猎物、这些悄无声息任凭你们宰杀的动物，你们在它们身上看到了什么力量?狼身上有巨大的力量，狐狸身上也同样有巨大的力量。你们违背自然，把这些高贵的动物变成了小型的可以放在腿上把玩的哈巴狗。自然被你们的绳索和鞭子所束缚，屈服于你们的命令。对猫，你们无能为力，所以你们就设法修理它们、改造它们，剪掉它们锋利的爪子，甚至切断它们的声带，这样你们就可以用猫在实验室做实验，而不会再受它们叫声的干扰。
5.You have also made all types of wild birds into chickens - creatures with wings so impaired that they cannot fly. There are farms where you breed chickens for breast meat. Those birds are kept in low, repressive cages, forced to be hunched over all the time, which makes the breast muscles very big. One loud noise and the chickens go mad, killing themselves by flying against the walls of their cages. Having to spend all their lives stooped over makes an unnatural, crazy, no-good bird. It also makes unnatural, detached, no-good human beings.
5.所有的野生鸟类都被你们改造成了鸡禽——一种翅膀退化、根本不会飞的生物。你们有许多农场，专门用来词养鸡以提供鸡胸脯肉。这些鸡被关在狭窄压抑的笼子里，不得不一直弓着身体，这使它们的胸脯肌肉变得很大。如果突发一声巨响，鸡群会吓得发疯般乱跑，撞死在笼子壁上。一辈子都必须佝偻着背使得这些鸡变成了既不天然又不正常、毫无用处的禽类。同时，人类也变得很不自然、冷漠无情、残酷刻薄。
6.That"s where you"ve fooled yourselves. You have not only altered, declawed, and deformed your winged and four-legged cousins; you have done it concurrently to yourselves. You inject Botox, or use plastic surgery, synthetic make-up and countless drugs. You have filtered and remolded humans into executives sitting in boardrooms, into office workers, into time-clock punchers. Your homes are filled with families disconnected from one another but tied to one great entity, television.
6.在这点上，你们愚弄了自己。你们对自己带翅膀的和长四条腿的近亲兄弟姐妹进行了改造，剪掉了它们的爪子，甚至让它们变得畸形。同时，你们也在对自己做这些事情。你们注射肉毒杆菌毒素，接受整容手术，使用人造化妆品和数不清的药物。你们把人类进行筛选和改造：有的人是坐董事会议室的高级管理人员，有的人是坐办公室的白领，有的人是每日要按考勤钟打卡的工人。在家里，每个家庭成员之间也没有联系，却都沉溺于一个大实体，那就是电视。
7.Watch the ashes, don"t smoke, you"ll stain the curtains. Watch the goldfish bowl. Don"t lean your head against the wallpaper; your hair may be greasy. Don"t spill liquor on that table: You"ll peel off its delicate finish. You should have wiped your boots; the floor was just cleaned. Don"t, don"t, don"t ..." That is absurd! We weren"t made to endure this type of repression. You live in prisons which you have built for yourselves, calling them "homes", offices, factories.
7.“小心烟灰，不要抽烟，否则你会熏脏窗帘。小心金鱼缸。不要把头靠在墙纸上，你的头发也许很油。不要把饮料洒在桌子上，你会把它精美的涂层弄掉。你应该先擦擦靴子，地板刚刚才打扫过。不要做这个，不要做那个，不要……”这太荒谬了!人类生下来不是忍受这种压抑的。你们住在自己亲手打造的监狱里，只不过你们把它们称之为“家”、办公室或工厂而已。
8.Sometimes i think that even our pitiful small houses are better that your luxury mansions. Strolling a hundred feet to the outhouse on a clear wintry night, through mud or snow, that is one small link with nature. Or in the summer, in the back country, taking your time, listening to the humming of the insects or the flapping of birds’ wings, the sun warming your bones through the nodding branches of trees; you don’t even have that pleasure of coexistence with nature anymore.
8.有时，我认为我们的寒酸小屋也比你们的奢华大厦要好。在一个晴朗的冬夜，踏着泥土或积雪，漫步一百英尺去上厕所，这是我们与自然之间的一个小小的接触。亦或是在夏天，在一个偏僻的乡村，悠闲地听着昆虫的嗡鸣或鸟儿拍打翅膀的声音，感受太阳透过随风摇摆的树枝暖暖地照在身上的感觉。可是你们却连体会那种与自然共处的快乐的机会都不再有。
9.You subscribe to the belief that everything must be germ free. No smells! Not even the good, natural man and woman odors. Eradicate the smell from under your armpits, from your skin. Rub it out,and then spray some botanical odor on yourself,stuff you can spend a lot of money on,ten dollars an ounce,so you know this has to smell good.Why do you keep such a distance from your bodies’ functions,cavities and smells that you’ve alienated yourselves from the natural world,of which you are an integral part?
9.你们坚信任何东西都必须是无菌的。任何气味都不能有!包括男人、女人身上所散发的那些好闻的自然的体香。你们就是要除去腋窝下散发的气味，除去皮肤里散发的气味。味道去掉后，你们还要在身上撒上某种植物香水。这东西造价昂贵，一盎司十美元，所以你们相信它的气味肯定好。你们为什么要刻意远离自己身体的功能、体腔和气味，把自己从原本所属的自然世界疏离出去呢?
10.I think you are so afraid and intolerant of the world around you.You deplore the natural world;you don’t want to see,feel,smell,or hear it.The feelings of rain and snow on your face,being numbed by an icy wind and warmed back up by a smoking fire,coming out of a hot sweat bath and plunging into a cold stream,these things are the spice of life,but you don’t want them anymore.
10.我认为你们既十分害怕又不能容忍自己周围的世界。你们痛斥自然界，不愿看到、触到、闻到或听到关于它的任何点滴。雨或雪落在脸上的感觉，被刺骨的寒风冻僵后又在冒烟的火堆旁烤火暖和过来，洗一个热水澡后又跳入一条寒冷的小溪，所有这些都能给生活增添乐趣，但是你们却不再想要这些了。
11.You’re cage dwellers,living in boxes which shut out the hot humidity of the summer and the chill of winter,living inside a body that no longer has a scent.You’re hearing the noise form the hi-fi instead of listening to the sounds of nature.You’re watching actors on TV having a make-believe experience when you no longer experience anything for yourself.That’s your way.It’s no good.
11.你们把自己围在牢笼中，生活在封闭的盒子里，隔绝了夏天的酷热与潮湿，冬天的寒冷与战栗，只活在一个不再有任何自然气息的驱壳里;你们听着音响中播放的噪音而不是自然的声音;你们看着电视上演员上演编造的经历，而自己却不去做任何亲身体验。这就是你们的方法。实在太糟糕了。
导语：史蒂芬霍金21岁时患有肌肉萎缩性侧索硬化症全身瘫痪，不能言语，手部唯独只有三根手指可以活动，但他却是英国剑桥大学著名物理学家，不仅是现代最伟大的物理学家之一，还是20世纪享有国际盛誉的伟人之一。下面是一篇关于史蒂芬霍金的英文简史，欢迎大家阅读。
Pre-reading Activities
First Listening
1.Before you listen to the tape have a quick look at the paragraph below. It"s similar to what you"ll hear on the tape, but there are some differences. As you listen the first time, underline the sections of the paragraph that are different from what you hear on the tape. Don"t worry yet about what the exact differences are-just underline where they appear.
Steven Hawking, the world-famous scientist and author, lost his ability to speak in 1985. Already confined to a wheelchair, unable to move more than a few muscles, he lost his voice and this meant he could communicate only by raising his eyebrows. Then an American computer programmer came to Hawking"s rescue by designing a vocalizing computer specially for him. With its help. Hawking can construct sentences at a speed of about 15 words per minute, by selecting words from his computer screen and then clicking on a device that vocalizes the sentences for him. Hawking jokes about the computer: "The only trouble is that it gives me an American accent."
Second Listening
2. What else do you know about Steven Hawking and his book A Brief History of Time? Why is he called "the smartest man in the world"?
A Brief History of Stephen Hawking
Michael White & John Gribbin
He has been proclaimed "the finest mind alive", "the greatest genius of the late 20th century", and "Einstein"s heir". Known to millions, far and wide, for his book A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking is a star scientist in more ways than one. His gift for revealing the mysteries of the universe in a style that non-scientists can enjoy made Hawking an instant celebrity and his book a bestseller in both Britain and America. It has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for spending 184 weeks in The Sunday Times "top-ten" lists, and has sold more than five million copies worldwide — virtually unheard-of success for a science book.
How did all this happen? How has a man who is almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through a computer overcome these incredible obstacles and achieved far more than most people ever dream of?
Stephen William Hawking was a healthy baby, born to intellectual, eccentric parents. His father Frank, a doctor specialising in tropical diseases, and his mother Isobel, a doctor"s daughter, lived in a big old house full of books. Carpets and furniture stayed in use until they fell apart; the wallpaper hung peeling from old age. The family car was a London taxi, bought for ￡50.
Hawking has always been fascinated by his birth date: January 8,1942. It was the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo, the Italian mathematician and astronomer who revolutionised astronomy by maintaining that the Sun is the centre of the Solar System — not the Earth, as ancient astronomers believed.
"Galileo", says Hawking, "was the first scientist to start using his eyes, both figuratively and literally. In a sense, he was responsible for the age of science we now enjoy."
Hawking attended St. Albans School, a private school noted for its high academic standards. He was part of a small elite group, the brightest of the bright students. They hung around together, listened to classical music and read only such "smart" authors as Aldous Huxley and Hawking"s hero, Bertrand Russell, at once an intellectual giant and liberal activist.
Hawking spent very little time on maths homework, yet got full marks. A friend recalls: "While I would be struggling away with a complicated problem, he just knew the answer. He didn"t have to think about it."
This instinctive insight also impressed his teachers. One of Hawking"s science teachers, for example, recalls the time he posed the question: "Does a cup of hot tea reach a drinkable temperature more quickly if you put the milk in first, or add the milk after pouring?" While the rest of the class struggled over how to even begin approaching the problem, Hawking almost instantly announced the correct answer: "Add the milk after pouring, of course." (The hotter the tea initially, the faster it will cool.) Another teacher relates how Hawking and his friends built a simple computer—and this was in 1958, a time when only large research centres had any computers at all.
Hawking the schoolboy was a typical grind, underweight and awkward and peering through eyeglasses. His grey uniform always looked a mess and he spoke rather unclearly, having inherited a slight lisp from his father. This had nothing to do with early signs of illness; he was just that sort of kid—a figure of classroom fun, respected by his friends, avoided by most.
Hawking went on to study at Oxford, winning a scholarship to read Natural Science, a course which combines mathematics, physics and astronomy, at University College. He found much of the work easy and averaged only one hour"s work a day. Once, when his tutor set some physics problems from a textbook, Hawking didn"t even bother to do them. Asked why, he spent 20 minutes pointing out errors in the book. His main enthusiasm was the Boat Club. Many times he returned to shore with bits of the boat knocked off, having tried to guide his crew through an impossibly narrow gap. His rowing trainer suspects, "Half the time, he was sitting in the stern with his head in the stars, working out mathematical formulae."
Oxford has always had its share of eccentric students, so Hawking fit right in. But then, when he was 21, he was told that he had ALS—a progressive and incurable nerve disease. The doctors predicted that he had only a few years to live.
"Before my condition was diagnosed, I was very bored with life," Hawking says today, speaking from his wheelchair through a computerized voice synthesizer. The doctors" grim prognosis made him determined to get the most from a life he had previously taken for granted.
"But I didn"t die," Hawking notes dryly. Instead, as his physical condition worsened, Hawking"s reputation in scientific circles grew, as if to demonstrate the theory of mind over matter. Hawking himself acknowledges his disease as being a crucial factor in focusing his attention on what turned out to be his real strength: theoretical research. Hawking specializes in theoretical cosmology, a branch of science that seeks ultimate answers to big questions; Why has the universe happened, and what are the laws that govern it? His main work has been on black holes and the origin and expansion of the universe. He currently holds the Cambridge University professorship once held by Sir Isaac Newton.
The smartest man in the world is not immune to the depression that can accompany severe disabilities. But Hawking says: "I soon realized that the rest of the world won"t want to know you if you"re bitter or angry. You have to be positive if you"re to get much sympathy or help." He goes on: "Nowadays, muscle power is obsolete. What we need is mind power—and disabled people are as good at that as anyone else."
New Words
*proclaim
vi. say publicly and officially 宣告，宣布
*heir
n. 继承人
best-seller
n. sth. (esp. a book) that sells in very large numbers 畅销书/货
top-ten
n. 排行前十名
virtually
ad. almost; very nearly 几乎;实际上
virtual
a. almost what is stated; in fact though not officially 实质上，实际上(但并非正式的)
*paralyse, -ze
vt. make sb. lose the ability to move part or all of his body, or to feel anything in it 使瘫痪
obstacle
n. sth. that blocks one"s way or makes movement, progress, etc. difficult 障碍(物)
*eccentric
a. (of people or their behaviour) unusual; not conventional or normal; slightly odd (人、行为举止)异乎寻常的;古怪的，怪僻的
tropical
a. of or found in the tropics 热带的;发生于热带的
carpet
n. 地毯
wallpaper
n. thick coloured or patterned paper for decorating the walls of a room 墙纸;壁纸
*peel
vi. (of a covering) come off in strips or small pieces 剥落;脱落
vt. (off) remove the outer covering from (a fruit, vegetable, etc.) 削去…的皮;剥去…的壳
n. the outer covering of fruits and vegetables (水果、蔬菜等的)皮
anniversary
n. a day which is an exact year or number of years after sth. has happened; a ceremony, feast, etc., held on this day 周年;周年纪念
mathematician
n. a person who studies mathematics 数学家
astronomer
n. a person who studies astronomy 天文学家
revolutionise, -ize
vt. cause a complete change in 使发生革命性剧变
*astronomy
n. the scientific study of the sun, moon. stars, planets, etc. 天文学
solar
a. 1. of, from or concerning the sun 太阳的;太阳产生的
2. using the sun"s light and heat 利用太阳光(或太阳能)的
ancient
a. belonging to times that are long past 古代的;属于古代的
figuratively
ad. 比喻地;借喻地
*literally
ad. 1. according to the most basic and simple meaning of a word 字面上地;照文字地
2. exactly, really 确实地，真心地，不加夸张地
*elite
a. (Fr) (of people or organizations) considered to be the best of their kind(法)杰出的，卓越的;精锐的
n. a group of the most powerful, rich or talented people 精英阶层;实力集团
classical
a. 1. (of music) composed with serious intentions and having lasting value (as opposed to jazz or pop) 古典的;古典乐派的
2. being in accordance with ancient Greek or Roman models in literature or art or with later systems based on them 古典(指古希腊或古罗马文学、艺术等)的;基于古典文学艺术的
*instinctive
a. (出于)本能的;(出于)天性的
insight
n. deep understanding; the ability to see into the true nature of sth. 洞悉，深入了解;洞察力
pose
vt. 1. ask (a question, riddle, etc.) 提出(问题等)
2. create or present (a difficulty, etc.) 造成，引起(困难等)
initially
ad. at first; at the beginning 最初;开始
relate
v. 1. tell (a story) 讲述(故事)
2. see or show a connection between 使联系，显示出…与…的联系
underweight
a. weighing too little or less than is usual 重量不足
awkward
a. 笨拙的;使人尴尬的
peer
vi. (at, through) look very carefully or hard for not being able to see well 仔细看;费力地看
n. a person of the same age or status as you 同辈;同等地位的人
eyeglasses
n. =glasses 眼镜
inherit
vt. 1. have features or qualities similar to those of an ancestor 经遗传而得(性格、特征)
2. receive (money, property, etc.) as a result of the death of the previous owner 继承(金钱、遗产等)
lisp
n. 咬舌;口齿不清
crew
n. 1. a rowing team 全体划船队员
2. all the people working on a ship, an aircraft, etc.(船、飞机等的)全体人员
gap
n. 1. an opening or break between two things 豁口;缺口
2. 峡谷;山口
3. 差距;分歧;隔阂
mathematical
a. of or concerning mathematics 数学(上)的
progressive
a. 1. (of diseases, etc.) becoming increasingly worse in its later stages (疾病等)愈来愈严重的
2. moving forward continuously or by stages 向前进的;循序渐进的
3. favoring or eager for new ideas or changes 进步的;改革的
incurable
a. that cannot be cured 不可救药的;不能治愈的
nerve
n. 1. any of the threadlike parts of the body which form a system to carry feelings and messages to and from the brain 神经
2. strength or control of mind; courage 意志力;勇气
predict
v. see or describe (a future happening) in advance as a result of knowledge, experience, reason, etc. 预言，预测
*diagnose
vt. discover the nature of (a disease) 诊断(疾病)
wheelchair
n. 轮椅
synthesizer
n. [电子]合成器;音响合成器
*grim
a. 1. (of a situation, etc.) unpleasant, difficult to accept and worrying 严酷的;无情的
2. (of a place) unattractive and depressing in appearance 阴森的，令人生畏的
prognosis
n. 1. (med.) a doctor"s opinion of what course a disease will probably take [医]预后(指根据症状对疾病结果的预测)
2. a prediction about the future 预测
dryly, drily
ad. 1. according to the rules and without personal warmness or feeling 干巴巴地;冷冰冰地
2. 干燥地
worsen
v. (cause to) become worse (使)变得更坏;(使)恶化
demonstrate
vt. 1. prove or make clear by reasoning or examples 论证，证明
2. show the way to do sth. or how sth. works 示范;操作;演示
3. show (one"s particular skill, quality or feeling) 显示，表露
vi. take part in a march or meeting to show one"s opposition to sth. or support for it 示威游行
acknowledge
vt. 1. (as, to be) recognize, accept or admit (as) 承认;接受
2. state that one has received sth. 告知(信件、礼物等的)收到
3. show one"s appreciation for, as by giving or saying sth. 对…表示谢忱，答谢
theoretical
a. based on or concerning the ideas and abstract principles of a subject, rather than the practical aspects of it 理论(上)的;纯理论的
cosmology
n. the scientific study of the universe and its origin and development 宇宙学
*govern
vt. 1. (often pass.) determine the nature of [常被动]决定;支配
2. rule (a country, a city, etc. and its people) 统治;治理
3. have control or influence over (sth.) 支配;影响
governor
n. a person who controls any of certain types of organization or place 统治者;管辖者;地方长官
expansion
n. 1. the process of becoming greater in size or amount 扩大，扩充;扩张
2. 扩充物;扩展部分
*immune
a. 1. (to) not affected by 不受影响的;可防止的
2. unable to be harmed (by a disease) because of special powers in oneself 免疫的;有免疫力的
depression
n. 1. a feeling of sadness and hopelessness 忧伤，消沉，沮丧
2. a period of reduced business activity and high unemployment 不景气;萧条(期)
disability
n. a physical injury or mental illness that severely affects one"s life 伤残，残疾
sympathy
n. 1. the ability to share the feelings of another 同情心，恻隐心
2. a pity 同情
sympathize, -ise
v. show or feel sympathy (表示)同情
black hole
an area in outer space into which everything near it, including light itself, is pulled [天]黑洞
nowadays
ad. at the present time, in contrast with the past 如今，现在
obsolete
a. no longer used; out of date 已废弃的;过时的
Phrases and Expressions
far and wide
everywhere; from or over a large area 到处;广泛地
dream of
wish, fantasize, imagine 梦想;向往
specialise in
concentrate one"s studies, interests, etc. on (a particular field, etc.) 专门从事;专门研究
in use
being used 在使用着的
fall apart
break into pieces; break up 破碎;崩溃
in a sense
to a certain extent but not entirely 从某种意义上说
be responsible for
be the cause of 是…的原因;对…负责
hang around (with)
spend time in a place or with sb., often without any particular purpose (在某处)闲荡;(和某人)厮混
at once
at the same time 同时，一起
struggle away with
try very hard to do (sth., though it is very hard) 努力做(某事)，艰难地做(某事)
have nothing to do with
have no relation to or connection with 与…无关
bother to do sth.
trouble oneself to do sth. 费心去做某事
knock off
cause sth. to fall from a place 敲掉;击倒
work out
find an answer to (sth.); solve (sth.) 想出;得出
have one"s share of sth.
have part of sth.; have the amount that is fair for sb. 享有其中一份;享有自己应得的一份
fit (right) in
be (precisely) suitable (to) (正)相合
mind over matter
(sometimes humor) control of events or material objects by the power of the mind 精神战胜物质
turn out to be
happen to be in the end 最后是;结果是
Proper Names
Stephen William Hawking
斯蒂芬·威廉·霍金(1942—，英国物理学家)
John Gribbin
约翰·格里宾
Guinness Book of Records
《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》
The Sunday Times
《星期日泰晤士报》
Frank
弗兰克(男子名)
Isobel
伊泽贝尔(Elizabeth的异体)(女子名)
Galileo
伽利略(1564—1642，意大利数学家、天文学家和物理学家，现代力学和实验物理学的创始人)
St Albans School
圣奥尔本斯公学
Aldous Huxley
奥尔德斯·赫胥黎(1894—1963，美籍英国作家)
Bertrand Russell
伯特兰·罗素(1872—1970，英国哲学家、数学家、逻辑学家)
ALS
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig"s Disease [医]肌萎缩性(脊髓)侧索硬化
Newton
牛顿(1642—1727，英国物理学家)
导语：鹿是一种动物，其特征是生有实心的分叉的角，下面YJBYS小编分享一篇关于鹿和能量循环的英语课文，欢迎参考!
Text
Is there anything we can learn from deer? During the "energy crisis" of 1973-1974 the writer of this essay was living in northern Minnesota and was able to observe how deer survive when winter arrives. The lessons he learns about he way deer conserve energy turn out applicable to our everyday life.
DEER AND THE ENERGY CYCLE
Some persons say that love makes the world go round. Others of a less romantic and more practical turn of mind say that it isn"t love; it"s money. But the truth is that it is energy that makes the world go round. Energy is the currency of the ecological system and life becomes possible only when food is converted into energy, which in turn is used to seek more food to grow, to reproduce and to survive. On this cycle all life depends.
It is fairly well known that wild animals survive from year to year by eating as much as they can during times of plenty, the summer and fall, storing the excess, usually in the form of fat, and then using these reserves of fat to survive during the hard times in winter when food is scarce. But it is probably less well known that even with their stored fat, wild animals spend less energy to live in winter than in summer.
A good case in point is the whiter-tailed deer. Like most wildlife, deer reproduce, grow, and store fat in the summer and fall when there is plenty of nutritious food available. A physically mature female deer in good condition who has conceived in November and given birth to two fawns during the end of May or first part of June, must search for food for the necessary energy not only to meet her body"s needs but also to produce milk for her fawns. The best milk production occurs at the same time that new plant growth is available. This is good timing, because milk production is an energy consuming process — it requires a lot of food. The cost can not be met unless the region has ample food resources.
As the summer progresses and the fawns grow, they become less dependent on their mother"s milk and more dependent on growing plants as food sources. The adult males spend the summer growing antlers and getting fat. Both males and females continue to eat high quality food in the fall in order to deposit body fat for the winter. In the case of does and fawns, a great deal of energy is expended either in milk production or in growing, and fat is not accumulated as quickly as it is in full grown males. Fat reserves are like bank accounts to be drawn on in the winter when food supplies are limited and sometimes difficult to reach because of deep snow.
As fall turns into winter, other changes take place. Fawns lose their spotted coat. Hair on all the deer becomes darker and thicker. The change in the hair coats is usually complete by September and maximum hair depths are reached by November or December when the weather becomes cold.
But in addition, nature provides a further safeguard to help deer survive the winter—an internal physiological response which lowers their metabolism, or rate of bodily functioning, and hence slows down their expenditure of energy. The deer become somewhat slow and drowsy. The heart rate drops. Animals that hibernate practice energy conservation to a greater extreme than deer do. Although deer don"t hibernate, they do the same thing with their seasonal rhythms in metabolism. Deer spend more energy and store fat in the summer and fall when food is abundant, and spend less energy and use stored fat in the winter when food is less available.
When the "energy crisis" first came in 1973-1974, I was living with my family in a cabin on the edge of an area where deer spend the winter in northern Minnesota, observing the deer as their behavior changed from more activity in summer and fall to less as winter progressed, followed by an increase again in the spring as the snow melted. It was interesting and rather amusing to listen to the advice given on the radio: " Drive only when necessary," we were told. "Put on more clothes to stay warm, and turn the thermostat on your furnace down." Meanwhile we watched the deer reduce their activity, grow a winter coat of hair, and reduce their metabolism as they have for thousands of years. It is biologically reasonable for deer to reduce their cost of living to increase their chance of surviving in winter.
Not every winter is critical for deer of course. If the winter has light snow, survival and productivity next spring will be high. But if deep snows come and the weather remains cold for several weeks, then the deer must spend more energy to move about, food will be harder to find, and they must then depend more on their fat reserves to pull them through. If such conditions go on for too long some will die, and only the largest and strongest are likely to survive. That is a fundamental rule of life for wild, free wandering animal such as deer.
Yes, life—and death, too -- is a cycle that goes round and round, and when animals die their bodies become food for other life forms to use by converting them into energy.
And the cycle continues.
New Words
Deer
n. (sing. or pl.)鹿
romantic
a. belonging to or suggesting romance; fanciful not practical 浪漫的;幻想的
turn
n. a natural tendency; inclination(天生)倾向
currency
n. money that is actually in use in a country 通货，货币
ecological
a. of or concerning interrelationship of organisms and their environment 生态的
ecology
n. 生态学
convert
vt. change (from one form, use, etc. into another); cause (a person) to change his beliefs, etc. 使转变;使改变信仰(等)
excess
n. the part that is more than enough; the condition of exceeding what is usual or necessary 过量;过度
reserve
n. sth. that is being or has been stored for later use 储备(物)
scarce a. not available in sufficient quantity 缺乏的
wildlife
n. animals and plants which live and grow wild
nutritious
a. full grown and developed 成熟的;成年的
female
a. of the sex that gives birth to young 女(性)的;雌的
n. a female person, animal or plant
conceive
vt. become pregnant with (young); form (an idea, plan, etc.) in the mind 怀(胎);构思
fawn
n. a young deer less than a year old
timing
n. selection for maximum effect of the precise moment for beginning or doing sth. 时机的选择
consume
vt. eat or drink; use; use up 消耗;消费
region
n. a place, space or area; a part of the body 地区;(身体的)部位
ample
a. plentiful 充裕的
resource
n. (pl.) possessions (esp. of a country). in the form of wealth and goods, that help one to do what one wants 资源
dependent
a. relying (on another) for support
male
a. of the sex that does not give birth to young 男(性)的;雄的
n. a male person, animal or plant
antler
n. the solid, bony horn of a male deer 鹿角，茸角
deposit
vt. put or store for safe keeping; (esp. of a liquid, a river) leave lying (a layer of matter)存放;使沉积
doe
n. a fully-grown female deer
expend
vt. spend or use up 花费;耗尽
accumulate
v. make or become greater in number or quantity; collect or gather 积累;积聚
account
n. a sum of money kept in a bank which may be added to or taken from 帐户;存款
spotted
a. marked with spots
depth
n. the state or degree of being deep 深;深度，厚度
safeguard
n. a means of protection against sth. unwanted 预防措施
internal
a. of or in the inside, esp. of the body 内部的;体内的
physiological
a. 生理的;生理学的
metabolism
n. 新陈代谢
hence
ad. therefore 因此，所以
expenditure
n. expending or using up; the amount of money, time, etc. expended 花费;用光;支出额，费用
somewhat
ad. by some degree or amount; a little 有点，稍微
drowsy
a. sleepy or half sleepy; making one sleepy 困倦的;催眠的
hibernate
vi. (of some animals) pass the whole of the winter in a state like sleep 冬眠
extreme
n. either end of anything; highest degree 极端
seasonal
a. depending on the season; changing with the seasons 季节性的
rhythm
n. 节奏
abundant
a. more than enough 充足的;丰富的
cabin
n. a small roughly built, usu. wooden house 小木屋;茅舍
melt
v. cause (a solid) to become liquid; (of a solid ) become liquid (使)融化;(使)熔化
amusing
a. funny 逗人笑的;引起乐趣的
amuse
vt. cause to laugh or smile
thermostat
n. an automatic device for regulating temperature 恒温器
biologically
ad. 生物学上
biological a.
survival
n. the fact or likelihood of surviving 幸存
productivity
n. the ability or capacity to produce, productiveness 生产力;生产率;多产
fundamental
a. basic; most important
Phrases & Expressions
go round
function smoothly
in the form of
以…形式
in point
appropriate; pertinent 适用的;相关的
in (good) condition
in good health, physically fit
give birth (to)
bear; (fig.) produce 生(孩)子，产(仔);产生，引起
draw on
take or use as a source 利用;动用
slow down
(cause to ) go more slowly than usual; (cause to ) live, work, etc. in a less active and intense way (使)慢下来;(使)放松
turn down
reduce the force, speed, loudness, etc. of (sth.) by using controls 减弱;关小，调低
move about
travel around; go from one place to another
pull through
help (sb.) to survive a period of danger or crisis 使渡过危险或危机
Proper Name
Minnesota
明尼苏达(美国州名)