常春藤解析英語 62 Five Minutes to Midnight　滴！答！滴！毀滅倒數(shù)計時

Five Minutes to Midnight　滴!答!滴!毀滅倒數(shù)計時

by Kevin Lustig

The University of Chicago publishes the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a magazine about topics related to nuclear technology. On the cover of every issue of the magazine, there is a picture of a clock. Since it first appeared, the time on the clock has ranged between 11:43 and 11:58. The time it shows does not indicate the time of day, though. Instead, the time displayed represents how close we are to midnight, a time symbolizing the destruction of mankind.

The idea for the clock came about in 1947, shortly after atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan. Scientists had seen the destructive power of these weapons, and they concluded that nuclear war would be a catastrophe for the entire planet. They created the doomsday clock to show how close humans had come to destroying themselves. The first time it showed was 11:53. After that, the clock has been turned ahead or back based on world events. In 1949, when the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb, for example, the clock was turned ahead four minutes, to 11:57. In 1953, with the US and USSR both testing more destructive nuclear weapons within months of each other, it was turned ahead another minute. The clock has never been that close to midnight before or since.

These days, the threat of global nuclear war is much lower. However, scientists have added global warming and other factors like nanotechnology to their calculations of the time for the doomsday clock. As a result, the clock is currently at 11:55, five minutes to midnight. Of the nineteen times the doomsday clock has displayed over the years, this one is the fifth-closest to 12:00. It is a silent warning that global affairs are currently heading towards destruction, and it reminds us to be careful in order to keep time from running out.

1. What first caused scientists to create the doomsday clock?

(A) Russia's first atomic test.

(B) The atomic bomb attack on Japan.

(C) The publication of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

(D) A worldwide natural disaster.

2. Which event would be most likely to cause the clock's time to be turned ahead?

(A) A major peace treaty being signed by two countries.

(B) The invasion of one powerful nation by another.

(C) One of the important stock markets crashing.

(D) The extinction of an important species of animal.

3. How is the current doomsday clock different from the original clock?

(A) It is based on more than just the problem of nuclear war.

(B) Its time is the closest to 12:00.

(C) Nuclear war is no longer part of its calculations.

(D) Its time is fixed at 11:55 since the threat of nuclear war is gone.

4. The current time on the doomsday clock indicates that the world is _____.

(A) unlikely to experience anything bad any time soon

(B) already certain to be destroyed by mankind

(C) in more danger now than ever before

(D) getting dangerously close to the destruction of human beings

精解字詞詞組

1. be related to...　　與……有關

例: A person's intelligence is not related to the color of his or her skin.

(一個人的智力與其膚色無關。)

2. range between A and B

= range from A to B

范圍在 A 與 B 之間，范圍從 A 到 B(都有)

例: The people with the flu range from two months to 90 years old.

(罹患這次流感的人年齡從兩個月大到 90 歲都有。)

3. indicate vt. 顯示;指出

例: The medical survey indicated that a proper diet can prevent many diseases.

(那項醫(yī)學調(diào)查顯示，適當?shù)娘嬍衬茴A防許多疾病。)

4. represent vt. 代表

例: This ring represents my love for you.

(這只戒指代表我對你的愛。)

5. symbolize vt. 象征

symbolic a. 象征的

be symbolic of...　　象征……

例: The crown symbolizes power and authority.

= The crown is symbolic of power and authority.

(皇冠象征權(quán)勢。)

6. come about 　　產(chǎn)生，發(fā)生

例: How did your car accident come about?

(你的車禍是怎么發(fā)生的?)

7. shortly after...　　在……之后不久

例: It began to rain shortly after he left the house.

(他出門后不久就開始下雨了。)

8. conclude + that 子句　　作出……的結(jié)論;斷定……

例: Based on the evidence, the police concluded that he was the killer.

(根據(jù)證據(jù)顯示，警方斷定他就是兇手。)

9. come close to V-ing　　幾乎∕差一點……

= come near to V-ing

例: The stray dog came close to being run over by a car.

(那只流浪狗差點被一輛車輾過。)

10. add A to B　　把 A 加進 B

例: If you add this money to your savings, you will have enough to buy a car.

(你若把這筆錢和你的存款加起來，就有足夠的錢買車了。)

11.As a result, S + V　 　結(jié)果∕因此，……

例: Ed was late this morning. As a result, he will not get the on-time bonus this month.

(艾德今早上班遲到，因此他拿不到這個月的全勤獎金。)

12. currently adv. 目前

例: David has had many jobs. Currently, he is working as a journalist.

(戴維曾經(jīng)做過許多工作;目前他的工作是新聞記者。)

13. remind sb to V　　提醒某人(做)……

remind sb of sb/sth　　令某人想到某人∕某事物

例: You have to remind Jane to take out the garbage or she'll forget.

(你得提醒珍倒垃圾，要不然她會忘記。)

例: The smell of pipe tobacco reminds me of my grandfather.

(煙斗用的煙草味道使我想起我爺爺。)

14. run out　　用盡，用完

run out of...　　用完∕耗盡……

例: Hurry up! We need to finish this project by midnight, and time is running out.

(快一點!我們得在午夜前完成這個項目，時間快不夠了。)

例: Kathy ran out of cash and had to resort to using her credit card.

(卡西把現(xiàn)金花光了，所以必須刷卡付帳。)

15. be in danger　　處于危險之中

例: Warren's in great danger. There's a time bomb hidden in his car.

(華倫的處境非常危險，他的車上被人藏了一枚定時炸彈。)

單字小鋪

1. bulletin n.(學會的)會刊;公報

2. atomic a. 原子的

atomic bomb　　原子彈

3. nuclear a. 核子的

nuclear weapon　　核子武器

4. instead adv. 反而;卻

5. destruction n. 毀滅

6. destructive a. 破壞的，毀滅性的

7. catastrophe n. 大災難

8. doomsday n. 最后審判日;世界末日

9. threat n. 威脅

10. factor n. 因素，要素

11. nanotechnology n. 奈米科技

12. calculation n. 計算

13. affair n. 事件

14. peace treaty n. 和平條約

15. invasion n. 入侵，侵略

16. crash vi. 下跌

17. extinction n. 滅絕

18. fix vt. 使固定

詞組小鋪

1. be close to N　　接近……

2. based on/upon...　　根據(jù)∕基于……

3. for example/instance　　例如，舉例來說

中文翻譯&標準答案

芝加哥大學出版的《原子科學家公報》是一本刊登有關核子科技的雜志。每一期的雜志封面都有一張時鐘的圖片。從它第一次登上雜志封面起，時間便一直在 11:43 到 11:58 之間擺蕩。然而，鐘上的時間并非標示一天中的任何時刻，而是象征人類距離毀滅的午夜時分還有多久。

世界末日鐘始于 1947 年，也就是日本被投下兩顆原子彈后不久。科學家看到這種武器毀滅性的威力，斷定核戰(zhàn)對這整個星球會是一場浩劫。于是便創(chuàng)造了世界末日鐘，向世人顯示人類離自我毀滅有多近。第一次顯示的時刻為 11:53，之后，鐘上的時間便依照世界上發(fā)生的事件調(diào)快或調(diào)慢。例如，當時的蘇聯(lián)在 1949 年第一次測試原子彈時，末日鐘的時間便調(diào)快 4 分鐘至 11:57。1953 年，美國和蘇聯(lián)在幾個月內(nèi)相繼測試更具毀滅性的核子武器，末日鐘又往前調(diào)了 1 分鐘，是空前絕后最接近午夜的一次。

近來全球的核戰(zhàn)威脅已減低許多。但科學家新增了全球暖化和奈米科技等其它變量，來計算末日鐘的時間。結(jié)果，現(xiàn)在時鐘走到 11:55，差 5 分鐘就到午夜時分。末日鐘的時間在這幾年來共調(diào)過 19 次，最近這一次是第五個最接近 12:00 的時刻。這是一個無言的警告，告訴我們?nèi)澜绲乃魉鶠檎徊讲阶呦驓?，提醒我們必須謹慎行事，以免世界走向盡頭。

1. 科學家因何創(chuàng)造出世界末日鐘?

(A) 俄羅斯首次測試原子彈。

(B) 日本遭受原子彈攻擊。

(C) 《原子科學家公報》創(chuàng)刊。

(D) 發(fā)生全球性的天然災難。

題解: 根據(jù)文章第二段，末日鐘始于 1947 年，也就是日本被投下原子彈后不久，可知應選 (B)。

2. 下列哪個事件最有可能造成末日鐘的時間往前調(diào)?

(A) 兩國簽署一項重大的和平條約。

(B) 一個強國被另一強國入侵。

(C) 重要的股票市場崩盤。

(D) 一個重要物種的滅絕。

題解: 根據(jù)文章第二段，科學家看到核子武器毀滅的威力，斷定核戰(zhàn)對這整個星球會是一場浩劫，于是創(chuàng)造了世界末日鐘，對人類提出警告;而兩個強國若發(fā)生戰(zhàn)爭，很有可能走上核戰(zhàn)一途，故選 (B)。

3. 現(xiàn)在的末日鐘和原先的有何不同?

(A) 衡量的基準不再局限于核戰(zhàn)問題。

(B) 目前的時間最接近 12:00。

(C) 核戰(zhàn)不再是計算時間的指標之一。

(D) 由于核戰(zhàn)威脅解除，現(xiàn)在的時刻固定在 11:55。

題解: 根據(jù)文章第三段，近來全球的核戰(zhàn)威脅雖減低許多，但科學家新增了全球暖化和奈米科技等其它變量，來計算末日鐘的時刻，故選 (A)。

4. 末日鐘現(xiàn)在的時刻指出這個世界 _____。

(A) 近期內(nèi)不會有任何壞事降臨

(B) 確定會被人類徹底摧毀

(C) 比起以前任何時間更危在旦夕

(D) 離人類毀滅很近，處境危急

題解: 根據(jù)文章第三段，末日鐘最近一次顯示的時刻是第五個最接近 12:00 的時刻，提醒我們?nèi)祟惸壳暗乃魉鶠檎呦驓?，故選 (D)。

標準答案: 1. (B)　2. (B)　3. (A)　4. (D)