胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯第198期:地震學家和教派 The seismologist and the sect

所屬教程:胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯

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2018年07月05日

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胡敏讀故事記托福詞匯第198期:地震學家和教派 The seismologist and the sect

There was a professor of seismology who was involved in seismic research. After securing permission from his senator, he went to a particular sector of his state to collect sediment from the bottom of a well. The water that was seething into the well was indicative of the geological nature of the area and taking a segment could seemingly provide information useful in predicting an earthquake.

有位地震學教授主要從事地震研究。在獲得了參議員的允許之后，他到國內一個特殊地區(qū)去收集一個井底的一些沉淀物。那注入井中的翻騰冒泡的水表明了當地的地理特征，所以取一部分井水似乎就可以提供一些地震預測方面的有用信息。

However, there was also a sect of secular fanatics in the area who believed that that particular well was sacred. When the geologist approached the well, he discovered that sect had spread sensational news that he was planning to destroy the well. The members of the sect gathered around the well and sat in a sedentary position. Having formal permission from government, he considered calling the security police to remove the sitters. However, he chose to explain the situation first. He said to them, "There is no need for all this sensation. I will not try to seduce you with lies, nor will I try to sedate you with soothing words. I will only tell you sensible words that explain the truth and appeal to your sensibility. I am merely going to take a sedimentary section from this well, and segregate the sediment in the lab. The analysis of this sediment, along with the use of a seismograph, will allow me to predict earthquakes better." The leaders of the sect spoke among themselves for a few minutes and then made an announcement, "I find no fault with this man. I do not even detect the seedling of a lie. If he merely takes a selection of dirt from the bottom of the well and leaves it intact, then there should be no objection from us." With this, the professor took his sample, analyzed it, and was ready to present the results the following semester at school.

然而，當地某教派的一些長期狂熱之徒認為那口特殊的井是神圣的。所以當那位地質學家走近井的時候，他發(fā)現那個教派已經散布了一些引起轟動的消息，說他將要摧毀這個井。教派的成員們都端坐在井邊，一動不動。由于他已經得到了政府的正式許可，所以見到這種情況后他本想叫治安警察來驅散這些靜坐者，但最終他還是選擇了先解釋情況。他對他們說："大家沒有必要這樣情緒激動。我不會用謊言來引誘你們，也不會說一些安慰的話來使你們平靜。我只會給你們一些合理的解釋，告訴你們事實真相，并吁請你們運用自己的識別力對此加以判斷。我不過是想從這口井里提取一些沉淀部分，然后在實驗室里分離出來。分析這些沉淀物以及使用地震儀可以讓我更好地預測地震。"教派領導和教徒們商量了一下后宣布道："我發(fā)現這個人并沒有錯，在他身上我甚至沒有發(fā)現一絲謊言的苗子。如果他不過就是想從井底淤泥中取些選樣塵土，而對整個水井又毫無影響的話，我們不應該提反耐意見。"聽到這些，教授取了他的樣品，并拿回去詳加分析，準備在下一個學期公布結果。