新概念美音版第四冊 Lesson 16 The modern city 現代城市

 




Lesson 16   The modern city 現代城市
 
First listen and then answer the following question.

聽錄音，然後回答以下問題。

What is the author's main argument about the modern city?

    In the organization of industrial life the influence of the factory upon the physiological and mental state of the workers has been completely neglected. Modern industry is based on the conception of the maximum production at lowest cost, in order that an individual or a group of individuals may earn as much money as possible. It has expanded without any idea of the true nature of the human beings who run the machines, and without giving any consideration to the effects produced on the individuals and on their descendants by the artificial mode of existence imposed by the factory. The great cities have been built with no regard for us. The shape and dimensions of the skyscrapers depend entirely on the necessity of obtaining the maximum income per square foot of ground, and of offering to the tenants offices and apartments that please them. This caused the construction of gigantic buildings where too large masses of human beings are crowded together. Civilized men like such a way of living. While they enjoy the comfort and banal luxury of their dwelling, they do not realize that they are deprived of the necessities of life. The modern city consists of monstrous edifices and of dark, narrow streets full of petrol fumes and toxic gases, torn by the noise of the taxicabs, lorries and buses, and thronged ceaselessly by great crowds. Obviously, it has not been planned for the good of its inhabitants.


         ALEXIS CARREL Man, the Unknown

New words and expressions 生詞和短語

    physiological
adj. 生理的
    maximum
adj. 最大限度的
    consideration
n.  考慮
    descendant
n.  子孫，後代
    artificial
n.  人工的
    impose
v.  強加
    dimension
n.  直徑
    skyscraper
n.  摩天大樓
    tenant
n.  租戶
    civilized
adj. 文明的
    banal
adj. 平庸
    luxury
n.  豪華
    deprive
v.  剝奪
    monstrous
adj. 畸形的
    edifice
n.  大廈
    toxic
adj. 有毒的
    ceaselessly
adv. 不停地
    throng
v.  擠滿，壅塞

參考譯文

    在工業生活的組織中，工廠對工人的生理和精神狀態的影響完全被忽視了。現代工業的基本概念是：以最低成本獲取最多產品，為的是讓某個個人或某一部分人盡可能多地賺錢。現代工業發展起來了，卻根本沒想到操作機器的人的本質。工廠把一種人為的生存方式強加給工人，卻不顧及這種生存方式給工人及其後代帶來的影響。大城市的建設毫不關心我們。摩天大樓完全是按這樣的需要修建的：每平方英尺地皮取得最大收入和向租房人提供使他滿意的辦公室和住房。這樣就導致了許多摩天大廈拔地而起，大廈內眾多的人擠地一起。文明人喜歡這樣一種生活方式。在享受自己住宅的舒適和庸俗的豪華時，卻沒有意識到被剝奪了生活所必需的東西。大得嚇人的高樓和陰暗狹窄的街道組成了今日現代化的城市。街道上充斥著汽油味和有毒氣體，出租汽車、卡車、公共汽車的噪音刺耳難忍，絡繹不絕的人群擠來擠去。顯然，現代化的城市不是這居民的利益而規劃的。