1. Have you ever stopped to think　how your life would change if the world ran out of oil? Take a look at your day.　The roof of your home is probably made waterproof by an oil product, bitumen.　The same product is used for the road surface outside your home. Before you　leave to go to work or school, just examine your surroundings. Is the room　warmer than the cold air outside? Oil, or electricity from oil-fed generators　may be keeping you comfortably warm. If you are comfortably cool in a tropical　climate, your air conditioning unit may also depend on oil-fed　generators.

　　1、你曾想过没有，如果世界上用尽了石油，你的生活会发生什么样变化呢？请看一看你的日常生活。你家的屋顶可能是用一种叫沥青的石油产品做成防水的。沥青同样可用来铺你家外面的路面。在你离家去上班或上学之前，请观察一下你周围的环境。房间里会比外面冷空气暖和吗？这是石油或由燃油发电机发出来的电使你感到舒适温暖。如果你在炎热的气候里感到舒适凉爽，那么你家的空调器可能也是靠燃油发电机工作的。

　　2.　In the kitchen and the bathroom you will probably see some plastic fittings such　as tiles and working surfaces; polystyrene cups; curtains made from synthetic　materials; disinfectants and detergents. All owe their origin to the oil known　as petroleum （Latin/Greek 'petra', rock, and Latin 'oleum', oil）, found deep in　the earth. Look inside the medicine cupboard for more petroleum products,　medical paraffin and petroleum jelly. Cosmetics such as face creams, lipsticks　and hair preparations are often based on　petroleum.

　　2、在厨房和浴室里你可能看到一些塑料器具，如塑料地板和塑料操作台面、聚苯乙烯杯子、合成材料的浴帘、消毒剂和去污剂。所有这些都是来自称为“Petroleum”的石油。“Petroleum”（石油）是（由拉丁或希腊文"petro"（岩石）和拉丁文"oleum"（油）组成），深埋在地下。向药厨里看看，你可以找到更多的石油产品，如药用石蜡和凡士林。化妆品如雪花膏、唇膏、洗发剂等，常用石油作为基本原料。

　　3.　When you're out, notice the fields and gardens. Fertilizers and insecticides　made from petroleum can improve crop production. Recently protein feeds for　animals have been developed by growing yeast in a petroleum based stock. As you　head for your bus, train or car, all of which use petroleum products in the form　of fuel to move them and lubricants to keep them in working order, take a look　in the mirror. What are you wearing today? A polyester shirt or dress, nylon　socks or stockings, and acrylic sweater-a raincoat of PVC （polyvinyl chloride）?　All of these are based on petroleum　products.

　　3、当外出时你会看到农田和花园。化肥和杀虫剂是由石油制取的，可以使农作物增产。最近已经研制出一种动物食用的蛋白质饲料，它是用石油作为基本原料加上酵母而制成的。公共汽车、货车或小轿车，都是靠石油产品作燃料开动的，用润滑油保持这些车辆正常工作。当你去乘车之前要照一照镜子。看看今天穿什么衣服好？是化纤服装（衬衫还是外套），是尼龙袜（短袜还是长袜），晴纶毛衣还是塑料雨衣？而所有这些都是用石油产品作原料的。

　　4.　Scientists predict that the world's known oil resources will run out early in　the next century. But long before then the world will have to decide on its　priorities. Can we afford to use so much of our limited petroleum supplies for　private motoring? Should airlines compete on similar routes allowing planes to　fly long distances with empty passenger seats? What alternative energy resources　can be　developed?

　　4、科学家预言世界上已探明的石油资源将在下个世纪初用尽。但远在那时候以前，世界就必须确定石油是优先考虑控制使用的物资。石油储量既然有限，我们还能把那么多的石油用于私人汽车吗？难道航空公司还应该为了在类似的航线上竞争而允许他们的客机有空座的长途飞行吗？能开发出什么样的替代能源呢？

　　5. Again, at one time or another, you may have found that all such animals hear. Hunters know that birds are attracted by artificial calls, and fishermen emphasize that you should be as quiet（原文quite） as possible if you don't want to go home empty handed. And if you ever hunted frogs in your childhood, you know how softly you had to tread! Moreover, it seems absurd that birds should sing and frogs croak, if they could not even hear their own voices.

　　5、此外，你可能曾经发现所有的这些动物都在听。猎人们知道鸟类会被人造的声音所吸引，渔夫们则强调，如果你不想空手而归的话就要尽可能的安静。如果你在童年抓过青蛙，你应该知道要多么轻柔地走动。说实在，青蛙在叫，鸟儿在唱，如果它们甚至听不到自己发出的声音，岂不荒谬。

　　6. By direct observations and many experiments, biologists have discovered that practically all animals have some sense of hearing or vibration. Earthworms feel vibrations in the soil, fish can be trained to respond to certain tones, male mosquitoes are attracted by the sound of the female, and frogs will respond to a tape recording of their own voices.

　　6、通过直接观察和许多试验，生物学家已经发现，实际上所有的动物都具有某种听觉或振动感。蚯蚓在土壤里能感觉震动，鱼类可以训练的对特定的音调有反应，雄性蚊子可以被雌性蚊子的声音所吸引，青蛙对它们自己的声音的录音有所反应。

　　7. The inner ear is composed of delicate membranes which bear dense patches of specialized cells called maculae. Each of these collections of cells can carry a message to the brain. What message is carried by a macula depends upon how it is affected. The message which is carried is not, however, always connected with the hearing sense. For instance, a certain kind of tadpole can tell the depth of the water it is swimming in by the pitch of a tone which is produced by its own lungs.

　　7、内耳由脆弱的薄膜构成，它承载着密集的由被称作斑疹的特殊细胞构成的片。每个这样的细胞群都能够把信息传递给大脑，而斑疹承载怎样的信息依赖于它是怎样受影响的。但是被承载的信息并不总是与听觉相连。举个例子，有一种蝌蚪能感知它所游泳之处水的深度，它是通过某种自己肺部产生的声音的音调来判定的。

　　8. In the human and all other mammals, the macula has developed into an organ which can easily be seen. This organ is called the cochlea. This spiral shaped organ contains the macula itself and it is called "organ of Corti" after its discoverer. If you have ever seen a snail shell, you know how a cochlea looks.

　　8、对于人类和其他所有哺乳类动物来说，斑疹已经进化成为一种很容易看见的器官，这种器官称作“耳蜗”。这一螺旋形的器官包括了MACULAE本身，以及后来被其发现者称为“CORTI”的器官。如果你看到过蜗牛的壳，你就知道耳蜗的形象。

　　9. When sound waves enter the cochlea, which is really a tube coiled around, they set a membrane into a back and forth motion and cause a new wave. This is something like the way in which high and low sounds are produced by a flute or whistle. The high sounds are produced when the air is prevented by the holes from going through, while the low sounds are produced by allowing more of the air to pass. All this is what produces the differences between high and low sounds. The loudness of a sound is evidently produced by how much the membrane is cause to move.

　　9、当声波进入耳蜗这条盘旋的管道，它令薄膜前后移动并且产生新的波动。这种方式类似于长笛或是哨子所产生的高低音。当洞穴被阻挡导致空气不能通过通道时就产生高音，而有更多空气通过通道时则产生低音。这些造成了高音和低音的不同。而声音的大小则明显的决定于耳膜运动。

　　10. Whether or not hearing is really produced in all animals by the effect of pressure is not definitely known by scientists as yet. We do know, however, that nature has set up some very delicate hearing mechanisms for its creatures. Scientists must explore much further for more knowledge about how animals use their ears.

　　10、对于所有的动物来说，听觉是否真的因为气压的影响而产生，至今科学家们仍然没有明确的了解。但是我们知道，自然界已经为它的生物们建立了一些非常精细的听觉机制。科学家们必须进行更加深入地探讨才能够对动物如何应用它们的耳朵获得更多的知识。

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