胡敏读故事记托福词汇第198期:地震学家和教派 The seismologist and the sect

所属教程:胡敏读故事记托福词汇

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2018年07月05日

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胡敏读故事记托福词汇第198期:地震学家和教派 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.

有位地震学教授主要从事地震研究。在获得了参议员的允许之后，他到国内一个特殊地区去收集一个井底的一些沉淀物。那注入井中的翻腾冒泡的水表明了当地的地理特征，所以取一部分井水似乎就可以提供一些地震预测方面的有用信息。

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，当地某教派的一些长期狂热之徒认为那口特殊的井是神圣的。所以当那位地质学家走近井的时候，他发现那个教派已经散布了一些引起轰动的消息，说他将要摧毁这个井。教派的成员们都端坐在井边，一动不动。由于他已经得到了政府的正式许可，所以见到这种情况后他本想叫治安警察来驱散这些静坐者，但最终他还是选择了先解释情况。他对他们说："大家没有必要这样情绪激动。我不会用谎言来引诱你们，也不会说一些安慰的话来使你们平静。我只会给你们一些合理的解释，告诉你们事实真相，并吁请你们运用自己的识别力对此加以判断。我不过是想从这口井里提取一些沉淀部分，然后在实验室里分离出来。分析这些沉淀物以及使用地震仪可以让我更好地预测地震。"教派领导和教徒们商量了一下后宣布道："我发现这个人并没有错，在他身上我甚至没有发现一丝谎言的苗子。如果他不过就是想从井底淤泥中取些选样尘土，而对整个水井又毫无影响的话，我们不应该提反耐意见。"听到这些，教授取了他的样品，并拿回去详加分析，准备在下一个学期公布结果。