新概念英語4課

NEWCONCEPTENGLISH(IV)

Lesson1FindingFossilman

Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,where

peoplefirstlearnedtowrite.Buttherearesomepartsoftheworldwhereeven

nowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryisto

recountitassagas—legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofstory-tellers

toanother.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingabout

migrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhatthey

did.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesian

peoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.Thesagasofthesepeople

explainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.

Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheir

sagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynor

legendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefrom.

Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint；because

thisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwood

andskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsof

longagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhave

disappearedwithouttrace.

3

Lesson2Sparethatspider

Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroyso

manyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehuman

race.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywould

devourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotection

wegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeat

insectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyed

byspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdo

theleastharmtousorourbelongings.

Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.

Onecantellthedifferencealmostataglanceforaspideralwayshaseightlegs

andaninsectnevermorethansix.

Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworkonourbehalf?Oneauthorityon

spidersmadeacensusofthespidersinagrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,and

heestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre,thatissomething

like6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.Spidersarebusyfor

atleasthalftheyearinkillinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthe

wildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontent

withonlythreemealsaday.Ithasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsects

destroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotal

weightofallthehumanbeingsinthecountry.

T.H.GILLESPIESparethatSpiderfromTheListener

Lesson3Matterhornman

Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgood

sport,andthemoredifficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthepioneering

days,however,thiswasnotthecaseatall.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfor

theeasiestwaytothetopbecausethesummitwastheprizetheysought；especially

ifithadneverbeenattainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheirexplorations

theyoftenfaceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equipped

inamannerwhichwouldmakeamodernclimbershudderatthethought,but

theydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.Theyhadasingleaim,

asolitarygoal—thetop!

Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneers.Except

foroneortwoplacessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidly

becomepopular,Alpinevillagestendedtobeimpoverishedsettlementscutoff

fromcivilizationbythehighmountains.Suchinnsastherewereweregenerally

dirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoften

twelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarsewine.Oftenavalleyboastedno

innatall,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould—sometimeswiththe

localpriest(whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners),sometimeswith

shepherds

orcheesemakers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtand

poverty,andveryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedtoeatingseven-course

dinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlps

musthavebeenveryhardindeed.

5

Lesson4Seeinghands

IntheSovietUnionseveralcaseshavebeenreportedrecentlyofpeoplewho

canreadanddetectcolourswiththeirfingers,andevenseethroughsoliddoors

andwalls.Onecaseconcernsan'eleven-year-oldschoolgirl,VeraPetrova,who

hasnormalvisionbutwhocanalsoperceivethingswithdifferentpartsofher

skin,andthroughsolidwalls.Thisabilitywasfirstnoticedbyherfather.One

dayshecameintohisofficeandhappenedtoputherhandsonthedoorofa

lockedsafe.Suddenlysheaskedherfatherwhyhekeptsomanyoldnewspapers

lockedawaythere,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredoneupinbundles.

Vera'scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeofascientificresearchinstitute

inthetownofUlyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshewasgivena

seriesoftestsbyaspecialcommissionoftheMinistryofHealthoftheRussian

FederalRepublic.Duringthesetestsshewasabletoreadanewspaperthrough

anopaquescreenand,strangerstill,bymovingherelbowoverachild'sgameof

Lottoshewasabletodescribethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit;and,inanother

instance,wearingstockingsandslippers,tomakeoutwithherfootthe

outlinesandcoloursofapicturehiddenunderacarpet.Otherexperiments

showedthatherkneesandshouldershadasimilarsensitivity.Duringallthese

testsVerawasblindfold;and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfoldshelackedthe

abilitytoperceivethingswithherskin.Itwasalsofoundthatalthoughshe

couldperceivethingswithherfingersthisabilityceasedthemomentherhands

werewet.

6

Lesson5Youth

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouthIfthereisone—which

Itakeleavetodoubt--thenitisolderpeoplewhocreateit,nottheyoung

themselves.

Letusgetdowntofundamentalsandagreethattheyoungareafterall

humanbeings--peoplejustliketheirelders.Thereisonlyonedifferencebetween

anoldmanandayoungone:theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebefore

himandtheoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswhere

therubis.

WhenIwasateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyounganduncertain—thatIwas

anewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhavebeenverypleasedtoberegarded

assomethingsointerestingasaproblem.Foronething,beingaproblemgives

youacertainidentity,andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengaged

inseeking.

Ifindyoungpeopleexciting.Theyhaveanairoffreedom,andtheyhavenota

drearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.Theyarenotanxious

socialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotiontomaterialthings.Allthisseemsto

metolinkthemwithlife,andtheoriginsofthings.It'sasiftheywereinsome

sensecosmicbeingsinviolentandlovelycontrastwithussuburbancreatures.

AllthatisinmymindwhenImeetayoungperson.Hemaybeconceited,

illmannered,

presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonotturnforprotectiontodreary

clichesaboutrespectforelders—asifmereagewereareasonforrespect.I

acceptthatweareequals,andIwillarguewithhimzasanequal,ifIthinkhe

iswrong.

7

Lesson6Thesportingspirit

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreatesgoodwillbetween

thenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoplesoftheworldcouldmeet

oneanotheratfootballorcricket,theywouldhavenoinclinationtomeeton

thebattlefield.Evenifonedidn'tknowfromconcreteexamples(the1936

OlympicGames,forinstance)thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgies

ofhatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

Nearlyallthesportspractisednowadaysarecompetitive.Youplaytowin,

andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmosttowin.Onthevillage

green,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeelingoflocalpatriotismisinvolved,it

ispossibletoplaysimplyforthefunandexercise:butassoonasthequestionof

prestigearises,assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgraced

ifyoulose,themostsavagecombativeinstinctsarearoused.Anyonewho

hasplayedeveninaschoolfootballmatchknowsthis.Attheinternationallevel

sportisfranklymimicwarfare.Butthesignificantthingisnotthebehaviourof

theplayersbuttheattitudeofthespectators:and,behindthespectators,ofthe

nations,whoworkthemselvesintofuriesovertheseabsurdcontests,andseriously

believe--atanyrateforshortperiods--thatrunningjumpingandkickingaball

aretestsofnationalvirtue.

8

Lesson7Bats

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsserveaslanguage,andwehaveonlytoturnto

thatextraordinarydiscoveryofecho-locationinbatstoseeacaseinwhichthe

voiceplaysastrictlyutilitarianrole.

Togetafullappreciationofwhatthismeanswemustturnfirsttosomerecent

humaninventions.Everyoneknowsthatifheshoutsinthevicinityofawallor

amountainside,anechowillcomeback.Thefurtheroffthissolidobstruction

thelongertimewillelapseforthereturnoftheecho.Asoundmadebytapping

onthehullofashipwillbereflectedfromtheseabottom,andbymeasuringthe

timeintervalbetweenthetapsandthereceiptoftheechoesthedepthofthe

seaatthatpointcanbecalculated.Sowasborntheecho-soundingapparatus,

nowingeneraluseinships.Everysolidobjectwillreflectasound,varying

according

tothesizeandnatureoftheobject.Ashoaloffishw川dothis.Soitisa

comparativelysimplestepfromlocatingtheseabottomtolocatingashoalof

fish.Withexperience,andwithimprovedapparatus,itisnowpossiblenotonly

tolocateashoalbuttotellifitisherring,cod,orotherwell-knownfish,bythe

patternofitsecho.

Afewyearsagoitwasfoundthatcertainbatsemitsqueaksandbyreceiving

theechoestheycouldlocateandsteerclearofobstacles—orlocateflyinginsects

onwhichtheyfeed.Thisecho-locationinbatsisoftencomparedwithradar,the

principleofwhichissimilar.

9

*Lesson8Tradingstandards

ChickensslaughteredintheUnitedStates,claimofficialsinBrussels,arenotfitto

graceEuropeantables.No,

saytheAmericans:ourfowlarefine,wesimplycleantheminadifferentway.These

days,itisdifferencesin

nationalregulations,farmorethantariffs,thatputsandinthewheelsoftrade

betweenrichcountries.Itisnot

justfarmerswhoarecomplaining.AnelectricrazorthatmeetstheEuropean

Union'ssafetystandardsmustbe

approvedbyAmericantestersbeforeitcanbesoldintheUnitedStates,andan

American-madedialysismachine

needstheEU'sokaybeforeithitsthemarketinEurope.

Asithappens,arazorthatissafeinEuropeisunlikelytoelectrocuteAmericans.So,

askbusinessesonboth

sidesoftheAtlantic,whyhavetwolotsoftestswhereonewoulddo?Politicians

agree,inprinciple,soAmerica

andtheEUhavebeentryingtoreachadealwhichwouldeliminatetheneedto

double-testmanyproducts.They

hopetofinishintimeforatradesummitbetweenAmericaandEUonMay28th.

Althoughnegotiatorsare

optimistic,thedetailsarecomplexenoughthattheymaybehard-pressedtogeta

dealatall.

Why?Onedifficultyistoconstructtheagreements.TheAmericanswouldhappily

reachoneaccordon

standardsformedicaldevicesandthenhammeroutdifferentpactscovering,say,

electronicgoodsanddrug

manufacturing.TheEU-followingfinecontinentaltraditions—wantsagreementon

generalprinciples,which

couldbeappliedtomanytypesofproductsandhaveextendedtoothercountries.

10

Lesson9Royalespionage

AlfredtheGreatactedashisownspy,visitingDanishcampsdisguisedasa

minstrel.Inthosedayswanderingminstrelswerewelcomeeverywhere.They

werenotfightingmen,andtheirharpwastheirpassport.Alfredhadlearned

manyoftheirballadsinhisyouth,andcouldvaryhisprogrammewithacrobatic

tricksandsimpleconjuring.

WhileAlfred'slittlearmyslowlybegantogatheratAthelney,thekinghimself

setouttopenetratethecampofGuthrum,thecommanderoftheDanishinvaders.

ThesehadsettleddownforthewinteratChippenham:thitherAlfred

went.Henoticedatoncethatdisciplinewasslack:theDaneshadthe

selfconfidence

ofconquerors,andtheirsecurityprecautionswerecasual.Theylived

well,ontheproceedsofraidsonneighbouringregions.Theretheycollected

womenaswellasfoodanddrink,andalifeofeasehadmadethemsoft.

AlfredstayedinthecampaweekbeforehereturnedtoAthelney.Theforce

thereassembledwastrivialcomparedwiththeDanishhorde.ButAlfredhad

deducedthattheDaneswerenolongerfitforprolongedbattle:andthattheir

commissariathadnoorganization,butdependedonirregularraids.

So,facedwiththeDanishadvance,Alfreddidnotriskopenbattlebutharried

theenemy.Hewasconstantlyonthemove,drawingtheDanesafterhim.His

patrolshaltedtheraidingparties:hungerassailedtheDanisharmy.NowAlfred

beganalongseriesofskirmishes--andwithinamonththeDaneshadsurrendered.

Theepisodecouldreasonablyserveasauniqueepicofroyalespionage!

11

*Lesson10Siliconvalley

TechnologytrendsmaypushSiliconValleybacktothefuture.CarverMead,a

pioneerinintegratedcircuits

andaprofessorofcomputerscienceattheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology,notes

therearenowworkstations

thatenableengineerstodesign,testandproducechipsrightontheirdesks,much

thewayaneditorcreatesa

newsletteronaMacintosh.Asthetimeandcostofmakingachipdriptoafewdays

andafewhundreddollars,

engineersmaysoonbefreetolettheirimaginationssoarwithoutbeingpenalized

byexpensivefailures.Mead

predictsthatinventorswillbeabletoperfectpowerfulcustomizedchipsovera

weekendatthe

office-spawninganewgenerationofgaragestart-upsandgivingtheU.S.ajump

onitsforeignrivalsin

gettingnewproductstomarketfast.'We'vegotmoregarageswithsmart

people/Meadobserves.'Wereally

thriveonanarchy/

AndonAsians.Already,orientalsandAsianAmericansconstitutethemajorityof

theengineeringstaffsat

manyValleyfirms.AndChinese,Korean,FilipinoandIndianengineersare

graduatingindrovesfrom

California'scolleges.Astheheadsofnext-generationstart-ups,theseAsian

innovatorscandrawoncustoms

andlanguagestoforgetighterlinkswithcrucialPacificRimmarket.Forinstance,

AlexAu,aStanfordPh.D.

fromHongKong,hassetupaTaiwanfactorytochallengeJapan1snearlockonthe

memory-chipmarket.

India-bornN.DamodarReddy'stinyCaliforniacompanyreopenedanAT&Tchip

plantinKansasCitylast

springwithfinancingfromthestateofMissouri.Beforeitbecomesaretirement

village,SiliconValleymay

proveaclassroomforbuildingaglobalbusiness.

12

Lesson11Howtogrowold

Someoldpeopleareoppressedbythefearofdeath.Intheyoungthereisa

justificationforthisfeeling.

Youngmenwhohavereasontofearthattheywillbekilledinbattlemayjustifiably

feelbitterinthethought

thattheyhavebeencheatedofthebestthingsthatlifehastooffer.Butinanold

manwhohasknownhuman

joysandsorrows,andhasachievedwhateverworkitwasinhimtodo,thefearof

deathissomewhatabject

andignoble.Thebestwaytoovercomeit-soatleastitseemstome——istomake

yourinterestsgraduallywider

andmoreimpersonal,untilbitbybitthewallsoftheegorecede,andyourlife

becomesincreasinglymergedin

theuniversallife.Anindividualhumanexistenceshouldbelikeariver--smallatfirst,

narrowlycontained

withinitsbanks,andrushingpassionatelypastbouldersandoverwaterfalls.

Graduallytherivergrows

widerzthebanksrecede,thewatersflowmorequietly,andintheend,withoutany

visiblebreak,theybecome

mergedinthesea,andpainlesslylosetheirindividualbeing.Themanwho,inold

age,canseehislifeinthis

way,willnotsufferfromthefearofdeath,sincethethingshecaresforwillcontinue.

Andit,withthedecayof

vitality,wearinessincreases,thethoughtofrestwillbenotunwelcome.Ishould

wishtodiewhilestillatwork,

knowingthatotherswillcarryonwhatIcannolongerdo,andcontentinthe

thoughtthatwhatwaspossible

hasbeendone.

13

Lesson12Banksandtheircustomers

Whenanyoneopensacurrentaccountatabank,heislendingthebankmoney,

repaymentofwhichhe

maydemandatanytime,eitherincashorbydrawingachequeinfavourof

anotherperson.Primarily,the

banker-customerrelationshipisthatofdebtorandcreditor--whoiswhich

dependingonwhetherthecustomer's

accountisincreditorisoverdrawn.But,inadditiontothatbasicallysimpleconcept

thebankanditscustomer

owealargenumberofobligationstooneanother.Manyoftheseobligationscan

giverisetoproblemsand

complicationsbutabankcustomer,unlike,say,abuyerofgoods,cannotcomplain

thatthelawisloaded

againsthim.

Thebankmustobeyitscustomer'sinstructions,andnotthoseofanyoneelse.

When,forexample,a

customerfirstopensanaccount,heinstructsthebanktodebithisaccountonlyin

respectofchequesdrawnby

himself.Hegivesthebankspecimensofhissignature,andthereisaveryfirmrule

thatthebankhasnoright

orauthoritytopayoutacustomer'smoneyonachequeonwhichitscustomer's

signaturehasbeenforged.lt

makesnodifferencethattheforgerymayhavebeenaveryskilfulone:thebank

mustrecognizeitscustomer's

signature.

Forthisreasonthereisnorisktothecustomerinthemodernpractice,adoptedby

somebanks,ofprinting

thecustomer'snameonhischeques.Ifthisfacilitatesforgeryitisthebankwhich

willlose,notthecustomer.

14

Lesson13Thesearchforoil

Thedeepestholesofallaremadeforoil,andtheygodowntoasmuchas25,000

feet.Butwedonotneedtosendmendowntogettheoilout,aswemustwith

othermineraldeposits.Theholesareonlyborings,lessthanafootindiameter.

Myparticularexperienceislargelyinoil,andthesearchforoilhasdonemoreto

improvedeepdrillingthananyotherminingactivity.Whenithasbeendecided

wherewearegoingtodrill,weputupatthesurfaceanoilderrick.Ithastobe

tallbecauseitislikeagiantblockandtackle,andwehavetolowerintothe

groundandhauloutofthe.groundgreatlengthsofdrillpipewhicharerotated

byanengineatthetopandarefittedwithacuttingbitatthebottom.

Thegeologistneedstoknowwhatrocksthedrillhasreached,soeverysooften

asampleisobtainedwithacoringbit.Itcutsacleancylinderofrock,fromwhich

canbeseenhestratathedrillhasbeencuttingthrough.Oncewegetdownto

theoil,itusuallyflowstothesurfacebecausegreatpressure,eitherfromgasor

water,ispushingit.Thispressuremustbeundercontrol,andwecontrolitby

meansofthemudwhichwecirculatedownthedrillpipe.Weendeavourto

avoidtheold,romanticideaofagusher,whichwastesoilandgas.Wewantitto

staydowntheholeuntilwecanleaditoffinacontrolledmanner.

15

*Lesson14TheButterflyEffect

Beyondtwoorthreedays,theworld1sbestweatherforecastsarespeculative,and

beyondsixorseventhey

areworthless.

TheButterflyEffectisthereason.Forsmallpiecesofweather-andtoaglobal

forecaster,smallcanmean

thunderstormsandblizzards-anypredictiondeterioratesrapidly.Errorsand

uncertaintiesmultiply,cascading

upwardthroughachainofturbulentfeatures,fromdustdevilsandsquallsupto

continent-sizeeddiesthatonly

satellitescansee.

Themodemweathermodelsworkwithagridofpointsoftheorderofsixtymiles

apart,andevenso,some

startingdatahastobeguessed,sincegroundstationsandsatellitescannotsee

everywhere.Butsupposethe

earthcouldbecoveredwithsensorsspacedonefootapart,risingatone-foot

intervalsallthewaytototopof

theatmosphere.Supposeeverysensorgivesperfectlyaccuratereadingsof

temperature,pressure,humidity,and

anyotherquantityameteorologistwouldwant.Preciselyatnoonaninfinitely

powerfulcomputertakesallthe

dataandcalculateswhatwillhappenateachpointat12.01,then12.02,then

12.03

ThecomputerwillstillbeunabletopredictwhetherPrinceton,NewJersey,will

havesunorrainonaday

onemonthaway.Atnoonthespacesbetweenthesensorswillhidefluctuations

thatthecomputerwillnot

knowabout,tinydeviationsfromtheaverage.By1.201,thosefluctuationswill

alreadyhavecreatedsmall

errorsonefootaway.Soontheerrorswillhavemultipliedtotheten-footscale,and

soonuptothesizeofthe

globe.

16

Lesson15Secrecyinindustry

Twofactorsweighheavilyagainsttheeffectivenessofscientificinindustry.

Oneisthegeneralatmosphereofsecrecyinwhichitiscarriedout,the

otherthelackoffreedomoftheindividualresearchworker.Insofarasany

inquiryisasecretone,itnaturallylimitsallthoseengagedincarryingitout

fromeffectivecontactwiththeirfellowscientistseitherinothercountriesorin

universities,oreven,oftenenoughzinotherdepartmentsofthesamefirm.The

degreeofsecrecynaturallyvariesconsiderably.Someofthebiggerfirmsare

engaged

inresearcheswhichareofsuchgeneralandfundamentalnaturethatitisa

positiveadvantagetothemnottokeepthemsecret.Yetagreatmanyprocesses

dependingonsuchresearcharesoughtforwithcompletesecrecyuntilthestage

atwhichpatentscanbetakenout.Evenmoreprocessesareneverpatentedatall

butkeptassecretprocesses.Thisappliesparticularlytochemicalindustries,

wherechancediscoveriesplayamuchlargerpartthantheydoinphysicaland

mechanicalindustries.Sometimesthesecrecygoestosuchanextentthatthe

wholenatureoftheresearchcannotbementioned.Manyfirms,forinstance,

havegreatdifficultyinobtainingtechnicalorscientificbooksfromlibrariesbecause

theyareunwillingtohavetheirnamesenteredashavingtakenoutsuch

andsuchabookforfeartheagentsofotherfirmsshouldbeabletotracethekind

ofresearchtheyarelikelytobeundertaking.

17

Lesson16Themoderncity

Intheorganizationofindustriallifetheinfluenceofthefactoryuponthe

physiologicalandmentalstateof

theworkershasbeencompletelyneglected.Modernindustryisbasedonthe

conceptionofthemaximum

productionatlowestcost,inorderthatanindividualoragroupofindividualsmay

earnasmuchmoneyas

possible.Ithasexpandedwithoutanyideaofthetruenatureofthehumanbeings

whorunthemachines,and

withoutgivinganyconsiderationtotheeffectsproducedontheindividualsandon

theirdescendantsbythe

artificialmodeofexistenceimposedbythefactory.Thegreatcitieshavebeenbuilt

withnoregardforus.The

shapeanddimensionsoftheskyscrapersdependentirelyonthenecessityof

obtainingthemaximumincome

persquarefootofground,andofofferingtothetenantsofficesandapartments

thatpleasethem.Thiscaused

theconstructionofgiganticbuildingswheretoolargemassesofhumanbeingsare

crowdedtogether.Civilized

menlikesuchawayofliving.Whiletheyenjoythecomfortandbanalluxuryoftheir

dwelling,theydonot

realizethattheyaredeprivedofthenecessitiesoflife.Themoderncityconsistsof

monstrousedificesandof

dark,narrowstreetsfullofpetrolfumes,coaldust,andtoxicgases,tornbythe

noiseofthetaxi-cabs,lorries

andbuses,andthrongedceaselesslybygreatcrowds.Obviously,ithasnobeen

plannedforthegoodofits

inhabitants.

18

Lesson17Aman-madedisease

IntheearlydaysofthesettlementofAustralia,enterprisingsettlersunwisely

introducedtheEuropeanrabbitThisrabbithadnonaturalenemiesinthe

Antipodes,

sothatitmultipliedwiththatpromiscuousabandoncharacteristicof

rabbits.Itoverranawholecontinent.Itcauseddevastationbyburrowingand

bydevouringtheherbagewhichmighthavemaintainedmillionsofsheepand

cattle.Scientistsdiscoveredthatthisparticularvarietyofrabbit(andapparently

nootheranimal)wassusceptibletoafatalvirusdisease,myxomatosis.Byinfecting

animalsandlettingthemlooseintheburrows,localepidemicsofthisdisease

couldbecreated.Lateritwasfoundthattherewasatypeofmosquitowhich

actedasthecarrierofthisdiseaseandpasseditontotherabbits.Sowhilethe

restoftheworldwastryingtogetridofmosquitoes,Australiawasencouraging

thisone.Iteffectivelyspreadthediseasealloverthecontinentanddrastically

reducedtherabbitpopulation.Itlaterbecameapparentthatrabbitswere

developing

adegreeofresistancetothisdisease,sothattherabbitpopulationwas

unlikelytobecompletelyexterminated.Therewerehopes,however,thatthe

problemoftherabbitwouldbecomemanageable.

Ironically,Europe,whichhadbequeathedtherabbitasapesttoAustralia

acquiredthisman-madediseaseasapestilence.AFrenchphysiciandecidedto

getridofthewildrabbitsonhisownestateandintroducedmyxomatosis.Itdid

not,however,remainwithintheconfinesofhisestate.ItspreadthroughFrance

wherewildrabbitsarenotgenerallyregardedasapestbutasasportandauseful

foodsupply,anditspreadtoBritainwherewildrabbitsareregardedasapest

butwheredomesticatedrabbits,equallysusceptibletothedisease,arethebasis

ofaprofitablefurindustry.ThequestionbecameoneofwhetherMancouldcontrol

thediseasehehadinvented.

19

Lesson18Porpoises

Therehaslongbeenasuperstitionamongmarinersthatporpoiseswillsave

drowningmenbypushingthemtothesurface,orprotectthemfromsharksby

surroundingthemindefensiveformation.MarineStudiobiologistshavepointed

outthat,howeverintelligenttheymaybe,itisprobablyamistaketocreditdolphins

withanymotiveoflife-saving.Ontheoccasionswhentheyhavepushedto

shoreanunconscioushumanbeingtheyhavemuchmorelikelydoneitoutof

curiosityorforsportzasinridingtheb