ted work 索引

polish

vt. improve; perfect 润色

soar

vi. fly high into the air; rise beyond what is common and ordinary

tangible

a. real; clear or definite enough to be easily seen, felt or noticed

testimony

n. proof; evidence

germ

n. the beginning of anything; origin 萌芽，起源

editorship

n. the position of an editor

senior

a. of the final year at high school or college

n. student in the senior class

outlet

n. a way of releasing sth.

perspective

n. view; outlook; way of thinking about things 观点，看法

broaden

v. make or become broader

heck

int. (used mainly as a mild curse) hell

yearn

vi. have a strong desire; long

uproot

vt. tear up by the roots

inferiority

n. the state or condition of being not good or less good in quality or value

inferiority complex

an abnormal feeling not as good as other people, sometimes resulting in avoidance of others or overly aggressive behavior 自卑情结

inferior

a.

coward

n. a person who is afraid to face danger, pain or hardship

pellet

n. a little ball or similarly shaped object; piece

gang

n. a group of friends who frequently meet

starry

a. filled with stars that are visible

sweater

n. a warm knitted piece of clothing, which covers the upper part of one's body and arms 毛线衫，厚运动衫

fond

a. having a great liking or love for sb. or sth.

metaphysical

a. highly abstract; philosophical 高度抽象的，哲理的

disorganized

a. in a confused state; badly planned or managed

preoccupy

vt. fill the thoughts of sb. almost completely, esp. so that not enough attention is given to other things

mechanics

n. the way in which sth. works or is done

mechanics of living

simple routine matters of life

assimilate

vt. take into the body and digest; understand completely and be able to use properly

chaos

n. a state of complete and thorough disorder and confusion

phrases & expressions

no doubt

without doubt; certainly

to top it off

(usu. introducing sth. undesirable) in addition to everything else

be stuck in

be unable to escape from (a disadvantageous position)

know one's way around/ about

understand how things happen in the world; be experienced in the way of the world

as for

in regard to; speaking of; concerning

sink in

get a firm place in the mind; become fully understood

get over

believe; learn to live with the shock of (sth. very surprising or shocking)

set one's sight for

aim for, wish to get or win

cheer up

become hopeful, joyous or glad; stop being sad or discouraged

at present

at this time; now

what with

as a result of (used to introduce the reasons for a particular situation, esp. an undesirable one)

be preoccupied by/with

have the mind fixed on sth., esp. sth. worrying so that no attention is paid to anything else

make the best of

do as well as one can with

come one's way

happen to one

proper names

sylvia plath

西尔维亚.普拉斯

belmont

贝尔蒙特

cape cod

科德角

mademoiselle

《小姐》杂志

minton

明顿

marley

马莉

the atlantic

《大西洋》月刊

henry

亨利

liz

莉兹

harvard law (school)

哈佛大学法学院

clark

克拉克

t.s. eliot

t.s. 艾略特

unit three

text

are we humans alone in the universe? or is there intelligent life on other planets? these questions are not new. what is new, however, is the scientific attempt to discover whether or not other planets beyond our own have given birth to advanced civilizations. in the following article, the author describes the scientific means now available for investigating this possibility and discusses how probable it is that we are not alone in the universe.

the quest for

extraterrestrial intelligence

carl sagan

through all of our history we have pondered the stars and mused whether humanity is unique or if, somewhere else in the dark of the night sky, there are other beings who contemplate and wonder as we do, fellow thinkers in the cosmos. such beings might view themselves and the universe differently. somewhere else there might be very exotic biologies and technologies and societies. in a cosmic setting vast and old beyond ordinary human understanding, we are a little lonely; and we ponder the ultimate significance, if any, of our tiny but exquisite blue planet.

the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the search for a generally acceptable cosmic context for the human species. in the deepest sense, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for ourselves.

in the last few years -- in one-millionth the lifetime of our species on this planet -- we have achieved an extraordinary technological capability which enables us to s