下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
alongside /əˌlɔŋˈsaid/ adv. beside or together with
ancestor /ˈænsistə/ n. a member of your family who lived a long time ago，esp. if more remote than a grandparent; a forebear （祖先，祖宗）
cautionary /ˈkɔːʃənəri/ adj. giving a warning
controversy /ˈkɔntrəvəːsi/ n. a serious argument or disagreement
critique /kriˈtiːk / n. an article，book，etc.，criticizing an idea or a person's system of thought
distract /disˈtrækt/ v. to make sb stop giving their attention to sth
diversity /daiˈvəːsiti/ n. the quality of having variety and including a wide range of different people or things
exquisite /ˈekskwizit/ adj. extremely beautiful and very delicately made
flaw /flɔː/ n. a fault，mistake or weakness，esp. one that happens while sth is being planned or made，or which causes sth not to be perfect
fossil /ˈfɔsl/ n. a bone，a shell or the shape of a plant or animal which has been preserved in rock for a very long period （化石）
hard-core n. a small group of people within a larger group，who strongly believe in the group's principles and usu. have a lot of power in it （核心部分，中坚分子）
ingenious /inˈdʒiːnjəs/ adj. cleverly made or planned，involving new ideas，methods，etc.
interfere /ˌintəˈfiə/ v. to come between so as to be a hindrance or an obstacle
invalidate /inˈvælideit/ v. to make sth no longer legally or officially acceptable
motto /ˈmɔtəu/ n. a short sentence or phrase that expresses a belief or a purpose （格言，座右铭）
nonpartisan /nʌnˈpɑːtizən/ adj. not supporting the ideas of any politicalparty or group
novel /ˈnɔvəl/ adj. new and original
probability /ˌprɔbəˈbiliti/ n. the likelihood of sth happening or beingtrue
proponent /prəˈpəunənt/ n. one who argues in support of sth; an advocate
protein /ˈprəutiːn/ n. 蛋白质
reconcile /ˈrekənsail/ v. to find a way in which two situations or beliefs that are opposed to each other can agree and exist together
side dish n. small amount of food that you eat with a main meal （配菜）
sophisticated /səˈfistikeitid/ adj. intellectually appealing; deceptive
1. superintendent of schools （Par.1）—someone who is in charge of all the schools in a particular area （地方教育官员，教育局长）
2. local school board （Par.1）—a local board that governs or oversees public schools （地方教育委员会，地方教育董事会）
3. a cautionary preamble （Par.1）—a preliminary statement giving a warning
4. a question-and-answer session （Par.3）—a press interview
5. weigh in （Par.3）—to add a remark to a discussion or an argument
6. an intelligent cause or agent （Par.3）—一种智慧的起因或力量
agent—a force or substance that causes a change
7. But to biologists，it smacks of faith-based science. （Par.4）—但对生物学家来说，智慧设计有着以宗教信仰为基点的科学的意味。
smack of—seem to have the quality of sth （usu. unpleasant）
8. losing its edge （Par.4）—losing its advantage over other countries
9. No.1 topic （Par.4）—the most important or most noticeable topic
10. executive director （Par.4）—会长，执行会长
11. Darwin's Theory has been a hard sell to Americans. （Par.5）—it is very hard to make Americans believe Darwin's theory.
a hard sell—a method of selling in which the seller tries very hard to persuade the customer to buy
12. has as its motto “Teach the controversy” （Par.6）—has “Teach the controversy” as its motto
13. religious Christians （Par.7）—people who believe strongly and firmly in Christianity
14. senior fellow （Par.8）—senior research fellow，a senior member of a group of high ranking teachers at a particular college or university or academic society （高级或资深研究员）
15. mathematics of probability （Par.9）—概率统计，概率计算
16. sore point （Par.9）—a subject that sb prefers not to talk about because it is likely to cause offence
17. avoid ... pitfalls of teaching creationism （Par.9）—avoid likelymistakes or troubles brought by teaching creationism
18. Many scientists have been reluctant ... a meaningful debate aboutevolution （Par.10）—Many scientist think that even mentioning intelligent design gives it more credibility than it deserves,so they avoid getting involved in the debate. They don't want to make people believe that intelligent design is a scientific theory equal to evolution. （许多科学家不愿卷入与“智慧设计论”者的辩论，因为这样做会让如下说法披上合理的外衣： 关于进化论的争论是有意义的。）
19. peer-reviewed journals （Par.10）—journals reviewed by similarly qualified scientists or experts in this field
20. To attribute natures' complexity ... to the unseen designer. （Par.11）—The saying that the nature's complexity is the work of an intelligent designer still can't give a scientific account of the origin of this complexity because the designer is unseen and unknowable.
21. As for gaps in the fossil record ... what they found at the scene. （Par.12）—至于化石记录中的空白，道金斯说，这就好比侦探抱怨说，根据现场发生的一切，它们无法弄清楚罪行——而且是一桩年代非常久远的罪行——发生过程中的每一分钟的情景。（这里道金斯用了一个比喻来说明证据并不都存在于化石记录中，就像犯罪记录并不都能在现场找到一样，因此我们不能仅以化石记录的缺失来判断物种是被一次性创造的。）
22. there's no reconciling faith with Darwinism （Par.14）—they can by no means bring themselves to accept Darwinism
23. “The intelligent-design people are trying to ... teach I.D. crap in the schools” （Par.15）—In order to teach the worthless ideaof intelligent design in schools，advocates for intelligent design refer to their theory as a critical inquiry of science to mislead people. （“智慧设计论者试图误导人们，让人们以为把科学称为不断批判性探索就能为他们在学校教授智慧设计这种无稽之谈大开绿灯。”）
crap—sth which is worthless or useless; nonsense
24. raise the profile （Par.16）—to add the degree of exposure to public notice （提高知名度）
Questions and Answers for Your Reference
1. What will happen in the public high school in rural Dover in the late fall? Why do scientists feel horrible about it?
Sometime in the late fall，students will be taught intelligent designas the explanation of the origin of life in their biology class. This is a challenge to Darwin's theory which is widely regarded as one of the best-supported ideas in science since it comes from decades of study and objective evidence. Till now Darwin's theoryis the only explanation for the rich variety of life forms on Earth，so scientists feel horrible about the teaching of such a pseudoscience.
2. What is President Bush's attitude towards “intelligent design”? What is the effect of his attitude?
President Bush supports the idea of introducing both evolutionism and “intelligent design” in biology class，although he did not show his support for the “intelligent design” itself. He is veryprudent and explains that the idea can “expose people to different schools of thought,”but his attitude will further provokebattles on the topic and even bring more political and competitive pressure on science.
3. Has evolutionism been well accepted in America since its birth? What was the “monkey trial”?
a. Ever since the birth of Darwin's theory，it has been violently attacked. Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with their religious convictions. However，Darwin's theory has never been successfully refuted. The notion of evolutionary change is now firmly established as a major pattern of the natural sciences.
b. The “monkey trial” was a famous case，in which Tennessee school teacher John Scopes was convicted of violating the ban of teaching evolution in 1925. That was a big war between creationism and evolutionism.
4. What are the problems with Darwin's theory，according to the advocates of “intelligent design”?
The advocates of “intelligent design” put their emphasis on the weaknesses and gaps in evolution. These involve two major ideas:
1） Living things are too exquisitely complex to have evolved by a combination of chance mutations and natural selection.
2） Some pieces in the fossil record that may prove the evolution process are missing.
5. Do earlier anti-Darwinists and the proponents of “intelligent design” hold the same point of view? Why?
Their points are similar in that they all believe in a creator，but they are not exactly the same. The earlier anti-Darwinists，mostly creationists，regarded evolution as a heresy and they openly claimed the role of God. But the proponents of “intelligent design” accept some role of evolution and they avoid bringing God into the discussion.
6. Why do many scientists resist engaging in the new evolution war?
They think the “intelligent design” is faith-based，so the debate about evolution is not a real scientific argument. They don't want to mislead people into thinking that “intelligent design” is another scientific theory like Darwinism.
7. Why will science teachers choose such expressions as “critical inquiry”,“strengths and weaknesses” and “critical analysis” when they teach ideas like “intelligent design”?
Because it is difficult for people to argue over such benign and earnest language. This can even make people feel the theory a scientific one and avoid violation against the Constitution.
8. What is your opinion of the war between Darwin's theory and “intelligent design”？
Open.
Words to Know
anti-Darwinism，Baptist Theological Seminary，Cambrian period,chance mutations，Christian fundamentalist，creationism，Darwinism，embolden，evolution wars，evolutionary biology，faith-based science，the First Amendment，flat earthism，fray，Genesis，genetic code，hard-core defenders，I.D. movement，intelligent design，irreducibly complex，legal and political pitfalls，monkey trial,natural selection， The Origin of Species ， peer-reviewed journals，pseudoscience issue，raise the profile，religious Christians，school board，senior fellow，separation of state and church，sore point，superintendent of schools,think tank，turf battle