2. Lesson 15 The Riddle of Time John Boslough

3. I. Some Quotations about TIME 1) Every second is of infinite value. 2) Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. 3) Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. 4) But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.

4. 5)Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. 6) The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something. 7) Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely. 8) Time only seems to matter when it's running out. 9) We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch. 10) Time flies.

5. II. Questions 1.Has the sense of time ever occurred to you? If so, in what way? 2. Why are people so emotional/sentimental for TIME? Youth, I do adore thee; and age, I do abhor thee. 3. How will you spend your days here? What is the best way, in your opinion, to make good use of time?

6. III. About the text 1) a discussion of the definition of time, mainly the historical development of human beings’ timekeeping. 2) the body clock of human beings. scientific treatise popular science.

7. Molecule Atom Electrons nucleus Neutrons protons

8. II. Difficult Sentences Expressions 1. Devising accurate calendars and clocks…proved to be an elusive, lengthy intellectual pursuit. P> Designing accurate calendars and clocks…turned out to be an extremely difficult and time-consuming task. 2. regardless of: without being affected by 1) We all have the right to vote regardless of our sex, race, education, financial status, religion or politics. 2) The government is determined to punish all the corrupt officials regardless of their positions. 3) The membership is available to all regardless of academic background.

9. 3. In human terms, even as you watch a second tick away, it’s gone. P> From human beings’ point of view, even as you watch a second pass away, it is gone, never to return. 4. …plotting location by satellite… marking, calculating, or following the position of a moving aircraft or ship by satellite… 5. oscillate: to keep moving from side to side; to swing to and fro regularly 6. nanosecond: one billionth of a second nanometer; nanotechnology

10. 7. compress: to be pressed cf. oppress; depress; impress; repress; suppress 1) feel oppressed with the heat 2) repress one’s tears / one’s child 3) suppress one’ counter-revolutionaries / criticism / a cough / feelings / the truth / name / news / books 8. chron-: of time chronic disease / chronicle ( 编年史 ) / chronological (according to the order of years) diachronic(al); synchronic(al)

11. 9. Ehret is certain that if you abuse your powerful internal rhythms, you are in for trouble. P> Ehret is quite sure that if you do not obey your powerful body clock, you will be asking for trouble. 10. sleep disorders: illnesses affecting your sleep mental disorder stomach disorder skin disorder, eating disorder 11. …all observed arrows of time go in only one direction. P> all directions time moves in that we have seen point to only one way.

12. 12. Whatever time is, we humans have internalized it so powerfully that it has taken on a meaning all its own. internalize sth.: to make sth. part of your own character or being take on a meaning: to begin to acquire or have a meaning P> Many human inventions are internalized in the same way and have taken on meanings of their own. 13. More than anything else time is what we make of it. P> Above all, time is what we want it to be, to do what we want it to do. It’s our own invention.

13. III. Exercises I) A Note on Determiners 1.A determiner is a word that is used before a noun or noun phrase to show which person or thing you are referring to. 2. There are two types of determiners: special determiners and general determiners. 3. Special determiners are used before a noun or noun phrase when you know that the person you speak to understands which person or thing you are talking about. 1) definite article: the 2) demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those 3) possessive pronouns: my, your, his, her, its, our, their

14. 4. General determiners are used to refer to someone or something of a particular type, without saying which person or thing you mean. 1) indefinite article: a, an 2) other pronouns: all, another, any, both, each, either, enough, every, few, little, many, more, most, much, neither, no other, several, some

15. II) Sample for Translation What is time? Is it a dimension like height and width? Or is it a flow like a river? Time is too difficult to think about. To the man in the street, whatever it is, time is precious, as life is short. So many people say time is money. Time cannot be reversed and no one can turn back the clock. Lost time is never to be found. As we can see, no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. If you want to succeed, time management is the No. 1 problem. That’s why some people say, “We are slaves to nothing but the clock.” Time is today, not tomorrow or next week. If you want every minute to count, you must be masters of time.

16. Dictation We can perhaps say that there is nothing in the world that has affected human life as deeply as time, or has evoked our emotions as strongly as time. Just think how many people have wondered about the change of the seasons, the change of day and night, and the change of our life. People are constantly thinking of the past, the present and future because the past brings happy memories, regrets, experiences and Wisdom; the present brings needs, worries, power and purpose; and the future brings promises, expectations and anxieties. But what Is time? What is this “thing” that we can not see or touch? We used to think that time is what the calendar and clock tell us. But now the greatest scientists have told us that time does not exist except in our imagination. It is a mere human invention.