--- url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/10-silicon-valley.md description: 新概念英语第四册：Silicon Valley。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。 --- # 10 · 硅谷 ### 第1段 Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future. Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now workstations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh. As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be free to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures. Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the office—spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast. "We've got more garages with smart people," Mead observes. "We really thrive on anarchy." And on Asians. Already, orientals and Asian Americans constitute the majority of the engineering staffs at many Valley firms. And Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Indian engineers are graduating in droves from California's colleges. As the heads of next-generation start-ups, these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge tighter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets. For instance, Alex Au, a Stanford Ph. D. from Hong Kong, has set up a Taiwan factory to challenge Japan's near lock on the memory-chip market. India-born N. Damodar Reddy's tiny California company reopened an AT & T chip plant in Kansas City last spring with financing from the state of Missouri. Before it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business. 中文理解：技术发展的新趋势，或许会让硅谷带着昔日的创业方式走向未来。集成电路先驱、加州理工学院计算机科学教授卡弗·米德指出，如今已有工作站，能让工程师在自己的桌上设计、测试并生产芯片，就像编辑用麦金塔电脑制作通讯刊物一样。当芯片制作所需的时间和费用降到几天、几百美元时，工程师也许很快就能尽情发挥想象力，不再因失败而付出高昂代价。米德预测，发明者只需一个周末，就能在办公室完善性能强大的定制芯片，由此催生新一代车库创业公司，并让美国在迅速把新产品推向市场方面抢在外国对手前面。“我们有更多车库，里面有聪明人，”米德说，“这种不受拘束的环境，恰恰让我们兴旺起来。” 硅谷的兴旺也离不开亚洲人。在硅谷许多企业，亚洲人和亚裔美国人已经占了工程技术人员的大多数。中国、韩国、菲律宾和印度的工程师，正成批从加州各大学毕业。作为新一代初创企业的领头人，这些亚洲创新者可以利用自己的文化习惯和语言背景，与重要的环太平洋市场建立更紧密的联系。比如，来自香港、获斯坦福大学博士学位的区先生，在台湾设厂，挑战日本在存储芯片市场上近乎垄断的地位。出生于印度的N．达莫德尔·雷迪，在加州经营一家小公司；借助密苏里州的资金支持，他于去年春天重新启用了美国电话电报公司在堪萨斯城的一座芯片工厂。硅谷在变成退休者聚居地之前，也许会先成为一间教人如何开展全球业务的课堂。 * **Technology trends**：技术发展趋势；trend是持续走向，不是每一件新产品。 * **integrated circuits**：集成电路；undefined * **enable engineers to**：使工程师能够；是提供条件或能力，不是要求某人去做。 * **let their imaginations soar**：让想象力自由驰骋；let后接动词原形，不能加to。 * **expensive failures**：代价高昂的失败；undefined * **customized chips**：定制芯片；强调按需要定制，而非只修改外观。 * **a new generation of**：新一代的；不仅表示人的年龄，也可表示技术或产品换代。 * **garage start-ups**：车库创业公司；undefined * **a jump on**：比……抢先一步；常指时间或行动带来的先机，不是实际跳跃。 * **thrive on**：靠……而蓬勃发展；说明有利的环境，有时带个人或作者评价。 * **constitute the majority**：占多数；constitute较正式，of后说明总体。 * **in droves**：成群地；大批地；形象地强调数量大，正式数据仍需另列。 * **draw on**：利用既有资源；通常是借助已有积累，不是提取现金的所有语境。 * **forge tighter links**：建立更紧密的联系；forge强调建立或塑造联系，不能把link机械理解为网页链接。 * **set up**：设立；undefined * **may prove**：也许最终成为；prove在这里是“后来显示出、结果是”；may保留结果尚不确定。 #### Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future. 简单句，主谓宾结构. 此报道于1989 年10 月刊登，时值 Back to the future《回到未来》系列电影第二部的宣传期，于次月上映. 这里的报道中相当于用了当季的流行语，而且硅谷在上世纪70-90 年代正值互联网兴起，代表着未来科技的走向，如果以 硅谷的尖端发展程度作为“当下”，那么我们都属于处在过去的状态，所以前往硅谷的发展水平，即为“回到未来”. #### Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now workstations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh. 复合句，主句主谓+宾语从句结构. 从句为 there be 句型，里面 that…Macintosh 为定语从句，修饰 workstations，为主谓宾+宾补结构，其中还包含一个定语从句 an editor…Macintosh 修饰方式状语 the way，为主谓宾结构. much the way 这里，much 表示程度，后面 the way 应跟之前的宾语补足语联系起来看，to design, test and produce chips on desks just like the way an editor… Carver Andress Mead (1934- ) 美国计算机科学家，加州理工学院工程与应用科学荣誉退休教授. #### Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now workstations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh. As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be free to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures. 复合句，主句为主谓宾+宾补结构，由 may be free to let 担任复合宾语. 句首为 As 引导的原因状语从句，主谓宾结构. #### Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the office—spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast. 复合句，主句为主谓+宾语从句结构，宾语从句为主谓宾结构. 宾语从句一直到句末，其中破折号后面均为动词的现在分词作伴随状语. 美国有车库创业文化，房子基本上以独栋为主，把车库当成办公室，可以最大化地节约创业成本，在翻译中，一般只需表明是创业公司即可，但是后文专门强调了有很多的车库创业公司，所以此处要把车库翻译出来. #### "We've got more garages with smart people," Mead observes. 复合句，直接引语中的话语是宾语从句，作 observe 的宾语，所以主句是 Mead observes. 这类直接引语的宾语从句我们不予标记. 直接引语为主谓宾结构. #### "We really thrive on anarchy." 简单句，这句也可以理解成是宾语从句，跟着上一句来的. 这句表示在野蛮生长中，我们确实取得了繁荣. 句意是跟着前文芯片技术的门槛降低，在车库的创业公司也因此得以野蛮生长，所以我们取得了繁荣；而不是反过来，因为没有什么监管，处于所谓的无政府状态才导致的繁荣，即并非政策导致的繁荣，而是科技带来的繁荣. #### And on Asians. 1. (And we thrive) on Asians… 简单句，也是省略句. And 后面省略了 we thrive，所以 thrive 与 on 为动词短语作谓语，Asians 作宾语. #### And on Asians. Already, orientals and Asian Americans constitute the majority of the engineering staffs at many Valley firms. 简单句，主谓宾结构. #### And Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Indian engineers are graduating in droves from California's colleges. 简单句，主谓结构. 这里 in droves 放在句末更易理解，这样 graduate from 就不需要分开了. #### As the heads of next-generation start-ups, these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge tighter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets. 简单句，主谓宾结构. #### For instance, Alex Au, a Stanford Ph. D. from Hong Kong, has set up a Taiwan factory to challenge Japan's near lock on the memory-chip market. 简单句，Au 是中国香港的区姓，香港人喜欢取一些英文名+粤语姓，所以翻译的过程中，翻成区博士即可. 之所以举这个例子，就是呼应前面的环太平洋市场. #### India-born N. Damodar Reddy's tiny California company reopened an AT & T chip plant in Kansas City last spring with financing from the state of Missouri. 简单句，主谓宾结构. 主人翁是知名人士，N. Damodar Reddy co-founded Alliance Semiconductor Corporation and has served as the company's chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president \[from its inception] \[in February 1985]. 堪萨斯城在堪萨斯州隔壁的密苏里州，所以是在密苏里州取得融资. AT & T 是美国最大的电信运营商，去美国旅游手机上基本上都会显示这家的信号. #### Before it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business. 复合句，before 引导的时间状语从句为主系表结构，主句中 prove 也是系动词，亦为主系表结构. ## 学完这一课 先说一个工具能做什么，再用熟悉活动解释它。 [Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/) *译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第43—46页，2022年2月第2版。*