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There are a lot of things in this world that people don’t understand
because the world is a confusing place. But we can always take solace[1]) in the
fact that there are some really simple concepts and ideas out there that we can
all understand. However, as is often the way with life, when you start to look
closely at some of these concepts, you realize that you’ve opened a giant can of
worms[2]).
1. The proof for “1+1=2” is 300 pages long.
The equation 1+1=2 is probably the very first bit of math that most of us
learned, because addition[3]) and subtraction[4]) are probably the simplest
concepts in mathematics. If you have one apple and somebody gives you another,
you have two apples. By the same logic, if you have two apples and someone takes
one away, you only have one apple. It’s a universal fact of life[5]) that
transcends[6]) barriers like language or race. Which is what makes the following
sentence so unbelievable: the proof for 1+1=2 is well over 300 pages long and it
wasn’t conclusively proven until the 20th century. According to Stephen Fry, in
the early 20th century, Bertrand Russell wanted to conclusively prove that
mathematics worked, so he decided to start with the simplest concept we know of
and went right ahead and proved 1+1=2. However, what sounds like an incredibly
simple task actually took the mathematician and philosopher 372 pages of complex
sums. The mammoth[7]) solution was published as Principia Mathematica across
three volumes, which we invite you to read if you aren’t planning on doing
anything for the next few weeks.
2. Yawning
Yawning is a puzzling phenomenon. Even the simple act of talking about it
is enough to make some people do it (some of you are probably doing it right
now). There really is no other bodily function quite like it. Now, some of you
reading this may be aware of the long-standing theory that the purpose of
yawning is to keep us alert by forcing our bodies to take in an extra, large
gulp[8]) of oxygen. That makes sense, because we mostly yawn when we’re tired or
bored, situations where an extra burst of energy would come in handy[9]). The
thing is, experiments have conclusively disproven[10]) that theory over the
years. In fact, there is no universally agreed upon theory for why we actually
yawn, even though everyone does it. A commonly accepted theory is that yawning
actually cools down the brain, because various experiments have shown that one
of the few things to actually change in the body during a yawn is the
temperature of the brain itself. As for why yawning is contagious[11]), no one
knows that either.
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本文选自新东方英语中学生2014年9月刊
3. Defining the word “the” is really difficult.
The word “the” is one of the most common words in the English language.
It’s so ubiquitous[12]) that most of us have probably never stopped to think
about how strange of a word it actually is. As discussed here, it’s easily one
of the most difficult words to explain to a non-native English speaker because
it has such a massive range of applications, some of which are remarkably
odd[13]) when looked at objectively. To quote: “Why do we say ‘I love the
ballet’, but not ‘I love the cable TV’? Why do we say ‘I have the flu’, but not
‘I have the headache’? Why do we say ‘winter is the coldest season’, and not
‘winter is coldest season’?” Think about it—we use the word “the” in dozens of
different situations and in reference to many different concepts, ideas, and
objects interchangeably[14]). We can use the word to refer to everything from a
specific item to an abstract metaphorical[15]) concept, and native speakers can
instinctively tell when it’s being used incorrectly without thinking about it.
The dictionary itself lists almost two dozen different ways the word can be used
in a sentence correctly, which makes an exact definition of the word that is
much more difficult to pin down[16]). Don’t believe us? Try defining it
yourself.
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发表于 2016-7-10 18:10:17