2009年6月英语四级听力备战-听写训练(14)

（单词翻译）

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If we accept that we cannot _ science and technology from changing our world, we can at least try to ensure that the changes they make are in the right directions. In a _ society, this means that the public needs to have abasic understanding of science, so that it can make informed decisions and not leave them in the hands of _. At the moment, the public is in two mindsabout science. It has come to expect the _ increase in the standard of living that new developments in science and technology have brought to continue, but it also _ science because it doesn’t understand it.

■填空答案■

答案：

1. prevent

2. democratic

3. experts

4. steady

5. distrusts

■隐藏■

译文:如果我们承认，我们无法阻止科学技术改变我们的世界，我们至少可以努力确保科技带来的变化方向正确。在一个民主社会里，这意味着公众需要对科学有一个基本的了解，从而可以作出明达的决定，而不是把决定留给专家去作。目前，公众对科学存有矛盾之心。公众期望科技新发展带来的生活水准的稳定提高能继续下去，但又怀疑科学，因为他们不懂科学。

prevent

prevent...from 使...不做某事, 阻止...做某事

prevent forestall¹ preclude² 

都含“阻止”的意思。

prevent 指“采取预先行动或用障碍物使不发生或停止”, 如:

prevent diseases 

预防疾病。

forestall 指“先采取行动以阻止别人做某事”、“先发制人”, 如:

Try to forestall their questions. 

尽量不让他们问问题(作到先发制人)。

preclude 指“阻止某人做某事”、“使不可能发生某事”, 如:

The bad weather precluded³ me from attending the meeting. 

恶劣的天气使我不能出席会议。