ed whatever work it was in him to do； the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble。 The best way to overe it so at least it seems to me is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal； until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede； and your life bees increasingly merged in the universal life。 An individual human existence should be like a river small at first； narrowly contained within its banks； and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls。 Gradually the river grows wider； the banks recede； the waters flow more quietly； and in the end； without any visible break； they bee merged in the sea； and painlessly lose their individual being。 The man who； in old age； can see his life in this way； will not suffer from the fear of death； since the things he cares for will continue。 And if； with the decay of vitality； weariness increases； the thought of rest will be not unwele。 I should wish to die while still at work； knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do； and content in the thought that what was possible has been done。
BERTRAND RUSSELL How to grow old from Portraits from Memory
New words and expressions 生词和短语
oppress
v。 忧郁，压抑
justification
n。 正当理由
justifiably
adv。 无可非议地
cheat
v。 欺骗
abject
adj。 可怜的
ignoble
adj。 不体面的，可耻的
impersonal
adj。 超脱个人感情影响的
ego
n。 自我
receded
v。 退去
increasing
adv。 日益，不断
passionately
adv。 激昂地
painlessly
adv。 毫无痛苦地
vitality
n。 精力
weariness
n。 疲惫感
参考译文
有些老年人因为怕死而感到烦恼。青年人有这种感觉是情有可原的。有理由害怕自己会死在战场上的年轻人，想到自己被剥夺了生活所能给予的最美好的东西时，感到痛苦，这是可以理解的。可是老年人已经饱尝了人间的甘苦，一切能做的都做了，如果怕死，就有点儿可怜又可鄙。克服怕死的最好办法 至少在我看来是这样 就是逐渐使自己的兴趣更加广泛，逐渐摆脱个人狭小的圈子，直到自我的围墙一点一点地倒塌下来，自己的生活慢慢地和整个宇宙的生活融合在一起。个人的存在应该像一条河流，开始很小，被紧紧地夹在两岸中间，接着热情奔放地冲过巨石，飞下瀑布。然后河面渐渐地变宽，两岸后撤，河水流得平缓起来，最后连绵不断地汇入大海，毫无痛苦地失去了自我的存在。上了年纪的人这样看待生命，就不会有惧怕死亡的心情了，因为自己关心的一切事件都会继续下去。 再者，随着精力的衰退，老年人的疲惫会增长，有长眠的愿望未尝不是一件好事情，我希望工作到死为止，明白了有人会继续我的未竟事业，想到能做的事都做了，也就坦然了。
Unit 2
Lesson 12
Banks and their customers
银行和顾客
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why is there no risk to the customer when a bank prints the customer's name on his cheques？
When anyone opens a current account at a bank； he is lending the bank money； repayment of which he may demand at any time； either in cash or by drawing a cheque in favour of another person。 Primarily； the banker…customer relationship is that of debtor and creditor who is which depending on whether the customer's account is in credit or is overdrawn。 But； in addition to that basically simple concept； the bank and its customer owe a large number of obligations to one another。 Many of these obligations can give in to problems and plications but a bank customer； unlike； say； a buyer of goods； cannot plain that the law is loaded against him。
The bank must obey its customer's instructions； and not those of anyone else。 When； for example； a customer first opens an account； he instructs the bank to debit his account only in respect of cheques draw by himself。 He gives the bank specimens of his signature； and there is a very firm rule that the bank has no right or authority to pay out a customer's money on a cheques on which its customer's signature has been forged。 It makes no difference that the forgery may have been a very skilful one： the bank must recognize its customer's signature。 For this reason there is no risk to the customer in the practice； adopted by banks； of printing the customer's name on his cheques。 If this facilitates forgery； it is the bank which will lose； not the customer。
GORDON BARRIE and AUBREY L。 DLAMOND The Consumer Society and the Law
New words and expressions 生词和短语
current
adj。 通用的，流行的
account
n。 账户
cash
n。 现金
debtor
n。 支票
debtor
n。 借方
creditor
n。 贷方
obligation
n。 义务
plication
n。 纠纷
debit
v。 把。。。记入借方
specimen
n。 样本
forge
v。 伪造
forgery
n。 伪造（文件，签名等）
adopt
v。 采用
facilitate
v。 使便利
参考译文
任何人在银行开一个活期账户，就等于把钱借给了银行。这笔钱他可以随时提取，提取的方式可以是取现金，也可以是开一张以他人为收款人的支票。银行与储户的关系主要是债务人和债权人的关系。究竟谁是债务人谁是债权人，要看储户是有结余还是透支。除了这一基本的简单的概念外，银行和储户彼此还需承担大量义务。其中许多义务往往引起问题和纠纷。但是储户不能像货物的买主那样来抱怨法律对自己不利。
银行必须遵照储户的嘱托办事，不能听从其他人的指令。比如，储户首次在银行开户时，嘱咐银行他的存款只能凭本世人签字的支票来提取。他把自己签名的样本交给银行，对此有一条非常严格的规定：银行没有任何权利或理由把储户的钱让伪造储户的支票取走。即使伪造得很巧妙，也不能付款，因为银行有责任辨认出其储户的签名。因此，某些银行已采用把储户印在支票上的作法。这种做法对储户毫无风险。如果因这种作法出现了伪造的话，受损失的将不是储户，而是银行。
Lesson 13
The search for oil
探寻石油
First listen and then answer the following question。
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What do oilmen want to achieve as soon as they strike oil？
The deepest holes of all made for oil； and they go down to as much as 25；0000 feet。 But we not need to send men down to get the oil our； as we must with other mineral deposits。 The holes are only borings； less than a foot in diameter。 My particular experience is largely in oil； and the search for oil has done more to improve deep drilling than any other mining activity。 When is has been decided where we are going to drill； we put up at the surface an oil derrick。 It has to be tall because it is like a giant block and tackle； and we have to lower into the ground and haul out of the ground great lengths of drill pipe which are rotated by an engine at the top and are fitted with a cutting bit at the bottom。
The geologist needs to know what rocks the drill has reached； so every so often a sample is obtained with a coring bit。 It cuts a clean cylinder of rock； from which can be seen the strata the drill has been cutting through。 Once we get down to the oil； it usually flows to the surface because great pressure； either from or water； is pushing it。 This pressure must be under control； and we control it by means of the mud which we circulate down the drill pipe。 We endeavour to avoid the old； romantic idea of a gusher； which wastes oil and gas。 We want it to stay down the hole until we can lead it off in a controlled manner。
T。F。GASKELL The Search for the Earth's Minerals from Discovery
New words and expressions 生词和短语
mineral
adj。 矿物的
boring
n。 钻孔
derrick
n。 井架
block and tackle
滑轮组
haul
v。 拖，拉
rotate
v。 使转动
cutting bit
钻头
geologist
n。 地质学家
coring
取芯钻头
cylinder
n。 圆柱体
strata
n。 岩层＇复＇（＇单＇stratum或strata ＇误用＇）
circulate
v。 注入，环流
gusher
n。 喷油井
参考译文
在所有洞穴中，为寻找石油所钻出的洞是最深的，这些洞可深达25；000英尺。但是，我们不必像开采其他矿藏那样，把人送到地下去把石油取出。这些洞只不过是一些钻孔，直径不到1英尺。我是专门搞石油的，寻找石油比其他任何采矿业对改进钻探作的贡献都要大。当确定钻孔地点后，我们就在那里竖起一个井架。井架必须很高，因为它像一个巨型滑轮组。我们必须把很长的钻杆一节节地钻入地下，然后再从地下拉出来。钻杆顶部安装的发动机带动钻杆旋转，它的底部装有钻头。
地质学家需要知道钻头已以到达什么样的岩层，因此时常要用芯钻头取样。这种钻头能切割一段光滑的圆柱形岩石，从中能看出所钻透的地层。一旦到达油层，石油就会由于地下巨大的压力流到地面上来，这种巨大的压力来自地下天然气或水。这种压力必须加以控制，我们让泥桨顺着钻杆向下循环，用这种方法来控制压力。我们尽量避免使用陈旧天