美国学生世界地理教材 第5期:透过小望远镜看到的世界(1)

 Chapter 1 The World Through a Spy-Glass  第1章 透过小望远镜看到的世界

You may never have seen your own face.  你从来都没看过你自己的脸。
This may surprise you and you may say it isn't so but it is so.  这样说可能让你惊讶，你也许会说这不可能，但事实的确如此。
You may see the end of your nose.  你或许能看到你的鼻尖。
You may even see your lips 1 if you pout 2 out—so.  你或许能看到你的嘴唇—如果撅起嘴巴的话。
If you stick out your tongue you may see the tip of it.  如果伸出舌头，你或许还能看到你的舌尖。
But you can't go over there, outside of yourself, and look at your own face.  但是你无法离开你自己去看自己的脸。
Of course you know what your face looks like, because you have seen it in a mirror;  当然你知道自己长的什么样子,因为你在镜子里看到过自己的脸。
but that's not yourself—it's only a picture of yourself. 但这不是你自己,而只是你的一个图像。 
And in the same way no one of us can see our own World—all of it—this World on which we live.  同样的道理，我们中没有人能看到我们居住的这个世界，看不到它的全部。
You can see a little bit of the World just around you 你可以看到世界的一点点，也就是你自己周围的那点地方；
and if you go up into a high building you can see still more 如果你爬到一栋高楼上，就可以看到更多；
and if you go up to the top of a high mountain you can see still still more 如果你爬到一座高山顶上，就可以看到更多更多；
and if you go up in an airplane you can see still, still, still more.  如果你乘一架飞机向上飞，你可以看到更多更多更多。
But to see the Whole World you would have to go much higher than that,  但是要看到整个世界，你不得不到一个比那更高的地方，
higher than any one has ever been able to go or could go.  一个比任何人到达过或能够到达的更高的地方。
You would have to go far, far above the clouds;  你不得不走到远在云层之上，很高很高的地方，
way, way off in the sky where the stars are—and no one can do that even in an airplane.  直到星空中老远老远的地方；这没有人能做到，即使坐飞机也做不到。 
Now you cannot see the World in a mirror as you can see your face.  你无法像在镜子里看见你自己那样来看见这个世界，
So how do we know what the World looks like?  那么我们怎么知道世界是什么样子的呢？
A fish in the sea might tell her little fish, The World is all water—just a huge tub;  大海里的鱼会对鱼宝宝们说：世界都是水—就是好大好大一盆水；
I've been everywhere and I know.  我哪儿都去过，我当然知道。
Of course, she wouldn't know anything different.  当然，除了水，她不可能知道什么别的事情。
A camel in the desert might tell her little camels, The World is all sand 沙漠里的骆驼会对小骆驼们说：世界都是沙—
just a huge sand pile; I've been everywhere and I know 就是好大好大一堆沙；我哪儿都去过，我当然知道。
A polar 3 bear on an iceberg 4 might tell her little polar bears,  冰山上的北极熊会对小北极熊们说：
The World is all snow and ice—just a huge refrigerator;  世界都是雪和冰—就是好大好大一个冰箱；
I've been everywhere and I know.  我哪儿都去过，我当然知道。
A bear in the woods might tell her little bear cubs 5, The World is all woods 森林里的熊会对小熊仔说：世界都是森林
just a huge forest I've been everywhere and I know.  就是一个巨大的森林；我哪儿都去过，我知道就是这样。
In the same way, once upon a time, people used to tell their little children,  同样，人们从前常常对孩子们说：世界是一个大大的岛，
The World is just a big island like a huge mud 6 pie with some water,  就像是一个用泥做的大馅饼，上面有水呀、
some sand, some ice, and some trees on it, and with a cover we call the sky over us all;  沙呀、冰呀和树呀等等，在我们的上方有一个我们称之为天空的盖子；
we've been everywhere and we know. 我们哪儿都去过，我们当然知道。