# 第四册 Lesson 10 Silicon valley 硅谷

## 一、课文原文

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 work-stations 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.

—*US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT*, October 2, 1989

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| integrated circuit | /ˈɪntɪɡreɪtɪd ˈsɜːkɪt/ | n. | 集成电路 | IC芯片的正式名称 |
| work-station | /ˈwɜːksteɪʃn/ | n. | 工作站 | 高性能个人计算机 |
| chip | /tʃɪp/ | n. | 芯片 | 集成电路芯片 |
| penalize | /ˈpiːnəlaɪz/ | v. | 惩罚，处罚 | penalized by expensive failures 因昂贵的失败而受罚 |
| customize | /ˈkʌstəmaɪz/ | v. | 定制 | customized chips 定制芯片 |
| spawn | /spɔːn/ | v. | 大量产生，催生 | spawning a new generation 催生新一代 |
| start-up | /ˈstɑːtʌp/ | n. | 创业公司 | garage start-ups 车库创业公司 |
| thrive | /θraɪv/ | v. | 兴旺，繁荣 | thrive on anarchy 靠混乱繁荣 |
| anarchy | /ˈænəki/ | n. | 无政府状态，混乱 | 此处指自由无拘束的创新环境 |
| constitute | /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/ | v. | 构成，组成 | constitute the majority 占多数 |
| in droves | /ɪn drəʊvz/ | phr. | 成群结队地 | graduating in droves 大批毕业 |
| forge | /fɔːdʒ/ | v. | 建立，锻造 | forge tighter links 建立更紧密的联系 |
| Pacific Rim | /pəˈsɪfɪk rɪm/ | n. | 太平洋沿岸地区 | 亚太地区 |
| lock | /lɒk/ | n. | 垄断，独占 | near lock on 几乎垄断 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. much the way 方式状语

> ...much **the way** an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh.

- = much in the way that = much like
- the way = as, in the manner that
- 仿写：He did it the way his father taught him.

### 2. as引导时间/原因状语从句

> **As** the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be free...

- as = 随着（时间）/因为（原因）
- 此处同时含"随着"和"因为"的双重含义

### 3. before引导时间状语从句

> **Before** it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business.

- before = 在...之前
- 含义：在变成退休村之前，硅谷可能先成为全球化商业的课堂

### 4. 现在分词作结果状语

> ...perfect powerful customized chips...**spawning** a new generation of garage start-ups and **giving** the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals...

- spawning和giving表示前述动作的自然结果
- 类似用法：He fell off the bike, breaking his leg.

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. push...back to the future 推回未来

> Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future.

- 矛盾修辞（oxymoron）：back to the future
- 含义：回到硅谷创业初期的活力状态

### 2. give sb. a jump on 抢占先机

> ...giving the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast.

- = give sb. a head start over
- jump = 先机，优势

### 3. thrive on 靠...繁荣

> 'We really thrive on anarchy.'

- = prosper because of, flourish on
- 反直觉：通常认为混乱是负面的，但硅谷靠混乱繁荣

### 4. draw on 利用，借助

> ...these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge tighter links...

- = make use of, rely on
- 仿写：She drew on her experience to solve the problem.

## 五、课文翻译

技术趋势可能把硅谷推回未来。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，现在有了工作站，工程师可以在办公桌上设计、测试和生产芯片，就像编辑在Macintosh电脑上制作通讯一样。随着制造芯片的时间和成本降至几天和几百美元，工程师们可能很快就能自由地让想象力驰骋，而不必因昂贵的失败而受罚。米德预测，发明家将能在办公室于一个周末内完善功能强大的定制芯片——这催生了新一代车库创业公司，并使美国在快速将新产品推向市场方面抢先于外国竞争对手。"我们有更多装着聪明人的车库，"米德说。"我们确实靠无序而繁荣。"

也靠亚洲人。东方人和亚裔美国人已经在硅谷许多公司中构成了工程人员的多数。华裔、韩裔、菲律宾裔和印度裔工程师正成批地从加州各大学毕业。作为下一代创业公司的负责人，这些亚洲创新者可以利用他们的文化习俗和语言与关键的太平洋沿岸市场建立更紧密的联系。例如，来自香港的斯坦福博士区艾伦在台湾建了一家工厂，挑战日本对存储芯片市场的近乎垄断。印度出生的N·达莫达尔·雷迪的小型加州公司去年春天在密苏里州的资助下重新开业了AT&T在堪萨斯城的一家芯片工厂。在变成退休村之前，硅谷可能会证明自己是建立全球商业的一个课堂。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 1. 写作手法：矛盾修辞+转折递进

- "back to the future"——矛盾修辞，吸引注意
- 第二段以"And on Asians"转折，出人意料地引入移民贡献
- 以具体人物（Alex Au, Reddy）为例，增强说服力

### 2. 文化背景

- **硅谷（Silicon Valley）**：加州圣克拉拉谷，全球高科技产业中心
- **车库创业（garage start-ups）**：惠普、苹果等公司创始于车库，成为硅谷传奇
- **Pacific Rim**：环太平洋地区，亚洲经济体
- **文章发表于1989年**：反映了当时美日芯片竞争和亚裔移民的崛起

### 3. 修辞分析

- **矛盾修辞**：back to the future, thrive on anarchy——利用矛盾制造张力
- **具体事例**：Alex Au, Reddy——以个体代表群体
- **口语引用**："We've got more garages with smart people"——用引用增强真实感

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **理解题**：What role do Asians play in Silicon Valley?（构成工程人员多数，连接太平洋市场）
2. **语法题**：much the way 与 in the way that 的互换
3. **词汇题**：区分 spawn/generate/produce 的语体差异
4. **翻译练习**：科技类文章中 before 从句的翻译策略

## 八、本课小结

本课讨论**硅谷的技术趋势和亚裔贡献**，核心观点：芯片制造成本降低催生新一代创业公司，亚裔工程师在硅谷发挥关键作用。语法重点包括much the way方式状语、as引导状语从句、before时间状语、现在分词作结果状语。写作手法上运用矛盾修辞和转折递进，是科技新闻报道的范例。