678大学英语.doc

风险与你 At some time or other, all of us have played the part of a hypochondriac（疑病症患者）, imagining that we have some terrible disease on the strength of very minor symptoms. Some people just have to hear about a new disease and they begin checking themselves to see if they may be suffering from it. But fear of disease is not our only fear, and neither is risk of disease the only risk we run. Modern life is full of all manner of threats—to our lives, our peace of mind, our families, and our future. And from these threats come questions that we must pose to ourselves: Is the food I buy safe? Are toys for my children likely to hurt them? Should my family avoid smoked meats? Am I likely to be robbed on vacations? Our uncertainties multiply（增加） indefinitely（无限地）. 1 在说不定的某个时候，我们大家都曾充当过疑病症患者的角色,只凭一些轻微的症状便怀疑自己得了某种可怕的病。有的人只要一听说一种新的疾病，就会去检查，看自己是否可能患了这种病。然而，对疾病的恐惧并非我们唯一的恐惧。同样，患病的危险也并非我们唯一会遇上的危险。现代生活中充满了各种各样的威胁，诸如对我们生命的威胁，对我们平和心境的威胁，对我们家人的威胁，对我们未来的威胁。从而产生了好些问题，我们不得不问自己：我买的食品安全吗？给孩子们的玩具会伤害他们吗？我们家的人是不是不该吃熏肉？我度假时会不会遭抢劫？我们的疑虑就无休止地增加。 [2] Anxiety about the risks of life is a bit like hypochondria; in both, the fear or anxiety feeds on（以?为食，以?为能源） partial（局部的，不全面的） information. But one sharp difference exists between the two. The hypochondriac can usually turn to a physician to get a definitive（决定性的） clarification（澄清，说明） of the situation—either you have the suspected disease or you dont. It is much more difficult when anxiety about other forms of risk is concerned, because with many risks, the situation is not as simple. 2 对生活中风险的担忧与疑病症有相似之处；二者的恐惧或忧虑皆起因于信息不全面。但二者之间也存在一个明显的差别。疑病症患者通常可以求助于医生，以便澄清疑虑——要么你得了你所怀疑的疾病，要么你没得。但当涉及到其它形式的风险时，事情就要困难得多，因为对许多风险来说，情况并不那么简单。 [3] Risks are almost always a matter of probability rather than certainty.You may ask, Should I wear a seat belt? If youre going to have a head-on（正面相撞） collision（碰撞）, of course. But what if you get hit from the side and end up trapped inside the vehicle（车辆）, unable to escape because of a damaged seat belt mechanism（装置）? So does thi