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The Ig Nobel Prizes: Celebrating the Silly Side of Science 搞笑诺贝尔奖：另类科学礼赞

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

An unbelievably funny scene is playing out on stage. The floor is littered with paper airplanes, and a man with a broom rushes around the stage to collect them all. In front of him, three ridiculously-dressed figures are performing a comedy routine. And did I mention that all four of the men on stage are Nobel Prize winners?

舞台上演着不可思议的搞笑场面。纸飞机被丢在地板上，一个人拿着扫把在舞台上横冲直撞，将它们全部扫起来。在他面前，三位奇装异服人士演着闹剧。喔，刚刚我有没有提到这四人都是诺贝尔奖得主啊？

Since their founding in 1991, the Ig Nobel Prizes have sought to show the world the lighter side of science. They were founded to celebrate scientific achievements “that cannot, or should not be reproduced.” Although meant as a parody, the awards are all presented by real Nobel Prize winners in a lavish ceremony held every year at Harvard University. Winners travel to Boston from all over the world to receive their awards and participate in the fun.

搞笑诺贝尔奖创立于1991年，致力于宣扬科学比较轻松的一面。最初成立的目的是要赞扬不能也不该被复制的科学成就。这些奖项虽然旨在揶揄，但所有奖项都由直正的诺贝尔奖得主来颁发，每年在哈佛大学盛大举行。得主从全球各地前来波士顿领奖，齐聚一堂同乐。

Besides comedy sketches from distinguished scientists, the festivities feature an “Off Keynote Address.” All of the recipients are expected to give speeches, but they must stick to a strict time limit of one minute. If they go over, “Miss Sweety-Poo,” a nine-year-old girl in a party dress, will appear onstage. Her job is to silence them with high-pitched cries of “Please stop! I’m bored!”

除了杰出科学家的喜剧表演之外，庆祝活动还标榜「离题演说」。所有领奖人都会发言，但他们必须谨守一分钟的严格时间限制。如果超过时间，身着礼服的九岁女童「甜普小姐」，便会上台尖叫「请不要再讲了，很无聊耶！」要他们闭嘴。

Another tradition is for members of the audience to pelt the stage with paper airplanes. A physics professor named Roy Glauber usually acts as the “Keeper of the Broom,” sweeping the stage clear of the paper airplanes. In 2005, however, Glauber had to miss the ceremony. He was in Sweden accepting an actual Nobel Prize!

另一项传统就是由观众朝舞台射纸飞机。一位名叫罗伊．格劳伯的物理学家教授担任「扫帚人」，把舞台上纸飞机扫干净。然而2005年，格劳伯无法共襄盛举，因为他去瑞典领真正的诺贝尔奖了。

Vocabulary

单词发音

litter [ˋlɪtɚ] v. 乱丢（杂物）

parody [ˋpærədɪ] n. 拙劣的模仿；蠢事

ceremony [ˋsɛrə͵monɪ] n. 典礼

distinguished [dɪˋstɪŋgwɪʃt] adj. 卓越的；著名的

stick [stɪk] to 坚持

More Information

片语发音

play out 演出或现出某事物(尤指在现实生活中) to unwind, unfold, or unreel something

broom [brum] n. 扫帚

rush around 东奔西跑 to try to do a lot of things or to go to a lot of places in a short period of time

routine [ruˋtin] n.（经常表演的）固定剧目

lighter side 较轻松的一面 lighter side means to be less mean and brighter thinking

lavish [ˋlævɪʃ] adj. 过分铺张的; 过分丰盛的

sketch [skɛtʃ] n. 喜剧性短剧；（音乐等的）小品

festivity [fɛsˋtɪvətɪ] n. 庆典，庆祝活动

keynote [ˋki͵not] n.（演说等的）主旨，基调

recipient [rɪˋsɪpɪənt] n. 接受者；受领者

high-pitched [ˋhaɪˋpɪtʃt] adj. 声调高的；尖声的

pelt [pɛlt] v.（连续地）投掷

课文朗读

课文讲解

The research celebrated ranges from the comical to the ridiculous. Many studies are honored for their unusual subject matter or strange results. In 2002, four British scientists were awarded a prize for their discovery that the presence of humans tends to sexually arouse ostriches. Another biology award went to three Swedish researchers for their report entitled “Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans.”

搞笑奖项从滑稽到荒谬都有。许多研究因为不寻常的题材和奇怪的研究结果而获奖。2002年，四位英国科学家因为发现人类会撩起鸵鸟性欲而得奖。另一项生物学奖颁给三位瑞典研究员，因为他们写了一篇「鸡偏爱俊男美女」的研究报告。

The physics field provides equally hilarious entries, such as Jilliane Clarke’s Ph.D. thesis examining if there was any truth to “the five-second rule.” Clarke disproved the common (and somewhat absurd) myth that food dropped on the floor will stay clean if it is picked up within five seconds. Sometimes a paper’s title alone is enough to merit an Ig Nobel. A group of Australian researchers were awarded the prize for their paper: “An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep Over Various Surfaces.”

物理学界也有超好笑的研究参赛，例如吉莲．克拉克的博士论文探讨是否真有「五秒钟定律」。克拉克推翻了一个常见（而且有些荒谬）的迷思：掉到地上的食物若在五秒内捡起，仍然是干净的。有时候，光是论文题目就足以获颁搞笑诺贝尔奖。一组澳洲研究人员因为写了「不同平面拖羊所需力道之分析」一文而获奖。

Although most of the prizes are for humorous studies, they are sometimes used as critical statements. Two awards have been given for research into homeopathic medicine, a field dismissed by most scientists. In 1999, an Ig Nobel Prize in “science education” was awarded to school boards in the American states of Colorado and Kansas. This was in response to their decision not to teach evolution in schools.

虽然大多数奖都颁给幽默的研究，但有时它们也具有批判色彩。有两个奖项就颁给多数科学家不认同的顺势疗法研究。1999年，搞笑诺贝尔科学教育奖被颁给美国科罗拉多州和堪萨斯州的教育部门，因为他们决定不在学校教进化论。

But for the most part, these awards are just meant to demonstrate that science doesn’t have to be dull. After all, even the most brilliant scientists need some comic relief.

然而大体而言，这些奖项只是为了要让大家知道，科学不一定枯燥乏味。毕竟，连顶尖科学家也需要好笑的事情来轻松一下。

−by Michael Karanicolas

Vocabulary

单词发音

comical [ˋkɑmɪk!] adj. 滑稽的；诙谐的

hilarious [hɪˋlɛrɪəs] adj. 极好笑的; 极有趣的

merit [ˋmɛrɪt] v. 值得，应受

evolution [͵ɛvəˋluʃən] n.（生物的）进化

demonstrate [ˋdɛmən͵stret] v. 显示，表露

More Information

单词发音

range from … to … 在从…到…的范围内变化

ostrich [ˋɑstrɪtʃ] n. 驼鸟

entitle [ɪnˋtaɪt!] v. 给（书等）题名

thesis [ˋθisɪs] n. 论文

disprove [dɪsˋpruv] v. 证明…是不对的, 提出…的反证, 反驳

absurd [əbˋsɝd] adj. 不合理的，荒谬的

homeopathic [͵homɪəˋpæθɪk] adj.【医】顺势疗法的

dismiss [dɪsˋmɪs] v. 不考虑，抛弃

school board（地方上的）教育委员会

board [bord] n.（政府的）部，局，会

dull [dʌl] adj. 乏味的，单调的

Reading Questions

1.   Which of the following is the main purpose of the Ig Nobel Prizes?

A. To make fun of scientists who are talkative when making a speech.

B. To do a humorous imitation of an important award ceremony.

C. To enlighten the world about the true meaning of scientific research.

D. To educate the public about the importance of being correct in scientific analysis.

2.   What role does the “Keeper of the Broom” play?

A. The person is responsible for maintaining order during the ceremony.

B. The person must buy brooms for everyone who attends the ceremony.

C. The person teaches the winners the proper ways to use a broom.

D. The person’s job is to clean the stage during the ceremony.

3.   Which of the following topics would probably NOT win an Ig Nobel Prize?

A. Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans

B. The Truth behind the Five-Second Rule

C. An Analysis of Air Pollution in the Cities

D. A Study on Homeopathic Medicine

4.   What would be another good title for this article?

A. Prizes from Harvard University

B. The Funny Side of Science

C. The Hidden Secret of Physics

D. Nobel Prize Winners

Improbable Research Collection #129: The Best of Miss Sweetie Poo

 Answer