考研英语核心词汇速成胜经Unit 15
一、 真题文章（1996年）
The differences in relative growth of various areas of scientific research have several causes. Some of these causes are completely reasonable results of social needs. Others are reasonable consequences of particular advances in science being to some extent self-accelerating. Some, however, are less reasonable processes of different growth in which preconception of the form scientific theory ought to take, by persons in authority, act to alter the growth pattern of different areas. This is a new problem probably not yet unavoidable; but it is a frightening trend. This trend began during the Second World War, when several governments came to the conclusion that the specific demands that a government wants to make of its scientific establishment cannot generally be foreseen in detail. It can be predicted, however, that from time to time questions will arise which will require specific scientific answers. It is therefore generally valuable to treat the scientific establishment as a resource or machine to be kept in functional order. This seems mostly effectively done by supporting a certain amount of research not related to immediate goals but of possible consequence in the future.
This kind of support, like all government support, requires decisions about the appropriate recipients of funds. Decisions based on utility as opposed to lack of utility are straightforward. But a decision among projects none of which has immediate utility is more difficult. The goal of the supporting agencies is the praisable one of supporting "good " as opposed to "bad" science, but a valid determination is difficult to make. Generally, the idea of good science tends to become confused with the capacity of the field in question to generate an elegant theory. However, the world is so made that elegant systems are in principle unable to deal with some of the world's more fascinating and delightful aspects. New forms of thought as well as new subjects for thought must arise in the future as they have in the past, giving rise to new standards of elegance.
二、 译文
科学研究的各种领域的相关发展的区别是有若干原因的。在这些原因中，有些完全来自社会需求的自然结果。另一些则是由于科学在一定程度上自我加速而产生某些特定发展的必然结果。尽管如此，有些发展速度的差异其原因就不尽合理，这是因为某些权威人士对科学理论研究应采取何种形式有先入为主的想法，这些想法起了改变不同科学领域的发展模式的作用。这是一个新问题，也许并非是不可避免的问题，但其趋势却令人担忧。这种趋势始于第二次世界大战期间，当时一些国家的政府得出结论：政府要向科研机构提出的具体要求通常是无法详尽预见的。然而，人们可以预见，往往会出现一些问题要求科学做出具体的回答。因此，将科研机构视为一种资源或一台机器，应维持其良好的运行状态。这样做通常是很有价
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