这个废弃的小屋可能会毁灭世界：英语精读讲义

This is the Tekoi test range,

这里是Tekoi测试场，

or at least it once was. 語氣意圖

至少它曾经是。

The site is long abandoned now,

这个场地现在早已被废弃，

but it once served a vital purpose,

但它曾经发挥过至关重要的作用，

a military purpose.

一个军事上的作用。

And the work done at Tekoi

而且在Tekoi完成的工作

is still out in the world today. 習語

至今仍存在于世界上。

Constructed during the Cold War,

它建于冷战时期，

at the entrance to the facility

在设施的入口处

is a warning sign in Russian.

有一块俄文的警告标志。

But this is not the former Soviet Union.

但这里不是前苏联。

This is the great state of Utah,

这是伟大的犹他州，

where in Skull Valley,

在Skull Valley中，

Tekoi resides.

坐落着Tekoi。

Much of what happened on site was classified,

现场发生的许多事情都是机密，

and equipment and documents were removed.

设备和文件也被移走。

But what remains is enough

但保留下来的东西足以

to piece together the story of Tekoi. 短語動詞

拼凑出Tekoi的故事。

The paperwork left behind

留下来的文件

bears the logo of Hercules Incorporated. 短語搭配

印有Hercules Incorporated的标志。

Hercules got its start in the late 1800s 短語搭配

Hercules起步于19世纪末，

with a patent improving on dynamite 短語動詞

凭借一项改进炸药的专利，

the creator named Hercules Powder,

创造者将其命名为Hercules Powder，

and began manufacturing the new explosive just outside of San Francisco

并开始在旧金山郊外生产这种新型炸药，

in a company town that would outlive the company, 文化背景

所在的这座企业小镇比公司还要长寿，

Hercules, California.

即加利福尼亚州的Hercules。

Chemical manufacturing at the turn of the century 短語搭配

在世纪交替之际，化学制造

was dangerous,

是危险的，

and about 60 people would die 語法

大约有60人

in several explosions over the years.

在这些年里发生的多起爆炸中丧生。

Hercules made many chemical products,

Hercules生产许多化学产品，

but their smokeless gunpowder rapidly grew them

但他们的无烟火药迅速让他们发展壮大，

to become a vital United States military supplier

成为美国军事上至关重要的供应商

during the World Wars.

在世界大战期间。

As the poster said,

正如海报上所说，

Hercules men and women in the war,

“战争中的Hercules男女员工，

keep 'em shooting.

让他们继续射击。”

The Cold War came next

接下来是冷战，

and brought with it a new weapon, 短語搭配

随之而来的是一种新武器，

the intercontinental ballistic missile

洲际弹道导弹，

tipped with a nuclear warhead. 用詞

顶端装有核弹头。

Now one country could destroy another remotely,

现在一个国家可以远程摧毁另一个国家，

and the only defense

唯一的防御手段

was a credible threat of retaliation. 短語搭配

就是可信的报复威胁。

This drew the United States and the Soviet Union 短語搭配

这将美国和苏联

into an arms race,

卷入了一场军备竞赛，

building more and better nuclear weapons

制造更多、更好的核武器

each year.

每年如此。

Technological development

技术的发展

led to solid fuel rocket motors.

带来了固体燃料火箭发动机。

Unlike earlier liquid based missiles,

与早期的液体燃料导弹不同，

which had to be launched out in the open

后者必须在露天发射，

and were slow to fuel,

且加注燃料缓慢，

the new motors allowed nuclear missiles to be hidden.

新的发动机使得核导弹得以隐藏。

America's cornfields would grow to contain 1,000 underground silos,

美国的玉米地里将建有1000个地下发射井，

each ready with a fast launching Minuteman missile inside.

每个发射井里都准备好了一枚可快速发射的Minuteman导弹。

But ground silos are in fixed locations,

但地面发射井的位置是固定的，

and once discovered 語法

一旦被发现，

cannot be moved.

就无法移动。

Nuclear bombers are mobile,

核轰炸机是机动的，

but planes can be found by radar.

但飞机会被雷达发现。

However,

然而，

submarines can hide in the sea,

潜艇可以隐藏在海中，

difficult to find.

难以被发现。

So the United States developed the Ohio class submarine,

因此，美国开发了Ohio级潜艇，

the largest yet built,

这是当时建造的最大潜艇，

for carrying a new solid fuel Trident nuclear missile.

用于搭载新型固体燃料的Trident核导弹。

The United States ordered 24 Ohios to be built,

美国下令建造24艘Ohio级潜艇，

each with a maximum complement of 24 Tridents. 用詞

每艘最多配备24枚Trident导弹。

Each Trident carried up to 14 warheads,

每枚Trident最多携带14个核弹头，

a combined maximum delivery potential

其最大合并投送能力

of more than 8,000 nuclear bombs.

超过8000枚核弹。

Thus were the United States and her Minutemen to be destroyed in a first strike 講解

因此，即使美国和她的Minuteman在第一次打击中被摧毁，

and all her aircraft shot down, 短語動詞

所有飞机也被击落，

there would still be more than enough Tridents launching

仍有足够多的Trident导弹会发射

from the hidden deep

从隐秘的深海，

to safely assure mutual destruction. 文化背景

以安全地确保相互毁灭。

Which brings us back 表達脈絡

这把我们带回了

to Hercules and Tekoi.

Hercules和Tekoi。

For as the bullet in a round 語法

就像枪膛里的子弹

needs powder to hit a target,

需要火药才能击中目标一样，

so too does the nuclear warhead in a Trident missile

Trident导弹中的核弹头

need its solid fuel motor.

也需要它的固体燃料发动机。

Hercules manufactured the motors at a plant called Bacchus West in Magna, Utah,

Hercules在犹他州Magna的一家名为Bacchus West的工厂制造了这些发动机，

and brought them to Tekoi for testing.

并将它们带到Tekoi进行测试。

The large concrete cubes still here

至今仍在这里的大型混凝土立式结构

are thrust blocks. 文化背景

是推力块。

Their purpose to be an immovable object

它们的目的是成为一个不可移动的物体，

for a missile motor to push against

供导弹发动机在测试点火期间

during test firing.

产生推力对抗。

Each motor needed to be individually calibrated,

每个发动机都需要单独校准，

hitting a target a quarter of the world away 短語搭配

击中地球另一端四分之一处的目标

while traveling at Mach 20 is a precise affair.

同时以20马赫的速度飞行，是一项极其精确的工作。

So once in place against the thrust block,

因此，一旦在推力块上就位，

technicians would connect sensors to the motor

技术人员会将传感器连接到发动机上

to measure heat and pressure.

来测量热量和压力。

And those sensors connected via underground cables

这些传感器通过地下电缆连接

to instrument bunkers

到仪器掩体，

where engineers would record the results

工程师将在那里记录结果，

with state of the art 1970s computer assistance. 習語

借助当时最先进的20世纪70年代计算机的帮助。

Set up for each test

每次测试的准备工作

could take a week or more.

可能需要一周或更长时间。

So the motor and engineers and equipment

因此，发动机、工程师和设备

had to be protected from the elements. 短語搭配

必须免受恶劣天气的影响。

But a missile can't be fired inside a building

但导弹不能在建筑物内点火，

without melting the structure around it 語法

否则会熔化周围的建筑结构

and invalidating the test.

并导致测试无效。

To solve this,

为了解决这个问题，

the buildings at Tekoi were constructed on rails,

Tekoi的建筑物是建在轨道上的，

so they could be pulled back before firing 短語動詞

所以在点火前可以把它们拉退后，

and also give the nearby camera houses 短語搭配

同时也给附近的摄像机房

a clear view of the test.

提供清晰的测试视野。

This will be the firing of D5 second stage

这将是D5第二级火箭的点火

Pet 5 B 250.

Pet 5 B 250。

Minus 10,

负10，

9, 8,

9，8，

7, 6,

7，6，

5, 4,

5，4，

3, 2,

3，2，

1, 0.

1，0。

We have ignition.

点火成功。

Hercules did improve on safety 語法

Hercules确实在安全性上做了改进，

since its start in California

自一百年前

a hundred years earlier.

在加利福尼亚州创立以来。

The large poles around each test site

每个测试场地周围的高大立柱

are lightning rods

都是避雷针，

to divert strikes from the area's numerous storms

以转移该地区频繁风暴产生的雷击，

and to prevent explosions.

并防止发生爆炸。

Nonetheless, 表達脈絡

尽管如此，

one man was killed at Tekoi.

仍有一人在Tekoi丧生。

In 1984,

在1984年，

crushed beneath a motor

他被压在一台发动机下，

that came loose during securement 短語搭配

该发动机在固定到测试块时

to the test block.

发生了松动。

An accident

对于这起事故，

for which the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration 文化背景

美国职业安全与健康管理局 (OSHA)

fined Hercules $640.

对Hercules处以了640美元的罚款。

The end of the 1980s

20世纪80年代末

was the beginning of the end for Hercules. 習語

是Hercules走向终结的开始。

The United States had been slowing production of nuclear warheads 語法

美国一直在放缓核弹头的生产，

and needed fewer missiles to carry them.

并需要更少的导弹来搭载它们。

Tekoi was used less as a testing site 語法

Tekoi作为测试场的作用减少，

and more as a storage location

更多地被用作储存地点，

as military contracts dried up, 短語動詞

随着军事合同的枯竭，

leading to hundreds of layoffs 語法

这导致了20世纪90年代初

in the early 1990s.

数百人的裁员。

Though the United States no longer needed the facility for strategic production, 語法

虽然美国不再需要该设施进行战略生产，

it was still strategically useful in a different way,

但它在另一方面仍具战略用途：

politics.

政治。

In 1991,

1991年，

the United States and the Soviet Union signed START, 文化背景

美国和苏联签署了START条约，

the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,

即《削减战略武器条约》，

where both agreed to reduce the size of their nuclear stockpiles.

双方同意减少其核武库的规模。

Because, of course,

因为，当然，

neither country was just going to take the word of the other, 習語

任何一个国家都不会仅仅听信对方的一面之词，

numerous trust but verify policies 文化背景

因此，许多“信任但要核实”的政策

were put into place. 短語搭配

得以实施。

For example,

例如，

both sides disabling their long-range bombers

双方在露天环境下

out in the open 習語

禁用其远程轰炸机，

for the others' satellites to see. 語法

以便对方的卫星看到。

And each country picked weapon production sites

每个国家都挑选了武器生产基地

the other could inspect.

供对方检查。

The United States provided a list of dozens of sites for the Soviets,

美国向苏联提供了一份包含数十个地点的清单，

one of which was the Tekoi test range, 語法

其中之一就是Tekoi测试场，

and is why the sign in Russian 語法

这也就是为什么入口处

is at the entrance.

会有俄文标志。

Temporary housing for the inspection team

视察组的临时住所

was built in the Soviet Union

是在苏联建造的，

to ensure the Americans had not installed any bugs in the walls 用詞

以确保美国人没有在墙上安装任何窃听器

or tampered with the equipment 短語動詞

或篡改设备，

and transported to Utah,

然后被运到了犹他州，

forming a small Soviet outpost in Magna.

在Magna建立了一个小型的苏联前哨站。

The flags of which had to be changed

其旗帜在苏联解体后

after the Soviet Union dissolved

不得不更换，

and inspection duties fell to the Russian Federation. 短語搭配

视察任务则落到了俄罗斯联邦头上。

Tekoi limped on during the inspection period. 習語

Tekoi在视察期间艰难维持。

But in 1995,

但在1995年，

with too many cancelled contracts,

由于太多合同被取消，

the now failing Hercules Incorporated put itself up for sale, 短語動詞

如今陷入困境的Hercules Incorporated将自己挂牌出售，

acquired by Alliant Techsystems,

被Alliant Techsystems收购，

an American aerospace, defense,

这是一个美国的航空航天、国防

and sporting goods company.

和体育用品公司。

In 1999,

1999年，

the lease on this land expired.

这片土地的租约到期。

Alliant Techsystems did not renew,

Alliant Techsystems没有续约，

and control of the Tekoi test range

Tekoi测试场的控制权

reverted to the Skull Valley Indian Reservation, 用詞

交还给了Skull Valley印第安人保留地，

within the borders of which Tekoi sits. 語法

Tekoi就坐落在其边界内。

Though Tekoi operates no more, 用詞

虽然Tekoi已不再运作，

its work lives on. 短語動詞

但它的工作仍在继续。

220 Trident nuclear missiles

220枚Trident核导弹

are still actively deployed,

仍处于现役部署状态，

waiting with their solid fuel motors

与它们在Tekoi这里校准过的

calibrated here at Tekoi,

固体燃料发动机一起待命，

to assure mutual destruction.

以确保相互毁灭。