這間廢棄小屋可能毀滅世界：英語精讀講義

This is the Tekoi test range,

這裡是Tekoi測試場，

or at least it once was. 語氣意圖

至少它曾經是。

The site is long abandoned now,

這個場地現在早已被廢棄，

but it once served a vital purpose,

但它曾經發揮過至關重要的作用，

a military purpose.

一個軍事上的作用。

And the work done at Tekoi

而且在Tekoi完成的工作

is still out in the world today. 慣用語

至今仍存在於世界上。

Constructed during the Cold War,

它建於冷戰時期，

at the entrance to the facility

在設施的入口處

is a warning sign in Russian.

有一塊俄文的警告標誌。

But this is not the former Soviet Union.

但這裡不是前蘇聯。

This is the great state of Utah,

這是偉大的猶他州，

where in Skull Valley,

在Skull Valley中，

Tekoi resides.

坐落著Tekoi。

Much of what happened on site was classified,

現場發生的許多事情都是機密，

and equipment and documents were removed.

設備和文件也被移走。

But what remains is enough

但保留下來的東西足以

to piece together the story of Tekoi. 片語動詞

拼湊出Tekoi的故事。

The paperwork left behind

留下來的文件

bears the logo of Hercules Incorporated. 片語搭配

印有Hercules Incorporated的標誌。

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

Hercules起步於19世紀末，

with a patent improving on dynamite 片語動詞

憑藉一項改進炸藥的專利，

the creator named Hercules Powder,

創造者將其命名為Hercules Powder，

and began manufacturing the new explosive just outside of San Francisco

並開始在舊金山郊外生產這種新型炸藥，

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

所在的這座企業小鎮比公司還要長壽，

Hercules, California.

即加利福尼亞州的Hercules。

Chemical manufacturing at the turn of the century 片語搭配

在世紀交替之際，化學製造

was dangerous,

是危險的，

and about 60 people would die 文法

大約有60人

in several explosions over the years.

在這些年裡發生的多起爆炸中喪生。

Hercules made many chemical products,

Hercules生產許多化學產品，

but their smokeless gunpowder rapidly grew them

但他們的無煙火藥迅速讓他們發展壯大，

to become a vital United States military supplier

成為美國軍事上至關重要的供應商

during the World Wars.

在世界大戰期間。

As the poster said,

正如海報上所說，

Hercules men and women in the war,

「戰爭中的Hercules男女員工，

keep 'em shooting.

讓他們繼續射擊。」

The Cold War came next

接下來是冷戰，

and brought with it a new weapon, 片語搭配

隨之而來的是一種新武器，

the intercontinental ballistic missile

洲際彈道飛彈，

tipped with a nuclear warhead. 用詞

頂端裝有核彈頭。

Now one country could destroy another remotely,

現在一個國家可以遠程摧毀另一個國家，

and the only defense

唯一的防禦手段

was a credible threat of retaliation. 片語搭配

就是可信的報復威脅。

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

這將美國和蘇聯

into an arms race,

捲入了一場軍備競賽，

building more and better nuclear weapons

製造更多、更好的核武器

each year.

每年如此。

Technological development

技術的發展

led to solid fuel rocket motors.

帶來了固體燃料火箭發動機。

Unlike earlier liquid based missiles,

與早期的液體燃料飛彈不同，

which had to be launched out in the open

後者必須在露天發射，

and were slow to fuel,

且加注燃料緩慢，

the new motors allowed nuclear missiles to be hidden.

新的發動機使得核飛彈得以隱藏。

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

美國的玉米地裡將建有1000個地下發射井，

each ready with a fast launching Minuteman missile inside.

每個發射井裡都準備好了一枚可快速發射的Minuteman飛彈。

But ground silos are in fixed locations,

但地面發射井的位置是固定的，

and once discovered 文法

一旦被發現，

cannot be moved.

就無法移動。

Nuclear bombers are mobile,

核轟炸機是機動的，

but planes can be found by radar.

但飛機會被雷達發現。

However,

然而，

submarines can hide in the sea,

潛艇可以隱藏在海中，

difficult to find.

難以被發現。

So the United States developed the Ohio class submarine,

因此，美國開發了Ohio級潛艇，

the largest yet built,

這是當時建造的最大潛艇，

for carrying a new solid fuel Trident nuclear missile.

用於搭載新型固體燃料的Trident核飛彈。

The United States ordered 24 Ohios to be built,

美國下令建造24艘Ohio級潛艇，

each with a maximum complement of 24 Tridents. 用詞

每艘最多配備24枚Trident飛彈。

Each Trident carried up to 14 warheads,

每枚Trident最多攜帶14個核彈頭，

a combined maximum delivery potential

其最大合併投送能力

of more than 8,000 nuclear bombs.

超過8000枚核彈。

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

因此，即使美國和她的Minuteman在第一次打擊中被摧毀，

and all her aircraft shot down, 片語動詞

所有飛機也被擊落，

there would still be more than enough Tridents launching

仍有足夠多的Trident飛彈會發射

from the hidden deep

從隱秘的深海，

to safely assure mutual destruction. 文化背景

以安全地確保相互毀滅。

Which brings us back 表達脈絡

這把我們帶回了

to Hercules and Tekoi.

Hercules和Tekoi。

For as the bullet in a round 文法

就像槍膛裡的子彈

needs powder to hit a target,

需要火藥才能擊中目標一樣，

so too does the nuclear warhead in a Trident missile

Trident飛彈中的核彈頭

need its solid fuel motor.

也需要它的固體燃料發動機。

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

Hercules在猶他州Magna的一家名為Bacchus West的工廠製造了這些發動機，

and brought them to Tekoi for testing.

並將它們帶到Tekoi進行測試。

The large concrete cubes still here

至今仍在這裡的大型混凝土立式結構

are thrust blocks. 文化背景

是推力塊。

Their purpose to be an immovable object

它們的目的是成為一個不可移動的物體，

for a missile motor to push against

供飛彈發動機在測試點火期間

during test firing.

產生推力對抗。

Each motor needed to be individually calibrated,

每個發動機都需要單獨校準，

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

擊中地球另一端四分之一處的目標

while traveling at Mach 20 is a precise affair.

同時以20馬赫的速度飛行，是一項極其精確的工作。

So once in place against the thrust block,

因此，一旦在推力塊上就位，

technicians would connect sensors to the motor

技術人員會將感測器連接到發動機上

to measure heat and pressure.

來測量熱量和壓力。

And those sensors connected via underground cables

這些感測器通過地下電纜連接

to instrument bunkers

到儀器掩體，

where engineers would record the results

工程師將在那裡記錄結果，

with state of the art 1970s computer assistance. 慣用語

借助當時最先進的20世紀70年代電腦的幫助。

Set up for each test

每次測試的準備工作

could take a week or more.

可能需要一周或更長時間。

So the motor and engineers and equipment

因此，發動機、工程師和設備

had to be protected from the elements. 片語搭配

必須免受惡劣天氣的影響。

But a missile can't be fired inside a building

但飛彈不能在建築物內點火，

without melting the structure around it 文法

否則會熔化周圍的建築結構

and invalidating the test.

並導致測試無效。

To solve this,

為了解決這個問題，

the buildings at Tekoi were constructed on rails,

Tekoi的建築物是建在軌道上的，

so they could be pulled back before firing 片語動詞

所以在點火前可以把它們拉退後，

and also give the nearby camera houses 片語搭配

同時也給附近的攝影機房

a clear view of the test.

提供清晰的測試視野。

This will be the firing of D5 second stage

這將是D5第二級火箭的點火

Pet 5 B 250.

Pet 5 B 250。

Minus 10,

負10，

9, 8,

9，8，

7, 6,

7，6，

5, 4,

5，4，

3, 2,

3，2，

1, 0.

1，0。

We have ignition.

點火成功。

Hercules did improve on safety 文法

Hercules確實在安全性上做了改進，

since its start in California

自一百年前

a hundred years earlier.

在加利福尼亞州創立以來。

The large poles around each test site

每個測試場地周圍的高大立柱

are lightning rods

都是避雷針，

to divert strikes from the area's numerous storms

以轉移該地區頻繁風暴產生的雷擊，

and to prevent explosions.

並防止發生爆炸。

Nonetheless, 表達脈絡

儘管如此，

one man was killed at Tekoi.

仍有一人在Tekoi喪生。

In 1984,

在1984年，

crushed beneath a motor

他被壓在一台發動機下，

that came loose during securement 片語搭配

該發動機在固定到測試塊時

to the test block.

發生了鬆動。

An accident

對於這起事故，

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

美國職業安全與健康管理局 (OSHA)

fined Hercules $640.

對Hercules處以了640美元的罰款。

The end of the 1980s

20世紀80年代末

was the beginning of the end for Hercules. 慣用語

是Hercules走向終結的開始。

The United States had been slowing production of nuclear warheads 文法

美國一直在放緩核彈頭的生產，

and needed fewer missiles to carry them.

並需要更少的飛彈來搭載它們。

Tekoi was used less as a testing site 文法

Tekoi作為測試場的作用減少，

and more as a storage location

更多地被用作儲存地點，

as military contracts dried up, 片語動詞

隨著軍事合約的枯竭，

leading to hundreds of layoffs 文法

這導致了20世紀90年代初

in the early 1990s.

數百人的裁員。

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

雖然美國不再需要該設施進行戰略生產，

it was still strategically useful in a different way,

但它在另一方面仍具戰略用途：

politics.

政治。

In 1991,

1991年，

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

美國和蘇聯簽署了START條約，

the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,

即《削減戰略武器條約》，

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

雙方同意減少其核武庫的規模。

Because, of course,

因為，當然，

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

任何一個國家都不會僅僅聽信對方的一面之詞，

numerous trust but verify policies 文化背景

因此，許多「信任但要核實」的政策

were put into place. 片語搭配

得以實施。

For example,

例如，

both sides disabling their long-range bombers

雙方在露天環境下

out in the open 慣用語

禁用其遠程轟炸機，

for the others' satellites to see. 文法

以便對方的衛星看到。

And each country picked weapon production sites

每個國家都挑選了武器生產基地

the other could inspect.

供對方檢查。

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

美國向蘇聯提供了一份包含數十個地點的清單，

one of which was the Tekoi test range, 文法

其中之一就是Tekoi測試場，

and is why the sign in Russian 文法

這也就是為什麼入口處

is at the entrance.

會有俄文標誌。

Temporary housing for the inspection team

視察組的臨時住所

was built in the Soviet Union

是在蘇聯建造的，

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

以確保美國人沒有在牆上安裝任何竊聽器

or tampered with the equipment 片語動詞

或篡改設備，

and transported to Utah,

然後被運到了猶他州，

forming a small Soviet outpost in Magna.

在Magna建立了一個小型的蘇聯前哨站。

The flags of which had to be changed

其旗幟不得不更換，

after the Soviet Union dissolved

因為蘇聯解體，

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

視察任務則落到了俄羅斯聯邦頭上。

Tekoi limped on during the inspection period. 慣用語

Tekoi在視察期間艱難維持。

But in 1995,

但在1995年，

with too many cancelled contracts,

由於太多合約被取消，

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

如今陷入困境的Hercules Incorporated將自己掛牌出售，

acquired by Alliant Techsystems,

被Alliant Techsystems收購，

an American aerospace, defense,

這是一個美國的航空航太、國防

and sporting goods company.

和體育用品公司。

In 1999,

1999年，

the lease on this land expired.

這片土地的租約到期。

Alliant Techsystems did not renew,

Alliant Techsystems沒有續約，

and control of the Tekoi test range

Tekoi測試場的控制權

reverted to the Skull Valley Indian Reservation, 用詞

交還給了Skull Valley印第安人保留地，

within the borders of which Tekoi sits. 文法

Tekoi就坐落在其邊界內。

Though Tekoi operates no more, 用詞

雖然Tekoi已不再運作，

its work lives on. 片語動詞

但它的工作仍在繼續。

220 Trident nuclear missiles

220枚Trident核飛彈

are still actively deployed,

仍處於現役部署狀態，

waiting with their solid fuel motors

與它們的固體燃料發動機一起待命，

calibrated here at Tekoi,

這些發動機是在這裡Tekoi校準的，

to assure mutual destruction.

以確保相互毀滅。