The Riddle of Time

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Lesson 15

• The Riddle of Time
• John Boslough

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I. Some Quotations about TIME 1) Every
second is of infinite value. 2) Don't say
you don't have enough time. You have
exactly the same number of hours per
day that were given to Helen Keller,
Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson,
and Albert Einstein. 3) Time
is what we want most, but what we use
worst. 4) But what minutes! Count them by
sensation, and not by calendars, and
each moment is a day.
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• Men talk of killing time, while time quietly
  kills them.
• 6) The time for action is now. It's never too
  late to do something.
• 7)  Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them
  wisely.
• 8)  Time only seems to matter when it's running
  out.
• 9) We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.
• 10) Time flies.

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• II. Questions
• Has the sense of time ever occurred to you? If
  so, in what way?
• 2. Why are people so emotional/sentimental for
  TIME?
• Youth, I do adore thee and age, I do abhor
  thee.
• 3. How will you spend your days here? What is the
  best way, in your opinion, to make good use of
  time?

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III. About the text 1) a discussion of the
definition of time, mainly the historical
development of human beings
timekeeping. 2) the body clock of human
beings. scientific treatise
popular science.
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Molecule Atom
Electrons
nucleus
Neutrons protons
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II. Difficult Sentences Expressions
1. Devising accurate calendars and clocksproved
to be an elusive, lengthy intellectual
pursuit. Pgt Designing accurate calendars
and clocksturned out to be an
extremely difficult and time-consuming task.
2. regardless of without being affected by
1) We all have the right to vote regardless of
our sex, race, education, financial
status, religion or politics. 2) The
government is determined to punish all the
corrupt officials regardless of their
positions. 3) The membership is available
to all regardless of academic
background.
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3. In human terms, even as you watch a second
tick away, its gone. Pgt From human
beings point of view, even as you watch a
second pass away, it is gone, never to
return. 4. plotting location by satellite
marking, calculating, or following the position
of a moving aircraft or ship by
satellite 5. oscillate to keep moving
from side to side to swing to and fro
regularly 6. nanosecond one billionth of a
second nanometer nanotechnology
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7. compress to be pressed cf. oppress
depress impress repress suppress 1) feel
oppressed with the heat 2) repress ones
tears / ones child 3) suppress one
counter-revolutionaries / criticism / a
cough / feelings / the truth / name / news /
books 8. chron- of time chronic disease /
chronicle (???) / chronological
(according to the order of years)
diachronic(al) synchronic(al)
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9. Ehret is certain that if you abuse your
powerful internal rhythms, you are in for
trouble. Pgt Ehret is quite sure that if you
do not obey your powerful body
clock, you will be asking for trouble. 10. sleep
disorders illnesses affecting your sleep
mental disorder stomach disorder skin
disorder, eating disorder 11. all observed
arrows of time go in only one direction. Pgt
all directions time moves in that we have seen
point to only one way.
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12. Whatever time is, we humans have
internalized it so powerfully that it
has taken on a meaning all its own.
internalize sth. to make sth. part of your own
character or
being take on a meaning to begin to
acquire or have a meaning Pgt Many
human inventions are internalized in the same
way and have taken on meanings of their own.
13.  More than anything else time is what we
make of it. Pgt Above all, time is what
we want it to be, to do what we
want it to do. Its our own invention.
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• III. Exercises
• I) A Note on
  Determiners
• A determiner is a word that is used before a noun
  or
• noun phrase to show which person or thing
  you are
• referring to.
• 2. There are two types of determiners special
  determiners
• and general determiners.
• 3. Special determiners are used before a noun or
  noun
• phrase when you know that the person you
  speak to
• understands which person or thing you are
  talking about.
• 1) definite article the
• 2) demonstrative pronouns this, that, these,
  those
• 3) possessive pronouns my, your, his, her,
  its, our, their

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4. General determiners are used to refer to
someone or something of a particular type,
without saying which person or thing you
mean. 1) indefinite article a, an 2)
other pronouns all, another, any, both, each,
either, enough, every, few, little,
many, more, most, much, neither, no
other, several, some
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II) Sample for
Translation What is time? Is it a
dimension like height and width? Or is it a flow
like a river? Time is too difficult to think
about. To the man in the street, whatever it
is, time is precious, as life is short. So
many people say time is money. Time cannot
be reversed and no one can turn back the clock.
Lost time is never to be found. As we can see,
no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead,
you are falling behind. If you want to succeed,
time management is the No. 1 problem. Thats
why some people say, We are slaves to
nothing but the clock. Time is today,
not tomorrow or next week. If you want every
minute to count, you must be masters of time.
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Dictation We can perhaps say that there is
nothing in the world that has affected human
life as deeply as time, or has evoked our
emotions as strongly as time. Just think how
many people have wondered about the change of
the seasons, the change of day and night, and
the change of our life. People are constantly
thinking of the past, the present and future
because the past brings happy memories,
regrets, experiences and Wisdom the present
brings needs, worries, power and purpose and
the future brings promises, expectations and
anxieties. But what Is time? What is this
thing that we can not see or touch? We used to
think that time is what the calendar and clock
tell us. But now the greatest scientists have
told us that time does not exist except in our
imagination . It is a mere human invention.