Lesson 10 Silicon Valley

Posted on 2018-02-26 In English Views: Reading time ≈ 6 mins.

What does the computer industry thrive on apart from anarchy?

Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future. Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now work-stations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh. As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be free to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures. Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the office—spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast. ‘We’ve got more garages with smart people,’ Mead observes. ‘We really thrive on anarchy.’

And on Asians. Already, orientals and Asian Americans constitute the majority of the engineering staffs at many Valley firms. And Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Indian engineers are graduating in droves from California’s colleges. As the heads of next-generation start-ups, these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge tighter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets. For instance, Alex Au, a Stanford Ph. D. from Hong Kong, has set up a Taiwan factory to challenge Japan’s near lock on the memory-chip market. India-born N.Damodar Reddy’s tiny California company reopened an AT & T chip plant in Kansas City last spring with financing from the state of Missouri. Before it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business.

📝 文章大意

（本文选自美国《时代》周刊。）技术发展趋势可能让硅谷重回过去的创业时代。集成电路先驱卡弗·米德指出，现在的工作站让工程师在办公桌上就能设计、测试和生产芯片，就像编辑在苹果电脑上做简报一样。制造芯片的时间缩短到几天，成本降到几百美元，工程师可以尽情发挥想象力，不必担心失败带来的高昂代价。米德预言，发明家周末在办公室就能完善功能强大的定制芯片，这将催生新一代车库创业公司，让美国在新产品快速上市方面领先于外国对手。”我们靠无序而繁荣。”他说。硅谷繁荣还靠亚洲人：亚裔已占许多硅谷公司工程技术人员的大多数，大批华裔、韩裔、菲律宾裔和印度裔工程师正从加州的大学毕业，他们可以凭借自己的语言和习俗，与关键的环太平洋市场建立更紧密的联系。在变成”养老村”之前，硅谷也许会成为建立全球企业的课堂。

标题问题的答案：除了无序状态之外，计算机工业的繁荣还要依靠亚洲人（亚裔工程师和创业者）。

📚 核心单词

单词	音标	词性	含义	文中用法
thrive	/θraɪv/	v.	繁荣，兴旺	thrive on anarchy
anarchy	/ˈænəki/	n.	无政府状态，混乱	thrive on anarchy
pioneer	/ˌpaɪəˈnɪə(r)/	n.	先驱	a pioneer in integrated circuits
integrated circuit	/ˌɪntɪɡreɪtɪd ˈsɜːkɪt/	n.	集成电路	integrated circuits
work-station	/ˈwɜːk steɪʃn/	n.	工作站	there are now work-stations
newsletter	/ˈnjuːzletə(r)/	n.	简讯，通讯	creates a newsletter
soar	/sɔː(r)/	v.	高飞，翱翔	let their imaginations soar
penalize	/ˈpiːnəlaɪz/	v.	使处于不利地位，惩罚	penalized by expensive failures
customize	/ˈkʌstəmaɪz/	v.	定制	customized chips
spawn	/spɔːn/	v.	引起，造成	spawning a new generation
start-up	/ˈstɑːt ʌp/	n.	新创办的公司	garage start-ups
rival	/ˈraɪvl/	n.	竞争对手	its foreign rivals
oriental	/ˌɔːriˈentl/	n.	东方人	orientals and Asian Americans
constitute	/ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/	v.	构成	constitute the majority
drove	/drəʊv/	n.	一大群	in droves（成群地）
innovator	/ˈɪnəveɪtə(r)/	n.	革新者	these Asian innovators
forge	/fɔːdʒ/	v.	建立（关系）	forge tighter links
crucial	/ˈkruːʃl/	adj.	关键的	crucial Pacific Rim markets
lock	/lɒk/	n.	控制，垄断	Japan’s near lock on the market

📖 难句解析

1. Technology trends may push Silicon Valley back to the future.

back to the future 借用电影名《回到未来》，意思是让硅谷回到早期车库创业的状态，而这种状态又代表未来的方向
译: 技术发展的趋势可能会把硅谷推回到未来。

2. Carver Mead, a pioneer in integrated circuits and a professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, notes there are now work-stations that enable engineers to design, test and produce chips right on their desks, much the way an editor creates a newsletter on a Macintosh.

主干：Carver Mead ... notes (that) there are now work-stations
两个逗号之间是 Carver Mead 的同位语
that enable ... 是定语从句修饰 work-stations；enable sb to do = 使某人能够做
right on their desks 的 right 表示强调：就在
much the way ... = 很像……的方式，way 后面省略了 in which
译: 集成电路的先驱、加州理工学院计算机科学教授卡弗·米德指出，现在有了工作站，工程师们在办公桌上就能设计、测试和生产芯片，就像编辑在苹果电脑上编写简讯一样。

3. As the time and cost of making a chip drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars, engineers may soon be free to let their imaginations soar without being penalized by expensive failures.

As = 随着；the time and cost ... drop to a few days and a few hundred dollars 是一一对应：时间降到几天，成本降到几百美元
be free to do = 可以自由地做
let sth do = 让……做，soar 是省略 to 的不定式
without being penalized 是介词 + 动名词的被动形式
译: 随着生产芯片的时间缩短到几天、成本降到几百美元，工程师们可能很快就能自由发挥想象力，而不会因为失败代价太高而受到惩罚。

4. Mead predicts that inventors will be able to perfect powerful customized chips over a weekend at the office—spawning a new generation of garage start-ups and giving the U.S. a jump on its foreign rivals in getting new products to market fast.

perfect 在这里是动词：使完美，完善
over a weekend = 在一个周末的时间里
破折号后的 spawning ... 和 giving ... 是两个现在分词短语作结果状语
garage start-ups = 车库创业公司，惠普、苹果都是在车库里起家的
give sb a jump on sb = 使某人领先于某人
in getting new products to market fast = 在使新产品快速上市方面
译: 米德预言，发明者们周末在办公室里就能完善功能强大的定制芯片，从而催生新一代的车库创业公司，并使美国在新产品迅速上市方面领先于外国对手。

5. ‘We’ve got more garages with smart people,’ Mead observes. ‘We really thrive on anarchy.’

observe 在这里是”说，评论”，不是”观察”
thrive on = 在……条件下兴旺发达
anarchy 本义”无政府状态”，这里指没有约束、自由竞争的创业环境
译: “我们有更多车库，里面全是聪明人，”米德说，”我们确实是靠无序而繁荣起来的。”

6. And on Asians.

省略句，承接上一句，= We really thrive on Asians.
译: 还要靠亚洲人。

7. As the heads of next-generation start-ups, these Asian innovators can draw on customs and languages to forge tighter links with crucial Pacific Rim markets.

As 是介词：作为
draw on = 利用，凭借
to forge ... 是不定式作目的状语；forge links with = 与……建立联系
Pacific Rim = 环太平洋地区
译: 作为新一代创业公司的领导人，这些亚裔革新者可以利用他们的风俗习惯和语言，与关键的环太平洋市场建立更紧密的联系。

8. For instance, Alex Au, a Stanford Ph. D. from Hong Kong, has set up a Taiwan factory to challenge Japan’s near lock on the memory-chip market.

a Stanford Ph. D. from Hong Kong 是 Alex Au 的同位语
near lock on = 几乎垄断，near 作形容词意为”几乎的”，lock 指”控制”
译: 例如，来自香港的斯坦福大学博士 Alex Au 在台湾开办了一家工厂，向日本对存储芯片市场的近乎垄断发起挑战。

9. Before it becomes a retirement village, Silicon Valley may prove a classroom for building a global business.

retirement village = 退休村、养老村，比喻硅谷走向衰老、失去活力
prove 在这里作系动词，= turn out to be：证明是，结果是
译: 在变成养老村之前，硅谷也许会成为建立全球企业的课堂。