II-4.9 Функции инфинитива в предложении и способы перевода на русский язык

 

 

1) Подлежащее:То transmit the image by radio has become a practical possibility not so long ago.

 

 

Перевод инфинитива-подлежащего производится с помощью русского инфинитива или существительного:Передавать изображение по радио стало практически возможным сравнительно недавно.

Передача изображения по радио стала практически возможной сравнительно недавно.

 

 

Иногда, особенно если инфинитив сопровождается пояснительными словами, он ставится после сказуемого, а его место занимает формальное подлежащее it, которое не переводится:It is difficult to liberate an active element from a compound. Трудно высвободить активный элемент из соединения.

 

 

Инфинитив может выступить как часть сложного подлежащего в обороте "Субъектный инфинитивный оборот" (в некоторых грамматиках этот оборот называется "Именительный падеж с инфинитивом"), когда сказуемое выражено одним из следующих глаголов:

 

to say сказать, to see видеть, to hear слышать, to state утверждать, to report сообщать, to announce объявлять, to believe верить, считать, to suppose предполагать, to think думать, to expect ожидать, предполагать, to know знать, to understand понимать, to consider считать, to assume предполагать, to declare объявлять и некоторые другие:Uranium is known to possess the highest atomic weight. Известно, что уран обладает самым большим атомным весом.

 

 

В этом обороте подлежащим является не только слово Uranium, но и связанная с ним инфинитивная группа, т.e. сочетание:Uranium... to possess the highest atomic weight (тот факт, что уран обладает самым большим атомным весом).

 

 

Характерным признаком этого оборота для большинства глаголов является сочетание пассивной формы с инфинитивом (is known + to possess).

 

Эта конструкция переводится безличным, или неопределенно-личным оборотом в качестве главного предложения (известно, предполагают, говорят, сообщают и т.п.), за которым следует придаточное дополнительное предложение с союзом что, чтобы, как.

 

Подлежащим этого дополнительного предложения становится подлежащее всего оборота, а сказуемым - глагол, стоявший в инфинитиве:Oxygen is known to be colourless. Известно, что кислород бесцветен.

 

 

Предложения с субъектным инфинитивным оборотом можно также переводить простым предложением с вводным безличным предложением:Как известно, кислород бесцветен.

 

 

Нужно отметить, что в субъектном инфинитивном обороте нередко употребляются глаголы: to seem, to appear казаться, to prove оказаться и выражения: is likely вероятно, очевидно; is unlikely маловероятно, едва ли, имеющие свои особенности.

 

Глаголы to seen, to appear, to prove в отличие от большинства глаголов, употребляются в активной форме. Первые два переводятся словом по-видимому, а глагол to prove - глаголом оказаться:The substance seems to have high melting point. Это вещество по-видимому, имеет высокую точку плавления.

The percentage of the carbon dioxide proved to be low. Процент двуокиси углерода оказался низким.

 

 

Выражения is likely и is unlikely также употребляются без пассивной формы и действие, выражаемое ими, обычно относится к будущему времени:The reaction is likely to be violent Реакция будет, вероятно, бурной.

The reaction is unlikely to be violent. Едва ли реакция будет бурной.

 

 

2) Часть составного именного сказуемого:The purpose of this catalist is to accelerate the process of chemical reaction.

 

 

Перевод осуществляется с помощью инфинитива:Назначение этого катализатора заключается в том чтобы ускорить процесс химической реакции.

 

 

3) Часть составного глагольного сказуемого:

 

С модальными глаголами (после которых частица to опускается):All the progressive peoples must fight for peace. Все прогрессивные народы должны бороться за мир.

 

 

Часто модальная функция выполняется глаголами to be и to have, после которых частица to восстанавливается (См. раздел "Модальность"):The voltage is to be measured. Напряжение должно быть измерено.

He had to start the experiment at noon. Он должен был начать опыт в полдень.

 

 

В сочетании с глаголом-связкой и прилагательным:Hydrogen is difficult to liberate from this compound. Водород трудно выделить из этого соединения.

 

 

С некоторыми глаголами, которые без инфинитива не выражают законченной мысли, например: to want хотеть, to like любить, нравиться, to intend намереваться, to hope надеяться, to promise обещать, to begin начинать и др.:We hoped to obtain good results. Мы надеялись получить хорошие результаты.

 

 

С оборотами to be going, to be about.

 

Оборот to be going с последующим инфинитивом передает намерение совершить действие, выраженное инфинитивом и переводится: намереваться, собираться:We are going to build the largest atomic pile in the world. Мы намереваемся построить самый большой реактор в мире.

 

 

Оборот to be about с инфинитивом передает готовность начать действие, выраженное инфинитивом и переводится уже собираться, быть готовым:Не was about to start, but the engine suddenly stopped. Он уже готов был отправиться, но двигатель вдруг остановился.

 

 

Во всех этих случаях перевод осуществляется также с помощью русского инфинитива.

 

4) Дополнение:

 

Инфинитив выступает в функции прямого дополнения лишь в тех случаях, когда он выражает действие, совершаемое не подлежащим, а косвенным дополнением:Не asked us to return. Он попросил нас вернуться.

 

 

Инфинитив выступает частью сложного дополнения, начинающегося предлогом for. Такой инфинитив связан по смыслу не с подлежащим, а со словом, которое стоит за предлогом for и которое играет роль подлежащего в отношении инфинитива.

 

Такой инфинитив переводится придаточным предложением с союзами что или чтобы, или существительным: Мы предполагали, что примеси выпадут в виде осадка.

We expected for the impurities to fall out as a precipitate. или

Мы ожидали выпадения примесей в виде осадка.

 

 

Примечание: В некоторых случаях конструкция "for + Infinitive" может выступать как составная часть других членов предложения - сказуемого, подлежащего и др.:It is easy for you to do it. Вам легко это сделать (часть сложного подлежащего).

It is not for us to decide. He нам это решать (часть сказуемого).

 

 

Инфинитив может быть частью сложного дополнения в "объектном инфинитивном обороте":We expect him to come. Мы предполагаем, что он придет.

 

 

В этом обороте дополнением является не только слово, стоящее в объектном падеже him, но и связанный с ним инфинитив to come, т.e. все сочетание в целом: him to come (тот факт, что он придет).

 

Этот оборот переводится дополнительным придаточным предложением с союзами что, чтобы, как, когда, в котором слово, стоящее в объектном падеже, играет роль подлежащего, а глагол, стоящий в инфинитиве, выступает в роли сказуемого.

 

"Объектный инфинитивный оборот" употребляется после глаголов:

 

а) желания: to want хотеть, to wish желать, to like хотеть, to desire желать;

 

б) предположения: to suppose предполагать, to consider считать, to think думать, to expect ожидать, to know знать, to find находить, считать;

 

в) приказания: to order приказывать, to command приказывать, to allow разрешать;

 

г) восприятия органами чувств: to see видеть, to hear слышать, to feel чувствовать, to watch наблюдать, to notice замечать, to observe наблюдать.

 

После глаголов последней группы частица to перед инфинитивом опускается:We noticed the mixture change its colour. Мы заметили, что смесь изменила свой цвет.

 

 

5) Определение:

 

Инфинитив - определение (определительный оборот) всегда следует за определяемым словом. Перевод может быть сделан четырьмя способами.

 

Инфинитивом:Automation is one of the ways to increase productivity Автоматизация - один из способов повысить производительность.

 

 

Причастным оборотом:The wire to connect the terminals is 10 meters long. Провод, соединяющий зажимы, имеет 10 метров длины.

 

 

Существительным (часто с предлогом):The aperture to show the readings is on the left side of the apparatus. Отверстие для показания отсчетов расположено на левой стороне прибора.

 

 

Придаточным предложением:Voltage, resistance, and capacity are the three important properties to influence the flow of current in а circuit. Напряжение, сопротивление и емкость - три важные свойства, которые оказывают влияние на движение тока в цепи.

 

 

Часто инфинитив-определение заменяет собой придаточное определительное предложение, действие которого относится к будущему времени с оттенком долженствования.

 

Такой инфинитив стоит обычно в пассивной форме и следует за определяемым словом. Он переводится придаточным определительным предложением с модальным оттенком:The question to be discussed (which is to be discussed) is of great importance. Вопрос, который должен быть обсужден, имеет большое значение.

 

 

Инфинитив нередко употребляется со словами: the first, the last.

 

В этих случаях он обычно переводится глаголом в личной форме:К. Tsiolkovsky was the first to prophesy the wonderful prospects of jet propulsion. К.Циолковский первым предсказал замечательное будущее реактивного движения.

 

 

6) Обстоятельство цели и следствия:

 

Обстоятельство цели (иногда в сочетании с союзом in order to):The substance was placed in а cooling mixture (in order) to reduce its temperature. Вещество было помещено в охлаждающую смесь, чтобы понизить его температуру.

 

 

Инфинитив цели может возглавлять предложения; в этом случае перевод должен начинаться с союза для того, чтобы или чтобы:То reduce the temperature of the substance, it was placed in cooling mixture. Для того, чтобы понизить температуру вещества, оно было помещено в охлаждающую смесь.

 

 

Перевод может быть сделан и с помощью существительного с предлогом:Для понижения температуры вещество было помещено в охлаждающую смесь.

 

 

Инфинитив, стоящий в начале предложения, как мы видим, может выступать в двух функциях:

 

а) в функции подлежащего;

 

б) в функции обстоятельства цели.

 

При переводе можно различить эти функции по следующему формальному признаку.

 

За инфинитивом, или инфинитивной группой-подлежащим обычно следует сказуемое:То work well is the necessary condition of fulfilling our plan. Работать хорошо - необходимое условие выполнения нашего плана.

 

 

За инфинитивом или инфинитивной группой-обстоятельством цели обычно следует подлежащее:То work well he has read many books on electroengineering. Чтобы работать хорошо, он прочел много книг по электротехнике.

 

 

Обстоятельство следствия (со словами: too, enough):The transmitter is too weak to cover this distance. Передатчик слишком слаб, чтобы покрыть это расстояние.

 

 

Если инфинитив следствия не сопровождается словами too или enough, то он может переводиться деепричастием:One atom of oxygen combines with two atoms of hydrogen to form water. Один атом кислорода соединяется с двумя атомами водорода, образуя воду.

 

Упражнения

 

1. Определите функцию инфинитива в следующих предложениях и переведите их:

 

А.

 

1. То assign a numerical value to the inertia of any given body, we choose as a standard some body whose inertia is arbitrary taken as unity. 2. Each organ of the living organism has its own work to do. 3. When cells which have similar functions become congregated together to form distinct anatomical structures, we call such structures organs. 4. Oxygen is extremely hard to liberate from a compound. 5. The disintegration of radioactive substances is known to be a spontaneous process. 6. We know the electric cell to consist of two plates of conducting material assembled together and immersed in an electrolyte. 7. Atomic energy is likely to become the main source of power-supply in the years to come. 8. Dilute solutions appear to obey laws exactly analogous to the laws of gases. 9. The difficulties to overcome in the manufacture of synthetic camphor seem to be great. 10. There was a time when lightning proved to be a dangerous problem to be solved. 11. Devices for changing ac into dc are needed to charge storage batteries. 12. The weather is unlikely to change for the better in the coming days. 13. I asked him to inform me about the results of the test.

 

B.

 

1. If the field winding is in series with the armature, all of the current to be generated must pass through it. 2. With a small current there must be a greater number of turns of wire on the field magnets to produce a magnetic field of adequate strength. 3. Water to make up for evaporation and to aid in digestion is a most necessary part of our food. 4. Many substances unite with water to give compounds which are called hydrates. 5. An active element is very difficult to liberate from a compound. 6. A video-amplifier is expected to cover a very wide range of frequencies. 7. Temperature changes up to 200° appear to have no effect on this substance. 8. The study of electricity seems to have begun about 1600 when the first book on experiments in electricity appeared. 9. We know the sun to be intensely hot. 10. It is unlikely for the oxygen to be easily liberated from this substance under such a temperature. 11. We know the storage batteries to contain chemicals generating electric current under certain conditions.

 

C.

 

1. The Chinese appear to have been the first to use pieces of lodestones as compasses. 2. When two elementary substances combine, the process involves the union of the two kinds of atoms to form compound molecules. 3. The radio signal is too weak to be detected at this distance. 4. When the wire is connected in such a manner that the current can flow through it, the circuit is said to be closed. 5. We know all bodies to consist of atoms. 6. To tear away from the liquid the molecule, which leaves it, is to have a large amount of kinetic energy. 7. A non-ionised clean air is considered to be good insulator. 8. An important problem, which is to be considered with regard to any engine, is the question of its efficiency. 9. When iron and water are heated in a closed vessel, the hydrogen and the oxide of iron which are produced react with one another to give back water and iron. 10. The next step to be taken in this process involves the treatment of camphor with acetic acid. 11. This problem has to be solved as soon as possible. 12. Nakhimov is known to have been one of the most talented Russian admirals. 13. Gallileo carried out a special experiment to prove that heavy objects fell not faster than light ones.

 

II. Переведите текст, обращая внимание на встречающиеся формы инфинитива и способы их перевода:

 

GRAVITY

 

The force of gravity is known to play an important part in many common phenomena of mechanics, as well as in everyday life.

 

We know the weight of a body to be nothing but the pull of gravity toward the earth. A body is said to weigh one kilogram if the mass of the earth exerts upon it a pull equal to one kilogram.

 

According to the universal Law of Gravitation, any two objects in the Universe are attracted to each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

 

The Law of Gravitation is universal, of course, but it is impossible to notice the force between two ordinary objects, as the attraction between them is too small to be perceptible at all.

 

But with a body as large as the Earth or the Moon it becomes a different thing. It is this force that holds the planets in their circular orbits and due to this very force the first man-made earth satellite created by Soviet scientists began to circle around our Globe.

 

We know gravity to pull on every particle of a body so that its weight is actually distributed throughout the body. But a solid body seems to have one point at which it can be supported by a single upward force; this point is called the centre of gravity. In technique the centre of gravity is considered to be the location of the resultant of all gravitational pulls exerted on the body.

 

Now we are to consider the question of stability, interrelated with gravity.

 

A book lying on a table is expected to keep its position without any difficulty, as one knows it to be in a state of equilibrium. However, to make it stand on end is not so' easy at all. In the same way, a pencil will lie on the table without any tendency to tip over. With some difficulty one can even make it stand on its unsharpened end, but it will not stand at all upon its sharp end.

 

All common objects differ in their tendency to keep a given position, their stability depending on their shape, weight, and position, and everyday experience shows us that heavy objects are harder to tip over than light ones.

 

The stability of an object is measured by the amount of work to be required to make it take a new position. The lower the centre of gravity, the greater the stability of an object; that is why, to increase the stability of a motorcar, its designer tries to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.

Практикум

 

А

 

MEASURING THE FREQUENCY OF LIGHT TO NEW LEVELS OF PRECISION is now possible, opening a new chapter in metrology which may lead to greatly improved determinations of fundamental constants and one way of making powerful optical versions of atomic clocks. Even the most advanced electronic equipment cannot directly measure electromagnetic frequencies higher than roughly 100 GHz (in the microwave range, where frequencies can be counted in terms of the number of oscillations induced in an electrical circuit). Now, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics have shown that a

 

femtosecond laser pulse can be used as a "ruler" for precisely determining the frequencies of visible light (which goes up to roughly a million GHz). A femtosecond pulse does not contain a single frequency; rather, its spectrum consists of many frequency peaks which give the appearance of a comb with the tips pointing upwards. The researchers have now shown that the very regular spacing of these peaks can potentially be used to measure differences of at least 20 THz between two electromagnetic waves with a precision as high as 3 parts in 10^17. For comparison, the best atomic clocks today, based on measuring radio-frequency atomic transitions, have accuracy of 2 parts in 10^15. Locking the wave of interest to the low-frequency end of the femtosecond comb and locking a reference wave to the high-frequency end can determine the frequency difference between the two waves and ultimately allow one to reconstruct the frequency of the visible-light wave. Using femtosecond lasers, the researchers have already measured the frequency of visible light emitted by a cesium atom undergoing a specific transition (specifically, its "D1 line") to a precision of 120 parts per billion, almost 1000 times more precise than previous measurements of that light. The D1 frequency can be plugged into a formula for precisely calculating the fine structure constant, which dictates the strength of the electromagnetic force.

 

HOW DO COMPLEX ORGANISMS FORM? A Darwinian mechanism of natural selection plus random mutation is not quite enough to explain the complex features of life on earth. For

 

example, it does not predict or anticipate the fact that an ecosystem or a global community has a hierarchical structure, with interactions that take place at several size scales. For example, people communicate with each other in an organization; and organizations communicate with each other in a larger community. Barbara Drossel of the University of Manchester in England has introduced a simple mathematical model for describing how originally independent units may develop into a complex organism with a hierarchical structure. In her model hierarchy comes about because of the increase of a quantity she calls "productivity" (similar to "fitness" in biology and "utility" in economics). Individual units communicate with each other to increase productivity, which leads, at the very least, to larger groups. Drossel's model incorporates the additional idea that the size of a group is restricted by the limited capacity of individuals to communicate and to travel. Therefore, she introduces a "communication cost" per partner and per unit distance to the partner. This encourages the formation of groups and ultimately the formation of supergroups and groups of supergroups which interact with each other.

 

HELIUM-6 NUCLEI SHARE DI-NEUTRONS. Helium-6 nuclei, formed into beams for the first time only last year, are thought to be "Borromean" structures (so named for the heraldic symbol of the Princes of Borromeo, and consisting of three interlinking rings which fall apart if any one ring is removed). The He-6 nucleus, theorists believe, is really a He-4 core surrounded by two extra, loosely bound neutrons which can reside in one of two configurations: (1) one neutron on either side of the He-4 core or (2) both neutrons close together (comprising a "di-neutron") far from the He-4 core. To test this theory and to demonstrate the existence of di-neutrons, Yuri Oganessian and his colleagues at the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research (JINR) near Moscow collided a He-6 beam with a He-4 target and observed that some of the He-4 nuclei had been converted into He-6, proving that in some of the high-energy collisions di-neutrons had jumped from one nucleus to the other. This also holds true when He-6 beams hit hydrogen targets (the target nucleus being a single proton). In this case a di-neutron joined the proton to form a tritium nucleus. These results seem to favor the picture in which di-neutrons are the rule rather than the exception in He-6 nuclei. Now the JINR scientists are using He-8 beams to study in more detail how neutrons correlate with each other within nuclei and to search for signs of "tetra-neutron" states.

 

DETECTION OF EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD USING NEUTRINOS has been accomplished at the Super-Kamiokande detector located underneath Mt. Ikenoyama in Japan. Here is the sequence of events: a cosmic ray proton strikes an oxygen or nitrogen atom in Earth's upper atmosphere, creating a neutrino which passes freely into the Earth where it may find its way into Super-Kamiokande, a device consisting chiefly of 50,000 tons of pure water. In the water the neutrino (when it bothers to interact at all) will typically convert into a muon or electron, plus light, which is recorded in surrounding photodetectors. In this process, the neutrino and its daughter muon or electron track pretty closely the trajectory of the original cosmic ray proton. But the incoming cosmic ray flux, which would otherwise be isotropic, is shaped by the Earth's magnetic field. This acts as a sort of prevailing wind which sets up

 

an east-west anisotropy in cosmic rays. This anisotropy, measured as long ago as the 1930s, should be matched by a corresponding anisotropy in neutrinos, which is precisely what the Super-Kamiokande team now finds. This measurement, while it says nothing new about Earth's magnetic field, does reassure the researchers that their detection of neutrino oscillation (one of the top physics stories of 1998) stands on a firm understanding of the complex chain of events whereby a cosmic ray in outer space leads to a burst of light in a cavern beneath Japan.

 

DIRECT CP VIOLATION AT CERN. The NA48 experiment at CERN reports a new detection of direct CP violation (partly responsible for the slight asymmetry between matter and anti-matter) in the decay of K-mesons. The value they measure for the ratio epsilon prime over epsilon is 18.5 +/-7 x 10^-4. The value reported by a Fermilab group earlier in the year was 28+/-4 x 10^-4.

 

PERCEIVING MUSICAL PITCHES may require much less neural processing and occur at a lower level of the nervous system than previously thought, according to a new explanation, offering possible insights into designing better hearing aids. A musical note is defined mainly by its lowest pitch, known as its "fundamental frequency," but a note also typically contains higher-pitched "overtones" with frequencies that are some multiple of the fundamental. Even when the fundamental frequency is completely removed from a note, the overtones often allow listeners to perceive the missing fundamental anyway. Being able to perceive missing frequencies may explain why hearing a classical symphony through a tiny radio, which cannot satisfactory reproduce the lowest-frequency pitches, sounds reasonably faithful to a live version heard in a concert hall. Recent explanations of how we perceive "residue tones" require extensive amounts of neural processing, which can only take place in the cerebral cortex.

 

However, researchers in Spain and Italy propose that residue perception may result from a "nonlinear" process, involving the generation of frequencies that are not multiples of the original signal. Much more efficient than previous linear models, their proposed mechanism can take place at neural centers much earlier than the cerebral cortex. Specifically, they propose a "three-frequency resonance" that takes place in some neural processing center before the cerebral cortex, in which the electrical signals generated by two overtones stimulate a population of nerve cells to fire electrical signals at a third frequency different from those of the two overtones. Better understanding of pitch perception may lead to applications in medicine; it is already known, for example, that hearing aids which concentrate on making the fundamental frequencies more intelligible produce better results than simple amplification alone.

 

LONG BASELINE NEUTRINO OSCILLATION EXPERIMENTS have now gotten underway with the announcement that the Super-Kamiokande detector (near Tokyo)

 

has recorded the arrival of a neutrino launched in its direction from the KEK proton accelerator 250 km away (near Tsukuba). Last year Super-Kamiokande established the important fact that neutrinos (made by cosmic rays striking the atmosphere) transform, or oscillate, from one type to another on their way through the Earth. In the new experiment (dubbed "K2K") physicists attempt to confirm the oscillation phenomenon by allowing neutrinos made artificially at an accelerator to pass through a nearby detector and also the much more distant Super-Kamiokande detector, aligned so as to receive the same neutrino beam. If, for example, muon neutrinos oscillate into another type of neutrino, adjusted event rates would be different for the two detectors.

 

FIRE OR ICE IN CALIFORNIA. A new study shows that episodic volcanism and glaciation have alternated in holding sway over the California-Nevada borderlands during the past 800,000 years. Scientists at the University of North Carolina and Duke, who examined 112 different geological ages in documenting their study, suggest that the anti-correlation comes about because of climate-related issues, including perhaps the loading effect of lakes or overlying ice (300 m thick in places) or the stress on the lithosphere by changes in atmospheric circulation.

 

B

 

Microsoft Trial Testimony Ends

 

By TED BRIDIS

June 24, 1999

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Testimony ended Thursday on the 76th day of the landmark Microsoft antitrust trial, a courtroom drama that offered a unique look at the nation's booming high-tech industry and the software giant that dominates it.

 

The trial's final witness, economist Richard Schmalensee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argued forcefully that Microsoft Corp., with 1998 revenues of $14.5 billion, isn't the entrenched monopolist that illegally wields extraordinary influence, as portrayed by the government.

 

``Microsoft was clearly engaged in a broad pattern of illegal behavior,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney General Joel Klein told reporters on the courthouse steps. ``They used every trick in the monopolist's book.... You name it, they did it.''

 

Stephen Houck of the New York attorney general's office, the lead lawyer for the 19 states suing Microsoft with the Justice Department, described the company to reporters as a ``malignant despot'' and said its behavior ``will justify a very significant remedy.''

 

Schmalensee buttressed his claim that Microsoft isn't a monopoly by describing a raft of competitors on the company's horizon - the $10 billion alliance between rivals America Online Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp., handheld computers and a new generation of software running across high-speed Internet connections.

 

But in what became routine during the trial, the company's witness was challenged again Thursday in a piercing cross-examination by David Boies, the Justice Department lawyer whose tough questioning has sometimes appeared to inflict upon Microsoft the courtroom equivalent of a computer system meltdown.

 

Boies produced handwritten notes from Microsoft's files quoting billionaire Chairman Bill Gates - ``BillG'' - in December about the prospective threat from the new AOL-Netscape alliance, announced just weeks earlier along with an important agreement with Sun Microsystems Inc.

 

``AOL doesn't have it in their genes to attack us in the platform space,'' said Gates, his comments outside the courtroom once again seemingly undermining what his lawyers were telling the judge in court. ``If you want to lose sleep tonight, worry about Sun.''

 

Schmalensee said he assessed the AOL threat from secret documents produced by America Online.

 

And Microsoft lawyer Michael Lacovara cited a news report - published just hours earlier - that AOL was in early negotiations Thursday with a small company that makes computers that don't use Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system.

 

``I can't say you haven't brought me current'' on industry developments, said U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson.

 

Although Thursday was the last day of testimony, the judge may not issue a final verdict until early next year. And the case could wind through appeals courts for years.

 

Since the trial started, the sides have met at least twice in unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a settlement. Future talks are anticipated this summer.

 

Using tens of thousands of pages of e-mails and other documents, the government sought to portray Microsoft as a cunning industry titan that illegally used its heft to undermine competing technologies and to discourage other companies from supporting its rivals.

 

Microsoft responded that it competes roughly, but fairly, in a bare-knuckles industry with billions at stake. And it returned again and again to its argument that the government has failed to prove its actions hurt consumers.

 

Evidence seemed to bear out both views, and also provided an intriguing - and sometimes embarrassing - glimpse beneath the veneer of the flashy high-tech industry. E-mails, handwritten notes from meetings and other paperwork revealed a take-no-prisoners business world where alliances are proposed, sealed and dissolved.

 

The co-founder of Netscape, Marc Andreessen, proposed combining forces with AOL in 1995 to ``kick the (expletive) out of the beast from Redmond,'' a reference to Microsoft's headquarters in Washington state. Sun's top executive, Scott McNealy, told employees to use his company's Java technology to ``charge, kill HP (Hewlett-Packard), IBM, Msft and Apple all at once.''

 

Gates complained in e-mail that IBM executives were ``rabid Java backers,'' and in another message asked an employee bluntly: ``Do we have a clear plan on what we want Apple to do to undermine Sun?''

 

And when AOL's chairman, Steve Case, wrote to Netscape's James Barksdale about an alliance in 1995, the two portrayed themselves as Allied powers during World War II.

 

Microsoft, of course, was the Axis.

 

``If we fight them together we can win, and what a victory it would be - the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'' Barksdale wrote to Case, calling him ``Franklin D.'' Barksdale was ``Josef Stalin,'' but he complained, ``I don't like playing this part.''

 

Although more than two dozen experts and executives took the stand, the witness most likely to be remembered never set foot in the courthouse: Bill Gates.

 

Gates - shown by government lawyers in a videotape of a pre-trial deposition last summer - appeared so forgetful and evasive in that tape that even the judge told lawyers in a private meeting, ``I think it's evident to every spectator that, for whatever reasons, in many respects Mr. Gates has not been particularly responsive.''

 

With testimony finished, lawyers left the courthouse blocks from the U.S. Capitol to rest and to submit their written arguments - expected to span hundreds of pages each - on Aug. 10 in the next phase of the trial.

 

C

 

How To Bathe A Cat

 

(Note: Jeffery LaCroix is a veterinarian with an office in Wilmington. He writes a column for the Morning Star called "From Paws to Tails."

 

Here is his response to a letter regarding bathing a cat:)

 

Dear Dr. LaCroix: I've heard that cats never have to be bathed, and that they have some sort of special enzyme in their saliva that keeps them clean. This doesn't sound believable to me because there are definite "kitty" odors on my couch and dirty cat paw prints on our white hearth. Is this true about the saliva? If we do decide to give "Nice Kitty" a bath, how do we do that? - NSP, Wilmington

 

Dear NSP: Fortunately for you, several years ago a client gave me a written set of instructions about cat bathing which I am privileged to share with you:

 

Cat Bathing As A Martial Art

 

A. Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength.

 

Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom.

 

If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding -glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)

 

B. Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself.

 

I recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.

 

C. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)

 

D. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo.

 

You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.

 

E. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded.

 

Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy.

 

He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)

 

F. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined.

 

In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through.

 

That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.

 

You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.

 

In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you.

 

He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.

 

You will be tempted to assume he is angry.

 

This isn't usually the case.

 

As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath.

 

But at least now he smells a lot better.

 

Funny Signs in Great Britain: (but could be anywhere)

 

1. IN A LAUNDROMAT: Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.

 

2. IN A LONDON DEPARTMENT STORE: Bargain Basement Upstairs

 

3. IN AN OFFICE: Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday kindly bring it back or further steps will be taken.

 

4. IN ANOTHER OFFICE: After the tea break, staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.

 

5. ON A CHURCH DOOR: This is the gate of Heaven. Enter ye all by this door. (This door is kept locked because of the draft. Please use side entrance)

 

6. OUTSIDE A SECOND-HAND SHOP: We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain.

 

7. QUICKSAND WARNING: Quicksand. Any person passing this point will be drowned. By order of the District Council.

 

8. NOTICE IN A DRY CLEANER'S WINDOW: Anyone leaving their garments here for more than 30 days will be disposed of.

 

9. IN A HEALTH FOOD SHOP WINDOW: Closed due to illness.

 

10. SPOTTED IN A SAFARI PARK: Elephants Please Stay In Your Car

 

11. SEEN DURING A CONFERENCE: For anyone who has children and doesn't know it, there is a day care on the first floor.

 

12. NOTICE IN A FIELD: The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.

 

13. MESSAGE ON A LEAFLET: If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.

 

14. ON A REPAIR SHOP DOOR: We can repair anything (Please knock hard on the door - the bell doesn't work)

 

15. SPOTTED IN A TOILET IN A LONDON OFFICE BLOCK: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.

 

Funny Signs in Great Britain: (but could be anywhere)

 

1. IN A LAUNDROMAT: Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.

 

2. IN A LONDON DEPARTMENT STORE: Bargain Basement Upstairs

 

3. IN AN OFFICE: Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday kindly bring it back or further steps will be taken.

 

4. IN ANOTHER OFFICE: After the tea break, staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.

 

5. ON A CHURCH DOOR: This is the gate of Heaven. Enter ye all by this door. (This door is kept locked because of the draft. Please use side entrance.

 

6. OUTSIDE A SECOND-HAND SHOP: We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain.

 

7. QUICKSAND WARNING: Quicksand. Any person passing this point will be drowned. By order of the District Council.

 

8. NOTICE IN A DRY CLEANER'S WINDOW: Anyone leaving their garments here for more than 30 days will be disposed of.

 

9. IN A HEALTH FOOD SHOP WINDOW: Closed due to illness.

 

10. SPOTTED IN A SAFARI PARK: Elephants Please Stay In Your Car

 

11. SEEN DURING A CONFERENCE: For anyone who has children and doesn't know it, there is a day care on the first floor.

 

12. NOTICE IN A FIELD: The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.

 

13. MESSAGE ON A LEAFLET: If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.

 

14. ON A REPAIR SHOP DOOR: We can repair anything (Please knock hard on the door - the bell doesn't work)

 

15. SPOTTED IN A TOILET IN A LONDON OFFICE BLOCK: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.

 

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