A Modern Utopia
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Section 6

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The old Utopias are sessile organisations; the new must square itself to the needs of a migratory2 population, to an endless coming and going, to a people as fluid and tidal as the sea. It does not enter into the scheme of earthly statesmanship, but indeed all local establishments, all definitions of place, are even now melting under our eyes. Presently all the world will be awash with anonymous3 stranger men.

Now the simple laws of custom, the homely4 methods of identification that served in the little communities of the past when everyone knew everyone, fail in the face of this liquefaction. If the modern Utopia is indeed to be a world of responsible citizens, it must have devised some scheme by which every person in the world can be promptly5 and certainly recognised, and by which anyone missing can be traced and found.

This is by no means an impossible demand. The total population of the world is, on the most generous estimate, not more than 1,500,000,000, and the effectual indexing of this number of people, the record of their movement hither and thither6, the entry of various material facts, such as marriage, parentage, criminal convictions and the like, the entry of the new-born and the elimination7 of the dead, colossal8 task though it would be, is still not so great as to be immeasurably beyond comparison with the work of the post-offices in the world of to-day, or the cataloguing of such libraries as that of the British Museum, or such collections as that of the insects in Cromwell Road. Such an index could be housed quite comfortably on one side of Northumberland Avenue, for example. It is only a reasonable tribute to the distinctive9 lucidity10 of the French mind to suppose the central index housed in a vast series of buildings at or near Paris. The index would be classified primarily by some unchanging physical characteristic, such as we are told the thumb-mark and finger-mark afford, and to these would be added any other physical traits that were of material value. The classification of thumb-marks and of inalterable physical characteristics goes on
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1 organisation organisation     
n.组织，安排，团体，有机休
参考例句：
  • The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
  • His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。
2 migratory jwQyB     
n.候鸟，迁移
参考例句：
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。
3 anonymous lM2yp     
adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的
参考例句：
  • Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
  • The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。
4 homely Ecdxo     
adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的
参考例句：
  • We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
  • Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？
5 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
6 thither cgRz1o     
adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的
参考例句：
  • He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
  • He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。
7 elimination 3qexM     
n.排除，消除，消灭
参考例句：
  • Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
  • I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。
8 colossal sbwyJ     
adj.异常的，庞大的
参考例句：
  • There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
  • Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。
9 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的
参考例句：
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
10 lucidity jAmxr     
n.明朗，清晰，透明
参考例句：
  • His writings were marked by an extraordinary lucidity and elegance of style.他的作品简洁明晰，文风典雅。
  • The pain had lessened in the night, but so had his lucidity.夜里他的痛苦是减轻了，但人也不那么清醒了。
11 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
12 transparent Smhwx     
adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的
参考例句：
  • The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
  • The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。
13 contrived ivBzmO     
adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的
参考例句：
  • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
  • The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。
14 attachment POpy1     
n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附
参考例句：
  • She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
  • She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。
15 incessant WcizU     
adj.不停的，连续的
参考例句：
  • We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
  • She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。
16 doles 197dd44c088e2328d83a1c7589457f29     
救济物( dole的名词复数 )； 失业救济金
参考例句：
  • They have accepted doles. 他们已经接受了救济物品。
  • Some people able and willing to work were forced to accept doles. 一些有能力也愿意工作的人被迫接受赈济品。
17 swarm dqlyj     
n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入
参考例句：
  • There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
  • A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。
18 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
19 inventory 04xx7     
n.详细目录，存货清单
参考例句：
  • Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
  • We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。
20 fabric 3hezG     
n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织
参考例句：
  • The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
  • I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。
21 cremation 4f4ab38aa2f2418460d3e3f6fb425ab6     
n.火葬，火化
参考例句：
  • Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网
22 inevitable 5xcyq     
adj.不可避免的，必然发生的
参考例句：
  • Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
  • The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
23 wayfarers 5b83a53359339df3a654f636c175908f     
n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Days have been when wayfarers came here to wash their weary feet. 从前曾有过路人到这里来洗疲乏的脚。 来自互联网
  • You are the way and the wayfarers. 你们是道路，也是行路者。 来自互联网
24 concealment AvYzx1     
n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒
参考例句：
  • the concealment of crime 对罪行的隐瞒
  • Stay in concealment until the danger has passed. 把自己藏起来，待危险过去后再出来。
25 professed 7151fdd4a4d35a0f09eaf7f0f3faf295     
公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的
参考例句：
  • These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
  • Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。
26 clairvoyance OViyD     
n.超人的洞察力
参考例句：
  • Precognition is a form of clairvoyance.预知是超人的洞察力的一种形式。
  • You did not have to be a clairvoyant to see that the war would go on.就算没有未卜先知的能力也能料到战争会持续下去。
27 secrecy NZbxH     
n.秘密，保密，隐蔽
参考例句：
  • All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
  • Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。
28 virtue BpqyH     
n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力
参考例句：
  • He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
  • You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
29 alias LKMyX     
n.化名；别名；adv.又名
参考例句：
  • His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊，但是他常常用化名史密斯。
  • You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。
30 subsist rsYwy     
vi.生存，存在，供养
参考例句：
  • We are unable to subsist without air and water.没有空气和水我们就活不下去。
  • He could subsist on bark and grass roots in the isolated island.在荒岛上他只能靠树皮和草根维持生命。
31 prolific fiUyF     
adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的
参考例句：
  • She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
  • The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。
32 anonymity IMbyq     
n.the condition of being anonymous
参考例句：
  • Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
  • Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。
33 apprehend zvqzq     
vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑
参考例句：
  • I apprehend no worsening of the situation.我不担心局势会恶化。
  • Police have not apprehended her killer.警察还未抓获谋杀她的凶手。
34 inexplicable tbCzf     
adj.无法解释的，难理解的
参考例句：
  • It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
  • There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。
35 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇，惊异
参考例句：
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

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