1. Without something of this kind, searching for intelligences on other planets would be like trying to meet a friend in London without a pre-arranged rendezvous and absurdly wandering the streets in the hope of a chance encounter.
    没有这手段，要想寻觅其他星球上的智力生命，就如同去伦敦见一位朋友，事先未约定地点，而荒唐地在街上游逛，以期待碰巧遇上一样。

2. Although no period or place in American history has been more absurdly romanticized.
    虽然美国历史上没有一个时期, 没有一个地方, 蒙上过比老西部更可笑的浪漫色彩,

3. And although no period or place in American history has been more absurdly romanticized,
    虽然在美国历史上没有任何时期或地区像西部拓荒时期那样被荒谬地浪漫主义化了，