在美国加利福尼亚州的旧金山市东南50公里处,有一块风景秀丽的山间谷地。这里气候温和,果园和温室星罗棋布,盛产李子和杏,曾被誉为加州的“水果篮”。其间还有一所建于1891年的斯坦福大学,但是长期以来它只是一所地方性的学府。在第二次世界大战以后的三十多年里,这里的面貌发生了巨大的变化。整个地区虽然还是一片郁郁葱葱,但在绿荫下已不再是果园和温室了,出现了一幢幢整洁雅致的办公楼,实验楼和厂房,草坪花圃环绕着的住宅区、商业区和停车场。高速公路纵横交错,环绕 50 kilometers southeast of San Francisco, California, there is a scenic mountain valley. The climate here is mild, and the orchards and greenhouses are dotted with plums and apricots. It was once known as California’s “fruit basket.” There was also a Stanford University built in 1891, but for a long time it was only a local institution. In the thirty years after the Second World War, the appearance of this place has undergone tremendous changes. Although the area is still full of lush greenery, it is no longer an orchard and greenhouse in the greenery. There has been a neat and elegant office building, an experimental building and a factory building, residential areas surrounded by lawns, commercial areas and parking lots. Expressways criss-cross, surround