纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（15）

If I was going to engineer a super-Sauropod,

如果要我设计一只超级波塞东龙，

I'd give it a bigger brain, because it would be a negligible investment.

我会把它的大脑设计得更大，因为这是一笔微不足道的投资。

We're talking about a few more pounds on an animal that already weighs 40 or 50 tons.

我们这是往四五十吨的动物身上再加上几磅的重量。

But if it was smarter, then it could practice more extensive parental¹ care.

但如果它更聪明，它就能对后代进行更精心的照顾。

The babies themselves could be smarter.

幼龙也会更加聪明。

It could put fewer resources into reproduction and more resources into growing larger.

也就可以减少繁殖所需的资源，而将其用到生长上去。

Growing larger when you already weigh 45 tons sounds impossible, but it isn't.

当你有四十五吨的体重时，长大似乎不可思议，实则不然。

If I wanted to grow a 200-ton Sauropod, that's where I'd start...with about seven more pounds of brain.

如果我要养一头两百吨重的波塞东龙，我就要从这个大约七磅重的大脑开始。

No land animal ever grew to 200 tons, but evolution did keep dinosaurs² going for 165 million years.

从没有陆生动物能长到两百吨，但进化使恐龙家族延续了一亿六千五百万年。

They adapt to a world of tremendous geologic⁴ change and soaring global temperatures...a world where little stays the same.

它们适应了巨大的地质变化以及全球气温猛增的世界...在这里永远不知道下一秒会发生什么。

But then comes catastrophe⁵ from the sky. A meteorite⁶ strikes the earth.

但后来，灾难从天而降。一颗小行星撞上了地球。

The age of the great dinosaurs comes to an end,

恐龙时代宣告终结，

and these huge and magnificent creatures seemingly cease to exist.

这些庞然大物似乎灭绝了。

But things are not always as they appear. Maybe dinosaurs are still here.

然而事情并不总是像看上去的那样。或许恐龙还存活着。

Maybe they're still all around us. And it seems clues are everywhere.

它们还在我们周围。而证据似乎遍地都是。

A Sauroposeidon could raise its massive head over 18 meters into the air.

波塞东龙可以将巨大的头举到十八米的高空。

But this was only possible because their neck bones were so light...almost 85% hollow.

但它能这么做只是因为它有轻巧的颈骨...大约百分之八十五都是空的。

The neck vertebrae of Sauroposeidon are 4.5 feet long, but they were almost all air.

波塞东龙的颈椎有4.5英尺长，但里面几乎全是空气。

A T. Rex grew to seven tons in weight, as big as a killer⁷ whale.

霸王龙体重可达七吨，和虎鲸大小相仿。

Yet, like Sauroposeidon, its bones were honeycombed with empty spaces. And there's another clue.

然而，如同波塞东龙它的骨骼疏松多孔，里面都是真空。还有另一条线索。

The lungs of Deinonychus, T. Rex, and Sauroposeidon are designed like those of a living things we see all around us every day.

恐爪龙，霸王龙和波塞东龙的肺部与我们现今看到的某种常见生物的相差无几。

We look at the respiratory systems... It's not like those of mammals at all.

我们观察其呼吸系统，与哺乳动物的相差很大。

It's like something much smaller, much more delicate, like birds. Graceful⁸, soaring on the breeze...

恐龙的呼吸系统更小，更精致，像鸟类一样。鸟类优雅，翱翔于微风中...

One of the best-adapted and most common creatures to inhabit the earth.

是栖息在地球上适应力最强也是最常见的生物。

Birds are almost certainly descended⁹ from the mighty¹⁰ dinosaur³.

几乎可以肯定，鸟类继承了强大恐龙祖先的特征。

Everybody knows that birds have hollow bones, and a lot of people think that's an adaptation for flight.

众所周知，鸟类骨骼中空很多人认为这是对飞行的适应。

What not a lot of people realize is that birds inherited their hollow,

但他们没意识到鸟类中空、

air-filled bones from their dinosaurian¹¹ ancestors.

充满空气的骨骼是从恐龙祖先那里继承下来的。

1 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

2 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

4 geologic   

adj.地质的

参考例句：

• The Red Sea is a geologic continuation of the valley.红海就是一个峡谷在地质上的继续发展。
• Delineation of channels is the first step of geologic evaluation.勾划河道的轮廓是地质解译的第一步。

5 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

6 meteorite   

n.陨石；流星

参考例句：

• The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
• The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。

7 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

8 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

9 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

10 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

11 dinosaurian   

adj.恐龙的，似恐龙的n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Those who having dinosaurian body is medium grain is in its local the muscle that aardwolf. 有着恐龙身躯的中粮在它的局部显出了土狼的肌肉。 来自互联网