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万物简史 第89期:敲石头的人们(14)

时间:2016-04-12 00:57来源:互联网 提供网友:laura6688   字体: [ ]
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 Meanwhile, geology had a great deal of sorting out to do, and not all of it went smoothly1. From the outset geologists2 tried to categorize rocks by the periods in which they were laid down, but there were often bitter disagreements about where to put the dividing lines—none more so than a long-running debate that became known as the Great Devonian Controversy3. The issue arose when the Reverend Adam Sedgwick of Cambridge claimed for the Cambrian period a layer of rock that Roderick Murchison believed belonged rightly to the Silurian. The dispute raged for years and grew extremely heated. "De la Beche is a dirty dog," Murchison wrote to a friend in a typical outburst.

与此同时,地质学有大量的分类工作要做,这项工作不是什么都一帆风顺的。从一开始,地质学家就想把岩石按其形成的时期来进行分类,但在怎么划分时期的问题上经常发生激烈的争论——而且是一场旷日持久的争论,后来被称之为“泥盆纪大争论”。剑桥大学的亚当·塞奇威克断言有一层岩石是寒武纪的,而罗德里克·默奇森认为它完全属于志留纪,争论于是就发生了。争论持续了好多年,而且越来越激烈。“巴谢是个下流痞子。”默奇森在给一位朋友的信中气呼呼地说。
Some sense of the strength of feeling can be gained by glancing through the chapter titles of Martin J. S. Rudwick's excellent and somber4 account of the issue, The Great Devonian Controversy. These begin innocuously enough with headings such as "Arenas5 of Gentlemanly Debate" and "Unraveling the Greywacke," but then proceed on to "The Greywacke Defended and Attacked," "Reproofs6 and Recriminations," "The Spread of Ugly Rumors," "Weaver7 Recants His Heresy," "Putting a Provincial8 in His Place," and (in case there was any doubt that this was war) "Murchison Opens the Rhineland Campaign." The fight was finally settled in 1879 with the simple expedient9 of coming up with a new period, the Ordovician, to be inserted between the two.
在《泥盆纪大争论》一书里,马丁·J.S.鲁迪克极好而又有些沮丧地描述了这场争论。只要瞥一眼该书各章的标题,就可以知道一点上述感情的强烈程度。开头几章的标题的语气倒还温和,比如《绅士们的辩论舞台》和《破译杂砂岩之谜》,但接着就是《捍卫杂砂岩与攻击杂砂岩》、《指摘与反驳》、《散布恶毒的谣言》、《韦弗撤回邪说》、《杀杀乡下人的气焰》(惟恐你还怀疑这不是一场战争)、《默奇森发起莱茵兰战役》等等。争论于1879年得以解决,办法很简单,在寒武纪和志留纪中间加一个时期:奥陶纪。

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
2 geologists 1261592151f6aa40819f7687883760a2     
地质学家,地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
  • Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。
3 controversy 6Z9y0     
n.争论,辩论,争吵
参考例句:
  • That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
  • We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。
4 somber dFmz7     
adj.昏暗的,阴天的,阴森的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
  • His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。
5 arenas 199b9126e4f57770e1c427caf458ae03     
表演场地( arena的名词复数 ); 竞技场; 活动或斗争的场所或场面; 圆形运动场
参考例句:
  • Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
  • Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗?
6 reproofs 1c47028eab6ec7d9ba535c13e2a69fad     
n.责备,责难,指责( reproof的名词复数 )
参考例句:
7 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
8 provincial Nt8ye     
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
参考例句:
  • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
  • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
9 expedient 1hYzh     
adj.有用的,有利的;n.紧急的办法,权宜之计
参考例句:
  • The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
  • Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。
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