万物简史 第644期:一个星球,一次实验(6)

In 1979, in the book The Sinking Ark, the author Norman Myers suggested that human activities were causing about two extinctions a week on the planet.

1979年，在《快要沉没的方舟》一书里，作者诺曼.迈尔斯认为人类活动每周导致地球上的2种物种的灭绝。

By the early 1990s he had raised the figure to some six hundred per week.

到了20世纪90年代初，他将这个数字提高到每周近600种。

That's extinctions of all types— plants, insects, and so on as well as animals.

这种灭绝包括各种生物植物、昆虫等等，还有其他动物。

Others have put the figure even higher—to well over a thousand a week.

别的人将这个数字估计得更高——每周达1000多种。

A United Nations report of 1995, on the other hand, put the total number of known extinctions in the last four hundred years at slightly under 500 for animals and slightly over 650 for plants

另一方面，联合国发表于1995年的一个报告中指出，在过去400年中，已知的动物灭绝种数将近500种，植物650多种

while allowing that this was "almost certainly an underestimate," particularly with regard to tropical species.

并且指出这个统计“几乎可以肯定是低估了”，尤其对热带物种来说更是如此。

A few interpreters think most extinction¹ figures are grossly inflated².

不过也有为数不多的人认为，大多数灭绝韵数据中有明显夸大的成分。

The fact is, we don't know. Don't have any idea.

实际情况是，我们不知道。我们一点儿也不知道。

We don't know when we started doing many of the things we've done.

我们不知道我们已经做的许多事是什么时候开始做的。

We don't know what we are doing right now or how our present actions will affect the future.

我们不知道我们目前在做什么，也不知道我们目前的行动对将来有什么影响。

What we do know is that there is only one planet to do it on, and only one species of being capable of making a considered difference.

我们知道的是，我们只拥有一个星球，只有一种生物具有改变她的命运的能力。

Edward O. Wilson expressed it with unimprovable brevity in The Diversity of Life: "One planet, one experiment."

正如爱德华.O.威尔逊在他的《生命的多样性》一书中以无与伦比的简洁语言所表达的那样：“一个星球，一次实验。”

If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully³ lucky to be here—and by "we" I mean every living thing.

如果说这本书有什么寓意的话，那就是我们来到这个地球上，实在是十分的幸运——这里的“我们”，我指的是所有的生物。

To attain⁴ any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement.

在这个宇宙中，获得任何一种生命都是一个奇迹。

As humans we are doubly lucky, of course: We enjoy not only the privilege of existence

当然，作为人类，我们更是双倍的运气。我们不仅享有存在的恩典，

but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better.

而且还享有独一无二的欣赏这种存在的能力，甚至还可以以多种多样的方式使其变得更加美好。

1 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

2 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

4 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。