人类面临的 11 大终极威胁：英语精读讲义

With devastating hurricanes,

面对破坏力惊人的飓风，

refugee crisis, and the real possibility of nuclear war,

难民危机，以及核战争真正爆发的可能，

it can sometimes feel like the end is near. 講解

有时会让人感觉末日将近。

But what are the biggest threats to humanity

但人类面临的最大威胁究竟是什么

and is there anything we can do to stop them? 語法

我们又能做些什么来阻止它们呢？

Experts all over the world

世界各地的专家，

from the Global Challenges Foundation in Stockholm

包括来自斯德哥尔摩全球挑战基金会的专家

and the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge

以及剑桥大学生存风险研究中心的专家，

consider this question yearly using scientific research.

每年都会运用科学研究来探讨这个问题。

Some risks lay millions of years into the future, 語法

有些风险要到数百万年后的未来才会出现，

like gamma ray burst caused by a star explosion,

比如恒星爆炸引发的伽马射线暴，

which would destroy our ozone layer,

它会摧毁我们的臭氧层，

or even the overexpansion or collapse of the entire universe.

甚至还有整个宇宙过度膨胀或坍缩的风险。

Closer to home, 習語

再看离我们更近的威胁，

we have our sun,

我们还有太阳，

which will eventually become a red giant as it ages

随着它逐渐老化，最终会变成一颗红巨星，

and engulf the entire planet.

并吞噬整个地球。

But even that isn't for another 5 billion years. 語法

不过，那也要再过50亿年。

More imminent is an asteroid large enough to create a global catastrophe, 語法

更迫在眉睫的是一颗大到足以引发全球灾难的小行星，

which is estimated to occur every 120,000 years. 語法

据估计，这种事件每12万年会发生一次。

While none are currently expected to hit Earth soon, 表達脈絡

虽然目前预计近期不会有任何小行星撞上地球，

existing data is incomplete

但现有数据并不完整，

with a worldwide effort underway to search the skies. 用詞

全球各地正合力展开巡天搜索。

Should it happen, 語法

一旦真的发生撞击，

it could create a global cooling event like the Ice Age,

便可能引发类似冰河时代的全球降温，

but even smaller asteroids could have a significant impact 短語搭配

但即使是较小的小行星，也可能造成重大影响，

on both natural and human ecosystems, too.

自然环境和人类社会也都会受到波及。

An even closer possibility is the supervolcano.

另一种更近在眼前的可能威胁是超级火山。

The devastation in Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius

维苏威火山曾给庞贝古城带来毁灭性灾难，

released around 4 km cubed of magma,

当时喷出了约4立方千米的岩浆，

but the supervolcanoes can release more than 500 km cubed.

而超级火山喷出的岩浆可以超过500立方千米。

The real worry from this worldwide is the ash cloud,

真正令全世界担忧的是它形成的火山灰云，

which would block out the sunlight, 短語動詞

它会遮蔽阳光，

cooling the globe and crippling agriculture. 語法

导致全球降温，并重创农业。

The last known eruption occurred around 25,000 years ago in New Zealand,

最近一次已知的喷发约发生在2.5万年前的新西兰，

and researchers predict they occur every 30,000 to 50,000 years.

研究人员预测，这类喷发每3万至5万年会发生一次。

Scientists are currently monitoring Yellowstone in the US

科学家目前正在监测美国的黄石公园，

as a future potential site.

认为那里未来可能发生超级火山喷发。

But not all of our threats are natural. 語法

但威胁并不全都来自大自然。

Overpopulation can outstrip Earth's capacity to produce food and other resources 用詞

人口过多可能会超出地球供给食物和其他资源的能力，

and amplify the threat of infectious pandemics due to high densities, 短語搭配

而高人口密度也会加剧传染病大流行的威胁，

perhaps with bioengineered diseases.

其中甚至可能包括经生物工程改造的疾病。

Conversely, evidence is already pointing to declining fertility rates. 講解

相反，已有证据显示生育率正在下降。

Will we see the human population gradually die out from lack of births, 短語動詞

人类会不会因为新生人口不足而逐渐灭绝，

or will climate change beat this concern?

还是气候变化会先一步成为更大的问题？

A rise of 3 degrees Celsius would be incredibly significant

气温上升3摄氏度，就会造成极其严重的影响，

with most of Florida and Bangladesh underwater,

佛罗里达州和孟加拉国大部分地区将被淹没，

while several coastal cities would become swamped.

多座沿海城市也会被洪水淹没。

On top of this, 表達脈絡

除此之外，还有

longer and more damaging wildfire seasons,

更漫长、破坏力更强的山火季，

more destructive hurricanes,

更具毁灭性的飓风，

heatwaves, food insecurity, and drought,

热浪、粮食短缺和干旱，

all of which can impact and amplify incidences of violence 語法

所有这些都可能促使暴力事件增多、升级，

with nations already suffering from water and climate conditions,

尤其是在那些已经饱受缺水和恶劣气候之苦的国家，

which ultimately impact deteriorating economic conditions.

最终还会使不断恶化的经济状况雪上加霜。

Then there's nuclear war.

然后还有核战争。

Tensions over North Korea have brought this conflict to the forefront 短語搭配

围绕朝鲜的紧张局势，已让这种冲突成为焦点，

with over 7,000 known warheads between Russia and the US

俄罗斯和美国已知拥有的核弹头总数超过7000枚，

and nukes within the UK, France, China,

英国、法国和中国也拥有核武器，

India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.

印度、巴基斯坦、以色列和朝鲜同样如此。

The Doomsday Clock, 文化背景

“末日时钟”

created by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists,

由《原子科学家公报》创立，

represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe.

它代表人为全球灾难发生的可能性。

Though the clock more recently included climate change

尽管近年来，这座时钟也把气候变化

and some other developments that put humanity at risk, 短語搭配

以及其他危及人类的发展趋势纳入考量，

emphasis is placed on nuclear war. 短語搭配

但关注的重点仍是核战争。

Since its creation in 1947,

自1947年创立以来，

the furthest we've been from midnight

我们距离午夜

or Doomsday is in 1991,

也就是“末日”最远的一次是在1991年，

when the clock was 17 minutes to midnight.

当时时钟距离午夜还有17分钟。

Today in 2017,

如今，也就是2017年，

the clock sits at 2.5 minutes to midnight,

时钟停在午夜前2.5分钟，

the second closest it has ever been. 語法

这是它有史以来第二接近午夜的一次。

Even a small nuclear war could create a nuclear winter,

即使是一场小规模核战争，也可能造成核冬天，

which would cause global cooling and damage to the ozone layer

导致全球降温并破坏臭氧层，

that may ultimately create droughts that last more than a decade.

最终可能引发持续十年以上的干旱。

But the greatest threat of all,

但所有威胁中最大的一项，

researchers currently believe it's artificial intelligence.

研究人员目前认为，是人工智能。

If growth continues to become comparable to the industrial and agricultural revolutions, 短語搭配

如果这种发展持续下去，规模变得足以比肩工业革命和农业革命，

experts predict autonomous machines will attain near-human-level intelligence by 2075. 用詞

专家预测，到2075年，自主机器将获得接近人类水平的智能。

And even if these machines don't become malevolent or evil, 語法

即便这些机器不会心怀恶意或变得邪恶，

what happens when those programmed to kill fall into the wrong hands, 習語

如果那些被编程用来杀戮的机器落入坏人手中，会发生什么，

or when AI programmed to do something good go about it with a destructive method? 短語動詞

或者，如果被设定去做好事的人工智能采用了破坏性手段，又会怎样？

Thank you all so much for watching this video.

非常感谢大家观看这期视频。

If you liked it,

如果你喜欢这期视频，

make sure that you subscribe

别忘了订阅我们的频道，

so you can see our videos that come out every Thursday.

这样就能看到我们每周四发布的新视频。

And we're going to link some other videos over there

我们还会在那边放上其他一些视频的链接，

that are similar to this one

内容和这期视频类似，

about how rich people are prepping for the apocalypse 用詞

讲的是富人如何为世界末日做准备，

and how to survive a nuclear war.

以及如何在核战争中幸存。

This year is almost over.

今年快要结束了。

Hang in there. 語氣意圖

大家坚持住。

Peace, guys.

回头见，各位。