科学之战：英语精读讲义

Science is everywhere.

科学无处不在。

In nature's beauty,

它存在于大自然的美丽之中，

in a laugh between friends,

存在于朋友间的欢笑中，

the buildings we build,

存在于我们建造的建筑里，

and the communities we form.

也存在于我们共同组成的社区中。

It's constantly wondering,

科学不断思索，

asking why things are the way they are. 語法

追问万物为何会是现在的样子。

How can we make things better?

我们怎样才能让一切变得更好？

What are we in the grand scheme of the universe? 習語

在宇宙的宏大格局中，我们究竟是什么？

It spans from the depths of space 語法

它的范围从太空深处，

to the device you're watching this video on right now.

一直延伸到你此刻用来观看这段视频的设备。

During the Enlightenment Era,

在启蒙时代，

scientific revolution brought ideas around calculus,

科学革命将微积分、

atomic theory, and gravity to our world.

原子理论和引力等概念带入了我们的世界。

The Industrial Revolution saw significant technological and manufacturing developments,

工业革命见证了技术与制造业的重大发展，

including the first cars,

包括最早期的汽车，

and in the digital age,

而到了数字时代，

scientists helped spur the formation of the internet as we know it, 短語搭配

科学家推动了我们今天所熟知的互联网的形成，

as a means to share research and ideas. 短語搭配

使它成为分享研究成果与思想的工具。

Today, advances in medicine and agriculture

如今，医学和农业的进步

have saved more lives than have been lost in all the wars in history. 語法

所拯救的生命，比历史上所有战争夺走的生命还要多。

But despite these achievements,

然而，尽管取得了这些成就，

science and society are often at odds. 習語

科学与社会却常常彼此冲突。

Scientific discoveries like the Earth is round,

像地球是圆的、

that our planet revolves around the sun,

我们的星球绕着太阳运行，

or that diseases are spread through germs,

或疾病通过病菌传播这样的科学发现，

were all once ideas that were rejected by society.

都曾是遭到社会排斥的观念。

So much so that Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for suggesting the Earth wasn't the center of the universe, 講解

社会的排斥甚至强烈到：焦尔达诺·布鲁诺因提出地球并非宇宙中心而被烧死在火刑柱上，

and even Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for supporting the theory. 用詞

就连伽利略也因支持这一理论而被判软禁。

Today, we see the rejection of scientific evidence for vaccinations,

如今，我们看到有人否定支持疫苗接种的科学证据，

leading to preventable diseases like measles coming back after being wiped out in the year 2000, 講解

导致麻疹等本可预防、且已于2000年被消灭的疾病卷土重来，

or the rejection of scientific evidence for climate change,

也有人否定气候变化的科学证据，

despite the vast consensus among scientists. 短語搭配

尽管科学界对此有着压倒性的共识。

As put by Carl Sagan, 語法

正如卡尔·萨根所说，

we live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, 用詞

我们生活在一个高度依赖科学与技术的社会中，

in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. 語法

却几乎没有人真正了解科学与技术。

And yet, 表達脈絡

然而，

when we look to history,

回顾历史，

we see that ignoring science has led to the crumbling of societies.

我们会发现，忽视科学曾导致社会瓦解。

Ancient Greece was a time of great learning around ideas of space, time, and light,

古希腊时期，人们深入探究空间、时间与光等概念，

and during the subsequent Roman Empire,

在随后的罗马帝国时期，

these ideas were mostly embraced.

这些思想大多得到了接纳。

However, the Romans were complacent with the learnings of the Greeks,

然而，罗马人满足于希腊人的学术成果，

and little innovation or exploration of new ideas around science and knowledge took place during this era.

这一时期在科学与知识领域几乎没有创新，也很少探索新思想。

With shifting governments and values,

随着政权与价值观的变迁，

emphasis on reason and science slipped away,

人们对理性和科学的重视逐渐消退，

and Rome eventually fell into the Dark Ages. 文化背景

罗马最终坠入了黑暗时代。

Today,

今天，

despite the voices of many supporting logic and reason,

尽管许多人仍在为逻辑与理性发声，

this war on science continues. 習語

这场反科学之战仍在继续。

In the UK,

在英国，

investment in publicly funded research has dropped to less than 0.5% of the GDP, 語法

对公共资助研究的投入已降至GDP的0.5%以下，

the lowest it's been in two decades.

创下二十年来的最低水平。

This year,

今年，

the US has cut at least 300 million dollars from NASA's Earth Science budget,

美国从NASA地球科学预算中削减了至少3亿美元，

which just happens to include climate science. 語氣意圖

而这项预算恰好涵盖气候科学。

Not only does this mean that existing climate studies will be ignored, 語法

这不仅意味着现有的气候研究会被置之不理，

but useful data won't even be collected in the future,

未来甚至连有用的数据都不会再收集，

all to serve ideological agendas. 短語搭配

而这一切都是为了服务于意识形态议程。

But for what? 表達脈絡

可这究竟是为了什么？

The bank bailout in America cost more money than NASA's entire 50-year running budget,

美国的银行救助花费了比NASA整整50年全部运营预算还多的资金，

a budget that stirs imagination and visions for the future of our world and universe.

而这项预算能够激发人们对我们的世界和宇宙未来的想象与憧憬。

And the military budget?

那军费呢？

One month of spending is equivalent to NASA's entire annual budget. 短語搭配

一个月的军费开支，就相当于NASA一整年的预算。

Here in our home of Canada,

在我们的家园加拿大，

the war on science is in full effect under Stephen Harper's Conservative government. 短語搭配

在斯蒂芬·哈珀的保守党政府治下，这场反科学之战正全面展开。

Our science libraries dedicated to health, environment, fisheries, and oceans are being shut down. 短語動詞

我们那些致力于健康、环境、渔业和海洋研究的科学图书馆正被关闭。

Laws that were once in place to ensure the protection of endangered species have been gutted, 習語

曾经为确保濒危物种得到保护而制定的法律已被掏空，

with 80% of Canada's 71 freshwater fish species currently at risk of extinction. 短語搭配

加拿大71种淡水鱼中，如今有80%面临灭绝风险。

And not only has Prime Minister Stephen Harper eliminated the National Science Advisor role,

斯蒂芬·哈珀总理不仅撤销了国家科学顾问一职，

but some 2500 federal scientists have lost their jobs.

约2500名联邦科学家也失去了工作。

In a recent survey,

最近的一项调查显示，

90% of government scientists felt they could not speak freely about their research, 短語搭配

90%的政府科学家认为自己无法自由谈论其研究，

and roughly 25% say they've been forced by the government to change their research for non-scientific reasons. 語法

约25%的人表示，政府曾迫使他们出于非科学原因修改研究。

We're told that the remaining funds are geared towards science that has a clear commercial output, 短語動詞

我们被告知，剩余资金将投向能产生明确商业成果的科学研究，

which at first glance may seem fair, 短語搭配

乍看之下，这似乎很合理，

research that isn't a waste of money, so to speak. 語氣意圖

也就是说，要把钱花在“不浪费”的研究上。

But when Einstein constructed the theory of relativity,

但当爱因斯坦创立相对论时，

did he know that it would lead to the development of GPS, 語法

他知道这会促成GPS、

nuclear energy, or the original television?

核能或早期电视的发展吗？

These industries are worth billions,

这些产业价值数十亿美元，

but focusing on commercial output is short-sighted as science is often a slow, 習語

但只关注商业产出是目光短浅的，因为科学往往是一个缓慢、

evolving, iterative process.

不断演进且反复迭代的过程。

Science is much more than a body of knowledge and applications. 短語搭配

科学远不只是一套知识与应用。

It's a way of thinking, 表達脈絡

它是一种思维方式，

a way to unravel the world's mysteries, 習語

一种解开世界奥秘的方法，

see its beauty,

让我们看见世界之美，

where we can look at all the facts to make informed decisions 短語搭配

让我们能够审视所有事实，做出明智的决定，

instead of relying on preconceived notions and biases. 講解

而不是依赖先入为主的观念与偏见。

Science doesn't choose a political party. 表達脈絡

科学不会选择任何政党。

It simply adheres to evidence. 短語搭配

它只遵循证据。

But just like good policy is supported by science, 表達脈絡

正如良好的政策需要科学支撑，

science is supported by funding and advocacy from our governments.

科学也需要政府的资金投入与公开支持。

So, when you head to the polls to vote, 文化背景

因此，当你前往投票站投票时，

wherever you may be,

无论你身在何处，

remember that a vote for science 表達脈絡

请记住，投给科学的一票，

is a vote for knowledge and progress based in reality.

就是投给立足现实的知识与进步的一票。

Look at your party's policies on science and take a stand. 習語

请审视你所支持政党的科学政策，并表明立场。

If you believe in the message of integrating science successfully into our societies,

如果你认同让科学成功融入社会这一理念，

please share this video on Facebook,

请在Facebook上分享这段视频，

on Twitter, through email, in person,

也可通过Twitter、电子邮件或当面分享，

to remind the world how important science is.

提醒全世界科学有多么重要。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

也请订阅，观看我们每周更新的更多科学视频。