气候变化与进化 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的 6 分钟英语。

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的 6 分钟英语。

I'm Rob.

我是 Rob。

And I'm Sam.

我是 Sam。

Now, when we think about famous figures in the history of science, 用詞

现在，当我们想到科学史上的著名人物时，

the name of Charles Darwin often comes up. 短語動詞

查尔斯·达尔文的名字经常被提及。

Darwin is most famous for his theory of evolution, 短語搭配

达尔文最著名的是他的进化论，

the idea that animals change and adapt in response to their environment. 講解

也就是动物会随着环境的改变而发生适应性变化的观点。

In the 1830s, he visited the Galapagos,

在 19 世纪 30 年代，他访问了加拉帕戈斯群岛，

a string of islands in the Pacific Ocean, 短語搭配

这是太平洋上的一串岛屿，

famous because of the unique animals living there.

因生活在那里的独特动物而闻名。

It was while in the Galapagos, 語法

正是在加拉帕戈斯群岛，

observing small birds called finches,

通过观察被称作雀类的小鸟，

that Darwin started forming his theory of evolution.

达尔文开始形成他的进化论。

But today, the animals of the Galapagos

但是今天，加拉帕戈斯群岛的动物

face the same pressures as animals across the world 短語搭配

面临着与世界各地动物一样的压力，

because of the effects of man-made climate change. 講解

因为人为气候变化的影响。

Warming sea waters and more frequent extreme weather events 用詞

海水变暖和更频繁的极端天气事件

are affecting animals as much as humans. 語法

正在影响动物，就像影响人类一样。

So in this program, we'll be asking, 表達脈絡

所以在本期节目中，我们要问，

can animals evolve to deal with climate change? 短語動詞

动物能进化以应对气候变化吗？

But first, I have a question for you, Sam, 語氣意圖

但首先，Sam，我有一个问题要问你，

and it's about Charles Darwin's trip to the Galapagos.

是关于查尔斯·达尔文的加拉帕戈斯之旅。

In 1831, Darwin set sail around the world 短語搭配

1831 年，达尔文扬帆环游世界，

collecting samples of flora and fauna, 用詞

收集了各个地方的 flora and fauna 的样本，

the plants and animals of the places he visited.

也就是他所到之处的植物和动物。

But what was the name of the ship he sailed in? 語法

但他所乘的那艘船叫什么名字？

Was it A, HMS Beagle,

是 A，HMS Beagle，

B, HMS Victory,

B，HMS Victory，

or C, SS Great Britain?

还是 C，SS Great Britain？

Hmm.

嗯。

Maybe it was B, HMS Victory? 語氣意圖

也许是 B，HMS Victory？

Are you sure? 語氣意圖

你确定吗？

No.

不确定。

Okay.

好吧。

Well, I'll reveal the correct answer later in the program. 表達脈絡

稍后我会在节目中揭晓正确答案。

Now, it may have been the Galapagos finches 語法

也许正是加拉帕戈斯雀

that started Charles Darwin thinking about how animals adapt to their environment, 短語搭配

让查尔斯·达尔文开始思考动物如何适应环境，

but as naturalist Kiyoko Gotanda explained 表達脈絡

但正如博物学家 Kiyoko Gotanda 所解释的，

to BBC World Service program The Climate Question,

在接受 BBC 世界频道节目《气候问题》采访时提到，

Darwin's first impression of the small birds wasn't very good. 短語搭配

达尔文对这种小鸟的第一印象并不太好。

When Darwin got to the Galapagos Islands, 短語動詞

当达尔文到达加拉帕戈斯群岛时，

he actually wasn't that interested in the finches. 語法

他其实对这些雀并不那么感兴趣。

They were kind of a drab color 語氣意圖

它们是那种单调的颜色，

and they didn't have a very interesting song.

而且叫声也不是很有趣。

He sampled, though, the finches from different islands, 講解

不过，他采集了不同岛屿上的雀类标本，

and so when he got back to England 短語動詞

因此当他回到英国，

and he was looking at all the variation 短語搭配

看着所有这些变化时，

in beak shape and size and body size and shape,

包括鸟喙的形状和大小，以及身体的大小和形状，

and he was recalling how certain finches were found on certain islands, 語法

他回想起某些雀类是如何只在某些岛屿上发现的，

but not on other islands.

而在其他岛屿上却没有。

In contrast to more colorful birds like Galapagos parrots, 表達脈絡

与加拉帕戈斯鹦鹉等色彩斑斓的鸟类相比，

the finches Darwin observed were drab, 用詞

达尔文观察到的雀类非常暗淡，

dull and boring looking with little color.

看起来乏味枯燥，几乎没什么颜色。

Instead, what Darwin noticed 語法

相反，达尔文注意到的是

were variations in the finches' beak,

这些雀的鸟喙存在差异，

the hard pointed part of a bird's mouth.

也就是鸟嘴坚硬尖锐的部分。

Finches born with a beak that could help them get more food 語法

天生鸟喙有助于获取更多食物的雀

were more likely to survive and have babies. 語法

更有可能存活下来并繁衍后代。

Over time, as the birds passed on their successful genes, 講解

随着时间的推移，鸟类将它们成功的基因遗传下去，

they adapted to fit in with their environment, 短語動詞

它们适应并融入了环境，

what we know as evolution. 短語搭配

这就是我们所说的进化。

So, if animals can evolve to survive their environment, 語法

所以，如果动物能够为了在环境中生存而进化，

can they also evolve to cope with the impact humans are having on the climate? 短語動詞

它们是否也能为了应对人类对气候产生的影响而进化呢？

Well, there's already some evidence to show they can. 表達脈絡

好吧，已经有一些证据表明它们可以。

Studies on birds in the Brazilian Amazon

对巴西亚马逊地区鸟类

and red deer on the Isle of Rum in Scotland

和苏格兰鲁姆岛马鹿的研究

show warmer temperatures have caused animals to evolve smaller bodies. 語法

表明，气候变暖已导致动物进化出更小的体型。

It's easier to keep cool when you're small. 短語搭配

体型小的话，更容易保持凉爽。

American conservationist Thor Hanson records and measures anole lizards in the Caribbean. 講解

美国环保主义者 Thor Hanson 在加勒比海记录和测量安乐蜥。

He wants to see how the effects of man-made climate change,

他想看看人为气候变化的影响，

in this case hurricanes, is affecting the lizards. 表達脈絡

在这种情况下也就是飓风，是如何影响这些蜥蜴的。

Listen to what Thor found out 短語動詞

听听 Thor 发现了什么，

as he speaks with presenters of BBC World Service's The Climate Question.

这是他在接受 BBC 世界频道《气候问题》主持人采访时的发言。

But what you can see is that large toe pads 講解

但你可以看到，巨大的脚趾垫

and strong front legs give some lizards a tighter grip. 短語搭配

和强壮的前腿让一些蜥蜴抓得更紧。

When they do start to let go 講解

当它们真的开始脱手时，

and their body starts flapping in the air like a flag, 習語

身体就会像旗帜一样在空中飘动，

smaller back legs reduce the drag 用詞

较小的后腿能减少阻力，

and allow them to cling on and survive the hurricane. 短語動詞

让它们紧紧抓住，从而在飓风中幸存下来。

So the survivors were those lizards with those characteristics,

所以幸存者就是那些具有这些特征的蜥蜴，

and they passed those traits along to their offspring. 短語動詞

它们把这些特征传给了后代。

Thor's lizards developed stronger front legs and smaller back legs, 語法

Thor 的蜥蜴进化出了更强壮的前腿和更小的后腿，

allowing them to cling on,

让它们能够紧紧抓住，

hold on to something tightly,

也就是死死抱住某物，

when hurricanes pass through. 短語動詞

在飓风经过的时候。

It's this trait, a genetically determined characteristic, 用詞

正是这种 trait（特征），一种由基因决定的特性，

that allows the lizards to survive

让蜥蜴得以生存，

and is passed on to their babies. 短語動詞

并遗传给它们的幼崽。

Thor checked other areas of the Caribbean

Thor 检查了加勒比海的其他地区，

where hurricanes were frequent

也就是飓风频繁发生的地方，

and found the same traits in lizards there,

并在那里的蜥蜴身上发现了相同的特征，

proof of evolution in action. 習語

这是正在发生进化的证据。

But whereas we often think of evolution happening 表達脈絡

但是，尽管我们通常认为进化需要

over hundreds, even thousands of years, 短語搭配

数百年甚至数千年的时间，

the changes in the Caribbean lizards happened in around 40 years,

加勒比海蜥蜴的变化发生在大约 40 年的时间里，

something that would have surprised Charles Darwin. 語法

这会让查尔斯·达尔文感到惊讶。

Which reminds me of your question, Rob. 表達脈絡

这就让我想起了你的问题，Rob。

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

I asked you the name of the ship Darwin sailed around the world in.

我问你达尔文环游世界所乘船只的名字。

Darwin's ship was called the HMS Beagle,

达尔文的船叫做 HMS Beagle，

and appropriately enough, it was named after an animal. 講解

很恰当的是，它是以一种动物命名的。

A beagle is a type of dog. 短語搭配

Beagle（比格犬）是一种狗。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary from this program about evolution, 表達脈絡

好了，让我们来回顾一下本期节目中关于进化的词汇，

the way living things adapt to their environment

生物适应环境，

and pass these adaptations onto their children.

并将这些适应性改变遗传给下一代的方式。

Flora and fauna is another way of saying 短語搭配

Flora and fauna 是另一种说法，

the plants and animals of a place.

指一个地方的植物和动物。

Drab means dull and colorless in appearance.

Drab 的意思是外观暗淡无色。

A bird's beak is the hard pointed part of its mouth.

鸟的 beak 是它嘴巴坚硬尖锐的部分。

To cling on means to hold on very tightly.

To cling on 意思是抓得非常紧。

And finally, a trait is a genetically determined characteristic.

最后，trait 是一种由基因决定的特征。

Once again, our 6 minutes are up. 表達脈絡

又一次，我们的 6 分钟时间到了。

Join us again soon for more interesting topics

欢迎不久后再来加入我们，了解更多有趣的话题，

and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.

和 6 分钟英语的实用词汇。

Goodbye for now.

暂且再见。

Bye.

拜拜。

6 Minute English from the BBC.

来自 BBC 的 6 分钟英语。