如果我们同时引爆所有核弹会怎样？：英语精读讲义

Many of our viewers have asked us a very serious question.

我们的许多观众问过我们一个非常严肃的问题。

What if we made a big pile of bombs and exploded every nuclear weapon in the world all at once? 講解

如果我们把世界上所有的核武器堆成一座大山，然后同时引爆，会发生什么？

Strangely enough, 表達脈絡

奇怪的是，

we couldn't find a good source to answer this question to our satisfaction. 短語搭配

我们没能找到一个能令人满意地回答这个问题的可靠来源。

So, we gathered together a few scientists to calculate what would happen

所以，我们召集了一些科学家来计算会发生什么，

and find an answer to this extremely important scientific problem

并为这个极其重要的科学问题

once and for all. 習語

找到一个最终的答案。

Currently, there are 15,000 nuclear weapons on Earth.

目前，地球上大约有1.5万枚核武器。

The US and Russia both have around 7,000,

美国和俄罗斯各有大约7000枚，

while France, China, the UK, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea

而法国、中国、英国、巴基斯坦、印度、以色列和朝鲜

own around 1,000 between them.

总共拥有大约1000枚。

But how much destructive power is this really?

但这到底有多大的破坏力呢？

Let's try to put these numbers into perspective. 習語

让我们试着把这些数字具象化。

On Earth, there are about 4,500 cities or urban areas

在地球上，大约有4500个城市或城市地区

with at least 100,000 inhabitants.

拥有至少10万人口。

Some are bigger than others,

有些城市比其他城市大，

so we'll assume that on average 短語搭配

所以我们假设平均而言

we need three nuclear bombs to completely wipe out one city. 短語動詞

我们需要三枚核弹才能完全摧毁一座城市。

This means we could destroy every single city on planet Earth with our nuclear arsenal, 用詞

这意味着我们用我们的核武库可以摧毁地球上的每一座城市，

killing more than 3 billion people,

杀死超过30亿人，

roughly half of humanity,

也就是大约一半的人类，

in an instant. 短語搭配

在一瞬间完成。

And we'd still have 1,500 nuclear weapons left.

而我们还会剩下1500枚核武器。

Now, that's what an expert would call overkill. 用詞

这就是专家们所说的“火力过剩”。

So, we can say with confidence that we have a lot of nuclear weapons 短語搭配

所以，我们可以自信地说，我们有很多核武器，

and they can do a lot of damage.

它们能造成很大的破坏。

But what if we make a huge pile of all 15,000 bombs and pull the trigger? 習語

但如果我们把这1.5万枚核弹堆成一座巨大的山并按下开关呢？

Let's drop our nuclear pile in the middle of the Amazon rainforest,

让我们把这堆核弹放在亚马逊雨林的中心，

just to show nature who's boss. 習語

只为了向大自然展示谁才是老大。

Our warheads piled haphazardly fit into a small warehouse.

这些弹头胡乱堆放起来，刚好能装满一个小仓库。

A typical US warhead has the power of 200,000 tons of TNT,

一枚典型的美国核弹头威力相当于20万吨TNT，

so 15,000 warheads would be the equivalent of 3 billion tons of TNT. 短語搭配

所以1.5万枚弹头将相当于30亿吨TNT。

For scale, 表達脈絡

举例来说，

this is enough to rebuild the whole island of Manhattan

这足以重建整个曼哈顿岛，

with every building and skyscraper using stacks of TNT.

并且让每一栋建筑和摩天大楼都用成堆的TNT建成。

The closest thing we can compare to the energy gathered here is a volcano.

我们能找到与聚集在这里的能量最接近的比拟物就是火山。

One of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in recorded history took place in 1883 on the island of Krakatoa. 短語動詞

有记录以来最致命的火山爆发之一，发生在1883年的喀拉喀托岛。

The eruption was so powerful that 70% of the island and the surrounding archipelago was destroyed, 語法

那次喷发威力极大，摧毁了该岛及周围群岛的70%，

killing tens of thousands of people.

导致数万人死亡。

Its effects were felt around the world for days after the event.

在事件发生后的几天里，全世界都感受到了它的影响。

Our nuclear pile contains 15 times the energy of the Krakatoa volcanic eruption.

我们这堆核弹的能量是喀拉喀托火山爆发能量的15倍。

So, let's finally push the button.

那么，让我们最终按下按钮吧。

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In a second,

在一秒钟内，

a fireball 50 km across vaporizes everything in its way 習語

一个直径50公里的火球会将其路径上的一切汽化，

and creates a blast wave that flattens 3,000 square km of forest.

并产生能夷平3000平方公里森林的冲击波。

Every living thing within 250 km will start to burn.

250公里范围内的每一个生物都将开始燃烧。

The explosion will be heard literally around the world

爆炸声将毫不夸张地传遍全世界，

as the pressure wave circles the Earth tens of times over the next few weeks.

因为压力波会在接下来的几周内绕地球旋转数十次。

Millions of tons of incinerated material are catapulted into the atmosphere.

数百万吨被焚烧的物质被抛射到大气中。

The mushroom cloud reaches the outer reaches of the stratosphere, 短語搭配

蘑菇云直达平流层的最外边缘，

pushing up against space itself.

甚至挤压到了太空本身的边界。

After things have calmed down, 短語動詞

当一切平静下来后，

a small crater about 10 km across is left in the center of the worst world fires the planet has seen in millennia,

在这场地球几千年来所见过的最严重的世界级火灾中心，留下了一个直径约10公里的小陨石坑，

spreading throughout South America,

大火蔓延整个南美洲，

burning down forests and cities alike. 短語動詞

烧毁了森林，也烧毁了城市。

And now, the unpleasant part begins.

而现在，令人不快的部分开始了。

Extremely radioactive material will kill living things very quickly,

极度具有放射性的物质将迅速杀死生物，

and a large area several kilometers around the crater is now uninhabitable,

弹坑周围几公里的大片区域现在已变得不适宜居住，

as is everywhere for hundreds of kilometers downwind. 講解

顺风方向几百公里内的所有地方也是如此。

Much of the fallout is carried high into the atmosphere by the mushroom cloud and carried around the planet. 用詞

大部分的放射性尘埃被蘑菇云带到高层大气中，并在全球范围内扩散。

The amount of radioactive material in the environment doubles worldwide,

环境中放射性物质的数量在全球范围内翻倍，

which still isn't civilization-ending,

虽然这仍然不足以毁灭文明，

but we may see more cancer for a while.

但我们在一段时间内可能会看到更多癌症。

A portion of the particles will flow to the edge of space for years

一部分颗粒将飘浮到太空边缘长达数年，

and cause a nuclear winter that could lower global temperatures by a few degrees for a few years. 文化背景

并引发核冬天，这可能使全球气温在几年内下降几度。

This explosion was pretty bad if you're in South America and especially Brazil.

如果你在南美洲，尤其是巴西，这次爆炸是非常糟糕的。

The Amazon rainforest is pretty much history, 習語

亚马逊雨林基本上成了历史，

which is not great.

这可不太妙。

But human life will go on. 短語動詞

但人类的生活还将继续。

Okay,

那么，

but what if we explode more nuclear weapons?

但如果我们引爆更多的核武器呢？

Let's suppose humanity decided to mine every bit of uranium on Earth and build as many nuclear bombs as possible. 語法

假设人类决定开采地球上所有的铀，并制造尽可能多的核弹。

At current usage,

按照目前的使用速度，

it's estimated that there are around 35 million tons of uranium in Earth's crust,

据估计，地壳中大约有3500万吨铀，

enough to power human civilization for over 2,000 years

足以维持人类文明超过2000年的运转，

or to build millions of nuclear warheads.

或者用来制造数百万枚核弹头。

For the sake of argument, 表達脈絡

为了便于讨论，

let's say we create a pile with the yield of 10 billion Hiroshima bombs, 用詞

假设我们创造出了一堆相当于100亿枚广岛原子弹当量的核弹，

which makes up a cube 3 km high 短語動詞

这将形成一个3公里高的立方体，

that contains roughly the energy of the asteroid impact that ended the age of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago,

含有大约相当于6500万年前终结恐龙时代的小行星撞击所产生的能量，

except it's also nuclear.

只是它还是核爆。

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Our pile explodes in a fireball stretching so high into the sky that it's visible from half of South America,

我们的这堆核弹爆炸形成了一个直耸云霄的火球，以至于在南美洲的一半地方都能看到，

with so much power that the ground just splashes like water, 習語

它的力量如此之大，以至于地面像水一样飞溅，

forming a crater 100 km across.

形成了一个直径100公里的陨石坑。

Bedrock on the scale of whole mountain ranges is vaporized in an instant,

整个山脉规模的基岩在瞬间被汽化，

while thousands of tons of material is catapulted away with such speed that it's ejected into space.

成千上万吨的物质被以极快的速度抛射到太空中。

Some leaves Earth forever,

其中一部分永远离开了地球，

while most of it comes raining down as hot, burning debris that heats up the atmosphere to oven-like temperatures, 短語動詞

而大部分则作为炽热燃烧的碎片如雨般落下，将大气层加热到烤箱般的温度，

killing most big animals and causing firestorms all over the world.

杀死大多数大型动物并在世界各地引发火灾风暴。

The Earth's crust rings like a bell struck by global earthquakes stronger than anything in recorded history, 習語

地壳就像一口被敲击的钟一样震动，这由比有记录以来任何地震都要强的全球地震引起，

decimating cities around the world,

摧毁了世界各地的城市，

while hurricane-force winds flatten every single tree in South America,

飓风级的狂风将南美洲的每一棵树夷为平地，

and wildfires consume the continent.

随后野火吞噬了整个大陆。

The abundance of hydrocarbons in the Amazon burned to form ash are cast into the atmosphere,

亚马逊地区燃烧的大量碳氢化合物化为灰烬被抛入大气，

darkening the sky and keeping sunlight from reaching the surface, 語法

遮蔽了天空，阻止了阳光照射到地表，

dropping temperatures to near freezing worldwide.

使全球气温骤降至接近冰点。

The ensuing global winter may last for decades and results in the extinction of every large animal species, 短語搭配

随之而来的全球冬天可能会持续几十年，并导致所有大型动物物种灭绝，

humans included. 語法

包括人类。

We could also mention that every corner of the planet is covered with radioactive fallout,

我们可以顺便提一下，地球的每个角落都被放射性尘埃覆盖，

but at this point it doesn't matter that much anymore.

但在此时，这已经不那么重要了。

This is humanity's extinction event.

这是人类的灭绝事件。

The astronauts aboard the International Space Station get to enjoy a great view for a while, 語氣意圖

国际空间站上的宇航员们还能欣赏一会儿壮观的景象，

but it's not unlikely that the spray of rocks blasted into orbit will destroy the station. 語法

但被炸入轨道的碎岩很有可能会摧毁空间站。

Those lucky enough to be in bunkers or in submarines deep below the ocean surface 語法

那些有幸躲在地堡里或深藏海底潜艇中的人们，

may survive the longest before they exhaust their food supplies and have to venture out for more. 講解

可能会存活得最久，直到他们耗尽食物，不得不冒险出去寻找更多补给。

They'll find the world a charred, 語法

届时他们会发现世界已经变成了一个焦黑、

freezing,

冰冷、

radioactive wasteland.

充满放射性的废土。

The planet itself doesn't care at all. 習語

这个星球本身根本不在乎这些。

After just a few million years,

仅仅几百万年后，

the wounds of the explosions have healed, 習語

爆炸带来的创伤就会愈合，

and life is thriving,

生命将再次繁荣，

arguably even more so than when humans were around. 語法

甚至可能比人类存在时更加生机勃勃。

If intelligent life emerges again,

如果智慧生命再次出现，

it might be able to work out what happened. 短語動詞

他们或许能够弄清楚发生了什么。

When they study geology,

当他们研究地质学时，

they'll find a bizarre and very thin layer of rock covering the entire world,

他们会发现一层覆盖全球、非常薄且怪异的岩层，

enriched in radioactive elements like uranium and the other nasty things it decays to, 講解

里面富含铀等放射性元素以及它们衰变产生的其它讨厌物质，

mixed with rare Earth metals and plastics that humans used. 用詞

里面还混杂着稀土金属和人类使用的塑料。

They would probably be very,

到了那个时候，他们可能会感到非常、

very confused.

非常困惑。