为什么会有月球？……还有更多精彩内容！：英语精读讲义

Hey, Vsauce.

嘿，Vsauce。

Michael here and I am in Regent's Park in London

我是 Michael，现在我在伦敦的摄政公园，

joined by Tom from SlashTom. 語法

和 SlashTom 频道的 Tom 在一起。

Awesome channel, check it out. 短語動詞

这个频道超棒，快去看看。

This camera belongs to Tom and Hazel is operating it right now. 短語搭配

这台摄像机是 Tom 的，现在是 Hazel 在掌镜。

Yeah, that's her giving a thumbs up, which I'm sure just looked like a blur. 短語搭配

对，就是她在竖大拇指，不过我敢肯定，画面里看起来只是一团模糊。

But the point is we're going to do information today. 表達脈絡

不过重点是，今天我们要来讲点知识。

Right now, Tom, I am in London,

现在呢，Tom，我人在伦敦，

which is in England,

伦敦位于英格兰，

and it's also the United Kingdom,

也属于联合王国，

which is in Europe.

而联合王国位于欧洲。

Okay, and we've also got another term, Great Britain.

好，我们还有另一个说法：大不列颠。

Well, let's unpack all these terms and today learn about geography. 習語

那么，今天就让我们把这些名称逐一理清，顺便学学地理。

I may have failed geography. 語法

我地理可能没及格。

Can I find someone else?

我能换个人吗？

Now, if we're going to talk about geography,

那么，如果我们要聊地理，

I think we should go all the way back to a time when there was no geography. 短語動詞

我想我们应该一直追溯到连“地理”都还不存在的时代。

That's right.

没错。

Way before YouTube existed,

早在 YouTube 出现之前很久，

our solar system was nothing but a mist of dust and gases, 短語搭配

我们的太阳系还只是一团由尘埃和气体构成的云雾，

what is known as a solar nebula. 短語搭配

也就是所谓的太阳星云。

But then, about 4.6 billion years ago,

但后来，大约在 46 亿年前，

something majestic happened.

一件壮观的事情发生了。

We don't know exactly what caused it,

我们并不确切知道是什么引发了这一切，

but some scientists believe that the shock wave of a nearby supernova

但一些科学家认为，附近一颗超新星爆发产生的冲击波

hit our nebula, causing it to start spinning and contracting. 語法

撞上了我们的星云，使它开始旋转并收缩。

Now, as things collected together,

随着物质聚集到一起，

their overall gravity got stronger and they pulled more stuff in

它们整体的引力变得更强，又吸入了更多物质，

and then boom, we've got a sun.

然后，砰的一声，太阳诞生了。

A half billion years later,

又过了 5 亿年，

and the disc of junk circling around the sun starts coming together in its own way

环绕太阳的那盘杂物也开始以自己的方式聚集，

into what we now call the planets.

形成了我们如今所说的行星。

One of these planets I've actually visited

这些行星中，有一颗我还真去过，

and it's called Earth.

它就叫地球。

But before we get ahead of ourselves, 習語

不过，先别急着往下说，

what the heck is the moon doing there? 語氣意圖

月球到底为什么会在那里？

I mean, here's the problem.

我的意思是，问题在这里。

When you look at all the terrestrial planets,

看看所有类地行星，

all the planets near us, near the sun,

也就是我们附近、靠近太阳的所有行星，

they all have very similar structure,

它们的结构都非常相似，

and they all have the same big metal core,

都有同样巨大的金属核心，

and they all have very similar densities.

密度也都十分接近。

But the moon is very not dense,

但月球的密度非常低，

and it doesn't have a similar structure.

结构也不一样。

It doesn't have a huge dense metal core.

它没有一个巨大而致密的金属核心。

In fact, when we visited the moon and brought back dust and rocks

事实上，当我们登上月球并带回尘土和岩石，

to analyze what the moon was made out of, 短語動詞

以分析月球是由什么构成时，

we found that the moon was made out of the same stuff

我们发现，构成月球的物质

that you find in Earth's crust and mantle,

和地壳及地幔中的物质相同，

but not Earth's core.

却和地核中的不同。

This discovery gave rise to a pretty awesome idea 短語搭配

这一发现催生了一个相当惊人的想法：

that the moon is actually made out of what used to be on Earth.

月球其实是由曾经属于地球的物质构成的。

About 4.52 billion years ago,

大约 45.2 亿年前，

there used to be another planet called Theia. 語法

曾经还有一颗名叫忒伊亚的行星。

It was a little bit smaller than Mars, 語法

它比火星小一点，

but it had an unfortunate orbit.

但它的运行轨道很不走运。

It was fine for millions of years,

几百万年里，它一直相安无事，

but eventually and what did happen to it was that it collided with Earth.

但最后，它还是撞上了地球。

Now, it's believed that the collision happened quite slowly, 語法

人们认为，这次碰撞发生得相当缓慢，

and the centers, the cores of both Theia and Earth fused into one, 短語搭配

忒伊亚和地球的中心，也就是二者的核心，融合成了一个，

and material from the mantle and crust of Earth wasn't just scattered, 語法

而地球地幔和地壳中的物质不只是四散开来，

but it was forcefully ejected,

更是被猛烈地抛了出去，

literally launched into outer space.

简直就是被发射进了外太空。

It circled around Earth,

这些物质环绕着地球旋转，

and scientists believe that it took only about a week 語法

科学家认为，前后仅用了一周左右，

for all that Earth material out in space

所有那些进入太空的地球物质

to coalesce into what we now call the Moon.

就聚合成了我们如今所说的月球。

Oh, and by the way, 表達脈絡

哦，顺便一提，

if that's how the Moon formed,

如果月球真是这样形成的，

it was such a strong collision. 語法

那次碰撞的威力可真够大的。

The actual axis that the Earth spun on was tilted 23.5 degrees,

地球实际的自转轴被撞得倾斜了 23.5 度，

which to this day is why we have seasons. 短語搭配

这也正是我们直到今天仍有四季的原因。

Wow.

哇。

All right,

好了，

so 4 billion years ago,

那么，40 亿年前，

the continents as we know them began to emerge. 短語搭配

我们今天所熟知的大陆开始出现。

You know, these pieces of the Earth's crust that have cooled down

你知道的，就是那些已经冷却的地壳块体，

and are floating around on Earth's molten liquid insides.

漂浮在地球内部熔融的液态物质之上。

Now, they move and they've been in constant motion since they began, 語法

它们会移动，而且自形成以来就一直没有停过，

but they move very, very slowly.

只是移动得非常、非常慢。

Every 300 to 500 million years,

每隔 3 亿到 5 亿年，

the continents all converge into what's called one big supercontinent. 用詞

所有大陆就会汇聚成一块所谓的超级大陆。

All the land in the entire Earth all together

整个地球上的陆地全都连在一起，

and the rest of it covered in ocean.

其余部分则被海洋覆盖。

The most recent supercontinent is kind of famous. 語氣意圖

距今最近的那块超级大陆还挺有名。

It's called Pangaea.

它叫盘古大陆。

But scientists believe that there may have been four, five, six

不过，科学家认为，在盘古大陆之前可能还出现过四块、五块、六块，

or even more supercontinents that existed before Pangaea.

甚至更多块超级大陆。

What's really mind-blowing is the fact that eventually there's going to be another Pangaea, 表達脈絡

真正让人震撼的是，未来终有一天会出现另一个盘古大陆，

another supercontinent.

也就是另一块超级大陆。

And based on calculations, 短語搭配

根据计算，

the Earth at that time will look like this.

那时的地球会是这个样子。

But like I said,

不过，就像我说的，

these landmasses are moving very, very slowly.

这些陆块移动得非常、非常慢。

And so for that reason, 表達脈絡

因此，

it is worth learning their names as they are now, 語法

它们现在叫什么，还是值得了解一下的，

which brings us back to the question of England, 表達脈絡

这就让我们回到了有关英格兰、

United Kingdom,

联合王国、

Great Britain,

大不列颠、

British Isles,

不列颠群岛

and what all these terms mean. 語法

以及这些名称到底有什么含义的问题上。

Let's begin zoomed out. 表達脈絡

我们先把视角拉远。

The British Isles and Ireland are a collection of 6,000 islands

不列颠群岛和爱尔兰由 6000 座岛屿组成，

off the coast of Europe. 短語搭配

位于欧洲近海。

The term Great Britain refers to the largest of these islands. 用詞

“大不列颠”指的是其中最大的那座岛。

Now, Great Britain contains three separate countries, 文化背景

大不列颠岛上有三个不同的构成国：

England, Wales, and Scotland.

英格兰、威尔士和苏格兰。

If we add Northern Ireland into the mix, 習語

如果再把北爱尔兰加进来，

we're now looking at what is known as the United Kingdom or the UK. 文化背景

得到的就是所谓的联合王国，简称 UK。

The Republic of Ireland is a separate country 文化背景

爱尔兰共和国是一个独立的国家，

that is not part of the United Kingdom.

并不属于联合王国。

And by the way,

顺便说一句，

England is where London is,

伦敦位于英格兰，

which is where Summer in the City was.

Summer in the City 活动就是在那里举办的。

Which brings us back to Regent's Park

这又把我们带回了摄政公园，

and as always,

一如既往，

thanks for watching!

感谢观看！

Could you guys stand still for a second? 短語搭配

你们能站着别动一会儿吗？

Is that good enough for you, Hazel?

这样可以了吗，Hazel？

To learn more about Great Britain,

如果想进一步了解大不列颠、

Ireland, overseas territories,

爱尔兰、海外领地，

and even Canada,

甚至加拿大，

you really must check out CGP Grey's explanation video,

你一定得看看 CGP Grey 的讲解视频，

if you haven't seen it already.

如果你还没看过的话。

This guy is incredible.

这家伙太厉害了。

You can also check out the channels belonging to the people

你也可以去看看这些人的频道，

who helped me with the intro and outro for this video. 用詞

他们帮我制作了这期视频的片头和片尾。

We've got Tom

有 Tom，

and Dude, where's my challenge?

还有 Dude, Where's My Challenge?