如果人类消失了会怎样？：英语精读讲义

From damming rivers to changing the chemistry of the atmosphere, 表達脈絡

从筑坝截断河流，到改变大气的化学成分，

humans have had a powerful impact on our planet. 短語搭配

人类已经对地球产生了巨大的影响。

But what would happen if we suddenly disappeared? 語法

但如果我们突然消失，会发生什么？

The first few weeks would be chaotic.

最初几周将一片混乱。

Within hours,

几小时内，

power plants would run out of fuel and shut down. 短語動詞

发电厂就会耗尽燃料并停止运转。

As lights go out and electric fences lose their sting, 習語

随着灯光熄灭、电围栏失去威力，

over 1.5 billion cows,

超过15亿头牛、

nearly a billion pigs,

近10亿头猪，

and more than 20 billion chickens will break out of their enclosures 短語動詞

以及200多亿只鸡都会逃出围栏，

desperate for food.

拼命寻找食物。

Without any humans to feed them, 語法

没有人类喂养它们，

most of these livestock will starve or become food for over half a billion dogs and a roughly equal number of cats

这些牲畜大多会饿死，或成为5亿多只狗和数量大致相当的猫的食物，

who now have to fend for themselves. 短語搭配

而这些猫狗如今也得自谋生路。

Of course,

当然，

many of our fancy breeds are ill-suited for life in the wild 用詞

许多由我们精心培育的品种并不适合野外生活，

and will probably be outcompeted by hardier mutts, 用詞

很可能会在竞争中输给适应力更强的杂种犬，

not to mention wolves, coyotes and wildcats. 表達脈絡

更不用说狼、郊狼和野猫了。

Other animals that depend on humans,

其他依赖人类生存的动物，

from rats to cockroaches,

从老鼠到蟑螂，

will suffer drastic population declines. 短語搭配

数量也会急剧下降。

Some,

有些物种，

like body lice and head lice,

比如体虱和头虱，

will go extinct. 短語搭配

将会灭绝。

In the cities,

在城市里，

many of our famous boulevards are now rivers.

许多著名的林荫大道此时已经变成河流。

Without electric pumps to keep them dry, 語法

没有电动水泵维持干燥，

underground subway tunnels will quickly fill with water.

地下的地铁隧道很快就会灌满水。

Other streets will be overtaken with weeds and vines,

其他街道会被杂草和藤蔓占据，

followed by larger plants and trees. 表達脈絡

随后是更高大的植物和树木。

But before that happens,

但在那之前，

most cities will be wiped out by fire. 短語動詞

大多数城市会被大火摧毁。

Modern houses,

现代住宅，

especially in the suburbs,

尤其是郊区住宅，

are still largely made of timber. 短語搭配

仍然主要由木材建成。

With no firefighters around, 語法

没有消防员，

a single lightning strike is all it takes to start a fire that could burn a whole subdivision to the ground. 講解

一次雷击就足以引发大火，将整个住宅区夷为平地。

In the countryside,

在乡间，

many wood structures will be destroyed within a few decades,

许多木质结构会在几十年内被毁，

if not by fire, 語法

即使不是毁于火灾，

then by termites and other decomposers.

也会毁于白蚁和其他分解生物。

After 100 years,

100年后，

most wood structures will be gone

大多数木质结构将不复存在，

and anything made of steel, 語法

而任何钢制物品，

from apartment buildings to cars and even bridges,

无论是公寓楼、汽车，甚至桥梁，

aren't far behind. 習語

也会在不久后消失。

Steel is mostly iron,

钢的主要成分是铁，

and without constant application of paints and coatings,

如果不持续涂刷油漆和保护涂层，

it will quickly react with oxygen in the atmosphere 短語搭配

它很快就会与大气中的氧气发生反应，

and return to its native form of iron oxide or rust. 用詞

变回其天然形态——氧化铁，也就是铁锈。

By this time,

到这时，

humans have been gone for a few hundred years, 語法

人类已经消失了几百年，

and most species of animals around the world,

世界各地的大多数动物物种，

at least the ones we haven't driven to extinction, 短語搭配

至少是那些尚未被我们逼至灭绝的物种，

will have bounced back to the levels they were at before we evolved. 講解

都会恢复到人类进化之前的数量水平。

But their distribution will remain forever altered.

但它们的分布格局将永久改变。

Camels now roam Australia,

骆驼如今在澳大利亚四处游荡，

while in North America,

而在北美，

dozens of species of songbirds imported from Europe will continue to thrive.

从欧洲引入的几十种鸣禽将继续繁衍兴盛。

It's even possible that in some parts of the world, 語法

甚至有可能在世界某些地区，

escaped zoo animals could form new wild populations,

从动物园逃出的动物会形成新的野生种群，

leading to the prospect of lions on the Great Plains 表達脈絡

于是大平原上可能会出现狮子，

or hippos in South American rivers.

南美洲的河流里则可能出现河马。

Forever proliferating through space 語法

永远在太空中不断扩散的，

will be the electromagnetic radiation we created from our radios,

将是我们的无线电设备、

satellites and phones.

卫星和手机产生的电磁辐射。

But if anything will outlast us on Earth, 表達脈絡

但如果地球上有什么东西会比我们存在得更久，

it may be our trash.

那可能就是我们的垃圾。

The chemical bonds that hold together plastics or vulcanized rubber 講解

将塑料或硫化橡胶结合在一起的化学键，

are immune to most of the digestive enzymes used by bacteria to break down natural polymers, 講解

能抵抗细菌用来分解天然聚合物的大多数消化酶，

and unlike metals,

而且与金属不同，

plastics don't rust or corrode. 用詞

塑料不会生锈或腐蚀。

These microplastics escape into waterways or drift along in the ocean

这些微塑料会流入水道，或随洋流在海中漂移，

and are eventually deposited in sediments. 用詞

最终沉积在沉积物中。

Hundreds of millions of years from now,

几亿年后，

alien geologists from outer space

来自外太空的外星地质学家

may be surprised to find sedimentary rocks full of tiny carbon-based particles

可能会惊讶地发现，沉积岩中满是微小的碳基颗粒，

that were once part of rubber tires or plastic bags.

而它们曾经是橡胶轮胎或塑料袋的一部分。

Of course,

当然，

whether something survives depends greatly on the conditions. 語法

一样东西能否留存，很大程度上取决于环境条件。

Everything will last much longer in deserts

在沙漠中，一切都会保存得更久，

where there's no moisture to speed up rusting 短語動詞

因为那里没有水分加速生锈，

or support decomposing organisms.

也无法供分解生物生存。

And while the carbon cycle will return CO2 levels to equilibrium after a few thousand years, 講解

虽然几千年后，碳循环会使二氧化碳水平恢复平衡，

local deposits of long-lived organic chemicals 用詞

但局部蓄积的长寿命有机化学物质

or radioactive material could persist for a very,

或放射性物质却可能持续存在很久，

very long time.

非常非常久。

It's hard to know what alien paleontologists of the future will make of us, 講解

很难知道未来的外星古生物学家会如何看待我们，

how they'll explain our love of plastic

他们会如何解释我们对塑料的热爱，

or the fact that within a geological eyeblink 習語

或如何解释这样一个事实：在地质学上的一眨眼间，

we exploded out of Africa 習語

我们从非洲迅速扩散开来，

to colonize virtually every inhabitable space on Earth. 用詞

几乎遍布了地球上每一处宜居之地。

But they'll definitely wonder why,

但他们一定会疑惑，

if we were so successful for so long, 表達脈絡

既然我们曾长期如此成功，

we disappeared so quickly.

为什么又会如此迅速地消失。

This episode is brought to you by squarespace.com. 短語搭配

本集节目由 squarespace.com 赞助播出。

If you've ever wanted to make your own website, 語法

如果你一直想创建自己的网站，

Squarespace recently launched the latest version of their platform,

Squarespace 最近推出了最新版平台，

Squarespace 7,

Squarespace 7，

which has a completely redesigned interface,

它拥有彻底重新设计的界面、

integrations with Getty Images and Google Apps,

与 Getty Images 和 Google Apps 的集成功能、

new templates,

全新模板，

and an incredible feature called Cover Pages.

以及一项名为 Cover Pages 的超赞功能。

You can start a free trial at squarespace.com/asap, 短語搭配

你可以前往 squarespace.com/asap 开始免费试用，

and if you decide to sign up, 短語動詞

如果你决定注册，

use the offer code ASAP 文化背景

请使用优惠码 ASAP，

at checkout to get 10% off. 短語搭配

在结账时即可享受九折优惠。

Thanks again to Squarespace for supporting our show.

再次感谢 Squarespace 对本节目的支持。

And if you haven't seen our latest AsapTHOUGHT video

如果你还没看过我们最新一期的 AsapTHOUGHT 视频，

on why we mishear lyrics,

这期讲的是我们为什么会听错歌词，

you can check that out with the link in the description as well. 短語動詞

也可以点击简介中的链接观看。

It should give you a good laugh

它应该能让你开怀一笑，

and hopefully solve some of the mysteries of your brain on music.

也希望能解开一些大脑听音乐时的谜团。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

订阅我们，每周观看更多科学视频。