新外研版高中英语选择性必修二Unit 4-6全部课文文本+翻译+录音，收藏备用

 Unit 4 

MY 100 DAYS WITH MSF

与无国界医生奋战100天

22 March 2015

2015年3月22日

Today we celebrate. It's exactly one month since the lastreported case. But it is vital not to take any chances. So. 20 health care workers from almost as many countries, comrades in arms, raise virtual glasses to each other.

我们今天庆祝了一番,因为距离发现上一个报告病例已经整整一个月了。但重要的是我们不能心存侥幸。所以,我们这20位来自世界各地的医护人员,也是战友们,假装举杯,互相庆祝。

I arrived in Liberia with MSF almost three months ago. When Isaw the tragic scenes on the news, I felt it was my duty as a doctor to go there and offer my help. I knew I was putting my

life at risk. but I thought. If I don’t do it. who will? It isimportant to remember that Ebola doesn't respect national boundaries. There are no borders for doctors, for patients or for anyone else involved in combating this terrible disease.

大约三个月前,我随无国界医生一起来到利比里亚。当我从新闻上看到一幅幅凄惨的画面时,我觉得作为医生我有责任到那里去帮忙。我知道这样做是在冒生命危险,但是我想

假如我不去做,又有谁会去呢?”重要的是要记住,埃博拉病毒传播起来是不分国界的。医生、病人或者任何被迫与这种可怕的疾病抗衡的人都是不分国界的。

My mission was to relieve Emma, a Canadian specialist ininfectious diseases at the end of her posting. Emma spent an hour with me in the staff room talking me through the daily

routine. As she talked. I could hear at least three differentlanguages being spoken at the tables around us. Later, Emma introduced me to some of the others working for or alongside

MSF: Wilton, a young local man, who helped carry the very sickinto the treatment clinic and who disinfected clothing and surfaces; Maisy, a retired public health official from Darwin, Australia, whose local team of volunteers educated people on preventing infection; Alfonso, a soft-spoken Argentinian doctor in his 50s, who had previously worked on Ebola outbreaks in Sierra Leone and Guinea. The list went on. I found that I was the only Chinese doctor among people of all ages, colours and beliefs, from every continent except Antarctica. With each person I met, I felt a growing sense of pride as part of this extraordinary team. whose devotion to the cause shone from their eyes

我的任务是接替埃玛,她是一位加拿大传染病专家,任期届满。我和埃玛在が公室用了一个小时交接日常工作。她说话的时候,我可以听到隔壁桌传过来的谈话声,至少混着三种不同的语言。接着,埃玛向我介绍了几个人,他们都是无国界医生的工作人员,或者同该组织一起工作的人:威尔顿是位当地的年轻人,他帮忙把重症患者带进治疗所,负责衣物及皮肤表面消毒;迈西来自澳大利亚的达尔文市,是一名退休的公共卫生官员,他带领当地的志愿者团队给人们进行

预防传染培训;阿方索是一位五十来岁的阿根廷医生,说起话来温声细语,曾参与抗击前几次塞拉利昂和几内亚爆发的埃博拉病毒。埃玛还介绍了其他人。这些人来自除南极洲外的世界各地,各种年龄、肤色、信仰都有,而我发现自己是其中唯一一位中国医生。能够和在这里遇到的人一起,成为这个杰出小组的一员,我心中的自豪感油然而生,大家是双眼中都熠熠闪耀着奉献精神的光芒。

In the few weeks since then, I have come to know these peoplevery well. We have worked together, surrounded by blood vomit and death. But, although the death rate is very high, we will never give up on a patient, and our efforts do sometimes end in miracles

接下来的几个礼拜里,我已经开始和大家熟稔起来。我们一起工作,周围充斥着血液、呕吐物和死亡。不过,虽然死亡率极高,但是我们永远不会放弃任何一个患者,何况我们的努力有时真的会产生奇迹。

Just after my arrival, a family of six were brought here in theback of a van. All of them were infected. The twin girls and their parents soon died. We knew there was little hope for the brothers but we did everything we could to save them. When we visited the ward the next morning, we were amazed to see that against all odds, both boys were still alive. Pascal and Daniel have since made a full recovery. This small but unexpected success compensated for many other less fortunate cases.

就在我刚刚来到这儿的时候,有一家六口躺在小货车的车斗里被运了过来。他们全都被感染了。不久,其中一对双胞胎姐妹和她们的父母就去世了。我们知道,剩下的兄弟俩也希望渺茫,但是我们竭尽所能去救治他们。第二天早上,我们去病房探望时惊讶地发现,虽然历经千险,两个男孩仍然活了下来。此后,帕斯卡尔和丹尼尔的病痊愈了。这次小小的却出乎意料的成功相对其他没有那么幸运的病例来说,是一种弥补。

To be caught up in such a crisis creates powerful bonds betweenpeople, not only between carers and patients, but also between all those who have come from different parts of the world and joined together in a common cause. It is so inspiring to have colleagues like Wilton, Maisy, and Alfonso, not to mention all the others I have worked with.

患难与共的经历在人与人之间建立了紧密的组带,不仅仅在于医护人员与患者之间,还在于所有来自世界各地、因为共同事业聚在一起的人们之间。有威尔顿、迈西和阿方索这样的同事已令我倍感鼓舞,更别提其他所有和我们一起共事的人了。

Now my time is almost up. In a few days, someone else willarrive to step into my shoes, and the tireless work that the MSF members do in more than 70 countries and regions around the world will go on. In a world still facing so many problems, it is absolutely essential for us all to collaborate to create a global community with a shared future of peace and prosperity

如今我的任期也快结束了。几天后,另一个人就会到达这里,接替我的工作。而无国界医生的成员们将在全世界超过70个国家与地区继续不知疲倦地工作着。这个世界仍然面临着许多问题,我们所有人都必须团结合作,打造一个共享和平繁荣未来的“地球村”。

The Words That Changed A Nation
改变了一个国家的演说

On a grey afternoon on 19 November 1863, a tall, thin manmounted a platform in a field in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and began to speak. The place was the site of a recent battle where thousands of soldiers had died. The man was Abraham Lincoln President of the United States of America and he was there in memory of the soldiers who had died. The speech he gave was just 268 words long and lasted two minutes. But this address to the crowd changed the minds of his people and helped shape a nation.

1863年11月19日,一个天空灰蒙蒙的下午,宾夕法尼亚州葛底斯堡的一块空地上,一个高大瘦削的男人登上了讲台,开始演说。就在不久前,这里曾是片战场,数千名士兵牺牲于此。这个人是美国总统亚伯拉罕・林肯,他来到这里悼念已逝的战士。他的演说只有268个词,时长两分钟,但却改变了民众的想法,甚至帮助塑造了整个国家。

At that time, America was bitterly divided. For two years, itspeople had been deep in a civil war between the slave-owning Confederate Southern States and the “free” Northern States of the Union. The worst battle lasted three days and took place at Gettysburg in 1863. The Union side won but at a great cost Over 50, 000 soldiers were killed or wounded, and people lost hope and purpose. What was all this suffering for?

在那时,美国分崩离析。两年来,美国人民深陷内战之中,一方是拥护奴隶制的南部邦联,另一方是拥护“自由”的北方联盟。最残酷的战斗持续了三天,就发生在1863年的葛底斯堡。北方联盟取得了胜利,但代价惨重。五万多名士兵死伤,人们失去了希望和目标。遭受这些苦难究竟是为了什么呢?

Lincoln understood the feelings of the civilian people. Hispeech gave them hope, belief and a reason to look to the future He gave them a new vision of what the United States of America should be, based on the ideals set down by its Founding Fathers 87 years before. It was what the soldiers had died for. Now it was up to the living to remove not only the divisions between North and South. but the boundaries between black and white and work step by step towards the equality of humankind.

林肯理解民众的感受。他的演说给了民众希望、信念以及展望未来的理由。他给予了美国人民一个新的愿景,那就是依照87年前开国元勋的理念,美利坚合众国本应成为的样子。那也是已故的将士为之献出生命的原因。现在,责任落到了生者身上,不仅要消除南北之间的分歧,还要打破黑人与白人之间的界限,一步一步朝着实现人类平等而努力。

亚伯拉罕・林肯：葛底斯堡演讲

演讲原文

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, uponthis continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

87年前,我们的先辈在这块大陆上创立了一个新的国家,它孕育于自由之中,献身于人人生而平等的理想。

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether thatnation, or any nation, so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

当下我们正深陷于一场大規模的内战之中,它考验着这个国家,或者任何一个生于自由、对上述理想深信不疑的国家,能否长久生存下去。现在我们聚集在这场内战的一个重要战场上,我们来到这里,是为子把这里的一部分土地献给那些为了国家存续而献出自己生命的人,作为他们最终的安息之地。我们这样做是完全应当且非常恰当的。

But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can notconsecrate-we can not hallow this ground. The brave men,living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us. the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion -that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain: that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

但是,从更广泛意义上来说,我们不能献出一一不能圣化不能神化这块土地,因为在这里勇敢抗争的人们,不论生死,已经圣化了这片土地,这远不是我们渺小的力量所能增减的。世界不会留意,也不会铭记我们在这里说了什么,但它永远不会忘记他们在这里做的事情。他们英勇地坚持至今,现在是我们这些生者献身于这未完成的事业的时候了。我们应该把自己奉献于在我们面前的伟大事业一一从这些光荣的逝者身上汲取更多的信仰,来投身于他们为之竭尽最后一丝力量的事业一一我们在这里下最大的決心,不让逝者白白失去生命,要让国家获得自由的新生,要使民有、民治、民享的政府永存。

("The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln)

(《葛底斯堡演讲》一一亚伯拉罕・林肯)

 Unit 5 

MACQUARIE ISLAND: from Chaos to Conservation

麦夸里岛:从混乱不堪到精心保护

I am standing on Macquarie Island, in the South-west PacificOcean, halfway between Australia and Antarctica. Strong winds and stormy seas have helped sculpt its long, thin shape. The green grass and bare rock of its landscape contrast dramatically, giving it a wild and natural beauty. No visitor would think it surprising that the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Nor would they fail to imagine how its native inhabitants including royal penguins, king penguins, and elephant seals existed in perfect harmony with their natural habitat for thousands of years.

我正站在麦夸里岛上,这里位于太平洋的西南部,澳大利亚和南极洲的中间。强风和惊涛骇浪将海岛塑成现在狭长的形状。绿草和光禿的岩石形成的景观反差巨大,使海岛呈现出一种狂野和天然的美。这座岛是联合国教科文组织确立的世界遗产,游客们都认为其名副其实。他们也不难想象出,数千年来,包括帝企鹅、王企鹅和象海豹在内的当地动物是如何与其自然栖息地完美地和谐共存的。

But the islands more recent history tells a different story. It atragic story that began in 1810 when humans arrived on the island. In their ships they unknowingly brought rats and mice.These small animals quickly took over the island, eating the birds’ eggs and attacking baby birds. Cats were brought to the island to control the rats and mice. Unfortunately, the cats subsequently developed an appetite for the birds, too.

但是,这座岛近些年的遭遇则是截然不同的故事。悲剧从人类1810年来到这座岛屿开始。他们不经意间随船带来了大鼠和小鼠。这些小动物很快就占领了岛屿,它们吃鸟蛋并攻击幼鸟。为控制鼠患,人们带来了猫,但不幸的是,猫随后也开始以鸟为食。

Meanwhile rabbits were introduced to the island as a source offood for humans. Loose on the island, they did what rabbits do best -they multiplied rapidly and began eating the native vegetation and digging holes, which caused soil erosion. The exploding rabbit population provided plentiful food for the cats,meaning that the number of cats also increased. This in turn led to more cats hunting the birds. The end result was that parakeets once large in number and native to the island. died out in 1891.

与此同时,人们把兔子引进岛上作为食物。由于在岛上放任其生存,兔子做了自己最擅长的事一一飞快地繁殖,它们开始吃当地植被并挖洞,造成了土壤侵蚀。爆炸式增长的兔子数量给猫提供了充足的食物,这意味着猫的数量也增加了,相应地就有更多猫捕食鸟类。最终结果是,曾经数量众多的当地物种长尾小鹦鹉在1891年灭绝。

Even after Macquarie Island became an official nature reserve inthe 1970s, the rabbits remained out of control. Experts felt it necessary to come up with a plan to remove all the rabbits from the island. With this goal in mind, a virus was released onto the island. But although the virus caused the rabbit population to decrease from 130.000 to around 10.000. it also meant less food for the cats. The cats in consequence turned their attention-and their stomachs -back to the native birds, killing up to 60,000 each year. In the 1980s traps and dogs were used to catch the cats. The last Macquarie Island cat was caught in 2000.

即使在20世纪70年代麦夸里岛成为官方自然保护区后,兔子仍然不受控制。专家认为,必须想办法清除岛上所有的兔子。怀着这个日标,人们投放了一种病毒到岛上。然而,虽然病毒使得兔子的数量从130,000降到约10,000只,但这也意味着猫的食物变少了。因此,猫把注意力和胃口重新转向了当地鸟类,每年捕食多达60,000只。20世纪80年代,人们利用捕猎夹和狗来抓猫。2000年,麦夸里岛上的最后一只猫被抓。

But as the saying goes, "While the cat's away, the mice willplay. " With the departure of the cats from the island, the mouse and rat population started to increase. And remember those 10,000 or so rabbits? It turned out that they developed an immunity to the virus, and their numbers exploded once again.Then, in 2006, the rabbits digging caused some land to collapse and killed a substantial number of penguins. This incident made it clear that the rat, mouse and rabbit problem needed solving once and for all.

但正如俗语所说,“山中无老虎,猴子称大王”。猫从岛上消失了,小鼠和大鼠的数量便开始增加。还记得那10,000只左右的兔子吗?它们最终对病毒产生了免疫,数量又一次激增。随后,在2006年,兔子挖的洞造成一些土地坍塌,导致大量企鹅死亡。这一事件清楚地表明,大鼠、小鼠和兔子泛溢的问题需要一次彻底的解决。

So, I am here on Macquarie Island to participate in theprogramme to tackle this very problem. The first step involved poison being dropped from helicopters. The next step is to remove the last remaining invading species. and that’s where I come in=with my dogs. They have been trained to find every last one. without harming the native animals. This intervention is a long, much-delayed ending to a sad story, but we humans owe it to the island to give it a happy ending.

所以,正是为了解决这个问题,我来到麦夸里岛,上参与一项行动。行动的第一步利用了直升机向岛上投放毒药。下一步是清除最后残存的入侵物种,这就是我的工作了---和我的狗一起。这些狗受训去寻找剩下的每一只老鼠和兔子,同时又不伤害当地动物。这次干预行动是这场悲剧漫长而屡被贻误的大结局,但这是我们人类应该做的,我们亏欠这座岛屿一个美好的结局。

Postscript: In 2014, Macquarie Island was declared pest-free and the island's ecology is finally on the road to recovery.

附言:2014年麦夸里岛正式宣布已无有害生物,岛上的生态环境终于走上了恢复之路

WHY SHIENNONGJIA?

为什么是神农架?

Good morning, everyone. It is my great pleasure to give alecture here on behalf of the Be at One with Nature Association

大家早上好。我很开心能代表人与自然和谐相处协会在这里发表演讲。

As we know, in 2016, Shennongjia made it onto the UNESCOWorld Heritage List. But there are so many important places not yet on this list. So you might ask: why Shennongjia? Is it its forests that stretch on and on like great green seas? Is it the legendary father of Chinese herbal medicine, Shennong, after whom the park is named? Or is it the mysterious creature called Yeren(wild man )that has captured the imagination of the world.

众所周知,神农架在2016年正式入选联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》。世界上重要的地方那么多,但许多都没有被列入该名单。所以你可能会问:为什么是神农架?是因为它拥有像绿色海洋般广袤的森林吗?还是因为它是以中国草药之父神农命名?抑或是因为神秘的“野人”吸引了全世界的目光

UNESCO awarded Shennongjia this status because it meets twocriteria required by the list. It contains a naturally-balanced environment that allows the many and various species to live and prosper. It is also one of the rare locations in the world where scientists can observe in real time the ecological and biological processes that occur as the plants and animals develop and evolve.

联合国教科文组织令神农架入选是因为它符合入选名录的两项标准:第它拥有一个自然平衡的环境,使许多不同的物种得以生存和繁衍。第二,它也是世界上人迹罕至之地,科学家们可以实时观察到植物和动物发展和进化过程中的生态学和生物学过程。

For the first criterion, Shennongjia is apparently one of the mostcomplete " natural areas in the world. The region rises from about 400 metres to over 3,000 metres above sea level, giving it the name the"Roof of Central China. The vast range in altitude results in a great variation in climatic conditions. This allows a wide variety of species to thrive. Some of the plants and animals have survived millions of years, and are regarded as living fossils.

就第一项标准而言,我们可以自豪地说神农架是世界上最“完整”的自然区域之一。该地区的海拔从大约400米上升到3,000多米,被称为“华中屋脊”。海拔的巨大差异导致了迥然不同的气候环境,使得大量不同的物种得以繁衍生息。一些动植物生存了数百万年,被视为活化石。

For the second criterion, we can see that Shennongjia hasincredible biodiversity. Look at this slide. According to official statistics, over 3,000 plant species have been recorded there.This represents more than ten per cent of China’s total floral richness. Shennongjia supports more than 600 vertebrate species including the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and the Clouded Leopard. Additionally, around 4, 300 insect species have been recorded.

对于第二个标准,我们可以看到神农架有着极丰富的生物多样性。请看这张幻灯片。根据官方统计,在神农架内有记录的植物物种超过3,000种,占到了中国全部开花植物的10%以上。神农架还有600多种脊椎动物,包括川金丝猴和云豹。此外,有记录的昆虫物种也达到了4,300种左右。.

It is a challenge to look after so many species. In winter, scientists brave heavy snow and freezing temperatures to supply food to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Thanks to their efforts the monkey's population has doubled since the 1980s. Their number reached over 1,300 in 2015 and continues to grow.

照顾如此多的物种是一项挑战。冬季,科学家们不畏暴雪和严寒为川金丝猴提供食物。也正是因为他们的付出,川金丝猴的数量相比于20世纪80年代增加了一倍,到2015年达到1,300多只,而且其数量还在持续増长。

But the most impressive aspect of Shennongjia is the local people, who take things from nature without causing damage. I visited a local village which is known for its home-made honey.What is special about the honey is that it is produced by the earliest species of Chinese bee. Every spring, the villagers place beehives around their houses to attract these wild bees from the forest. Although endangered elsewhere in China due to the invasion of foreign species, the bees of Shennongjia have coexisted with the local people for centuries. By providing the bees with a secure home, the villagers collect their honey in return. This is just one of the ways in which people of Shennongjia live and work in harmony with nature.

不过神农架给人印象最深的地方还在于当地人的生活方式，他们从大自然中索取,但不会破坏生态平衡。我去了一个以自制蜂蜜而闻名的当地村庄参观。这种蜂蜜的独特之处在于它是由最古老的一种中华蜜蜂产的。每年春天,村民们就会在自家周围放置些蜂箱,吸引森林中的野生蜜蜂。虽然在中国的其他地区,由于外来物种入侵,这种蜜蜂濒临灭绝,但是神农架的人们和这种蜜蜂已经共存了几个世纪,村民为它们提供安全住所,蜜蜂为人们提供蜂蜜。这只是神农架的村民与自然和谐相处的方式之一。

All of this explains why Shennongjia earned-and deserves-itsplace on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as highlighting how understanding, awareness and hard work have contributed towards protecting a unique and wonderful part of our natural world

以上这些解释了为什么神农架能够并理应入选联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》,同时也强调了人们的理解、认识和付出是如何促进对这一自然界独特且美好区域的保护的。

Thank you for listening. Now, does anyone have any questions?

感谢大家的聆听。现在大家有什么问题吗?

 Unit 6 

The Wild Within

城中的野生动物

The crime took place in a seaside suburb of Cape Town Spotting the car with its window left open, the greedy thief didn't hesitate. Within seconds. he had reached inside and run away with a bag of shopping. No matter how many crimes he committed, the police were powerless to arrest him. You see this was no ordinary criminal, it was a chacma baboon.Once almost unheard of, scenes like this one in Cape Town are now common all over the world. With foxes in London mountain lions in San Francisco and wild pigs in Hong Kong: it is almost as if our cities are being taken over by wild animals

在开普敦的一个海滨郊区发生了一起犯罪活动。贪婪的窃贼在发现有辆车的车窗未关后,没有丝毫犹豫。几秒之间,他把手伸进车窗,抓出一袋东西逃之天天。不论他犯罪多少次,警方都无法抓捕到他。要知道,这可不是普通的罪犯:它是一只大狒狒。以前,在开普敦发生的这种事几乎闻所未闻，但现在这种事在世界各地都时有发生。伦敦出现了狐狸,旧金山出现了美洲狮,香港出现了野猪,我们的城市就像是被野生动物给占领了。

People often wonder about the reasons behind this mass urbanmigration. Most of us would assume that urban development and climate change are responsible for pushing the animals out of their natural habitats. However true this is. we also need toconsider that some of these so-called“urban animals”have never moved at all-it's we humans who have moved into their territory. Wherever they go, animals find towns and cities intheir way. With nowhere else to make their homes, they have no choice but to move in with us.

人们总想知道这种大规模城市迁徙背后的原因。我们大多数人会认为,城市发展和气候变化是造成这些动物离开其自然栖息地的原因。无论事实如何,我们必须得明白,在这些所谓的“城市动物”中,有一些根本就没有迁徙过----是我们人类搬到了它们的领地里。动物不论走到哪里,都发现有城镇拦路。既然没有别处可以安家,它们别无选择,只好搬来和我们一起住。

Yet, for its newest and wildest inhabitants, a city can offer manbenefits. As our cities become greener, they offer increasingly appealing spaces to animals looking for new habitats. Out of reach from many of their natural predators, these newcomers often flourish in their new city lives. Today, foxes can be seen all over London-one even being found living on the 72nd floor of the Shard building when it was under construction! What's more, hungry animals are finding plenty to eat in our gardens and in the leftovers we throw away.

不过,城市可以给这些最新的也是最野生的居民以许多好处。随着我们的城市绿化越来越好,它们越来越吸引着寻找新栖息地的动物。由于远离自然界中的许多天敌,这些新来者往往在新城市生活中蓬勃发展。现在,伦敦随处都可以见到狐狸一一有一只甚至生活在当时在建的夏德大厦72楼!而且,饥饿的动物们从我们的花园里和我们扔掉的垃圾中找寻到大量的食物。

One thing crucial to the increasing number of"urban animals"istheir ability to adapt. There is evidence that urban racoons are more intelligent than their wild cousins, as they frequently have

to figure out difficult problems such as how to open rubbish binsand other containers which they would not find in the wild.Some animals have even changed their living habits to fit in with their new homes. Although naturally active at night, urban foxes come out in daylight if the reward is good enough. Their city location also means that they are getting a taste for the multicultural cuisine on offer from the garbage, such as hamburgers, lamb kebabs and even garlic bread!

对这些越来越多的“城市动物”来说,适应能力是关键。有证据显示,和野生的浣熊相比,城市里的浣熊更聪明,因为它们时常要想办法解决难题,比如怎么打开垃圾桶以及其他在野外不会见到的容器。为了适应新的家园,有些动物甚至改变了习性。尽管狐狸天生昼伏夜出,但如果回报足够丰厚,城市里的狐狸会在白天出来。城市的位置也意味着,它们可以吃到来自垃圾里的多元文化的菜肴,比如汉堡包、烤羊肉串甚至香蒜面包!

For those animals that don't adapt. the city can be a dangerousor even deadly place. Unable to distinguish between blue sky and glass, birds crash into windows at speeds of about 30 miles per hour. Recent studies estimate that between 400 million and 1 billion birds die from window impacts each year in the US alone Shockingly, these deaths amount to around ten per cent of the

total US bird population. Some species are more affected thanothers. One theory behind this is that these birds have yet to change their migratory routes that take them through cities with

high-rise buildings.

对无法适应环境的动物来说,城市是个危险甚至致命的地方。无法分辨蓝天和玻璃的鸟类会以每小时50千米的速度撞向窗户。近期研究估计,仅在美国,每年就有4亿到10亿只鸟因撞向窗户而亡。令人震惊的是,这一死亡数量约占全美鸟类总量的10%。有些种类的鸟受此影响更大。一种理论认为,这些鸟类的迁徙路线让它们穿过这些有高楼大厦的城市,而它们还没有调整路线。

However they adapt to our ways of urban living, it's importantthat we get a better understanding of and even learn to appreciate our wild neighbors. Only then can we look towards harmoniously sharing our urban habitats. Whatever the reasons behind these species entering our cities, one thing is for sure-as it's often a means of their survival, they could be with us to stay.

不论它们如何适应我们的城市生活,更好地理解甚至学会欣赏我们的野生邻居是非常重要的。只有那时,我们才能展望与它们和谐分享城市栖息地的未来。无论这些物种为什么进入我们的城市,有一件事是肯定的——既然它们这么做通常是为了生存,那么它们就可以留下来和我们一起生活。

Plan B: Life on Mars?

B计划:在火星上生活?

In the 1960s and 1970s. the greatest fear was that the humanrace, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet, could be wiped out by nuclear missiles, just at the push of a button Today, however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk, such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst what can we do if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life? What is our Plan B for

Earth?

在20世纪60、70年代,最大的恐惧是,只需按下一个按钮,人类----甚至可能是地球,上所有的高级生命体----就可能被核导弹彻底毀灭。然而今天,环境问题已经变成地球上的生命面临的最大威胁。科学家们正在思考降低这一风险的方法,例如用各种可再生能源替代煤炭和石油。但他们也在做最坏的打算:如果《后天》等电影中的恐怖场景发生在现实生活中,我们该怎么办?对地球,我们的B计划是什么?

One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live onthem. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than that of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times, and today our interest in Martain exploration is greater than ever before. Films such as The Martian enjoy worldwide popularity. More governments and organisations are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet, for example, the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert of the US and the Mars Village in North-west China’s Qinghai Province.

一种选择是探索其他星球,看看我们能否在上面生活。最有可能的选择是火星,它离地球相对较近,环境不像其他行星那么恶劣。火星自古以来就吸引着人们,我们现在对探索火星的兴趣比以往任何时候都更浓厚。像《火星救援》这样的电影在全世界都很受欢迎。越来越多的政府和组织正在努力对公众进行有关“红色星球”的教育,例如美国犹他州的火星沙漠研究站和中国西北部青海省的火星村。

Since the 1960s, nave been sending unmanned spacecraft toMars. Our probes have orbited the planet, sending back valuable data and stunning images. Our robots have explored the Martian surface, testing the soil and searching for resources, water and signs of life. Encouraged by discoveries over the years, space agencies of various countries are planning manned missions to Mars that could take place within the next 25 years.

自20世纪60年代以来,我们一直在向火星发射无人飞船。我们的探测器已经绕火星轨道运行,并发回了宝贵的数据和令人惊叹的图像。我们的机器人已经探索了火星表面,测试了土壤并且在寻找资源、水和生命的迹象。受到多年来这些发现的鼓舞,各国航天机构正计划在未来25年内进行载人飞船登陆火星的任务。

There is no doubt that humankind is drawn towards Mars. Withdreams of making it our second home. However, sending people there will require all the skill, courage and intelligence of the human race. While the moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely they may not be able to return to Earth-ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment, not impossible. As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. It consisted of a closed space in which people, animals and plants could live together. The closed" concept meant that the space was designed to function with its own oxygen, food and water needing nothing from the outside world. Although the two-year experiment was not a success, it did provide us with a better understanding of how humans might be able to live on another planet. More recently, scientists have succeeded in growing a variety of plants in an environment similar to that on Mars. That definitely is a big step forward.

毫无疑问,人类被火星所吸引,梦想着把它作为我们的第二家园。然而,把人类送上火星将要求人类具备所有的技能、勇气和智慧。到达月球只需要几天的时间,而到达火星却需要数月的时间,并且其间要经历危险的太阳辐射。而且即使第一批开拓者安全抵达火星,他们可能永远无法再回到地球。活着将会成为一个日常挑战,但正如“生物圈2号”实验所证明的,这也并非完全不可能。早在20世纪80年代科学家们就在亚利桑那州的沙漠中建造了“生物圏2号”。

它包括一个封闭的空间,人、动物和植物可以生活在一起。“封闭”的概念意味着这个空间被设计成依靠自身的氧气、食物和水来运作,而不需要外界的任何东西。尽管为期两年的实验并不成功,但它确实让我们更好地了解了人类如何能够在另一个星球上生活。最近,科学家们成功地在类似火星的环境中种植了各种各样的植物。这无疑是向前迈出的一大步。

For now, human settlement of Mars is still decades away. In themeantime, scientific research shows that the planet Earth is getting warmer. This change is being caused by human activity and is having a terrible effect on the biosphere. Until we are finally able to live on another planet, we need to take much better care of our own. Right now, it's the only one we have!

到日前为止,人类要在火星上定居还需要几十年的时间。同时,科学研究表明地球正在变暖。这种变化是由人类活动引起的,而且对生物圈产生了严重的影响。在我们最终能够生活在另一个星球上之前,我们需要更好地保护好我们自己的星球。现在,它是我们唯一个赖以生存的星球!

往期推荐

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