- Published on
恐龙化石引发的19世纪思想革命
- Authors
这场横跨七十年的思想变革与文艺复兴后期的天文学家所引发的变革一样深刻。
双语精读
Jurassic spark
侏罗纪思想火花
An intellectual revolution began in 1811 when Mary Anning, a 12-year-old living in Lyme Regis, a harbour town in south-west England, excavated the first fossil of a marine reptile, the Ichthyosaurus.
1811年，一场思想革命开始了，当时12岁的玛丽·安宁居住在英格兰西南部的一个港口小镇莱姆里杰斯，她挖出了一种海洋爬行动物的第一块化石，这种动物就是鱼龙。
It culminated in 1881 with the opening of the Natural History Museum in London, imperial capital of the world, by Richard Owen.
1881年，理查德·欧文在帝国主义世界的首都伦敦开设了自然历史博物馆，将这场革命推向了高潮。
Those seven decades spanned a change in thinking as profound as that triggered by the astronomers of the late Renaissance-and as disturbing to the established church. (In this case, the threatened church was that of England, not Rome.)
这场横跨七十年的思想变革与文艺复兴后期的天文学家所引发的变革一样深刻，对国家教会来说也一样令人不安。（这一次，受到威胁的是英格兰教会，而不是罗马教会。）
Fossils sparked a revelation of biblical proportions: God had not created the world in six days a few thousand years before, as so many believed.
化石引发了一个有关《圣经》的启示：上帝并没有像许多人相信的那样，在几千年前用六天时间创造了世界。
"Impossible Monsters" is a story about time-or, rather, two parallel stories. In one, time moves forward, as the players take turns making remarkable discoveries that help advance science and humans' understanding of their place in the world.
《不可能的怪兽》是一个关于时间的故事，或者说，是两个平行故事。在其中一个故事中，时间向前推移，不同人物轮番上场，做出非同凡响的发现，帮助科学界和人类进一步理解自己在世界上所处的位置。
In the second, it moves backwards, as the years needed to accommodate the findings of geologists and naturalists expand from thousands, to hundreds of thousands, to millions, pushing the date of "Creation" further away.
在第二个故事中，时间向后移动，为了把地质学家和博物学家的发现纳入历史，所需的岁月从数千年延长到数十万年，再到数百万年，从而将“上帝创世”的日期往后推得更远。
In writing "Impossible Monsters", the task of Michael Taylor, a historian, was to tell a much-told tale better than it had been told before. He has succeeded splendidly.
在写《不可能的怪兽》时，历史学家迈克尔·泰勒的任务是把一个讲过多遍的故事叙述得比以前更精彩。而他取得了辉煌的成功。
The cast is many and varied, including Anning, a lowly fossil-seller, who achieved international fame through her discoveries-Ichthyosaurus was but the first-yet was barred from joining the Royal Geological Society because of her sex.
书中的人物众多且五花八门，包括一个地位低下的化石销售商安宁，她因为发现化石而获得了国际声誉——鱼龙化石只是众多发现的第一个——但由于是女性而被禁止加入皇家地质学会。
Some of the characters are familiar, like Charles Darwin. But many are less well known, such as Alfred Russel Wallace, a collector and seller of tropical specimens, who devised the idea of natural selection independently.
有些人物为人熟知，比如查尔斯·达尔文。但许多人并不是那么出名，比如阿尔弗雷德·罗素·华莱士，他是热带标本的收藏家和商人，独立地提出了自然选择理论。
Thomas Huxley, Darwin's self-appointed "bulldog", became chief mover and shaker for all things official and scientific in Victorian Britain.
托马斯·赫胥黎自封为达尔文的“斗犬”，成为维多利亚时代英国的所有官方和科学事务的重要推动者。
But Mr Taylor also conveys a sense of just how risky it was to believe in and promulgate the new ideas tied to the rocks and tropical forests where people hunted for specimens.
但泰勒先生也传达了一种感觉，即相信和传播那些与石头、热带森林有关的新思想是多么危险，许多标本都是人们从热带森林里搜寻而来的。
Even Darwin, wealthy and well-connected (and at one point himself destined for the church), at first lived in fear of the disgrace that might accrue if his ideas became public.
即使是富有且人脉广泛的达尔文（他自己曾经也注定要去教会任职）起初也生活在恐惧中，担心一旦自己的思想被公开，可能会名誉扫地。
词汇预习
risky [高考]
美[ˈrɪski] | 英[ˈrɪski]
adj. 危险的；冒险的；大胆的
fame [高考]
美[feɪm] | 英[feɪm]
n. 名声；名望 vt. 使出名
selection [高考]
美[sɪˈlekʃn] | 英[sɪˈlekʃn]
n. 选择；挑选；挑选出来的人或事
fossil [高考]
美[ˈfɑːsl] | 英[ˈfɒsl]
n. 化石；食古不化的人；守旧的事物
remarkable [高考]
美[rɪˈmɑːrkəbl] | 英[rɪˈmɑːkəbl]
adj. 非凡的；值得注意的；显著的；异常的；卓越的
marine [高考]
美[məˈriːn] | 英[məˈriːn]
adj. 海的；海事的；海生的；航海的 n. 海运业；船舶；水兵
seller [高考]
美[ˈsɛlɚ] | 英[ˈselə(r)]
n. 卖方；售货者；畅销品
intellectual [高考]
美[ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl] | 英[ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl]
n. 凭理智做事者；知识分子 adj. 智力的；聪明的
profound [高考]
美[prəˈfaʊnd] | 英[prəˈfaʊnd]
adj. 深奥的；渊博的；极度的；意义深远的
advance [高考]
美[ədˈvæns] | 英[ədˈvɑːns]
n. 前进；进展；预付金 v. 前进；预付；增长；推进 adj. 预先的；提前的
expand [高考]
美[ɪkˈspænd] | 英[ɪkˈspænd]
v. 使 ... 膨胀；详述；扩张；增加；张开
revolution [高考]
美[ˌrevəˈluːʃn] | 英[ˌrevəˈluːʃn]
n. 革命；变革；重大改变；旋转
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
wealthy [高考]
美[ˈwelθi] | 英[ˈwelθi]
adj. 富有的 n. 富人
harbour [高考]
美[ˈhɑːrbər] | 英[ˈhɑːbə(r)]
n. 港口；避难所 vt. 庇护；心怀；窝藏 vi. 进入避祸所；躲藏
sex [高考]
美[seks] | 英[seks]
n. 性别；性欲；性 vt. 区别 ... 性别；引起 ... 性欲
cast [高考]
美[kæst] | 英[kɑːst]
v. 掷；抛；投；铸造；指定演员；加起来；投射(目光)；投(票)；预测 n. 演员阵容；投掷；[医]固定用敷料
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
parallel [高考]
美[ˈpærəlel] | 英[ˈpærəlel]
adj. 平行的；相同的；类似的；并联的 n. 平行线（面）；相似物；类比；纬线 v. 使平行；与…媲美；与…相比；与…相似
living [高考]
美[ˈlɪvɪŋ] | 英[ˈlɪvɪŋ]
adj. 活着的；生动的 n. 生活；生计
thinking [高考]
美[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ] | 英[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ]
n. 思考；思想 adj. 好思考的；有理性的
further [高考]
美[ˈfɜːrðər] | 英[ˈfɜːðə(r)]
adv. 更远地，再往前地；进一步；此外，而且 adj. 更多的，进一步的；（距离上）更远的，较远的 v. 促进，推进
accommodate [高考]
美[əˈkɑːmədeɪt] | 英[əˈkɒmədeɪt]
v. 容纳；顺应；提供住宿（或膳宿、座位等）；提供空间
imperial [高考]
美[ɪmˈpɪriəl] | 英[ɪmˈpɪəriəl]
adj. 帝国的；皇帝的；特大的；英制的 n. 皇帝；女皇；马车车顶；特大号
reptile [高考]
美[ˈreptaɪl] | 英[ˈreptaɪl]
n. 爬行动物；卑鄙的人 adj. 爬虫类的
tropical [高考]
美[ˈtrɑːpɪkl] | 英[ˈtrɒpɪkl]
adj. 热带的；炎热的；热带植物的
disturbing [高考]
美[dɪˈstɜːrbɪŋ] | 英[dɪˈstɜːbɪŋ]
adj. 烦扰的；担心的；令人不安的
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
spark [四级]
美[spɑːrk] | 英[spɑːk]
vi. 闪烁；冒火花；热情回应 vt. 激发；引起；向...求爱 n. 火星；朝气；情人；俗丽的年轻人
independently [四级]
美[ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəntlɪ] | 英[ˌɪndɪ'pendəntlɪ]
adv. 独立地；自立地
revelation [四级]
美[ˌrevəˈleɪʃn] | 英[ˌrevəˈleɪʃn]
n. 揭露；泄露；发觉；启示
historian [四级]
美[hɪˈstɔːriən] | 英[hɪˈstɔːriən]
n. 历史学家；编史者
take turns [四级]
美[teɪk 'tɜːnz] | 英[teɪk 'tɜːnz]
替换，轮流;轮换;更替;倒换
backwards [四级]
美[ˈbækwərdz] | 英[ˈbækwədz]
adv. 向后；倒；往回
disgrace [六级]
美[dɪsˈɡreɪs] | 英[dɪsˈɡreɪs]
n. 耻辱 v. 耻辱；丢脸
accrue [专八]
美[əˈkru] | 英[əˈkru:]
vi. 自然增加；积累；生成 vt. 积累
Victorian [考研]
美[vɪkˈtɔriən, -ˈtor-] | 英[vɪkˈtɔ:riən]
adj. 维多利亚女王时代的；英国维多利亚女王时代的 n. 维多利亚时代；维多利亚女王时代的人
well-connected [考研]
美['welkən'ektɪd] | 英['welkən'ektɪd]
adj. 精心构思的；出身名门的；有好亲戚的；血统关系好的
God [考研]
美[ɡɑːd] | 英[ɡɒd]
n. 神；偶像；(复数)[英]剧院顶层楼座的观众；(大写)上帝 int. 天呐
varied [托福]
美[ˈverid] | 英[ˈveərid]
adj. 各种各样的
重点讲解
Jurassic spark
侏罗纪思想火花
excavate v. 发掘（古物）
【例】to excavate weapons from the burial site
从墓地发掘出兵器
【近义词】dig/unearth v. 挖
【拓展】cave n. 洞
An intellectual revolution began in 1811 when Mary Anning, a 12-year-old living in Lyme Regis, a harbour town in south-west England, excavated the first fossil of a marine reptile, the Ichthyosaurus.
1811年，一场思想革命开始了，当时12岁的玛丽·安宁居住在英格兰西南部的一个港口小镇莱姆里杰斯，她挖出了一种海洋爬行动物的第一块化石，这种动物就是鱼龙。
excavate v. 发掘（古物）
【例】to excavate weapons from the burial site
从墓地发掘出兵器
【近义词】dig/unearth v. 挖
【拓展】cave n. 洞
It culminated in 1881 with the opening of the Natural History Museum in London, imperial capital of the world, by Richard Owen.
1881年，理查德·欧文在帝国主义世界的首都伦敦开设了自然历史博物馆，将这场革命推向了高潮。
culminate v. 达到高潮；达到最终阶段
【例】The music festival culminated in the performance by Retro.
音乐节最后在重塑乐队的表演中达到了高潮。
【近义词】reach a climax 达到高潮
span v. 横跨；覆盖（范围）
【例】His acting career spanned 50 years.
他的演艺生涯长达50年。
The operation spanned six countries.
这场行动涉及6个国家。
His effort spanned several decades.
他下了几十年的功夫。
Those seven decades spanned a change in thinking as profound as that triggered by the astronomers of the late Renaissance—and as disturbing to the established church. (In this case, the threatened church was that of England, not Rome.)
这场横跨七十年的思想变革与文艺复兴后期的天文学家所引发的变革一样深刻，对国家教会来说也一样令人不安。（这一次，受到威胁的是英格兰教会，而不是罗马教会。）
culminate v. 达到高潮；达到最终阶段
【例】The music festival culminated in the performance by Retro.
音乐节最后在重塑乐队的表演中达到了高潮。
【近义词】reach a climax 达到高潮
span v. 横跨；覆盖（范围）
【例】His acting career spanned 50 years.
他的演艺生涯长达50年。
The operation spanned six countries.
这场行动涉及6个国家。
His effort spanned several decades.
他下了几十年的功夫。
Fossils sparked a revelation of biblical proportions: God had not created the world in six days a few thousand years before, as so many believed.
化石引发了一个有关《圣经》的启示：上帝并没有像许多人相信的那样，在几千年前用六天时间创造了世界。
proportion n.
1. 比例；份额
【例】The head is out of proportion with the body.
头部和身体不成比例。
2. （复数）规模；程度
【例】a mistake of major proportions 重大错误
reduce the problem to manageable proportions
把问题缩小到可控制的范围
The food shortage has reached crisis proportions.
粮食短缺达到了危机程度。
advance v. 促进；使进步
【例】to advance one’s career 促进某人的职业发展
to advance the cause of peace 促进和平事业
【近义词】promote/push forward 推进；使进步
“Impossible Monsters” is a story about time—or, rather, two parallel stories. In one, time moves forward, as the players take turns making remarkable discoveries that help advance science and humans’ understanding of their place in the world.
《不可能的怪兽》是一个关于时间的故事，或者说，是两个平行故事。在其中一个故事中，时间向前推移，不同人物轮番上场，做出非同凡响的发现，帮助科学界和人类进一步理解自己在世界上所处的位置。
proportion n.
1. 比例；份额
【例】The head is out of proportion with the body.
头部和身体不成比例。
2. （复数）规模；程度
【例】a mistake of major proportions 重大错误
reduce the problem to manageable proportions
把问题缩小到可控制的范围
The food shortage has reached crisis proportions.
粮食短缺达到了危机程度。
advance v. 促进；使进步
【例】to advance one’s career 促进某人的职业发展
to advance the cause of peace 促进和平事业
【近义词】promote/push forward 推进；使进步
In the second, it moves backwards, as the years needed to accommodate the findings of geologists and naturalists expand from thousands, to hundreds of thousands, to millions, pushing the date of “Creation” further away.
在第二个故事中，时间向后移动，为了把地质学家和博物学家的发现纳入历史，所需的岁月从数千年延长到数十万年，再到数百万年，从而将“上帝创世”的日期往后推得更远。
accommodate v.
1. 容纳；提供空间
【例】The table can accommodate ten diners.
这张餐桌可坐10个人。
2. 适应；顺应
【例】to accommodate oneself to changed circumstances
使自己适应改变了的情势
In writing “Impossible Monsters”, the task of Michael Taylor, a historian, was to tell a much-told tale better than it had been told before. He has succeeded splendidly.
在写《不可能的怪兽》时，历史学家迈克尔·泰勒的任务是把一个讲过多遍的故事叙述得比以前更精彩。而他取得了辉煌的成功。
varied adj. 各不相同的；丰富的
【例】varied opinions 众说纷纭
a full and varied life 丰富多彩的生活
【近义词】diverse/various adj. 多样的
【拓展】vary v. 不同；有差异
be barred from sth/doing sth 被阻止做某事
【例】The kids were barred from swimming in the pond.
不准孩子们在池塘里游泳。
【近义词】be prevented/prohibited/banned from sth/doing sth
被阻止/禁止做某事
The cast is many and varied, including Anning, a lowly fossil-seller, who achieved international fame through her discoveries—Ichthyosaurus was but the first—yet was barred from joining the Royal Geological Society because of her sex.
书中的人物众多且五花八门，包括一个地位低下的化石销售商安宁，她因为发现化石而获得了国际声誉——鱼龙化石只是众多发现的第一个——但由于是女性而被禁止加入皇家地质学会。
varied adj. 各不相同的；丰富的
【例】varied opinions 众说纷纭
a full and varied life 丰富多彩的生活
【近义词】diverse/various adj. 多样的
【拓展】vary v. 不同；有差异
be barred from sth/doing sth 被阻止做某事
【例】The kids were barred from swimming in the pond.
不准孩子们在池塘里游泳。
【近义词】be prevented/prohibited/banned from sth/doing sth
被阻止/禁止做某事
Some of the characters are familiar, like Charles Darwin. But many are less well known, such as Alfred Russel Wallace, a collector and seller of tropical specimens, who devised the idea of natural selection independently.
有些人物为人熟知，比如查尔斯·达尔文。但许多人并不是那么出名，比如阿尔弗雷德·罗素·华莱士，他是热带标本的收藏家和商人，独立地提出了自然选择理论。
specimen n. 样本；标本
【例】a butterfly specimen 蝴蝶标本
The church is a magnificent specimen of baroque architecture.
这座宏伟的教堂是巴洛克建筑的典型样本。
mover and shaker 重要的推动者；有影响力的人
【例】a political mover and shaker
在政坛上叱咤风云的人
【近义词】power player/key figure 风云人物
Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s self-appointed “bulldog”, became chief mover and shaker for all things official and scientific in Victorian Britain.
托马斯·赫胥黎自封为达尔文的“斗犬”，成为维多利亚时代英国的所有官方和科学事务的重要推动者。
specimen n. 样本；标本
【例】a butterfly specimen 蝴蝶标本
The church is a magnificent specimen of baroque architecture.
这座宏伟的教堂是巴洛克建筑的典型样本。
mover and shaker 重要的推动者；有影响力的人
【例】a political mover and shaker
在政坛上叱咤风云的人
【近义词】power player/key figure 风云人物
But Mr Taylor also conveys a sense of just how risky it was to believe in and promulgate the new ideas tied to the rocks and tropical forests where people hunted for specimens.
但泰勒先生也传达了一种感觉，即相信和传播那些与石头、热带森林有关的新思想是多么危险，许多标本都是人们从热带森林里搜寻而来的。
promulgate v. 传播（思想）；颁布（法律）
【例】to promulgate Christian beliefs/a law/regulations
传播基督教信仰/颁布法律/发布规定
【近义词】spread/disseminate v. 传播；宣扬
release/enact v. 出台；颁布；公布
well-connected adj. 人脉广的；与重要人物有往来的
【例】She is well-connected in the industry, which gives her access to insights and opportunities that others may not have.
她在行业内有很多人脉，这让她能够获得其他人可能没有的洞见和机会。
【拓展】connection n. 亲戚；熟人；有社交关系的人
【例】She has a lot of business connections in the advertising industry.
她在广告行业有很多生意上的熟人。
accrue v. 产生；形成；积累
【例】Little benefit will accrue to the city from the new transport links.
新的交通路线不会给城市带来多少好处。
Great benefits has accrued to society as a result of education.
教育使社会得益无穷。
Even Darwin, wealthy and well-connected (and at one point himself destined for the church), at first lived in fear of the disgrace that might accrue if his ideas became public.
即使是富有且人脉广泛的达尔文（他自己曾经也注定要去教会任职）起初也生活在恐惧中，担心一旦自己的思想被公开，可能会名誉扫地。
promulgate v. 传播（思想）；颁布（法律）
【例】to promulgate Christian beliefs/a law/regulations
传播基督教信仰/颁布法律/发布规定
【近义词】spread/disseminate v. 传播；宣扬
release/enact v. 出台；颁布；公布
well-connected adj. 人脉广的；与重要人物有往来的
【例】She is well-connected in the industry, which gives her access to insights and opportunities that others may not have.
她在行业内有很多人脉，这让她能够获得其他人可能没有的洞见和机会。
【拓展】connection n. 亲戚；熟人；有社交关系的人
【例】She has a lot of business connections in the advertising industry.
她在广告行业有很多生意上的熟人。
accrue v. 产生；形成；积累
【例】Little benefit will accrue to the city from the new transport links.
新的交通路线不会给城市带来多少好处。
Great benefits has accrued to society as a result of education.
教育使社会得益无穷。
课后练习
What was the significance of the 19th-century intellectual revolution?
A. It demonstrated the advancements in fossil excavation techniques.
B. It witnessed the establishment of the first museum in London.
C. It changed people’s belief about the origins of the Earth.
D. It highlighted the importance of the Renaissance astronomers.
What does the “two parallel stories” mean?
A. It lists the historical events in a chronological order.
B. It alternates between fictional and factual accounts.
C. It tells the story through the eyes of a central character.
D. It introduces both the historical figures and their discoveries of the past.
What can be learned about the characters in “Impossible Monsters”?
A. It focuses on the well-known figures like Charles Darwin.
B. It provides information about unknown contributors to the science.
C. Anning’s discoveries were not recognized by the Royal Geological Society.
D. Darwin’s theories were based on Alfred Russel Wallace’s idea of natural selection.
What was Darwin afraid of according to the text?
A. The lack of evidence to prove his ideas.
B. Being appointed to a position within the church.
C. The possibility of being despised for not believing in God.
D. The risks involved with hunting for specimens in the forest.