TED演讲：宏观历史(5)

 　　Now, the going gets tougher. The next stage introduces entities¹ that are significantly more fragile, significantly more vulnerable, 现在，（变化的条件）就更加苛刻了。下一个阶段是初次形成的个体，个体是明显更加弱小，更加脆弱的，

　　but they're also much more creative and much more capable of generating further complexity². 但是它们也更加有创造力，也更加有能力创造更多的复杂性。

　　I'm talking, of course, about living organisms. 当然，我说的是生命个体。

　　Living organisms are created by chemistry. We are huge packages of chemicals. 生命个体是有化学物质组成的。我们是大量化学物质的集合。

　　So, chemistry is dominated by the electromagnetic force. 化学是被电子磁场力所控制。

　　That operates over smaller scales than gravity, which explains why you and I are smaller than stars or planets. 这运用在比重力场更小范围的地方，这也解释了为什么你和我要比那恒星和行星小。

　　Now, what are the ideal conditions for chemistry? What are the Goldilocks conditions? 现在，什么才是化学物质的理想环境呢？什么才是黄金条件呢？

　　Well, first, you need energy, but not too much. 首先，你需要能量，但是不需要太多。

　　In the center of a star, there's so much energy that any atoms that combine will just get busted³ apart again. But not too little. 在恒星的内部有着巨大的能量，以至于任何原子结合之后就会重新分开。但是也不要太少。

　　In intergalactic space, there's so little energy that atoms can't combine. 在银河系中，只有一点点的能量，以至于原子都无法结合。

　　What you want is just the right amount, and planets, it turns out, are just right, because they're close to stars, but not too close. 你要的就是那刚刚好的量，它也证明，行星的适量是刚刚适中的，因为它们接近恒星了，但也不是太接近。

　　You also need a great diversity of chemical elements, and you need liquids, such as water. Why? 你也需要各种化学元素，同时你也需要液体比如水。为什么？

　　Well, in gases, atoms move past each other so fast that they can't hitch⁴ up. 因为在气体的环境，相互间原子的运动如此的快，以至于它们不能结合。

　　In solids, atoms are stuck together, they can't move. In liquids, they can cruise and cuddle and link up to form molecules⁵. 在固体的环境下，原子被固定在一起，它们不能运动。在液体环境下，它们能游动和碰撞，也能结合形成分子。

　　Now, where do you find such Goldilocks conditions? Well, planets are great, and our early Earth was almost perfect. 那在哪里你才能找到这些黄金条件呢？行星就是不错的，我们早期的地球几乎就是完美的。

　　It was just the right distance from its star to contain huge oceans of liquid water. 它和其他恒星之间距离适中，以此形成了大量的液态水的海洋。

　　And deep beneath those oceans, at cracks in the Earth's crust, 在这些海洋下方地壳的断层中，

　　you've got heat seeping⁶ up from inside the Earth, and you've got a great diversity of elements. 你能从地球内部渗透出热量，而且你也能得到各种原子。

　　So at those deep oceanic vents⁷, fantastic chemistry began to happen, and atoms combined in all sorts of exotic combinations. 所以在这些深海的开口上，奇妙的化学变化开始进行，原子结合成奇异的混合物。

1 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

2 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

3 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

4 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

5 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

6 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

7 vents   

（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩

参考例句：

• He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
• The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。