万物简史 第113期:势不两立的科学(14)

 In the district of Sydenham in south London, at a place called Crystal Palace Park, there stands a strange and forgotten sight: the world's first life-sized models of dinosaurs¹. Not many people travel there these days, but once this was one of the most popular attractions in London—in effect, as Richard Fortey has noted², the world's first theme park.

在伦敦南部的西德纳姆区，有个地方名叫水晶宫公园。那里耸立着一片被人遗忘的奇观：世界上第一批实物大小的恐龙模型。近来去那里的人不太多，但一度这里是伦敦游客最多的胜地之一——事实上，正如理查德·福蒂说的，它是世界上第一个主题公园。

Quite a lot about the models is not strictly³ correct. The iguanodon's thumb has been placed on its nose, as a kind of spike⁴, and it stands on four sturdy legs, making it look like a rather stout⁵ and awkwardly overgrown dog. (In life, the iguanodon did not crouch⁶ on all fours, but was bipedal.) Looking at them now you would scarcely guess that these odd and lumbering⁷ beasts could cause great rancor⁸ and bitterness, but they did. Perhaps nothing in natural history has been at the center of fiercer and more enduring hatreds⁹ than the line of ancient beasts known as dinosaurs.

严格来说，那些模型在许多方面是不正确的。禽龙的大拇指顶在鼻子上，变成了一根尖刺；它长着四条粗壮的腿，看上去像一条肥肥胖胖、不成比例的狗。（其实，禽龙不用四条腿蹲着，而是一种两足动物。）现在望着它们，你几乎想不到这些古怪而行动缓慢的动物会引起积怨和仇恨，但事实却是如此。在自然史上，也许从来没有哪种动物像名叫恐龙的古代动物那样成为强烈而又持久的仇恨的中心。

At the time of the dinosaurs' construction, Sydenham was on the edge of London and its spacious¹⁰ park was considered an ideal place to re-erect the famous Crystal Palace, the glass and cast-iron structure that had been the centerpiece of the Great Exhibition of 1851, and from which the new park naturally took its name. The dinosaurs, built of concrete, were a kind of bonus attraction. On New Year's Eve 1853 a famous dinner for twenty-one prominent scientists was held inside the unfinished iguanodon. Gideon Mantell, the man who had found and identified the iguanodon, was not among them. The person at the head of the table was the greatest star of the young science of paleontology. His name was Richard Owen and by this time he had already devoted¹¹ several productive years to making Gideon Mantell's life hell.

建造恐龙模型的时候，西德纳姆位于伦敦边缘，宽敞的公园被认为是重建著名的水晶宫的理想之地。玻璃和铸铁结构的水晶宫曾是1851年博览会的中心场所。新建的公园很自然地以此冠名。用混凝土建成的恐龙模型是一种很有经济效益的景观。1853年除夕，在尚未完工的禽龙模型内为21名科学家举行了一次著名的晚宴。那位发现并确认禽龙的人吉迪恩·曼特尔不在其中。坐在餐桌上手的是古生物学这门年轻的科学里最伟大的人物，他的名字叫理查德·欧文。到这个时候，他已经花费几年心血，成果累累，害得吉迪思·曼特尔的日子很不好过。

1 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

4 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

5 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

6 crouch   

v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏

参考例句：

• I crouched on the ground.我蹲在地上。
• He crouched down beside him.他在他的旁边蹲下来。

7 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

8 rancor   

n.深仇，积怨

参考例句：

• I have no rancor against him.我对他无怨无仇。
• Their rancor dated from a political dogfight between them.他们的积怨来自于他们之间在政治上的狗咬狗。

9 hatreds   

n.仇恨，憎恶( hatred的名词复数 )；厌恶的事

参考例句：

• He had more enimies and hatreds than anyone could easily guess from his thoughtful expression. 从他的思想表达方式难以被人猜透来看，他的敌人和仇家是不会多的。 来自辞典例句
• All the old and recent hatreds come to his mind. 旧恨新仇一起涌上他的心头。 来自互联网

10 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。