万物简史 第342期:孤独的行星(7)

 　　His idea of a vacation was to travel to Cornwall to study hookworm in miners. 去康沃尔研究矿工们的钩虫病算是他的假日。

　　Aldous Huxley, the novelist grandson of T. H. Huxley, who lived with the Haldanes for a time, T.H.赫胥黎的孙子、小说家奥尔德斯·赫胥黎曾和霍尔丹夫妇一起生活过一段时间，

　　parodied¹ him, a touch mercilessly, as the scientist Edward Tantamount in the novel Point Counter Point. 有点残忍地以他为原型在小说《对立》中塑造了科学家爱德华·坦特芒特这个人物。

　　Haldane's gift to diving was to work out the rest intervals² necessary to manage an ascent³ from the depths without getting the bends, 霍尔丹对潜水的贡献，在于计算出了从深处上升的过程中为避免得减压病所必须的休息间距。

　　but his interests ranged across the whole of physiology⁴, from studying altitude sickness in climbers to the problems of heatstroke in desert regions. 但是，他的兴趣涵盖生理学的整个领域，从研究登山运动员的高原病，到沙漠地区中暑的问题。

　　He had a particular interest in the effects of toxic⁵ gases on the human body. 他对有毒气体对人体的影响尤其有兴趣。

　　To understand more exactly how carbon monoxide leaks killed miners, 为了更确切地了解泄露的一氧化碳如何夺走矿工的生命，

　　he methodically poisoned himself, carefully taking and measuring his own blood samples the while. 他一面加大自己身体的中毒程度，一面仔细抽取并化验自己的血样。

　　He quit only when he was on the verge⁶ of losing all muscle control and his blood saturation⁷ level had reached 56 percent, 直到全部肌肉快要失去控制，血里的饱和度达到56%，他才煞手。

　　a level as Trevor Norton notes in his entertaining history of diving, Stars Beneath the Sea, only fractionally removed from nearly certain lethality⁸. 特雷弗·诺顿在他趣味性很强的潜水史《海底明星》中指出，这种饱和度里送命只差分毫。

　　Haldane's son Jack⁹, known to posterity¹⁰ as J.B.S., was a remarkable¹¹ prodigy¹² who took an interest in his father's work almost from infancy¹³. 后辈们称霍尔丹的儿子为J.B.S，他是个了不起的奇才，几乎从小对他父亲的工作很有兴趣。

　　At the age of three he was overheard demanding peevishly¹⁴ of his father, "But is it oxyhaemoglobin or carboxyhaemoglobin?" 人们听说，他3岁的时候就生气地问他的父亲：“那不是氧化血红蛋白或羧基血红蛋白吗？”

1 parodied   

v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• All these peculiarities of his style have been parodied by his assailants. 他的所有这些风格特征都受到攻击者模仿嘲弄。 来自互联网
• The above examples are all slightly parodied versions of classical dance steps. 上述例子都可以说是经典舞步的模仿版本。 来自互联网

2 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

3 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

4 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

5 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

6 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

7 saturation   

n.饱和(状态)；浸透

参考例句：

• The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
• Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。

8 lethality   

n.致命性，毁坏性

参考例句：

• Modern weapons have greater range, accuracy, speed, and lethality than anything ever dreamed of before. 现代的武器比从前所梦想的任何武器射得更远，射得更准，速度更快，而且更具有杀伤力。 来自辞典例句
• The Mk 46 provides long-range lethality while engaging small, high-speed, surface targets. 该系统在舰船遭遇小型高速水面目标时将提供远距离的致命杀伤力。 来自互联网

9 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

10 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 prodigy   

n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆

参考例句：

• She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
• He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才，这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。

13 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

14 peevishly   

adv．暴躁地

参考例句：

• Paul looked through his green glasses peevishly when the other speaker brought down the house with applause. 当另一个演说者赢得了满座喝彩声时，保罗心里又嫉妒又气恼。
• "I've been sick, I told you," he said, peevishly, almost resenting her excessive pity. “我生了一场病，我告诉过你了，"他没好气地说，对她的过分怜悯几乎产生了怨恨。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹