万物简史 第355期:孤独的行星(20)

 　　Nor does abundance necessarily relate to importance. 风度与重要程度也不一定有关系。

　　Carbon is only the fifteenth most common element, accounting¹ for a very modest 0.048 percent of Earth's crust, but we would be lost without it. 碳只居第15位。占地壳的可怜粑粑的0.048%，但是没有碳就没有我们。

　　What sets the carbon atom apart is that it is shamelessly promiscuous². 碳的与众不同之处，在于它不知羞耻地与别的元素都混得来。

　　It is the party animal of the atomic world, latching³ on to many other atoms (including itself) 它是元素世界的交际花，缠住许多别的原子（包括自己），

　　and holding tight, forming molecular⁴ conga lines of hearty⁵ robustness—the very trick of nature necessary to build proteins and DNA⁶. 紧紧搂住不放，结成了称心如意而又极为牢固的分子康茄舞伴——大自然创建蛋白质和DNA（脱氧核糖核酸）的奥秘就在这里。

　　As Paul Davies has written: "If it wasn't for carbon, life as we know it would be impossible. 正如保罗·戴维斯写的那样：“要是没有碳，我们所知的生命就不可能出现。

　　Probably any sort of life would be impossible." 很可能任何种类的生命都不可能出现。”

　　Yet carbon is not all that plentiful⁷ even in humans, who so vitally depend on it. 然而，虽然我们那样离不开碳，但连我们体内的碳含量也不是那么丰富。

　　Of every 200 atoms in your body, 126 are hydrogen, 51 are oxygen, and just 19 are carbon. 你体内每200个原子当中，有126个氢原子，51个氧原子和19个碳原子。

　　(Of the remaining four, three are nitrogen and the remaining atom is divided among all the other elements.) （在剩下的4个原子当中，有3个是氮原子，余下一个由所有别的元素瓜分。）

　　Other elements are critical not for creating life but for sustaining it. 别的元素也很重要，但不是对于创造生命，而是对于维持生命。

　　We need iron to manufacture hemoglobin, and without it we would die. 我们需要铁来制造血红蛋白S，没有铁，我们就会死亡。

　　Cobalt is necessary for the creation of vitamin B12. 钴对于制造B12是必不可少的。

　　Potassium and a very little sodium⁸ are literally⁹ good for your nerves. 钾和一丁点儿钠对神经系统有明显的好处。

　　Molybdenum, manganese, and vanadium help to keep your enzymes¹⁰ purring. 钼、锰和钒有助于保持酶的活力。

　　Zinc—bless it— oxidizes alcohol. 锌——愿神保佑它——能氧化酒精。

1 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

2 promiscuous   

adj.杂乱的，随便的

参考例句：

• They were taking a promiscuous stroll when it began to rain.他们正在那漫无目的地散步，突然下起雨来。
• Alec know that she was promiscuous and superficial.亚历克知道她是乱七八糟和浅薄的。

3 latching   

n.闭塞；闭锁；关闭；闭塞装置v.理解( latch的现在分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上）

参考例句：

• They have a reputation for latching onto all the latest crazes. 大家都知道他们对所有的最新时尚都有兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sometimes we should tolerate people's mistakes instead of latching on to them. 有的时候我们要能够容错，不要揪着对方的失误不放。 来自互联网

4 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

5 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

7 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

8 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。