万物简史 第360期:进入对流层(1)

 　　17 Into the Troposphere 第十七章 进入对流层

　　Thank goodness for the atmosphere. It keeps us warm. 谢天谢地，我们有了大气。它使我们有了个温暖的环境。

　　Without it, Earth would be a lifeless ball of ice with an average temperature of minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit¹. 没有大气，地球会是个没有生气的冰球，平均温度只有零下50摄氏度。

　　In addition, the atmosphere absorbs or deflects² incoming swarms³ of cosmic rays, charged particles, ultraviolet rays, and the like. 而且，大气吸收或挡开大盘射来的宇宙射线、带电粒子、紫外线等等。

　　Altogether, the gaseous⁴ padding of the atmosphere is equivalent to a fifteen-foot thickness of protective concrete, 总的来说，厚厚的大气相当于4.5米厚的保护性混凝土，

　　and without it these invisible visitors from space would slice through us like tiny daggers⁵. 没有它，来自太空的这些无形访客会像小小的匕首那样捅进我们的身体。

　　Even raindrops would pound us senseless if it weren't for the atmosphere's slowing drag. 没有大气的牵制作用，连雨点也会把我们打昏在地。

　　The most striking thing about our atmosphere is that there isn't very much of it. 最引人注目的是，我们的大气并不很多。

　　It extends upward for about 120 miles, which might seem reasonably bounteous⁶ when viewed from ground level, 它往上伸展至大约190公里处，从地面上看，它也许显得很多，

　　but if you shrank the Earth to the size of a standard desktop⁷ globe it would only be about the thickness of a couple of coats of varnish⁸. 但如果把地球缩小到书桌上地球仪的大小，大气不过是大约一两层漆的厚度。

　　For scientific convenience, the atmosphere is divided into four unequal layers: 科学上为了方便起见，把大气分成4个厚度不等的层次：

　　troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and ionosphere (now often called the thermosphere). 对流层、平流层、中间层和电离层（现在往往又称热层）。

　　The troposphere is the part that's dear to us. 对流层对我们来说是个十分宝贵的部分。

　　It alone contains enough warmth and oxygen to allow us to function, though even it swiftly becomes uncongenial to life as you climb up through it. 仅对流层包含的热量和氧气就足以使我们活下去，虽然你往上穿越对流层的时候，它很快会变成一个对生命来说是不合意的地方。

1 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

2 deflects   

（使）偏斜， （使）偏离， （使）转向( deflect的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This love is so bright that it deflects all darkness. 这个爱如此光明而可以照亮黑暗。
• Level 3-Deflects 15% of damage taken onto a 600 AoE. 三级-将15%的所受伤害反弹给600范围内的所有敌方单位。

3 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

4 gaseous   

adj.气体的，气态的

参考例句：

• Air whether in the gaseous or liquid state is a fluid.空气，无论是气态的或是液态的，都是一种流体。
• Freon exists both in liquid and gaseous states.氟利昂有液态和气态两种形态。

5 daggers   

匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I will speak daggers to her, but use none. 我要用利剑一样的话刺痛她的心，但绝不是真用利剑。
• The world lives at daggers drawn in a cold war. 世界在冷战中剑拨弩张。

6 bounteous   

adj.丰富的

参考例句：

• Because of the spring rains,the farmers had a bounteous crop.因为下了春雨，农夫获得了丰收。
• He has a bounteous imagination.他有丰富的想象力。

7 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

8 varnish   

n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰

参考例句：

• He tried to varnish over the facts,but it was useless.他想粉饰事实，但那是徒劳的。
• He applied varnish to the table.他给那张桌子涂上清漆。