万物简史 第397期:浩瀚的海洋(16)

 　　It was a world independent of sunlight, oxygen, or anything else normally associated with life. 那个世界独立于阳光、氧气和其他通常与生命有关的任何东西。

　　This was a living system based not on photosynthesis¹ but on chemosynthesis, 这种生命体系的基础不是光合作用，而是化学合成。

　　an arrangement that biologists would have dismissed as preposterous² had anyone been imaginative enough to suggest it. 要是哪个想像力丰富的人提出这种安排，生物学家们肯定会认为是很荒谬的。

　　Huge amounts of heat and energy flow from these vents³. 喷气孔释放出大量的热量和能量。

　　Two dozen of them together will produce as much energy as a large power station, and the range of temperatures around them is enormous. 20来个这类喷气孔产生的能量相当于一家大型发电厂；周围温度的变化幅度也很大。

　　The temperature at the point of outflow can be as much as 760 degrees Fahrenheit⁴, 喷口的温度可达400摄氏度，

　　while a few feet away the water may be only two or three degrees above freezing. 而两米外的水温也许只有零上二三摄氏度。

　　A type of worm called an alvinellid was found living right on the margins⁵, with the water temperature 140 degrees warmer at its head than at its tail. 他们发现有一种名叫“阿尔文虫”的软体虫就生活在边缘地带，头部的水温比尾部的水温要高出78摄氏度。

　　Before this it had been thought that no complex organisms could survive in water warmer than about 130 degrees, 此前大家认为，复杂的生物无法在54摄氏度以上的水里存活，

　　and here was one that was surviving warmer temperatures than that and extreme cold to boot. 而这里却有一种软体虫，它们能同时生活在高于那个温度的与极冷的水里。

　　The discovery transformed our understanding of the requirements for life. 这一发现改变了我们对生命需求的认识。

　　It also answered one of the great puzzles of oceanography—something that many of us didn't realize was a puzzle—namely, why the oceans don't grow saltier with time. 它还回答了海洋学的一大难题——许多人不了解的问题，就是一个难题——即，海洋为什么不是越来越咸。

　　At the risk of stating the obvious, there is a lot of salt in the sea—enough to bury every bit of land on the planet to a depth of about five hundred feet. 有一点是显而易见的，我也不怕说一说：大海里有许多盐——多得能把本星球的每一小块陆地埋起来，埋到大约150米深。

1 photosynthesis   

n.光合作用

参考例句：

• In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。
• Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。

2 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

3 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。

4 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。

5 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。