万物简史 第444期:小生物的世界(15)

 　　The specifics of Mayr's criticisms are too technical to need extensive airing here—they involve issues of meiotic sexuality, 迈尔的评论的具体内容提要技术性很强——其中包括什么减数分裂性行为呀，

　　Hennigian cladification, and controversial interpretations¹ of the genome of Methanobacterium thermoautrophicum, among rather a lot else, 什么亨宁进化枝呀，什么对嗜热碱甲烷杆菌的基因组有争议的解释呀，

　　but essentially² he argues that Woese's arrangement unbalances the tree of life. 但从根本上说，他信为沃斯的安排使生命树失去一平衡。

　　The bacterial³ realm, Mayr notes, consists of no more than a few thousand species while the archaean has a mere⁴ 175 named specimens⁵, 迈尔指出，微生物界只由几千种组成，而原始细胞只有175种已经命名的样本，

　　with perhaps a few thousand more to be found—"but hardly more than that." 也许还有几千种未被发现——“但不大会多于那个数字”。

　　By contrast, the eukaryotic realm—that is, the complicated organisms with nucleated cells, like us—numbers already in the millions. 而真核细胞界——即像我们这种有具核的细胞的复杂生物——已经多达几百万种。

　　For the sake of "the principle of balance," Mayr argues for combining the simple bacterial organisms in a single category, 鉴于“平衡原则”，迈尔主张把简单的微生物归于一类，

　　Prokaryota, while placing the more complex and "highly evolved" remainder in the empire Eukaryota, which would stand alongside as an equal. 叫做“原核生物”，而把其余比较复杂的、“高度进化的”生物归于“真核生物”，与原核生物处于同等地位。

　　Put another way, he argues for keeping things much as they were before. 换句话说，他主张大体上维持以前的分类法。

　　This division between simple cells and complex cells "is where the great break is in the living world." 简单细胞和复杂细胞的区别在于“生物界的重大突破”。

　　If Woese's new arrangement teaches us anything it is that life really is various and that most of that variety is small, unicellular, and unfamiliar⁶. 如果说我们从沃斯的新安排中学到了什么，那就是：生命确实是多种多样的，而大多数都是我们所不熟悉的单细胞小生物。

1 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

3 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

5 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。