万物简史 第470期:生命在前进(12)

 　　Gould's book was published in 1989 to general critical acclaim¹ and was a great commercial success. 古尔德的《奇异的生命》于1989年出版，旋即引起议论纷纷，在商业上是个巨大的成功。

　　What wasn't generally known was that many scientists didn't agree with Gould's conclusions at all, and that it was all soon to get very ugly. 大家不知道的是，许多科学家根本不同意古尔德的结论，过不多久情况就变得很不像话。

　　In the context of the Cambrian, "explosion" would soon have more to do with modern tempers than ancient physiological² facts. 联系到寒武纪的氛围，“爆发”很快跟现代人的脾气，而不是跟古代生理上的事实更有关系。

　　In fact, we now know, complex organisms existed at least a hundred million years before the Cambrian. 实际上，现在我们知道，复杂的生物至少在寒武纪l亿年以前已经存在。

　　We should have known a whole lot sooner. 我们本该早就知道。

　　Nearly forty years after Walcott made his discovery in Canada, 沃尔科特在加拿大的发现过去差不多40年以后，

　　on the other side of the planet in Australia, a young geologist³ named Reginald Sprigg found something even older and in its way just as remarkable⁴. 在地球另一侧的澳大利亚，一位名叫雷金纳德·斯普里格的年轻地质学家发现了更加古老、同样不可思议的东西。

　　In 1946 Sprigg was a young assistant government geologist for the state of South Australia 1946，斯普里格还是南澳大利亚州一名年轻的政府助理地质工作者的时候，

　　when he was sent to make a survey of abandoned mines in the Ediacaran Hills of the Flinders Range, 被派往弗林德斯山脉的埃迪亚卡拉山区调查废弃的矿区。

　　an expanse of baking outback some three hundred miles north of Adelaide. 那是阿德莱德以北大约500公里处一大片干旱的内陆地区。

　　The idea was to see if there were any old mines that might be profitably reworked using newer technologies, 目的是想看看那里是不是还有利用新技术可以重新开采的有利可图的旧矿井。

　　so he wasn't studying surface rocks at all, still less fossils. 因此他根本不是去研究地表岩石，更不是去研究化石的。

　　But one day while eating his lunch, Sprigg idly overturned a hunk of sandstone and was surprised, 但是，有一天在吃午饭的时候，斯普里格无意中翻动一块砂岩，

　　to put it mildly—to see that the rock's surface was covered in delicate fossils, rather like the impressions leaves make in mud. 说得轻一点也是很吃惊地发现，石头的表面上布满了细微的化石，很像是叶子在泥土里留下的印子。

　　These rocks predated the Cambrian explosion. 这些岩石比寒武纪大爆发还要早。

　　He was looking at the dawn of visible life. 他看到了起步阶段的可见生命。

1 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

2 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

3 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

4 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。