万物简史 第511期:丰富多彩的生命(7)

 This was an amazing disclosure. 这句话里包含着丰富的历史内容。

Joseph Banks was England's greatest botanist¹, and the Endeavour voyage — that is the one on which Captain Cook charted the 1769 transit² of Venus 约瑟夫·班克斯是英国最伟大的植物学家，“奋进”号航行——即库克船长绘制1769年金星凌日图、

and claimed Australia for the crown, among rather a lot else — was the greatest botanical expedition in history. 宣布澳大利亚为皇家殖民地的那次航行——是历史上最伟大的植物探险。

Banks paid 10,000 pounds, about $1 million in today's money, 班克斯支付了l万英镑，相当于今天的60万英镑，

to bring himself and a party of nine others — a naturalist³, a secretary, three artists, and four servants — on the three-year adventure around the world. 让自己和另外9个人——1名博物学家、l名秘书、3名美术家和4名仆人——加入了这次为期3年的环球探险活动。

Goodness knows what the bluff⁴ Captain Cook made of such a velvety⁵ and pampered⁶ assemblage, 天知道性格粗率的库克船长是怎么和这帮子文绉绉的、娇生惯养的人相处的，

but he seems to have liked Banks well enough and could not but admire his talents in botany — a feeling shared by posterity⁷. 但他似乎很喜欢班克斯，禁不住钦佩他在植物学方面的才能——后辈们也怀有同样的感情。

Never before or since has a botanical party enjoyed greater triumphs. 没有哪个植物考察小组取得过那么大的成就。过去没有，此后也没有。

Partly it was because the voyage took in so many new or little-known places, 这在一定程度上是因为这次航行将许多不大知名的新地方，

Tierra del Fuego, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea — but mostly it was because Banks was such an astute⁸ and inventive collector. 火地岛、塔希提岛、新西兰、澳大利亚、新几内亚——占为殖民地，但主要是因为班克斯是个敏锐和天才的采集家。

Even when unable to go ashore⁹ at Rio de Janeiro because of a quarantine, 即使由于检疫规定而未能在里约热内卢上岸，

he sifted¹⁰ through a bale of fodder¹¹ sent for the ship's livestock¹² and made new discoveries. 他还是为船上的牲口偷偷弄来一包饲料，做出了新的发现。

Nothing, it seems, escaped his notice. 似乎什么也逃不过他的目光。

Altogether he brought back thirty thousand plant specimens¹³, including fourteen hundred not seen before, 他总共带回来3万件植物标本，包括1400件以前没有见过的，

enough to increase by about a quarter the number of known plants in the world. 能为世界上已知的植物总数增加大约四分之一。

 

1 botanist   

n.植物学家

参考例句：

• The botanist introduced a new species of plant to the region.那位植物学家向该地区引入了一种新植物。
• I had never talked with a botanist before,and I found him fascinating.我从没有接触过植物学那一类的学者，我觉得他说话极有吸引力。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

4 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

5 velvety   

adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的

参考例句：

• a velvety red wine 醇厚的红葡萄酒
• Her skin was admired for its velvety softness. 她的皮肤如天鹅绒般柔软，令人赞叹。

6 pampered   

adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The lazy scum deserve worse. What if they ain't fed up and pampered? 他们吃不饱，他们的要求满足不了，这又有什么关系？ 来自飘（部分）
• She petted and pampered him and would let no one discipline him but she, herself. 她爱他，娇养他，而且除了她自己以外，她不允许任何人管教他。 来自辞典例句

7 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。

8 astute   

adj.机敏的，精明的

参考例句：

• A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
• The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。

9 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

10 sifted   

v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• She sifted through her papers to find the lost letter. 她仔细在文件中寻找那封丢失的信。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter. 她用蓟筛筛蓟。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

12 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

13 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》