万物简史 第516期:丰富多彩的生命(12)

 The Linnaean system is so well established that we can hardly imagine an alternative, 林奈分类系统的地位已经牢固确立，我们很难想像还能有别的体系来取而代之。

but before Linnaeus, systems of classification were often highly whimsical. 而在林奈之前，分类体系是极其随意的。

Animals might be categorized by whether they were wild or domesticated¹, terrestrial or aquatic², large or small, 动物的分类标准可以是：野的还是家的，陆生的或水生的，大的还是小的，

even whether they were thought handsome and noble or of no consequence. 甚至它们被认为是漂亮和高贵的还是无足轻重的。

Buffon arranged his animals by their utility to man. 布丰根据动物对人的用途大小来进行分类，

Anatomical considerations barely came into it. 几乎不考虑解剖学上的特点。

Linnaeus made it his life's work to rectify³ this deficiency by classifying all that was alive according to its physical attributes. 林奈按照生理特征来进行分类，把纠正上述不足作为自己毕生的事业。

Taxonomy — which is to say the science of classification — has never looked back. 分类学——即分类的科学——再也没有走回头路。

It all took time, of course. 这一切当然都要花时间。

The first edition of his great Systema Naturae in 1735 was just fourteen pages long. 他的大作《自然体系》在1735年的第一版只有14页。

But it grew and grew until by the twelfth edition — the last that Linnaeus would live to see — it extended to three volumes and 2,300 pages. 但是，它越来越长，越来越长，到了第12版——林奈活着见到的最后一版——已经扩展到3卷，长达2300页。

In the end he named or recorded some 13,000 species of plant and animal. 最后，他命名或记录了大约13000种植物和动物。

Other works were more comprehensive, 别的著作覆盖面还要广泛，

John Ray's three-volume Historia Generalis Plantarum in England, completed a generation earlier, covered no fewer than 18,625 species of plants alone, 约翰·雷在一代人以前完成的3卷本英格兰的《植物通史》仅植物就包括了不少于l8625种，

but what Linnaeus had that no one else could touch were consistency⁴, order, simplicity⁵, and timeliness. 但是，林奈有着没有人可以相比的地方：连贯、有序、简洁、及时。

 

1 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

3 rectify   

v.订正，矫正，改正

参考例句：

• The matter will rectify itself in a few days.那件事过几天就会变好。
• You can rectify this fault if you insert a slash.插人一条斜线便可以纠正此错误。

4 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

5 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。