万物简史 第570期:达尔文的非凡见解(19)

 And Darwin for his part is known to have studied Focke's influential¹ paper with its repeated references to Mendel's work, 而达尔文这一方呢？人们知道他研究过福克的非常有影响的论文，里面一再提到孟德尔的著作，

but didn't connect them to his own studies. 但是他并没有将它们和自己的研究加以联系起来。

The one thing everyone thinks featured in Darwin's argument, that humans are descended² from apes, 在一般人的眼中，人是由猿进化而来的观点是达尔文学说的重要特点，

didn't feature at all except as one passing allusion³. 实际上根本不是，这一观点只是在达尔文的学说中顺便提了提。

Even so, it took no great leap of imagination to see the implications for human development in Darwin's theories, 即便那样，大家不需要有太多想像力就能从达尔文的理论中明白关于人类发展的这一层意思，

and it became an immediate⁴ talking point. 而这很快就成了人们热烈讨论的一个话题。

The showdown came on Saturday, June 30, 1860, at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement⁵ of Science in Oxford⁶. 1860年6月30日，星期六，在牛津郡英国科学促进协会的一次会议上，一决雌雄的时刻到来了。

Huxley had been urged to attend by Robert Chambers⁸, author of Vestiges⁹ of the Natural History of Creation, 赫胥黎应《创造的自然史之残迹》一书的作者罗伯特·钱伯斯之邀出席了那次会议，

though he was still unaware¹⁰ of Chambers's connection to that contentious¹¹ tome. 不过当时赫胥黎并不知道钱伯斯与那部富有争议的著作的关系。

Darwin, as ever, was absent. 就像往常一样，达尔文并没有出席。

The meeting was held at the Oxford Zoological Museum. 会议是在牛津动物学博物馆举行的。

More than a thousand people crowded into the chamber⁷; hundreds more were turned away. l000余人挤进了会场，还有几百人无法进入。

People knew that something big was going to happen, 大家都意识到一个重大事件即将发生，

though they had first to wait while a slumber-inducing speaker named John William Draper of New York University 虽然他们不得不先聆听纽约大学约翰·威廉·德雷珀

bravely slogged his way through two hours of introductory remarks on 长达两个小时的令人昏昏欲睡的开场白，他演说的题目是

"The Intellectual Development of Europe Considered with Reference to the Views of Mr. Darwin." 《论欧洲的智力发展兼论达尔文先生的观点》。

 

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

3 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

6 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

8 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

9 vestiges   

残余部分( vestige的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 痕迹； 毫不

参考例句：

• the last vestiges of the old colonial regime 旧殖民制度最后的残余
• These upright stones are the vestiges of some ancient religion. 这些竖立的石头是某种古代宗教的遗迹。

10 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

11 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。