万物简史 第644期:一个星球,一次实验(7)

（单词翻译）

It is a talent we have only barely¹ begun to grasp.

这样一种技巧，我们才刚刚开始掌握。

We have arrived at this position of eminence² in a stunningly³ short time.

在不太长的一段时间里，我们已经达到了一个优越的位置。

Behaviorally modern human beings—that is, people who can speak and make art and organize complex activities——have existed for only about 0.0001 percent of Earth's history.

从行为科学的意义上说——也就是能够说话，从事艺术，组织复杂而又丰富多彩的活动——现代人类存在的时间只占地球历史的万分之一——实在短得可怜。

But surviving for even that little while has required a nearly endless string of good fortune.

但是，即便是存在如此短暂的时间，也需要一连串差不多永无休止的好运。

We really are at the beginning of it all. The trick, of course, is to make sure we never find the end.

我们确实还处于起始阶段。当然，问题的关键是要确保我们一路走好，并且永无尽头。

And that, almost certainly, will require a good deal more than lucky breaks.

而这一切，几乎可以肯定的就是，仅仅有好运相伴是远远不够的。