Lesson 16 The modern city

and of dark narrow streets full of petrol fumes and toxic gases,

和陰暗狹窄的街道組成

Lesson 16 The modern city

torn by the noise of the taxicabs, lorries and buses, and thronged ceaselessly by great crowds.

街道上充斥著汽油味和有毒氣體，出租汽車、卡車、公共汽車的噪音刺耳難忍，絡繹不絕的人群擠來擠去。

Lesson 16 The modern city

Obviously, it has not been planned for the good of its inhabitants.

顯然，現(xiàn)代化的城市不是為居民的利益而規(guī)劃的。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

In the early days of the settlement of Australia,

在澳大利亞移民初期，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit.

一些有創(chuàng)業(yè)精神的移民不明智地把歐洲兔子引進了澳大利亞。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes,

這種兔子在澳大利亞及新西蘭沒有天敵，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

so that it multiplied with that promiscuous abandon characteristic of rabbits.

因此便以兔子所特有的雜亂交配迅猛繁殖起來。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It overran a whole continent.

整個澳洲兔子成災。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle.

它們在地下打洞，吃掉本可以飼養(yǎng)數(shù)百萬頭牛羊的牧草，給澳洲大陸造成了毀滅性的破環(huán)。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

Scientists discovered that this particular variety of rabbit (and apparently no other animal)

科學家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種特殊品種的兔子（顯然不包括別的動物）

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis.

易患一種叫做"多發(fā)性粘液瘤的致命病毒性疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

By infecting animals and letting them loose in the burrows,

通過讓染上此病的動物在洞內亂跑，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

local epidemics of this disease could be created.

就可以使這種疾病在一個地區(qū)蔓延起來。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

Later it was found that there was a type of mosquito which acted as the carrier of this disease and passed it on to the rabbits.

后來又發(fā)現(xiàn)，有一種蚊子是傳播這種疾病的媒介，能把此病傳染給兔子。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

So while the rest of the world was trying to get rid of mosquitoes, Australia was encouraging this one.

因此，世界上其他地方在設法消滅蚊子的時候，澳大利亞卻在促使這種蚊子大量繁殖。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It effectively spread the disease all over the continent and drastically reduced the rabbit population.

蚊子把這種疾病擴散到整個澳洲大陸，效果甚佳，結果兔子的數(shù)目大為減少。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease,

后來，明顯看出，兔子對這種疾病已產(chǎn)生了一定程度的免疫力，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated.

所以兔子不可能被完全消滅。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

There were hopes, however, that the problem of the rabbit would become manageable.

但是，已有希望解決兔子所帶來的問題。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

Ironically, Europe, which had bequeathed the rabbit as a pest to Australia,

具有諷刺意味的是，歐洲把這種兔子作為有害動物傳給澳洲，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence.

而歐洲自己卻染上了這種人為的瘟疫般的疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

A French physician decided to get rid of the wild rabbits on his own estate and introduced myxomatosis.

一位法國內科醫(yī)生決定除掉自己莊園內的野兔子，于是引進了這種多發(fā)性粘液瘤疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate.

然而，這種疾病并未被局限在他的莊園內，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It spread through France,

結果在整個法國蔓延開來。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

where wild rabbits are not generally regarded as a pest but as a sport and a useful food supply,

野兔在法國一般不被當作有害動物，而被視為打獵取樂的玩物和有用的食物來源。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

and it spread to Britain where wild rabbits are regarded as a pest but where domesticated rabbits,equally susceptible to the disease, are the basis of a profitable fur industry.

這種疾病又蔓延到了英國。在英國，野兔被當作有害的動物，可是家兔是賺錢的毛皮工業(yè)的基礎，然而家兔同樣易感染這種疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

The question became one of whether Man could control the disease he had invented.

現(xiàn)在的問題是，人類能否控制住這種人為的疾病。

Lesson 18 Porpoises

There has long been a superstition among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by pushing them to the surface, or protect them from sharks by surrounding them in defensive formation.

長期以來，海員中流傳著一種迷信的說法，認為海豚會把快要淹死的人托到水面，救人性命；或在人們周圍列隊保護，使他們免遭鯊魚傷害。

Lesson 18 Porpoises

Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably a mistake to credit dolphins with any motive of lifesaving.

海洋攝影室的生物學家指出，無論海豚多么聰明，認為它們有救人的動機可能是錯誤的。

Lesson 18 Porpoises

On the occasions when they have pushed to shore an unconscious human being they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or for sport, as in riding the bow waves of a ship.

當它們偶爾把一個失去知覺的人推到岸邊時，更大的可能是出于好奇或游戲，就像它們追逐被船首犁開的浪花一樣。