Reading.mp34:04
來自英語快樂嗑English
英漢對照課文文本
HOW LIFE BEGAN ON THE EARTH
地球上生命的起源
No one knows exactly how the earth began, as it happened so long ago. However, according to a widely accepted theory, the universe began with a “Big Bang” that threw matter in all directions. After that, atoms began to form and combine to create stars and other bodies.
沒有人確切知道地球是怎樣開始形成的，因為在很早很早以前它就形成了。然而，一種普通為人們所接受的理論是：宇宙起源於一次大爆炸，這次大爆炸將物質投射到四面八方。然後，原子開始形成並結合成恆星和其他天體。
For several billion years after the “Big Bang”, the earth was still just a cloud of dust. What it was to become was uncertain until between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago when the dust settled into a solid globe. The earth became so violent that it was not clear whether the shape would last or not. It exploded loudly with fire and rock. They were in time to produce carbon, nitrogen, water vapour and other gases, which were to make the earth’s atmosphere. What is even more important is that as the earth cooled down, water began to appear on its surface.
大爆炸後好幾十億年過去了，但地球還只是一團塵埃。隨後它會變成什麼沒人能知道，直到38-45億年前，這團塵埃才慢慢地形成一個固體的球狀物。地球（開始）變得激烈動盪，不知道這個固體形狀是否會繼續存在下去。它（地球）猛烈的爆炸噴出了烈火與岩石。最終產生了碳、氮氣、水蒸氣和其他多種氣體，從而形成了地球的大氣層。更為重要的是，地球冷卻了下來，地球的表面就開始出現了水。
Water had also appeared on other planets like Mars but, unlike the earth, it had disappeared later. It was not immediately obvious that water was to be fundamental to the development of life. What many scientists believe is that the continued presence of water allowed the earth to dissolve harmful gases and acids into the oceans and seas. This produced a chain reaction, which made it possible for life to develop.
在火星這些其他行星上都出現了水，但和地球不同的是，這些水後來都消失了。水會對生命的發展起關鍵作用，這一點在當時並不明顯。很多科學家相信，由於地球表面上長期有水存在，它使得地球得以把有害氣體和酸性物質溶解在海洋裡。這就產生了一系列的反應，使得生命就有可能開始發展了。
Many millions of years later, the first extremely small plants began to appear on the surface of the water. They multiplied and filled the oceans and seas with oxygen, which encouraged the later development of early shellfish and all sorts of fish. Next, green plants began to grow on land. They were followed in time by land animals. Some were insects. Others, called amphibians, were able to live on land as well as in the water. Later when the plants grew into forests, reptiles appeared for the first time. They produced young generally by laying eggs. After that, some huge animals, called dinosaurs, developed. They laid eggs too and existed on the earth for more than 140 million years. However,65 million years ago the age of the dinosaurs ended. Why they suddenly disappeared still remains a mystery. This disappearance made possible the rise of mammals on the earth. These animals were different from all life forms in the past, because they gave birth to young baby animals and produced milk to feed them.
好幾百萬年以後，水的表面開始出現了極小的植物。它們繁殖起來就使得早期的海洋充滿了氧氣，這為早期的貝類及其他各種魚類的發育進一步創造了條件。接著，綠色是植物開始出現在陸地上。隨後，陸地上出現了動物，其中有一些是昆蟲，另外一些叫兩棲動物，它們一般是通過孵蛋而繁衍後代的。再後來一些叫做恐龍的巨型動物出現了。它們也生蛋，在地球上生存了一億四千多年。然而，六千五百萬年前，恐龍時代結束了。它們為什麼會突然滅絕至今仍是個謎。恐龍的滅絕使地球上哺乳動物的產生有了可能。哺乳動物不同於以往所有的生物形式，因為它們能從體內生產出幼仔並給幼仔哺乳。
Finally about 2.6 million years ago some small clever animals, now with hands and feet, appeared and spread all over the earth. Thus they have, in their turn, become the most important animals on the planet. But they are not looking after the earth very well. They are putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which prevents heat from escaping from the earth into space. As a result of this, many scientists believe the earth may become too hot to live on. So whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whether this problem can be solved.
最後，大約260萬年前，一些小巧聰明、長著手腳的動物出現了，它們散佈在地球的各個地方。於是，他們接著成為了這個行星上最重要的動物。然而，他們對地球卻並不怎麼在意。它們把過多的二氧化碳釋放到大氣層中，這使得地球上的熱不能釋放到太空中去。因此很多可科學家相信地球可能會因此變得太熱而不適合生物的生存。所以，在未來的數百萬年中，生命能否在地球上延續取決於這個問題能否得到解決。
（以上內容來源於人民教育出版社，版權歸人民教育出版社所有。由本號進行整理分享，旨在方便師生使用，侵聯刪。）
