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AntonioDonatoNobre_2010X-_亚马逊的奇妙_环绕着我们的无形之河_
What do you guys think? 一位大學教授。
For those who watched Sir Ken's memorable TED Talk, 看過羅賓森爵士難忘的 TED 演講的人,
memorable:adj.显著的,难忘的;值得纪念的;
I am a typical example of what he describes as "the body as a form of transport for the head," 都知道我就是他說的那種典型的例子, 「身體只是運送大頭的工具」,
typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的; describes:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;(describe的第三人称单数) transport:n.运输;输送;运送;运输机;v.输送;传播;使产生身临其境的感觉;(旧时)流放;
a university professor. 一位大學教授。
You might think it was not fair that I've been lined up to speak after these first two talks to speak about science. 你可能會想這實在太不公平, 因為我排在這兩位之後 來講科學的事。
I can't move my body to the beat, and after a scientist who became a philosopher , 我既不會隨著音樂起舞, 然後又排在一位從科學家變成哲學家的人之後,
philosopher:n.哲学家;深思的人;善于思考的人;
I have to talk about hard science. 我得談論硬科學。
It could be a very dry subject. 真的是很枯燥的題目。
Yet, I feel honored. 但是,我仍感榮幸。
Never in my career , and it's been a long career , have I had the opportunity to start a talk feeling so inspired , like this one. 在我的職業生涯中, 這生涯時間很長, 從沒有像這場這樣, 在演講之前就感覺如此激勵人心。
career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历; inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式)
Usually, talking about science is like exercising in a dry place. 通常,談科學 就像在乾地上運動一樣。
However, I've had the pleasure of being invited to come here to talk about water. 然而,我很榮幸 被邀請來這裡談一談水。
The words "water" and "dry" do not match, right? 「水」與「乾」這兩個字湊不在一起,對吧？
It is even better to talk about water in the Amazon , which is the splendid cradle of life. Fresh life. 談亞馬遜的水更好, 那是孕育著豐富生命的地方。新的生命。
Amazon:亚马逊;古希腊女战士; cradle:n.摇篮;发源地;发祥地;支船架;vt.抚育;把...搁在支架上;把...放在摇篮内;
So this is what inspired me. 這就是啟發我的東西。
That's why I'm here, although I'm carrying my head over here. 那就是為什麼我在這裡, 雖然我其實是頂著大頭來的。
I am trying, or will try to convey this inspiration. 我正試著,或者說我會試著傳達我的感動。
convey:vt.传达;运输;让与;
I hope this story will inspire you and that you'll spread the word. 我希望這個故事會啟發你,因而廣傳我的想法。
We know that there is controversy . 我們都知道有個爭議存在。
controversy:n.争论;论战;辩论;
The Amazon is the "lung of the world," 亞馬遜是世界的肺,
because of its massive power to have vital gases exchanged between the forest and the atmosphere . 因為它強大的功能,在森林與大氣間 交換維生氣體。
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; vital:adj.至关重要的;生死攸关的;有活力的; atmosphere:n.大气;气氛;气压;风格;
We also hear about the storehouse of biodiversity . 我們也聽過它是生物多樣性的寶庫。
storehouse:n.仓库,贮藏库;宝库; biodiversity:n.生物多样性;
While many believe it, few know it. 雖然很多人相信這樣的說法, 卻很少人真正了解它。
If you go out there, in this marsh , you'll be amazed at the — 如果你去那裡,在這片沼澤地, 會很驚異地發現,
marsh:n.沼泽;湿地;adj.沼泽的;生长在沼泽地的;
You can barely see the animals. 你看不到太多動物。
barely:adv.仅仅,勉强;几乎不;公开地;贫乏地;
The Indians say, "The forest has more eyes than leaves." 印地安人說:「森林裡的眼睛比樹葉還多。」
That is true, and I will try to show you something. 那是真的,我會試著證明給你看。
But today, I'm going to use a different approach , one that is inspired by these two initiatives here, a harmonic one and a philosophical one. 但是今天,我要從不同的方法來看, 是被這兩個倡議所啟發的方法, 即「和諧」與「哲學」。
approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理; initiatives:n.积极性;主动权(initiative的复数);创始; harmonic:adj.和声的;谐和的;音乐般的;n.[物]谐波;和声; philosophical:adj.哲学的(等于philosophic);冷静的;
I'll try to use an approach that's slightly materialistic , but it also attempts to convey that, in nature, there is extraordinary philosophy and harmony . 我要試著用帶點唯物論的方法, 但也要試著表達出在自然界 的確有非凡的哲學與和諧。
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; materialistic:adj.唯物主义的;唯物论的; attempts:n.企图,试图;尝试(attempt的复数);v.试图;努力去做(attempt的三单形式); extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的; philosophy:n.哲学;哲理;人生观; harmony:n.协调;和睦;融洽;调和;
There'll be no music in my presentation , but I hope you'll all notice the music of the reality I'm going to show you. 我的演講裡沒有音樂, 但我希望你們能注意到我給你們看的現實裡的音樂。
presentation:n.展示;描述,陈述;介绍;赠送;
I'm going to talk about physiology — not about lungs, but other analogies with human physiology, especially the heart. 我要跟各位談談生理學,不是肺, 而是一些與人類生理相似的推論, 特別是心。
physiology:n.生理学;生理机能; analogies:n.类比;类推法;
We'll start by thinking that water is like blood. 我們首先... 從把水想成血液開始。
The circulation in our body distributes fresh blood, which feeds, nurtures and supports us, and brings the used blood back to be renewed . 我們體內的循環分送新鮮的血液, 供養及支持我們, 並把用過的血液帶回去重生。
circulation:n.流通,传播;循环;发行量; distributes:vt.分配;散布;分开;把…分类; nurtures:vt.养育;鼓励;培植;n.养育;教养;营养物; renewed:adj.再次发生的; v.重新开始; (renew的过去分词和过去式)
In the Amazon, things happen similarly . 在亞馬遜,情況也很類似。
similarly:adv.同样地;类似于;
We'll start by talking about the power of all these processes . 我們從這些過程的能量開始談。
processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式);
This is an image of rain in motion . 這是降雨情形的影像。
motion:n.动作;移动;手势;请求;意向;议案;v.运动;打手势;
What you see there is the years passing in seconds. 你在這看見的是以秒計的多年數據。
Rains all over the world. What do you see? 全世界的降雨情形。你觀察到什麼？
The equatorial region , in general , and the Amazon specifically , is extremely important for the world's climate. 赤道一帶,一般而言, 尤其是亞馬遜, 對全球氣候極為重要。
equatorial:adj.赤道的,近赤道的;中纬线的;n.赤道仪; region:n.地区;范围;部位; in general:总之,通常;一般而言; specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; extremely:adv.非常,极其;极端地;
It's a powerful engine. 這是個強有力的引擎。
There is a frantic evaporation taking place here. 超多的蒸發作用在那裡發生。
frantic:adj.狂乱的,疯狂的; evaporation:n.蒸发;消失;
If we take a look at this other image, which shows the water vapor flow, you have dry air in black, moist air in gray, and clouds in white. 如果我們看一下這張圖, 上面顯出水蒸氣的流向, 黑的是乾空氣,溼氣以灰表示, 白色的是雲。
take a look at:看一看;检查; moist:adj.潮湿的;多雨的;含泪的;n.潮湿;
What you see there is an extraordinary resurgence in the Amazon. 你在上面看到的是亞馬遜地區超大的餘湧。
resurgence:n.复活;再现;再起;
What phenomenon — if it's not a desert, what phenomenon makes water gush from the ground into the atmosphere with such power that it can be seen from space? 如果這不是沙漠, 是什麼現象能讓水從地面湧向大氣, 如此大的力量,太空中都看的到？
phenomenon:n.现象;杰出的人;非凡的人(或事物); gush:v.涌出;迸出;n.涌出;迸发;
What phenomenon is this? 這是什麼現象？
It could be a geyser . 可能是間歇泉。
geyser:n.喷泉;[水文]间歇泉;(英)烧水锅炉;
A geyser is underground water heated by magma , exploding into the atmosphere and transferring this water into the atmosphere. 間歇泉是地底下的水被岩漿加熱, 噴到大氣中, 並將水轉移至大氣。
magma:n.[地质]岩浆;糊剂; exploding:v.爆炸;爆裂;勃然(大怒);突然发生(危险);(explode的现在分词) transferring:n.[计]转移,传递;v.移动,[计]转移(transfer的现在分词形式);
There are no geysers in the Amazon, unless I am wrong. 亞馬遜裡沒有間歇泉,除非我搞錯了,
geysers:n.[水文]间歇泉;[水文]间歇喷泉(geyser的复数形式);
I don't know of any. 據我所知沒有。
But we have something that plays the same role, with much more elegance though: the trees, our good old friends that, like geysers, can transfer an enormous amount of water from the ground into the atmosphere. 但我們有種東西扮演很類似的角色, 更優雅就是了: 樹,我們認識已久的好朋友, 就像間歇泉般, 可以從地面轉移巨量的水到大氣中。
elegance:n.典雅;高雅; enormous:adj.庞大的,巨大的;凶暴的,极恶的;
There are 600 billion trees in the Amazon forest, 600 billion geysers. 亞馬遜森林裡有六千億棵樹,也就是六千億個間歇泉,
That is done with an extraordinary sophistication . 非常複雜的機制在操控著。
sophistication:n.复杂;诡辩;老于世故;有教养;
They don't need the heat of magma. 它們不需要岩漿的熱氣。
They use sunlight to do this process. 它們用日光來完成這個過程。
sunlight:n.日光;
So, in a typical sunny day in the Amazon, a big tree manages to transfer 1,000 liters of water through its transpiration — 1,000 liters. 所以,在亞馬遜,在一個平常陽光燦爛的日子, 一棵大樹能透過它的蒸散作用, 轉移一千公升的水—— 一千公升。
liters:n.(计量)公升(容量单位)(liter的复数) transpiration:n.蒸发,散发;[植]蒸腾作用;[航]流逸;
If we take all the Amazon, which is a very large area, and add it up to all that water that is released by transpiration, which is the sweat of the forest, we'll get to an incredible number: 20 billion metric tons of water. 如果我們把整個亞馬遜, 那是很大的一塊地方, 所有蒸散作用的水都加起來, 也就是森林流出的汗水, 我們會得到一個嚇死人的數字: 二百億公噸的水。
released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式) incredible:adj.难以置信的,惊人的; metric:adj.米制的;公制的;按公制制作的;用公制测量的;
In one day. 這是一天的量。
Do you know how much that is? 你知道這到底有多大量嗎？
The Amazon River, the largest river on Earth, one fifth of all the fresh water that leaves the continents of the whole world and ends up in the oceans, dumps 17 billion metric tons of water a day in the Atlantic Ocean. 亞馬遜河,地球上最大的河, 佔了五分之一的全球淡水, 就是從各個大陸流入海的淡水, 每天要倒十七億公噸的水進大西洋。
continents:n.[地理]大陆,大洲(continent复数); dumps:n.废物,垃圾场(dump的复数);忧郁;v.倾倒(dump的单三形式); Atlantic:adj.大西洋的;巨人阿特拉斯的;n.大西洋;
This river of vapor that comes up from the forest and goes into the atmosphere is greater than the Amazon River. 而這條水氣之河, 源自森林排入大氣, 比亞馬遜河還大。
Just to give you an idea. 給你一點概念。
If we could take a gigantic kettle , the kind you could plug into a power socket , an electric one, and put those 20 billion metric tons of water in it, how much power would you need to have this water evaporated ? 假設我們拿一個巨大的水壺, 你能直接插電的那種電熱瓶, 把那二百億公噸的水倒進去, 你要花多少電力才能讓這些水蒸發？
gigantic:adj.巨大的,庞大的; kettle:n.水壶 plug:n.插头;塞子;栓;v.塞住;用插头将与电源接通; socket:n.插座;窝,穴;牙槽;vt.给…配插座; electric:n.供电;adj.电的;用电的;电动的;发电的; evaporated:adj.浓缩的;脱水的;蒸发干燥的;v.蒸发;消失(evaporate的过去式);失去水分;
Any idea? A really big kettle. 有概念嗎？一個很大的水壺。
A gigantic kettle, right? 超大的水壺,對吧？
50 thousand Itaipus. 五萬座伊泰普。
Itaipu is still the largest hydroelectric plant in the world. 伊泰普仍是世上最大的水力發電廠。
hydroelectric:adj.水力发电的;水电治疗的;
and Brazil is very proud of it because it provides more than 30 percent of the power that is consumed in Brazil. 巴西非常引以為傲, 因為它提供的電力 超過巴西總用電量的 30%。
Brazil:n.巴西(拉丁美洲国家); consumed:adj.沉迷…的; v.消耗,耗费; (consume的过去分词和过去式)
And the Amazon is here, doing this for free. 亞馬遜就在這裡免費做這個。
It's a vivid and extremely powerful plant, providing environmental services. 這是個活生生又極強大的電廠,提供著環境服務。
vivid:adj.生动的;鲜明的;鲜艳的;
Related to this subject, we are going to talk about what I call the paradox of chance, which is curious . 與這個主題有關, 我們要來談談機會的謬論, 這很奇特。
paradox:n.悖论,反论;似非而是的论点;自相矛盾的人或事; curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的;
If you look at the world map — it's easy to see this — you'll see that there are forests in the equatorial zone, and deserts are organized at 30 degrees north latitude , 30 degrees south latitude , aligned . 如果你看這幅世界地圖, 你很容易看見 在赤道帶有森林, 沙漠則聚在北緯 30 度 及南緯 30 度,排成一直線。
organized:adj.有组织的; v.组织; (organize的过去分词和过去式) latitude:n.纬度;界限;活动范围; aligned:adj.对齐的;均衡的;v.结盟(align的过去式);使成一直线;
Look over there, in the southern hemisphere , the Atacama; 看這裡,在南半球,亞他加馬沙漠;
hemisphere:n.半球;
Namibia and Kalahari in Africa; the Australian desert. 非洲的納米比亞及喀拉哈里;澳洲的沙漠。
In the northern hemisphere, the Sahara, Sonoran, etc. 在北半球,撒哈拉、索諾蘭沙漠等等。
There is an exception , and it's curious: 只有一個例外,而這很奇特:
exception:n.例外;异议;
It's the quadrangle that ranges from Cuiabá to Buenos Aires, and from S?o Paulo to the Andes . 這是個四邊形,從庫亞巴到布宜諾斯艾利斯, 從聖保羅到安地斯。
quadrangle:n.四边形;方院; Andes:n.安第斯山脉;
This quadrangle was supposed to be a desert. 這個四邊形應該是座沙漠。
supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式)
It's on the line of deserts. 它就位在沙漠帶上。
on the line:处于危险中;模棱两可;在电话线上;
Why isn't it? That's why I call it the paradox of chance. 但為什麼不是？這就是為什麼我稱它為機會的謬論。
What do we have in South America that is different? 我們在南美有什麼不一樣的東西？
South America:n.南美洲;
If we could use the analogy of the blood circulating in our bodies, like the water circulating in the landscape , we see that rivers are veins , they drain the landscape , they drain the tissue of nature. 如果我們能拿 我們體內的血液循環, 就像水在大地的循環, 我們就能視河流為靜脈, 它們耗盡大地,它們耗盡自然的組織。
analogy:n.类比;类推;类似; circulating:adj.运行的; v.(液体或气体)环流,循环; (circulate的现在分词) landscape:n.景观;乡村风景画;(文件的)横向打印格式;v.对…做景观美化;美化…的环境; veins:n.[解剖]静脉(vein的复数); v.使有脉络; drain:v.排水;流干;喝光,耗尽;n.排水;下水道,排水管;消耗; tissue:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织;
Where are the arteries ? 那麼動脈在哪裡？
arteries:n.[解剖]动脉(artery的复数);v.给…提供动脉(artery的单数第三人称);
Any guess? 猜到了嗎？
How does water get to irrigate the tissues of nature and bring everything back through rivers? 水如何灌溉大自然的組織 然後把所有東西再經河流帶回去？
irrigate:vt.灌溉;冲洗;使清新;vi.灌溉;冲洗; tissues:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织;(tissue的复数)
There is a new type of river, which originates in the blue sea, which flows through the green ocean — it not only flows, but it is also pumped by the green ocean — and then it falls on our land. 有一種新型的河流, 從藍藍大海發源, 流過綠色的樹海, 不只是流過而已,綠色的樹海還抽取它, 然後掉落在我們的土地上。
originates:v.起源于(originate的第三人称单数形式); pumped:adj.紧张的; v.用泵输送; (pump的过去分词和过去式)
All our economy , that quadrangle, 70 percent of South America's GDP comes from that area. 我們所有的經濟,那片四邊形, 70% 的南美國內生產毛額都從那個地區來。
economy:n.经济;节约;理财;
It depends on this river. 它仰賴這條河。
This river flows invisibly above us. 這條河在我們頭上無形地流過。
invisibly:adv.看不见地;看不出地;
We are floating here on this floating hotel, on one of the largest rivers on Earth, the Negro River. 我們就漂在一條河上面,這個旅館也漂在上面, 漂在地球上最大的河流之一,尼格羅河之上。
Negro:n.黑人;adj.黑人的;
It's a bit dry and rough, but we are floating here, and there is this invisible river running above us. 現在是有一點乾,但我們是在其上漂浮, 而且還有這條看不見的河在我們頭上流過。
invisible:adj.看不见的;n.看不见的人或物;
This river has a pulse . 這條河有脈博。
pulse:n.脉冲;脉搏;脉率;强劲的音乐节拍;v.搏动;跳动;震动;洋溢着;
Here it is, pulsing . 就在這裡,跳動著。
pulsing:adj.脉冲的;n.脉动;v.使跳动;搏动(pulse的ing形式);
That's why we also talk about the heart. 這就是為什麼我們也要談談心。
You can see the different seasons there. 你可以看見那裡有不同的季節。
There's the rainy season. In the Amazon, we used to have two seasons, the humid season and the even more humid season. 這裡有雨季。在亞馬遜,我們很習慣兩種季節, 濕季及更濕的濕季。
humid:adj.潮湿的;湿润的;多湿气的;
Now we have a dry season. 現在我們居然有乾季。
You can see the river covering that region which, otherwise, would be a desert. And it is not. 你可以看見流經那個區域的河流, 那區本應是個沙漠,卻沒有。
We, scientists — You see that I'm struggling here to move my head from one side to the other. 我們科學家...你看我在這裡掙扎著 要把頭從這邊轉到那邊。（注:羅賓森爵士的演講）
Scientists study how it works, why, etc. 科學家研究這如何運作,為什麼發生等等,
and these studies are generating a series of discoveries, which are absolutely fabulous , to raise our awareness of the wealth , the complexity , and the wonder that we have, the symphony we have in this process. 而這些研究會產生一系列 美妙絕倫的發現, 提高我們對財富、複雜度 及我們所擁有的奇蹟的意識, 我們在這過程中所擁有的和諧上。
generating:v.产生;引起;(generate的现在分词) series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; absolutely:adv.绝对地;完全地; fabulous:adj.难以置信的;传说的,寓言中的;极好的; awareness:n.意识,认识;明白,知道; wealth:n.财富;大量;富有; complexity:n.复杂性;难以理解的局势 symphony:n.交响乐;谐声,和声;
One of them is: How is rain formed? 其中之一的研究是:雨是如何形成的？
Above the Amazon, there is clean air, as there is clean air above the ocean. 在亞馬遜之上是乾淨的空氣, 就像海洋上有乾淨的空氣一樣。
The blue sea has clean air above it and forms pretty few clouds; there's almost no rain there. 蔚藍的海上方有乾淨的空氣,很少有雲形成; 那裡幾乎沒有雨。
The green ocean has the same clean air, but forms a lot of rain. 綠色的樹海一樣有乾淨的空氣,但是會形成很多的雨。
What is happening here that is different? 是什麼產生不一樣的結果？
The forest emits smells, and these smells are condensation nuclei , which form drops in the atmosphere. 森林排放氣味, 這些氣味是雲凝結核, 在大氣中形成雨滴。
emits:发出;放射;发行(emit的动词单数第三人称形式); condensation:n.冷凝;凝结;压缩; nuclei:n.核心,核子;原子核(nucleus的复数形式);
Then, clouds are formed and there is torrential rain. 雲因此形成,產生大豪雨。
torrential:adj.猛烈的,汹涌的;奔流的;
The sprinkler of the Garden of Eden . 伊甸園的灑水器。
sprinkler:n.洒水车;洒水器; Garden of Eden:na.(《圣经》中所说亚当和夏娃所住的)伊甸园;
This relation between a living thing, which is the forest, and a nonliving thing, which is the atmosphere, is ingenious in the Amazon, because the forest provides water and seeds, 生物,即森林, 與無生物,即大氣,之間的關係, 在亞馬遜是巧妙無比的。 因為森林提供水與種子,
nonliving:adj.无生命的;非生物的; ingenious:adj.有独创性的;机灵的,精制的;心灵手巧的;
and the atmosphere forms the rain and gives water back, guaranteeing the forest's survival . 而大氣形成雨,再把水還回來, 保障了森林的存活。
guaranteeing:v.保证;担保;保障;使必然发生;(guarantee的现在分词) survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
There are other factors as well. 還有其它的因素。
factors:n.因素(factor的复数); v.做代理商;
We've talked a little about the heart, and let's now talk about another function: the liver ! 我們談了一點心, 現在讓我們談談另一個官能:肝！
liver:n.肝;(动物供食用的)肝;
When humid air, high humidity and radiation are combined with these organic compounds , which I call exogenous vitamin C, generous vitamin C in the form of gas, the plants release antioxidants which react with pollutants . 當濕空氣、高溼度及輻射 與這些有機化合物結合在一起, 我稱這些為外生的維他命 C,大量的維他命 C 以氣體存在, 植物就釋放抗氧化劑 與汙染物相互作用。
humidity:n.[气象]湿度;湿气; radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法; organic:adj.有机的;不使用化肥的;绿色的;有机物的;n.分子有机体; compounds:n.混合物,化合物;大院(compound的复数形式); exogenous:adj.外生的;外因的;外成的; vitamin:n.维生素;维他命; generous:adj.慷慨的,大方的;宽宏大量的;有雅量的; antioxidants:n.[助剂]抗氧化剂;抗氧化物(antioxidant的复数形式); react:v.起反应;回应;(对食物等)有不良反应,过敏;起化学反应; pollutants:n.[环境]污染物(pollutant的复数);
You can rest assured that you are breathing the purest air on Earth, here in the Amazon, because the plants take care of this characteristic as well. 你可以大大放心, 你在亞馬遜這裡吸進的是地球上最純的空氣, 因為植物也照顧了這個特性。
rest assured:放心;确信无疑; characteristic:n.特征;特点;品质;adj.典型的;独特的;特有的;
This benefits the very way plants work, which is another ingenious cycle. 這對植物本身的工作也非常有益, 而這又是另一個巧妙的循環。
Speaking of fractals , and their relation with the way we work, we can establish other comparisons . 要講碎形理論, 及它們與身體運作方式的關聯, 我們還能作出其它的比較。
fractals:n.碎形;分形学(fractal的复数); establish:v.创立;设立;建立;确立;使立足;查实; comparisons:n.比较;类似(comparison的复数形式);处于对比状态;
As in the upper airways of our lungs, the air in the Amazon gets cleaned up from the excess of dust. 就像我們肺部的上呼吸道, 亞馬遜也要清除空氣中過量的粉塵。
upper:adj.上面的;内陆的;n.靴面;兴奋剂; airways:n.航空公司;广播频道; excess:n.超过,超额;过度,过量;无节制;adj.额外的,过量的;附加的;
The dust in the air that we breathe is cleaned by our airways. 我們的氣道會清除吸進的空氣粉塵。
This keeps the excess of dust from affecting the rainfall . 如此,過量的粉塵才不會影響降雨。
rainfall:n.降雨;降雨量;
When there are fires in the Amazon, the smoke stops the rain, it stops raining, the forest dries up and catches fire. 亞馬遜有火災的時候, 煙霧會阻擋降雨,就不下雨了, 森林會乾枯,著火。
There is another fractal analogy. 還有一個碎形類比。
Like in the veins and arteries, the rain water is a feedback . 就像靜脈與動脈, 雨水也是一種反饋。
feedback:n.反馈;反馈意见;回授;[电子]反馈;
It returns to the atmosphere. 它回歸到大氣。
Like endocrinal glands and hormones , there are those gases which I told you about before, that are formed and released into the atmosphere, like hormones , which help in the formation of rain. 就像內分泌腺與荷爾蒙, 有一些氣體,我剛剛提過的, 會在大氣中形成、釋放,就像荷爾蒙, 它們會幫助形成雨。
glands:n.腺体(gland的复数);气封; hormones:n.[生理]激素;荷尔蒙;性激素;荷尔蒙制剂(hormone的复数); formation:n.形成;编队;组成;队形;
Like the liver and the kidneys , as I've said, cleaning the air. 又好比肝與腎,我之前說了,會清淨空氣。
kidneys:n.[解剖]肾脏;转炉的附着物;肾形矿脉(kidney的复数);
And, finally , like the heart: pumping water from outside, from the sea, into the forest. 而最後,就像心臟: 從外面泵水,從海洋, 進入森林。
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; pumping:v.用泵输送;涌出;奔流;快速摇动;(pump的现在分词)
We call it the biotic moisture pump, a new theory that is explained in a very simple way. 我們稱它為生物性水氣泵, 一種新的理論,可以非常簡單的方法解釋。
biotic:adj.生物的;有关生命的; moisture:n.水分;湿度;潮湿;降雨量;
If there is a desert in the continent with a nearby sea, evaporation's greater on the sea, and it sucks the air above the desert. 如果大陸上有一片沙漠, 其附近有一片海洋 海面上的蒸發作用會比較大, 並且會從沙漠上方的空氣吸水。
nearby:adj.附近的,邻近的;adv.在附近;prep.在…附近; sucks:v.吮吸;吸;咂;啜;抽吸;抽取;(suck的第三人称单数)
The desert is trapped in this condition. It will always be dry. 困在這種情況下的沙漠,會永遠都很乾燥。
trapped:adj.受困的;受限制的;v.使落入险境;使陷入困境;(trap的过去分词和过去式)
If you have the opposite situation, a forest, the evaporation, as we showed, is much greater, because of the trees, and this relation is reversed . 假如情況相反,森林的蒸發作用更大, 如我們之前顯示,因為這些樹木的關係, 那麼這種關係就會反過來。
reversed:v.颠倒; (reverse的过去分词和过去式)
The air above the sea is sucked into the continent and humidity is imported. 海洋上方的空氣會被吸進大陸, 濕氣從外面輸入。
sucked:v.吸,吮;吸收;吞没;(suck的过去分词和过去式)
This satellite image was taken one month ago — that's Manaus down there, we're down there — and it shows this process. 這張衛星照片是一個月前拍的。 下面那個是瑪瑙斯市,我們就在下面那裡。 這張相片顯示了這個過程。
It's not a common little river that flows into a canal. 這可不是一條流入渠道的普通小河,
It's a mighty river that irrigates South America, among other things. 這是條大河,灌溉著整個南美洲, 當然還有別的。
mighty:adj.强而有力的;巨大的;非凡的;adv.非常;很;极其; irrigates:vt.灌溉;冲洗;使清新;vi.灌溉;冲洗;
This image shows those paths, all the hurricanes that have been recorded. 這張照片顯示了所有 有紀錄的颶風路徑。
hurricanes:n.[气象]飓风(hurricane的复数);
You can see that, in the red square, there hardly are any hurricanes. 你可以看到在這個紅框內,幾乎沒有颶風。
That is no accident. 這可不是巧合。
This pump that sucks the moisture into the continent also speeds up the air above the sea, and this prevents hurricane formations . 這個泵吸水氣進大陸, 同時加快了海洋上方的空氣流動, 這會阻擋颶風的形成。
formations:n.形成(formation的复数形式);形态;队形;
To close this part and sum up, 要結束並總結這部份,
I'd like to talk about something a little different. 我想談一點不太一樣的東西。
I have several colleagues who worked in the development of these theories. 我有幾個同事 從事這些理論的發展研究。
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数);
They think, and so do I, that we can save planet Earth. 他們認為,我也這麼認為, 就是我們能拯救地球。
I'm not talking only about the Amazon. 我不只是在講亞馬遜。
The Amazon teaches us a lesson on how pristine nature works. 亞馬遜教了我們一堂課, 即原始大自然如何運作。
pristine:adj.原始的,古时的;纯朴的;
We didn't understand these processes before because the rest of the world is messed up. 我們之前並不了解這些過程, 因為這世界的其餘地方在亂搞。
messed:v.使不整洁;弄脏;弄乱;随地便溺(mess的过去分词和过去式)
We could understand it here, though. 我們原本能在這裡搞懂的。
These colleagues propose that, yes, we can save other areas, including deserts. 這些同事建議,是的, 我們可以拯救其他地區, 包括沙漠。
propose:v.建议;提议;求婚;打算;
If we could establish forests in those other areas, we can reverse climate change, including global warming . 假如我們可以在其他地區造林, 我們就能扭轉氣候變遷, 包括全球暖化。
global warming:n.全球(气候)变暖;地球大气层变暖;
I have a dear colleague in India, whose name is Suprabha Seshan, and she has a motto . 我在印度有個很親的同事, 她的名字是希杉,她有句格言。
motto:n.座右铭,格言;箴言;
Her motto is, "Gardening back the biosphere ," 她的格言是:「在生物圈內重新造園。」
biosphere:n.生物圈;
'"Reajardinando a biosfera" in Portuguese . 葡萄牙語是 Reajardinando a biosfera
Portuguese:adj.葡萄牙的;葡萄牙人的;葡萄牙语的;n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语;
She does a wonderful job rebuilding ecosystems . 她在重建生態系統方面做得很出色。
ecosystems:n.生态系统(ecosystem的复数);
We need to do this. 我們需要做這個。
Having closed this quick introduction, we see the reality that we have out here, which is drought , this climate change, things that we already knew. 要結束這段簡單的介紹, 我們看到了在那裡的現實, 就是乾旱,這個氣候變遷, 我們早就知道的事。
drought:n.干旱;缺乏;
I'd like to tell you a short story . 我想跟你們說一個簡短的故事。
short story:短篇小说(指一万字以内的小说);
Once, about four years ago, 有一次,大約四年前,
I attended a declamation , of a text by Davi Kopenawa, a wise representative of the Yanomami people, and it went more or less like this: "Doesn't the white man know that, if he destroys the forest, there will be no more rain? 我參加了大維·柯本那哇起草的宣言, 他是位有智慧的亞諾馬米族代表, 宣言的內容大致是這樣: 「難道白人不知道 如果他毀掉了森林,就不再有雨？
declamation:n.雄辩;朗诵; representative:n.代表; adj.典型的; more or less:或多或少;
And that, if there's no more rain, there'll be nothing to drink, or to eat?" 如果不再有雨, 那就不再有東西可喝、可吃？」
I heard that, and my eyes welled up and I went, "Oh, my! 我聽了之後,我的眼睛充滿了淚水, 我說:「喔！天啊！
I've been studying this for 20 years, with a super computer, dozens, thousands of scientists, and we are starting to get to this conclusion , which he already knows!" 我花了 20 年的時間研究這個,用超級電腦, 成千上萬的科學家在做, 然後我們才開始得到這樣的結論,但他早就知道了！」
conclusion:n.结论;结局;推论;
A critical point is the Yanomami have never deforested . 重點是亞諾馬米族從不毀林啊。
critical:adj.鉴定的;[核]临界的;批评的,爱挑剔的;危险的;决定性的;评论的; deforested:vt.采伐森林(deforest过去式);
How could they know the rain would end? 他們怎麼知道會不再有雨？
This bugged me and I was befuddled . 這很困擾我,我大惑不解。
bugged:adj.装有窃听器的;n.装窃听器;打扰;把…弄糊涂;除虫(bug的过去分词); befuddled:adj.迷糊的;糊涂的;v.使迷惑;使困惑;(befuddle的过去式和过去分词)
How could he know that? 他怎麼知道的？
Some months later, I met him at another event and said, "Davi, how did you know that if the forest was destroyed, there'd be no more rain?" 幾個月後,我在另一場活動上碰到他,我說: 「大維,你怎麼知道森林一旦毀了,就不再有雨？」
He replied: "The spirit of the forest told us." 他回說:「森林的精靈告訴我們的。」
For me, this was a game changer , a radical change. 對我而言,這改變了我的想法。 徹底的改變。
changer:n.转换开关装置;改变者(change的名词形式); radical:n.自由基;激进分子;游离基;adj.根本的;彻底的;完全的;全新的;
I said, "Gosh! 我說:「天啊！
Why am I doing all this science to get to a conclusion that he already knows?" 為什麼我搞了半天的科學, 只得到他早就知道的事？」
Then, something absolutely critical hit me, which is, seeing is believing. 然後我突然想到一件很關鍵的事, 就是, 眼見為信。
Out of sight , out of mind . 眼不見為淨。
Out of sight:看不见;在视野之外;在看不见的地方; out of mind:adj.发狂;疯狂;心不烦;心不想;眼不见,心不念;
This is a need the previous speaker pointed out: 上一位講者指出了這件必要之事:
previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前;
We need to see things — 我們必要親眼見到...
I mean, we, Western society, which is becoming global, civilized — we need to see. 我是說,我們,西方社會, 愈來愈全球化、文明, 我們非得親眼看見。
civilized:adj.文明的; v.教化; (civilize的过去式和过去分词)
If we don't see, we don't register the information. 如果我們沒有親眼看見,我們就不注意這些資訊。
register:v.登记;注册;记录;n.登记簿;登记表;注册簿;
We live in ignorance . 我們活在無知中。
ignorance:n.无知,愚昧;不知,不懂;
So, I propose the following — of course, the astronomers wouldn't like the idea — but let's turn the Hubble telescope upside down . 所以,我要提出下面— 當然,天文學家不會喜歡這個想法— 但讓我們把哈伯望遠鏡倒過來。
astronomers:天文学家; telescope:n.望远镜;v.(使)叠套缩短;精简; upside down:adj.颠倒的;乱七八糟的;
And let's make it look down here, rather than to the far reaches of the universe. 倒過來往下看看這裡, 而不是往遠處看宇宙。
The universe is wonderful, but we have a practical reality, which is we live in an unknown cosmos , and we're ignorant about it. 宇宙是很奇妙, 但我們有現實要面對, 就是我們住在未知的小宇宙裡, 我們卻置之不理。
practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课; cosmos:n.宇宙;和谐;秩序;大波斯菊; ignorant:adj.无知的;愚昧的;
We're trampling on this wonderful cosmos that shelters us and houses us. 我們蹂躪這片奇妙的小宇宙, 遮蔽我們,讓我們安居的小宇宙。
trampling:n.践踏;踩踏;v.蹂躏(trample的ing形式);
Talk to any astrophysicist . 去問任何一位天文物理學。
astrophysicist:n.天体物理学家;
The Earth is a statistical improbability . 地球是統計學上的不可能。
statistical:adj.统计的;统计学的; improbability:n.不大可能有的事;
The stability and comfort that we enjoy, despite the droughts of the Negro River, and all the heat and cold and typhoons, etc., there is nothing like it in the universe, that we know of. 我們所享受的安定與舒適,僅管有尼格羅河的乾旱 還有那些熱和冷和颱風等等, 地球是我們所知的宇宙裡絕無僅有的一個。
stability:n.稳定性;坚定,恒心; despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; droughts:n.[气候]干旱(drought的复数);旱灾灾情;
Then, let's turn Hubble in our direction, and let's look at the Earth. 所以,讓我們把哈伯轉向我們, 讓我們看看地球。
Let's start with the Amazon! 讓我們從亞馬遜開始。
Let's dive, let's reach out the reality we live in every day, and look carefully at it, since that's what we need. 讓我們潛心鑽研, 讓我們面對每天生活的現實, 仔細地看它,因為那才是我們所需的。
Davi Kopenawa doesn't need this. 大維·柯本那哇不需要這個。
He has something already that I think I missed. 他早就有了我沒想過的東西。
I was educated by television. 我的知識來自電視。
I think that I missed this, an ancestral record, a valuation of what I don't know, what I haven't seen. 我想我從沒想過這個, 先人代代相傳的紀錄, 是我不知道,從未見過的評估。
ancestral:adj.祖先的;祖传的; valuation:n.评价,估价;计算;
He is not a doubting Thomas . 他不是聖經中多疑的多馬。
doubting Thomas:n.多疑的人;爱怀疑的人;
He believes, with veneration and reverence , in what his ancestors and the spirits taught him. 他以崇敬與敬畏的心,單純地相信 他的祖先及精靈教他的事。
veneration:n.尊敬;崇拜; reverence:n.崇敬;尊严;敬礼;vt.敬畏;尊敬;
We can't do it, so let's look into the forest. 我們做不到這點,所以讓我們深入地看森林。
Even with Hubble up there — this is a bird's-eye view, right? 即使有哈伯在上面看, 這只是鳥瞰圖,對吧？
Even when this happens, we also see something that we don't know. 即使只是鳥瞰圖, 我們仍能看見我們不知道的事。
The Spanish called it the green inferno . 西班牙人稱它為綠色地獄。
inferno:n.阴间,地狱;
If you go out there into the bushes and get lost, and, let's say, if you head west, it's 900 kilometers to Colombia, and another 1,000 to somewhere else. 如果你去那裡深入叢林迷路了, 然後,隨便說,假如你向西行, 你要走 900 公里才能到哥倫比亞, 還要再走一千公里才能到別地方。
bushes:n.灌木;荒野;林区;(bush的复数)
So, you can figure out why they called it the green inferno. 所以你就知道為什麼他們稱之為綠色地獄。
But go and look at what is in there. 但是去看看那裡面有什麼。
It is a live carpet . 那是一張活的地毯。
carpet:n.地毯;v.用地毯铺(房间的)地板;
Each color you see is a tree species . 你看到的每一種顏色都代表一種樹種。
species:n.[生物]物种;种类;
Each tree, each tree top, has up to 10,000 species of insects in it, let alone the millions of species of fungi , bacteria , etc. 每一棵樹,每個樹梢, 都有高達一萬種的昆蟲在裡面, 更不用說數不清的真菌類,細菌等等。
let alone:更不必说;听任;不打扰; fungi:n.真菌;菌类;蘑菇(fungus的复数); bacteria:n.[微]细菌;
All invisible. 都是看不見的。
All of it is an even stranger cosmos to us than the galaxies billions of light years away from the Earth, which Hubble brings to our newspapers everyday. 這些對我們而言是更奇怪的宇宙, 比離地球無數萬年遠的銀河更怪, 而哈伯每天都在報紙上帶來新消息。
galaxies:n.银河; (galaxy的复数) light years away:光年以外;似水流年;个光年已过去;
I'm going to end my talk here — 我在此打住之前,
I have a few seconds left — by showing you this wonderful being. 因為我只剩幾秒鐘, 給你們看看這個奇妙的生物。
When we see the morpho butterfly in the forest, we feel like someone's left open the door to heaven, and this creature escaped from there, because it's so beautiful. 當我們在森林裡看到閃蝶, 我們就覺得好像有人把天堂的門打開了, 這個生物從天堂逃出來,因為它太漂亮了。
morpho:n.大闪蝶(产于南美洲); creature:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人;
However, I cannot finish without showing you a tech side. 但我實在無法就這樣結束演講 卻不讓你們看看它的科技面。
We are tech-arrogant. 我們以科技掛帥。
We deprive nature of its technology . 我們用科技剝奪了自然。
deprive:vt.使丧失,剥夺; technology:n.技术;工艺;术语;
A robotic hand is technological , mine is biological , and we don't think about it anymore. 機械手是科技, 我的手則是生物, 所以就不值得再去研究了。
robotic:adj.机器人的,像机器人的;自动的;n.机器人学; technological:adj.技术[工程](上)的;因工艺技术高度发展而引起的; biological:adj.生物学的;生物的;与生命过程有关的;加酶的;n.[药]生物制品;
Let's then look at the morpho butterfly, an example of an invisible technological competence of life, which is at the very heart of our possibility of surviving on this planet, and let's zoom in on it. Again, Hubble is there. 讓我們再來看看閃蝶, 極微小的生物卻充滿科技潛能的例子, 是讓我們能在這星球上繼續生存的最佳機會, 讓我們拉近焦距放大來看。再來看,哈伯在這裡,
competence:n.能力,胜任;权限;作证能力;足以过舒适生活的收入;
Let's get into the butterfly's wings. 讓我們看看蝴蝶的翅膀。
Scholars have tried to explain: Why is it blue? 學者試著解釋:為什麼是藍色的？
Scholars:n.学者们(scholar的复数);
Let's zoom in on it. 放大來看。
What you see is that the architecture of the invisible humiliates the best architects in the world. 你看見的是肉眼看不見的結構, 會使世上最棒的建築師蒙羞。
architecture:n.建筑学;建筑风格;建筑式样;架构; humiliates:vt.羞辱;使…丢脸;耻辱; architects:n.建筑师;设计师;创造者;(architect的复数);
All of this on a tiny scale . 這一切都在極小的比例內。
scale:n.规模;比例;鳞;刻度;天平;数值范围;v.衡量;攀登;剥落;生水垢;
Besides its beauty and functioning, there is another side to it. 除了美麗與功用,還有另一面。
Besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
In nature, all that is organized in extraordinary structures has a function. 在自然界, 所有組織在非凡結構內的東西都有功能。
structures:n.结构; v.建造(structure的第三人称单数形式);
This function of the morpho butterfly — it is not blue; it does not have blue pigments . 閃蝶的功能...牠不是藍色 牠沒有藍色素。
pigments:n.[颜料]颜料,染料;[物][生化]色素(pigment的复数形式);
It has photonic crystals on its surface, according to people who studied it, which are extremely sophisticated crystals. 據研究者說,牠的表面有光子晶體, 牠們是非常複雜的晶體。
crystals:n.[晶体]晶体(crystal的复数形式);石英晶体; according to:根据,据说; sophisticated:adj.复杂的;老练的;见多识广的;水平高的;
Our technology had nothing like that at the time. 我們目前的科技仍望塵莫及。
Hitachi has now made a monitor that uses this technology, and it is used in optical fibers to transmit — 日立現在以這項科技 發展了一種顯像器, 並用在光纖上以傳輸—
optical:adj.光学的;眼睛的,视觉的; fibers:n.纤维(fiber的复数); transmit:v.传送;发射;播送;传播;传染;
Janine Benyus, who's been here several times, talks about it: biomimetics . 珍妮?班娜斯來談過很多次:就是仿生學。
biomimetics:n.生体模仿学;
My time's up. 我的時間到了。
Then, I'll wrap it up with what is at the base of this capacity , of this competence of biodiversity, producing all these wonderful services: the living cell. 那麼,我來總結, 生物多樣化機能、能力的基礎是什麼, 得以產生這些奇妙的貢獻？ 生物細胞。
wrap:v.缠绕;隐藏;掩护;包起来;缠绕;穿外衣;n.外套;围巾; capacity:n.能力;容量;资格,地位;生产力;
It is a structure with a few microns , which is an internal wonder. 這個結構只有幾微米大,真的是體內的奇蹟。
microns:n.微米(micron的复数); internal:n.内脏;本质;adj.内部的;里面的;体内的;(机构)内部的;
There are TED Talks about it. I won't talk much longer, but each person in this room, including myself, has 100 trillion of these micromachines in their body, so that we can enjoy well-being . 已經有幾個 TED 談過它了,我就不再多說, 但在座的每一位,包括我, 都有一百兆個微小的機器在體內, 所以我們才能享受安康人生。
trillion:n.[数]万亿;adj.万亿的;num.[数]万亿; well-being:n.幸福;康乐;
Imagine what is out there in the Amazon forest: 100 trillion. This is greater than the number of stars in the sky. 想像一下在亞馬遜森林有什麼: 一百兆。這比天上的星星還多。
And we are not aware of it. 而我們居然都不知道。
Thank you so much. (Applause) 謝謝。（掌聲）