2-13 要么生存，要么死亡

To Live or to Die

 

The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation¹ and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively¹ slight. Only in the present century has one species man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.

　　

During the past quarter century this power has not only become increasingly great but it has changed in character. The most alarming of all man’s assaults² upon the environment is the contamination³ of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal² materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable⁴. In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister³⁵ partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world the very nature of its life. Chemicals sprayed on croplands⁶ or forests or gardens lie long in soil, entering into living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death. Or they pass mysteriously by underground streams until they emerge and combine into new forms that kill vegetation, sicken cattle, and work unknown harm on those who drink from once pure wells. “Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation,” as a scientist has said.

　　

It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth. Given time time not in years but in millennia⁴⁷ life adjusts, and a balance has been reached. But in the modern world there is no time.

　　

The rapidity⁸ of change follows the impetuous⁹ pace of man rather than the deliberate¹⁰ pace of nature. Radiation is now the unnatural⁵ creation of man’s tampering¹¹ with the atom. The chemicals are the synthetic⁶¹² creations of man’s inventive mind, having no counterparts in nature.

　　

To adjust to these chemicals would require not merely the years of a man’s life but the life of generations. And even this, were it by some miracle possible, would be futile⁷¹³, for the new chemicals come from our laboratories in an endless stream; almost five hundred annually⁸ find their way into actual use in the United States alone. Among them are many that are used in man’s war against nature. Since the mid⁹ 1940’s over 200 basic chemicals have been created for use in killing¹⁰ insects, weeds, and other organisms described as “pests¹⁴.”

 

It is not my contention¹¹ that chemical insecticides¹⁵ must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent¹² chemicals indiscriminately¹⁶ into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. I contend, furthermore, that we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation¹³ of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern for the integrity of the natural world that supports all life.

 

注释：

1.vegetation [7vedVi5teiFEn] n. [总称]植物，草木

2.assault [E5sC:lt] n. 攻击，袭击；破坏

3.contamination [kEn7tAmi5neiFEn] n. 弄脏，污染，玷污

4.irrecoverable [7iri5kQvErEbl] adj. 不能回复的，不能挽回的

5.sinister [5sinistE] adj. 邪恶的，恶意的

6.cropland [5krCplAnd] n. 耕地，农田

7.millennia [mi5leniE] (millennium的复数) n. 千年期

8.rapidity [rE5piditi] n. 速度

9.impetuous [im5petjuEs] adj. 急躁的，鲁莽的

10.deliberate [di5libEreit] adj. 从容的，不慌不忙的

11.temper [5tempE] vi. 调和；支配

12.synthetic [sin5Wetic] adj. 合成的；人造的

13.futile [5fju:tail] adj. 无益的，无效的

14.pest [pest] n. 有害生物；害虫

15.insecticide [in5sektisaid] n. 杀虫剂，杀虫药

16.indiscriminately [7indis5krimineitiN] adv. 不加区别地；不加选择地

 

 

 

要么生存，要么死亡

 

　　地球上生命的历史一直就是一部生物与其环境相互作用的历史。在很大程度上，地球上动植物的形态以及习性都是由外部环境所塑造的。考虑到地球上生命存在的整个时间，相反作用，即生命对其周围环境的实际改变作用，却相对很小。只有在当前这个世纪（指20世纪）才有一个物种——人类，获得了强大的力量，改变了其所生存的世界的自然状态。

　　在过去的1/4世纪中，这种力量不仅日趋强大，而且其性质也发生了变化。在人类破坏环境的种种行为中，最令人担忧的是人类向大气、土壤、河流以及海洋中排放危险甚至致命物质，而当今这种污染在很大程度上是无法挽救的。在当今这种对环境的普遍污染中，化学制品与辐射狼狈为奸，改变着地球的自然状态，也就是改变着地球上生命的自然状态。喷洒到农田、森林或者花园里的化学物质长期滞留于土壤中，渗入有机体内，并彼此相传，形成了一个中毒与死亡的链条。化学物质还神秘地通过地下水传递，最终以新的形式出现并结合，使植物毒死，牲畜害病，并使饮用一度纯净的井水的人遭受了不明之害。正如一位科学家所言：“人类甚至对自己创造的恶魔都不认识。”

　　地球历经了许多亿年才创造了栖息其上的生命。经过了一定时间——不是以若干年计而是以若干千年计的时间——生命开始适应环境，并形成了一种与环境的平衡。但是在现代世界中，时间这一因素已经没有了。

环境改变的速度不再顺从大自然从容不迫的节奏，而是顺从人类急切匆匆的步伐。辐射是当今人类通过支配原子而得到的一种非自然的创造物。化学制品则是人类有发明创造力的头脑创造出来的合成物，在自然界本无相应的东西。

　　为了适应这些化学制品，人类需要付出的时间不会只是一个人一生的时间，而是几代人的时间。而即使这样，就算出现奇迹成为可能，这种适应也是徒劳的，因为新的化学制品从我们的实验室中源源不断地涌出。仅在美国，每年就有大约500种化学制品投入使用，其中许多是用于人类对自然的战争中。从20世纪40年代中期起，人类已经创造了200多种基本化学制品用来消灭昆虫、野草以及其他所谓的“有害生物”。

　　我不是说人类决不能使用化学杀虫剂。我要说的是，我们不分青红皂白地将这些有毒的、具有强大生物功能的化学制品，交给了那些对这些制品的潜在危害基本上或者完全无知的人去使用。我们使众多的人接触这些有毒物质，却没有征得他们的同意，并常常将他们蒙在鼓中。我还要说的一点是，我们允许使用这些化学制品，却事先很少或者根本没有调查它们对土壤、水、野生生物以及人类自身造成的影响。我们缺乏对万物赖以生存的自然界生态统一的关心，对此，我们的后代是不可能原谅的。

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

3 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

4 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

5 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

6 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

7 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

9 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

12 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

13 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。