纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 009玛雅玉米神像（5）

Maize¹ culture faces two new problems, one being the use of maize as a bio-fuel and the increment² of prices, where it directly affects the Mexican population.

现在玉米文化面临着两个新问题，其一便是玉米作为生物燃料之后，价格不断升高，这直接影响到了墨西哥的人口增长。

The other problem being the genetically-modified maize, it's almost personally offensive-and religiously-that you are playing God, as it were...it's just very sensitive.

另一个问题是转基因玉米，这几乎是一种对个人与宗教的攻击。人类怎么可以扮演神灵的角色？这本来是神灵的权力。所以这问题相当敏感。

Especially when you take corn to be used for other purposes other than to be eaten or be worshipped, but rather to be put into a car-it becomes a highly controversial issue.'

特别是现在你不是把玉米拿来吃或者崇拜，而是拿来作为汽车输料？！这问题真是相当具有争议性。

So even today for some people it's unthinkable that maize, the divine food, should end up in a petrol tank.

所以即使在今天对于一些人来说，神圣食品玉米居然要被运用到汽车油箱里，这简真是不可理喻。

Well beyond Mexico, the idea of genetic³ modification⁴ of crops still causes deep unease,

而且在墨西哥以外的地方转基因农作物还是引起人们深刻的不安，

as much religious as scientific-a sense that the natural order is being disturbed, that humans are trespassing⁵ on territory that's properly reserved for the gods.

不无是从科学还是宗教角度而言，人们感觉自然秩序被打乱了，

In a very real sense, the Mexican maize god is still alive, and he's not to be trifled with.

或者人类正在入侵到为神保留的神圣领域。

In our next programme, we'll be turning from the food of the gods to the vessels⁶ that it's cooked in.

在我们下一期的节目里，我们把目光从食物之神转向烹制食物的器皿。

We'll be in Japan, with some of the oldest pottery⁷ in the world, and the birth of the stew⁸.

我们将会到达日本，去寻访世界上最古老的陶器，以及炖锅的诞生。

1 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

2 increment   

n.增值，增价；提薪，增加工资

参考例句：

• Each increment of knowledge tells us more of our world.知识的点滴增长都会增进我们对世界的认知。
• She receives a salary increment each year.她每年得到加薪。

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

5 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

8 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。