💬 新概念英语第四册

Lesson 16 The modern city

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

和阴暗狭窄的街道组成

Lesson 16 The modern city

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

街道上充斥着汽油味和有毒气体，出租汽车、卡车、公共汽车的噪音刺耳难忍，络绎不绝的人群挤来挤去。

Lesson 16 The modern city

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

显然，现代化的城市不是为居民的利益而规划的。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

In the early days of the settlement of Australia,

在澳大利亚移民初期，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit.

一些有创业精神的移民不明智地把欧洲兔子引进了澳大利亚。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes,

这种兔子在澳大利亚及新西兰没有天敌，

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杂乱交配迅猛繁殖起来。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It overran a whole continent.

整个澳洲兔子成灾。

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.

它们在地下打洞，吃掉本可以饲养数百万头牛羊的牧草，给澳洲大陆造成了毁灭性的破环。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

科学家们发现，这种特殊品种的兔子（显然不包括别的动物）

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis.

易患一种叫做"多发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,

通过让染上此病的动物在洞内乱跑，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

local epidemics of this disease could be created.

就可以使这种疾病在一个地区蔓延起来。

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.

后来又发现，有一种蚊子是传播这种疾病的媒介，能把此病传染给兔子。

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，世界上其他地方在设法消灭蚊子的时候，澳大利亚却在促使这种蚊子大量繁殖。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

蚊子把这种疾病扩散到整个澳洲大陆，效果甚佳，结果兔子的数目大为减少。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

后来，明显看出，兔子对这种疾病已产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灭。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

但是，已有希望解决兔子所带来的问题。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

具有讽刺意味的是，欧洲把这种兔子作为有害动物传给澳洲，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence.

而欧洲自己却染上了这种人为的瘟疫般的疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

一位法国内科医生决定除掉自己庄园内的野兔子，于是引进了这种多发性粘液瘤疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

然而，这种疾病并未被局限在他的庄园内，

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

It spread through France,

结果在整个法国蔓延开来。

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,

野兔在法国一般不被当作有害动物，而被视为打猎取乐的玩物和有用的食物来源。

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.

这种疾病又蔓延到了英国。在英国，野兔被当作有害的动物，可是家兔是赚钱的毛皮工业的基础，然而家兔同样易感染这种疾病。

Lesson 17 A man-made disease

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

现在的问题是，人类能否控制住这种人为的疾病。

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.

长期以来，海员中流传着一种迷信的说法，认为海豚会把快要淹死的人托到水面，救人性命；或在人们周围列队保护，使他们免遭鲨鱼伤害。

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.

海洋摄影室的生物学家指出，无论海豚多么聪明，认为它们有救人的动机可能是错误的。

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.

当它们偶尔把一个失去知觉的人推到岸边时，更大的可能是出于好奇或游戏，就像它们追逐被船首犁开的浪花一样。