在达尔文之前提出进化论的人 Evolution before Darwin

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Rob...
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是罗伯。
And I’m Neil. Hello.
大家好，我是尼尔。
Hello, Neil! Today we’re talking about evolution. Now the man most people think of when talking about evolution is of course Charles Darwin. He was a bit of a genius, wasn’t he?
你好，尼尔。今天我们要谈论进化问题。提起进化，人们最多想到的就是达尔文。他确实是个天才，不是吗？
He was. Evolution means the way living things change and develop over millions of years. And a genius has great and unusual skills or abilities in a particular subject or area.Well Charles Darwin was a clever man but I happen to know that another man actually came up with the same idea, but many years before he did!
确实如此。进化是指几百万年来生物变化发展的过程。天才通常在某个领域拥有卓越非凡的能力。查尔斯达尔文非常聪明，但是我恰巧知道另一个人也同样提出了进化论，而且在达尔文之前提出了这一观点。
So how do you know that then, clever clogs – that’s someone who thinks they know everything? What was his name?
你怎么知道的呢，真是绝顶聪明！这是指什么事都知道。他叫什么名字呢？
Well, his name was Patrick Matthew.
他是帕特里克马修。
OK, well we’re going to learn more about him on today’s programme. But first can you answer this, Neil? What was Patrick Matthew’s job?Was he …a) a politician?b) a church minister?Or c) a horticulturalist?
今天的节目我们会更多的了解他。但是首先，你可以回答一个问题吗？帕特里克马修是做什么的？a) 政客？b) 牧师?c) 园艺家?
Well, I don’t know so I’ll go for the most profession that sounds most interesting - a horticulturalist, so I’ll choose that one! That’s a person who studies plants.
我不知道，但是园艺家听起来很专业，很有趣，我选那个。园艺家是指研究植物的人。
OK. We’ll find out later whether you are right or wrong.But let’s listen now to Dr Mike Weale talking about Patrick Matthew. Can you hear the word he uses to mean ’change-making’?
好的。之后我们再看你回答得是否正确。我们听听Mike Weale是如何谈论帕特里克马修的。他用了什么词来描述“变化”？
He published a brief outline of the idea of species being able to change into other species through natural selection– this great, transformative idea that unites us all in a single tree of life. And he did that 27 years before Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace did so.And they recognized that he did so but other people since then have simplified the story and tended to concentrate just on Darwin.
他提出了简单的理论框架：一个物种经由自然选择变成另一物种。这种伟大的变化的观点将所有物种联系到一颗生命树上。他比达尔文和华莱士早27年提出这一观点。他们承认马修最早提出进化观点。但是其他人简单地略去这一点，单纯认为达尔文是提出进化论的第一人。
So, Matthew believed that evolution happened by natural selection. And natural selection describes the way that plants and animals adapt to their environment, because some individuals survive and reproduce, and others don’t.
所以马修认为进化是通过自然选择进行的。自然选择是指动植物适应环境的方式，因为一些个体可以存活繁殖，另一些则走向灭亡。
And adapt means the way our bodies or our behaviour change to suit new conditions.
适应是指我们的身体或行为发生改变得以在新环境中存活。
And what does Mike mean by ‘a single tree of life’?
Mike所说的“一个生命树”是指什么呢？
Well, the basic idea behind evolution is that all the different species – or types of living thing – have evolved from the same simple life form. Just like a family tree describes how the members of your family are related to each other, so the ‘tree of life’ describes how all living things are related.
进化最基本的观点是所有不同的物种都是由同一简单生命形式进化而来。像是家族树，显示着家庭成员之间的相互关系。所以“生命树”表现了所有生物都是互相联系的。
So if this was a transformative – or change-making – idea, why don’t more of us know about Patrick Matthew?
如果这是一种变化的观点，那么为什么大多数人都不知道帕特里克马修呢?
A good question, Neil. We heard in the clip that Darwin acknowledged – or accepted - Matthew’s claim to the idea.But it seems to be down to us – the general public – wanting to simplify things.
这个问题很好。据说达尔文承认或者说接受了马修的观点。但是似乎普通大众想要将事情简化。
Well, I like to keep things simple, Rob.
我也喜欢将事情简单化。
You don’t have to tell me that, Neil. But let’s hear more on why Matthew might have been passed over – or ignored – by some. Here’s Dr Patricia Fara, senior tutor at Clare College Cambridge. She tells us why Darwin was so successful.And listen out for the word she uses to mean close friends and supporters.
你不用告诉我这个。我们再来听听为何马修被大众所忽视。Patricia Fara是剑桥大学克莱尔学院的高级导师。她告诉我们为何达尔文如此成功。她使用了一个词来表示亲密朋友和支持者。
He brought his allies on board.And although he was publishing from his stronghold down in Kent he had the most famous, most prominent, eminent members of the scientific society in Victorian times who were pushing on his behalf. Having a scientific theory being accepted is not just a matter of whether the theory’s right.
他有支持他的盟友。尽管他发表的大本营在肯特，但是他认识维多利亚时期最著名最杰出最有名望的科学界人士，极力推崇他。一个科学理论是否能被接受不单单是理论是否正确的问题。
The word she used was allies.What are they Neil?
她用的词是盟友。这是指什么呢？
Allies are people who help or support us in something- having someone on board also means to have someone’s support for an idea or project. And Darwin’s allies weren’t just mates from down the pub, were they?
盟友是指某件事上给予你支持和帮助的人。和某人在一条船上也是指就某一观点和项目得到某人的支持。达尔文的盟友可不简单是和他下酒馆的那些人。
No, they weren’t! They were famous, prominent and eminent scientists.Prominent means important and well-known and eminent means important and respected.
当然不是了。他们都是最著名最杰出最有名望的科学界人士。杰出的是指重要的、著名的。有名望的是指重要的，受人尊敬的。
Ah yes! So you could say that I’m an eminent radio presenter, Rob?
没错！所以你可以说我是一名很有名望电台主持人！
Well, I could Neil, but…
我是可以，但是……
OK, OK, OK moving on! These eminent scientists were pushing on Darwin’s behalf.In other words, they were taking strong action to promote his theory of evolution.
好了，好了，继续说吧。这些最有名望的科学家都推崇达尔文。换句话说，他们强烈支持宣传他的进化论。
And it’s possible that Patrick Matthew did not enjoy the same level of support.
可能帕特里克马修没有这样的支持者。
That could be true. So do you remember the quiz question from the beginning of the show, Rob?
可能是这样。你还记得节目开始的问题吗？
Indeed I do! I asked: What was Matthew’s job? Was he … a) a politician? b) a church minister? Or c) a horticulturalist?
当然。我问你马修是做什么的？a) 政客？b) 牧师?c) 园艺家?
And I said c) horticulturalist.
我选的是c) 园艺家。
Yes. And that was the right answer – so well done! Just to remind you: a horticulturalist is a person whose job is to study and grow plants such as flowers, fruit and vegetables. But Matthew was interested in trees too.In fact, his ideas about evolution appear in an appendix – or section giving extra information – at the end of a 200-page book about wood!
正确答案就是这个，不错！再提醒你一点：园艺家是指以研究、种植花草蔬菜瓜果为职业的人。马修也对树很感兴趣。事实上，他关于进化的观点出现在他所著书的附录，该本书一共二百页，就是写树木的。附录是提供一些额外信息的部分。
So maybe that’s why we know Darwin’s name but not Matthew’s.It doesn’t seem fair.
这也许也是为什么我们知道达尔文却不知道马修的原因。似乎很不公平。
Well, life’s not fair, Neil. You should know that by now!
生活本身就不公平。你应该知道的。
I should, I should…
确实。
So why don’t we hear the words we learned today?
我们再来听听今天的单词吧？
OK. Here we go:
今天听到的单词有：
evolution
进化
genius
天才
clever clogs
聪明绝顶
natural selection
自然选择
adapt
适应
species
物种
transformative
变化的
passed over
忽略
allies
盟友
on board
支持
prominent
杰出的
eminent
有名望的
horticulturalist
园艺家
appendix
附录
Thank you, Neil.Well, that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English.There are plenty more to listen to at bbclearningenglish.com. Please join us again soon.
谢谢。今天的六分钟英语就到这里。登陆bbclearningenglish.com可以查看更多节目。下次再会！
Bye.
再见。