Evolution before Darwin
在達爾文之前提出進化論的人
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Rob...
大家好，歡迎收聽六分鐘英語。我是羅伯。
And I’m Neil. Hello.
大家好，我是尼爾。
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，尼爾。今天我們要談論進化問題。提起進化，人們最多想到的就是達爾文。他確實是個天才，不是嗎？
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!
確實如此。進化是指幾百萬年來生物變化發展的過程。天才通常在某個領域擁有卓越非凡的能力。查爾斯達爾文非常聰明，但是我恰巧知道另一個人也同樣提出了進化論，而且在達爾文之前提出了這一觀點。
So how do you know that then, clever clogs – that’s someone who thinks they know everything? What was his name?
你怎麼知道的呢，真是絕頂聰明！這是指什麼事都知道。他叫什麼名字呢？
Well, his name was Patrick Matthew.
他是派屈克馬修。
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?
今天的節目我們會更多的了解他。但是首先，你可以回答一個問題嗎？派屈克馬修是做什麼的？a) 政客？b) 牧師? c) 園藝家?
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，但是園藝家聽起來很專業，很有趣，我選那個。園藝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。之後我們再看你回答得是否正確。我們聽聽Mike Weale是如何談論派屈克馬修的。他用了什麼詞來描述「變化」？
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.
他提出了簡單的理論框架：一個物種經由自然選擇變成另一物種。這種偉大的變化的觀點將所有物種聯繫到一顆生命樹上。他比達爾文和華萊士早27年提出這一觀點。他們承認馬修最早提出進化觀點。但是其他人簡單地略去這一點，單純認為達爾文是提出進化論的第一人。
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.
所以馬修認為進化是通過自然選擇進行的。自然選擇是指動植物適應環境的方式，因為一些個體可以存活繁殖，另一些則走向滅亡。
And adapt means the way our bodies or our behaviour change to suit new conditions.
適應是指我們的身體或行為發生改變得以在新環境中存活。
And what does Mike mean by 『a single tree of life』?
Mike所說的「一個生命樹」是指什麼呢？
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.
進化最基本的觀點是所有不同的物種都是由同一簡單生命形式進化而來。像是家族樹，顯示著家庭成員之間的相互關係。所以「生命樹」表現了所有生物都是互相聯繫的。
So if this was a transformative – or change-making – idea, why don’t more of us know about Patrick Matthew?
如果這是一種變化的觀點，那麼為什麼大多數人都不知道派屈克馬修呢?
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.
這個問題很好。據說達爾文承認或者說接受了馬修的觀點。但是似乎普通大眾想要將事情簡化。
Well, I like to keep things simple, Rob.
我也喜歡將事情簡單化。
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.
你不用告訴我這個。我們再來聽聽為何馬修被大眾所忽視。Patricia Fara是劍橋大學克萊爾學院的高級導師。她告訴我們為何達爾文如此成功。她使用了一個詞來表示親密朋友和支持者。
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。儘管他發表的大本營在肯特，但是他認識維多利亞時期最著名最傑出最有名望的科學界人士，極力推崇他。一個科學理論是否能被接受不單單是理論是否正確的問題。
The word she used was allies. What are they Neil?
她用的詞是盟友。這是指什麼呢？
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?
盟友是指某件事上給予你支持和幫助的人。和某人在一條船上也是指就某一觀點和項目得到某人的支持。達爾文的盟友可不簡單是和他下酒館的那些人。
No, they weren’t! They were famous, prominent and eminent scientists. Prominent means important and well-known and eminent means important and respected.
當然不是了。他們都是最著名最傑出最有名望的科學界人士。傑出的是指重要的、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?
沒錯！所以你可以說我是一名很有名望電臺主持人！
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，繼續說吧。這些最有名望的科學家都推崇達爾文。換句話說，他們強烈支持宣傳他的進化論。
And it’s possible that Patrick Matthew did not enjoy the same level of support.
可能派屈克馬修沒有這樣的支持者。
That could be true. So do you remember the quiz question from the beginning of the show, Rob?
可能是這樣。你還記得節目開始的問題嗎？
Indeed I do! I asked: What was Matthew’s job? Was he … a) a politician? b) a church minister? Or c) a horticulturalist?
當然。我問你馬修是做什麼的？a) 政客？b) 牧師? c) 園藝家?
And I said c) horticulturalist.
我選的是c) 園藝家。
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!
正確答案就是這個，不錯！再提醒你一點：園藝家是指以研究、種植花草蔬菜瓜果為職業的人。馬修也對樹很感興趣。事實上，他關於進化的觀點出現在他所著書的附錄，該本書一共二百頁，就是寫樹木的。附錄是提供一些額外信息的部分。
So maybe that’s why we know Darwin’s name but not Matthew’s. It doesn’t seem fair.
這也許也是為什麼我們知道達爾文卻不知道馬修的原因。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。你應該知道的。
I should, I should…
確實。
So why don’t we hear the words we learned today?
我們再來聽聽今天的單詞吧？
OK. Here we go:
今天聽到的單詞有：
evolution
進化
genius
天才
clever clogs
聰明絕頂
natural selection
自然選擇
adapt
適應
species
物種
transformative
變化的
passed over
忽略
allies
盟友
on board
支持
prominent
傑出的
eminent
有名望的
horticulturalist
園藝家
appendix
附錄
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.
謝謝。今天的六分鐘英語就到這裡。登陸bbclearningenglish.com可以查看更多節目。下次再會！
Bye.
再見。