Being a man has always been dangerous. There are about 105 males born for every 100 females， but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity， and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men. But the great universal of male mortality is being changed. Now， by babies survive almost as well as girls do. This means that， for the first time， there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when the are searching for a mate. More important， another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago， the chance of a baby （particularly a boy baby） surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the variation is due to genes one more agent of evolution has gone.
There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide： stay alive， but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except in some religious communities， very few women has 15 children. Nowadays the number of births， like the age of death， has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again， differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today—everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring—means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.
For us， this means that evolution is over； the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely， it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100，000 years—even the past 100 years—our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve， because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution： they “l(fā)ook at an organic being as average looks at a ship， as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.” No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were， they will look just like us.
55. What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph？
（A）A lack of mates.
（B）A fierce competition.
（C）A lower survival rate.
（D）A defective gene.
56. What does the example of India illustrate？
（A）Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people.
（B）Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.
（C）The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the tribes.
（D）India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.
57. The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because________.
（A）life has been improved by technological advance
（B）the number of female babies has been declining
（C）our species has reached the highest stage of evolution
（D）the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing
58. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？
（A）Sex Ration Changes in Human Evolution.
（B）Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution.
（C）The Evolutionary Future of Nature.
（D）Human Evolution Going Nowhere.
答案及試題解析CBAD
55.（C）意為；較低的存活率。
第一段第一、二句指出，做男人總是有危險的。出生時男孩比例高于女孩，到成熟期時男女比例已持平，到70歲時男人僅剩女人數(shù)量的一半了。
A意為：配偶的缺乏。第一段第四、五句提到，現(xiàn)在，男孩的存活率幾乎與女孩一樣了，這意味著，到尋找配偶的關(guān)鍵年齡時，就會有多余的男孩（找不到配偶）。這兩句話僅是論據(jù)，說明本段第三句指出的現(xiàn)象：過去普遍存在的男人死亡率高的現(xiàn)象正在改變。
B意為：激烈的競爭。
D意為：有缺陷的基因。第一段最后一句指出，既然其中的差別都是由基因造成的，另一個進化因素不復(fù)存在了。這里并未提到基因的缺陷造成男人的高死亡率。
56.（B）意為：自然選擇的法則基本不適用于窮富的差別。
印度的例子用于說明第二段第六句指出的觀點：不同的人面對自然選擇時所可利用的優(yōu)劣勢差別已經(jīng)變小。根據(jù)下文。這一句應(yīng)理解為：在存活率問題上，富人和窮人幾乎面臨著同樣的機會，即富人已漸失其優(yōu)勢。另請參閱本段最后一句。
A意為：富人（家庭）一般比窮人孩子少。雖然這也許是事實，但文章井未提到這一點。
C意為：中產(chǎn)階級人口數(shù)量比部落人口少80％。第二段最后一句的意思是：今天的總平均趨勢——存活率和孩子數(shù)量的平均化——意味著自然選擇在印度的中高層家庭人口中——與部落人口相比——已失去80％的控制力；即：中高階層不再擁有絕對的生存優(yōu)勢。
D意為：印度是出生率很高的國家之一。這是文章沒有提到的。
57.（A）意為：技術(shù)的進步改進了生命（的質(zhì)量）。
第三段第四、五句指出，在過去的10萬年乃至100年中，我們的生活得到了改變，但是身體卻沒有改變，我們（的身體）沒有進化的原因是機器和社會使其然。這里所說的“機器”當(dāng)指技術(shù)。
B意為：女嬰數(shù)量減少了。參閱第55、56題題解。
C意為：我們這種物種（指人）已達(dá)到進化階段。雖然在第三段中作者的確提到了進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束（evolution is over），但是造成這種現(xiàn)象的原因卻只有在第五句中才提到。
D意為：貧富差別正在逐漸消失。即使在第二段，文章也沒有提到貧富差別的消失，提到的只是貧富家庭在嬰孩存活率和孩子平均數(shù)量上差別正在縮小。
58.（D）意為：人的進化已窮盡。
在第一段闡述男人死亡率降低的原因時，作者就指出了進化機制已不再起作用，第二段在討論每個家庭孩子平均數(shù)量減少這一現(xiàn)象時，作者再次指出自然進化機制已不能再左右人口的出生率，即：人不再通過多生孩子來保持人口的均衡。在總結(jié)全文的第三段時，作者直截了當(dāng)?shù)刂赋?，進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束。
A意為：人的進化過程中性別比例的改變。這一點僅在第一段提到了，所以，該選擇項不足以概括全文內(nèi)容。
B意為：保持人類進化的方法。
C意為：大自然未來的進化。本文側(cè)重點在于探討人口的結(jié)構(gòu)變化與進化過程的關(guān)系，而不是泛泛地談?wù)摯笞匀坏倪M化。
翻譯句子
1、Again， differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished.
[參考譯文]此外，人與人之間的差別以及自然選擇利用這種來發(fā)揮作用的機會都已經(jīng)大大減少了。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]注意differences between people和the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it是兩個并列的主語，千萬不要理解成people與the opportunity是between的并列賓語。
[閱讀重點]and連接的兩個并列部分是differences between people和the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it，而不是people和the opportunity.另外注意句中的it指代的是differences between people.
2、The grand mediocrity of today—everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring—means that natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.
[參考譯文]當(dāng)今人與人在很大程度上的平等——即面對自然淘汰法則人人機會均等，并且連子嗣的數(shù)目都一樣——意味著和在印度土著部落中的情況相比，印度中上層階級中已喪失了80%的自然選擇中的優(yōu)勢。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]該句的主語是The grand mediocrity，謂語是means，其后跟著that引導(dǎo)的賓語從句that natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes，其中compared to the tribes是分詞結(jié)構(gòu)作狀語，省略了if/when being.破折號中間everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring是典型的插入語，其中survival和number of offspring都是介詞in的賓語。
[閱讀重點]grand在此處不是“宏偉，壯麗”的意思，而是“程度很深”；mediocrity也非“平庸，平常”，而是“平均化”或“折衷”； offspring是“后代”。另外要理解natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India的意思，這里是指在原來的社會不平等的情況下，印度中上層階級擁有一些能使自己在自然選擇中處于優(yōu)勢的特權(quán)，而隨著醫(yī)療和衛(wèi)生條件的改變，下層人民也擁有同樣的生存條件，因此中上層階級就喪失了80％的自然選擇中的優(yōu)勢。
補充難句翻譯
1、There are about 105 males born for every 100 females， but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity， and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men.[參考譯文]男嬰和女嬰的出生比例為105：100，但在成年以后，這個性別比數(shù)便降至基本持平，而到70歲的時候，女性的人數(shù)就已達(dá)到男性的兩倍了。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]該句是由三個遞進關(guān)系的簡單句組成的并列句，句法結(jié)構(gòu)比較清晰。
[閱讀重點]第一個分句的關(guān)鍵詞在born，表明該比數(shù)是嬰兒出生時的性別比例；第二個分句的關(guān)鍵詞在near balance（接近持平）和at the age of maturity，表示性別比例的持平狀態(tài)發(fā)生在成年時期；第三個分句的70-year-olds指代的是“70歲的人們”，作名詞。
2、Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution： they “l(fā)ook at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship， as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.”[參考譯文]達(dá)爾文曾經(jīng)用下面的語句來描述那些對生物進化過程一無所知的人：他們“注視著有機體，就像原始人注視著輪船，注視著那完全超出自己理解能力限度的事物?！盵結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]冒號后的句子是主句中a phrase的同位語。該同位語從句中的結(jié)構(gòu)是A does something as B does something（A做某事的樣子正像B做某事的樣子）。
[閱讀重點]those ignorant of evolution指對生物進化過程一無所知的人，其后的they也指代這些人。最后的his指代前面的a savage.beyond his comprehension超出了他的理解范圍。
語言點詳解
1.ratio比率[大綱詞匯]ratio n.比，比率[經(jīng)典例句]The ratio of pupils to teachers is 30 to 1.
2.maturity成熟[大綱詞匯]mature a.成熟的，熟的；成年人的； v.（使）成熟[衍生詞匯]maturity a.成熟；完善[經(jīng)典例句]He is in his full maturity as an actor.
3.universal普遍模式[大綱詞匯]universal a.普遍的，全體的，通用的；宇宙的，世界的[擴充詞義] universal n.普遍；普遍行為模式[經(jīng)典例句]Foreign influence has changed the universal of speech in this tribe.
4.mortality死亡人數(shù)[大綱詞匯]mortal a.致命的，終有一死的；人世間的；n.凡人[衍生詞匯]mortality n.必死性；死亡率，死亡數(shù)[經(jīng)典例句]The mortality from automobile accidents is very high.
5.excess多余[大綱詞匯] excess a.過量的，過剩的； n.過量，過剩[經(jīng)典例句] They didn't expect there were an excess of job vacancies.
6.mate配偶[大綱詞匯]mate n.伙伴，同事；配偶[經(jīng)典例句]It is human nature to seek for a mate at certain age.
7.natural selection自然選擇
8.variation變化[大綱詞匯]variation n.變化，變動；變種，變異[經(jīng)典例句]He warned that variation of the data would result in inaccurate result.
9.gene基因[大綱詞匯] gene n.基因[衍生詞匯]genetic a.基因的；創(chuàng)始的，起源的
10 .agent動原[大綱詞匯]agent n.代理商（人），代表[擴充詞義] agent n.動原，能因，引起一定作用的人或力[經(jīng)典例句]Rain and sun are the natural agents that help plants grow.
11.commit suicide自殺[經(jīng)典例句] He committed suicide out of desperation.
12.roughly大約[大綱詞匯]rough a.粗糙的；粗略的，大致的；粗野的，粗暴的[衍生詞匯] roughly ad.粗糙地；粗野地；大體上，大約[經(jīng)典例句]The output increased roughly 10% this month.
13.offspring后代[大綱詞匯]offspring n.子孫，后代；結(jié)果，產(chǎn)物[經(jīng)典例句]His failure was an offspring of his conceit.
14.take advantage of利用[大綱詞匯] take advantage of利用[經(jīng)典例句]You should not take advantage of her kindness.
15.diminish縮小[大綱詞匯]diminish v.縮小，減少，遞減[經(jīng)典例句]The government tried to diminish the income gap between the rich and the poor.
16.tribal部落的[大綱詞匯]tribe n.家族，部落[衍生詞匯]tribal a.家族的，部落的[經(jīng)典例句] The anthropologists focused his research on tribal customs.
17.mediocrity平凡[擴充詞匯]mediocrity n.平庸，平凡；庸人[經(jīng)典例句]Her performance was blow mediocrity.
18.species物種[大綱詞匯]species n.（物）種，種類[經(jīng)典例句]Darwin explored the origin of species.
19.transform改變[大綱詞匯]transform v.改變，變換；變壓；轉(zhuǎn)化；改造，改革transformer n.變壓器[經(jīng)典例句]A beard may transform a man beyond recognition.
20.ignorant不知道[大綱詞匯]ignorant a.無知的，愚昧的；不知道的ignorance n.無知，愚昧；不知道[經(jīng)典例句]The girl was ignorant of her father's death.
21.savage野蠻人[大綱詞匯] savage n.未開化的人；a.野蠻的，未開化的；兇惡的，殘暴的[經(jīng)典例句] Robinson Crusoe named the savage he met Friday.
22.comprehension理解力[大綱詞匯]comprehension n.理解（力），領(lǐng)悟comprehend v.理解，了解comprehensive a.綜合的，內(nèi)容廣泛的[經(jīng)典例句]The teacher had no comprehension of the boy's problem.
23.descendant后代[大綱詞匯]descendant n.后代，子孫。descend v.下來，下降[經(jīng)典例句]They are said to be descendants of an ancient family.
24.use to be過去常常[大綱詞匯]used v.（to十inf.）過去常常，過去經(jīng)常[經(jīng)典例句]He used to work for this university.
25.fierce激烈的[大綱詞匯] fierce a.兇猛的，殘忍的；狂熱的，強烈的[經(jīng)典例句]A fierce argument broke out between the two friends.
26.defective有缺陷的[大綱詞匯]defect n.缺點，缺陷[衍生詞匯]defective a.有缺點的[經(jīng)典例句]She was born with defective eyesight.
全文翻譯
做男人總是充滿危險，出生時男女比例大約是105：100，但到了成熟期，這一比例幾乎持平，而在70歲的老人中女性是男性的兩倍，但是男性死亡率普遍偏高這種情況正在改變，現(xiàn)在男嬰存活率幾乎同女嬰一樣高。這就意味著男孩到了尋找伴侶的關(guān)鍵年齡將首次出現(xiàn)男孩過?，F(xiàn)象。更重要的是，又一次自然選擇的機會不復(fù)存在了。50年前，嬰兒（尤其是男嬰）存活的機會取決于體重，過輕或過重幾乎意味著必死無疑。今日體重幾乎不起什么作用，因為大部分差異是由基因引起的，又一個進化的因素消失了。
進化自殺還有另一種方法：存活，但少生孩子?，F(xiàn)在沒有幾個人像過去那樣具有旺盛的生育力。除了在一些宗教社區(qū)之外，沒有幾名婦女有15個孩子。當(dāng)今嬰兒出生的數(shù)量同死亡年齡一樣已趨于平均化，我們多數(shù)人的子女?dāng)?shù)量大致相同。人與人之間的差異和利用差異進行自然選擇的機會再一次減少。印度可以說明正在發(fā)生的一切。這個國家給大城市里的少數(shù)人提供財富，而給其余的各部落民族以貧困。今天這種極其顯著的平均化 ——每個人的生存機會和子女?dāng)?shù)量都相同——意味著與部落相比較，自然選擇在印度中、上層已經(jīng)失去了80％的效力。
對我們來說，這意味著進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束；生物學(xué)上的烏托邦已經(jīng)降臨。奇怪的是，這一過程幾乎絲毫沒有牽涉到身體上的變化，沒有其他物種充斥著自然中如此多的空間。但在過去的10 萬年——甚至過去的100年中，我們的生活發(fā)生了變化，但我們的身體卻沒變。我們沒有進化。因為機器和社會替我們辦了這一切。達(dá)爾文有一句話描述那些對進化一無所知的人，他們“看有機的生命如同野人看船，好像看某種完全不能理解的東西”。毫無疑問，我們將記住20世紀(jì)的生活方式，盡管對其丑陋之處不得其解，但是，不管我們的子孫后代對我們離烏托邦的理想境界還差多遠(yuǎn)感到有多么驚訝，他們的樣子會同我們差不了多少。
There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide： stay alive， but have fewer children. Few people are as fertile as in the past. Except in some religious communities， very few women has 15 children. Nowadays the number of births， like the age of death， has become average. Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring. Again， differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished. India shows what is happening. The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples. The grand mediocrity of today—everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring—means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.
For us， this means that evolution is over； the biological Utopia has arrived. Strangely， it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100，000 years—even the past 100 years—our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve， because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution： they “l(fā)ook at an organic being as average looks at a ship， as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.” No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were， they will look just like us.
55. What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph？
（A）A lack of mates.
（B）A fierce competition.
（C）A lower survival rate.
（D）A defective gene.
56. What does the example of India illustrate？
（A）Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people.
（B）Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.
（C）The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the tribes.
（D）India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.
57. The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because________.
（A）life has been improved by technological advance
（B）the number of female babies has been declining
（C）our species has reached the highest stage of evolution
（D）the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing
58. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？
（A）Sex Ration Changes in Human Evolution.
（B）Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution.
（C）The Evolutionary Future of Nature.
（D）Human Evolution Going Nowhere.
答案及試題解析CBAD
55.（C）意為；較低的存活率。
第一段第一、二句指出，做男人總是有危險的。出生時男孩比例高于女孩，到成熟期時男女比例已持平，到70歲時男人僅剩女人數(shù)量的一半了。
A意為：配偶的缺乏。第一段第四、五句提到，現(xiàn)在，男孩的存活率幾乎與女孩一樣了，這意味著，到尋找配偶的關(guān)鍵年齡時，就會有多余的男孩（找不到配偶）。這兩句話僅是論據(jù)，說明本段第三句指出的現(xiàn)象：過去普遍存在的男人死亡率高的現(xiàn)象正在改變。
B意為：激烈的競爭。
D意為：有缺陷的基因。第一段最后一句指出，既然其中的差別都是由基因造成的，另一個進化因素不復(fù)存在了。這里并未提到基因的缺陷造成男人的高死亡率。
56.（B）意為：自然選擇的法則基本不適用于窮富的差別。
印度的例子用于說明第二段第六句指出的觀點：不同的人面對自然選擇時所可利用的優(yōu)劣勢差別已經(jīng)變小。根據(jù)下文。這一句應(yīng)理解為：在存活率問題上，富人和窮人幾乎面臨著同樣的機會，即富人已漸失其優(yōu)勢。另請參閱本段最后一句。
A意為：富人（家庭）一般比窮人孩子少。雖然這也許是事實，但文章井未提到這一點。
C意為：中產(chǎn)階級人口數(shù)量比部落人口少80％。第二段最后一句的意思是：今天的總平均趨勢——存活率和孩子數(shù)量的平均化——意味著自然選擇在印度的中高層家庭人口中——與部落人口相比——已失去80％的控制力；即：中高階層不再擁有絕對的生存優(yōu)勢。
D意為：印度是出生率很高的國家之一。這是文章沒有提到的。
57.（A）意為：技術(shù)的進步改進了生命（的質(zhì)量）。
第三段第四、五句指出，在過去的10萬年乃至100年中，我們的生活得到了改變，但是身體卻沒有改變，我們（的身體）沒有進化的原因是機器和社會使其然。這里所說的“機器”當(dāng)指技術(shù)。
B意為：女嬰數(shù)量減少了。參閱第55、56題題解。
C意為：我們這種物種（指人）已達(dá)到進化階段。雖然在第三段中作者的確提到了進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束（evolution is over），但是造成這種現(xiàn)象的原因卻只有在第五句中才提到。
D意為：貧富差別正在逐漸消失。即使在第二段，文章也沒有提到貧富差別的消失，提到的只是貧富家庭在嬰孩存活率和孩子平均數(shù)量上差別正在縮小。
58.（D）意為：人的進化已窮盡。
在第一段闡述男人死亡率降低的原因時，作者就指出了進化機制已不再起作用，第二段在討論每個家庭孩子平均數(shù)量減少這一現(xiàn)象時，作者再次指出自然進化機制已不能再左右人口的出生率，即：人不再通過多生孩子來保持人口的均衡。在總結(jié)全文的第三段時，作者直截了當(dāng)?shù)刂赋?，進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束。
A意為：人的進化過程中性別比例的改變。這一點僅在第一段提到了，所以，該選擇項不足以概括全文內(nèi)容。
B意為：保持人類進化的方法。
C意為：大自然未來的進化。本文側(cè)重點在于探討人口的結(jié)構(gòu)變化與進化過程的關(guān)系，而不是泛泛地談?wù)摯笞匀坏倪M化。
翻譯句子
1、Again， differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished.
[參考譯文]此外，人與人之間的差別以及自然選擇利用這種來發(fā)揮作用的機會都已經(jīng)大大減少了。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]注意differences between people和the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it是兩個并列的主語，千萬不要理解成people與the opportunity是between的并列賓語。
[閱讀重點]and連接的兩個并列部分是differences between people和the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it，而不是people和the opportunity.另外注意句中的it指代的是differences between people.
2、The grand mediocrity of today—everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring—means that natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes.
[參考譯文]當(dāng)今人與人在很大程度上的平等——即面對自然淘汰法則人人機會均等，并且連子嗣的數(shù)目都一樣——意味著和在印度土著部落中的情況相比，印度中上層階級中已喪失了80%的自然選擇中的優(yōu)勢。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]該句的主語是The grand mediocrity，謂語是means，其后跟著that引導(dǎo)的賓語從句that natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India compared to the tribes，其中compared to the tribes是分詞結(jié)構(gòu)作狀語，省略了if/when being.破折號中間everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring是典型的插入語，其中survival和number of offspring都是介詞in的賓語。
[閱讀重點]grand在此處不是“宏偉，壯麗”的意思，而是“程度很深”；mediocrity也非“平庸，平常”，而是“平均化”或“折衷”； offspring是“后代”。另外要理解natural selection has lost 80％of its power in upper-middle-class India的意思，這里是指在原來的社會不平等的情況下，印度中上層階級擁有一些能使自己在自然選擇中處于優(yōu)勢的特權(quán)，而隨著醫(yī)療和衛(wèi)生條件的改變，下層人民也擁有同樣的生存條件，因此中上層階級就喪失了80％的自然選擇中的優(yōu)勢。
補充難句翻譯
1、There are about 105 males born for every 100 females， but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity， and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as men.[參考譯文]男嬰和女嬰的出生比例為105：100，但在成年以后，這個性別比數(shù)便降至基本持平，而到70歲的時候，女性的人數(shù)就已達(dá)到男性的兩倍了。
[結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]該句是由三個遞進關(guān)系的簡單句組成的并列句，句法結(jié)構(gòu)比較清晰。
[閱讀重點]第一個分句的關(guān)鍵詞在born，表明該比數(shù)是嬰兒出生時的性別比例；第二個分句的關(guān)鍵詞在near balance（接近持平）和at the age of maturity，表示性別比例的持平狀態(tài)發(fā)生在成年時期；第三個分句的70-year-olds指代的是“70歲的人們”，作名詞。
2、Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution： they “l(fā)ook at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship， as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.”[參考譯文]達(dá)爾文曾經(jīng)用下面的語句來描述那些對生物進化過程一無所知的人：他們“注視著有機體，就像原始人注視著輪船，注視著那完全超出自己理解能力限度的事物?！盵結(jié)構(gòu)剖析]冒號后的句子是主句中a phrase的同位語。該同位語從句中的結(jié)構(gòu)是A does something as B does something（A做某事的樣子正像B做某事的樣子）。
[閱讀重點]those ignorant of evolution指對生物進化過程一無所知的人，其后的they也指代這些人。最后的his指代前面的a savage.beyond his comprehension超出了他的理解范圍。
語言點詳解
1.ratio比率[大綱詞匯]ratio n.比，比率[經(jīng)典例句]The ratio of pupils to teachers is 30 to 1.
2.maturity成熟[大綱詞匯]mature a.成熟的，熟的；成年人的； v.（使）成熟[衍生詞匯]maturity a.成熟；完善[經(jīng)典例句]He is in his full maturity as an actor.
3.universal普遍模式[大綱詞匯]universal a.普遍的，全體的，通用的；宇宙的，世界的[擴充詞義] universal n.普遍；普遍行為模式[經(jīng)典例句]Foreign influence has changed the universal of speech in this tribe.
4.mortality死亡人數(shù)[大綱詞匯]mortal a.致命的，終有一死的；人世間的；n.凡人[衍生詞匯]mortality n.必死性；死亡率，死亡數(shù)[經(jīng)典例句]The mortality from automobile accidents is very high.
5.excess多余[大綱詞匯] excess a.過量的，過剩的； n.過量，過剩[經(jīng)典例句] They didn't expect there were an excess of job vacancies.
6.mate配偶[大綱詞匯]mate n.伙伴，同事；配偶[經(jīng)典例句]It is human nature to seek for a mate at certain age.
7.natural selection自然選擇
8.variation變化[大綱詞匯]variation n.變化，變動；變種，變異[經(jīng)典例句]He warned that variation of the data would result in inaccurate result.
9.gene基因[大綱詞匯] gene n.基因[衍生詞匯]genetic a.基因的；創(chuàng)始的，起源的
10 .agent動原[大綱詞匯]agent n.代理商（人），代表[擴充詞義] agent n.動原，能因，引起一定作用的人或力[經(jīng)典例句]Rain and sun are the natural agents that help plants grow.
11.commit suicide自殺[經(jīng)典例句] He committed suicide out of desperation.
12.roughly大約[大綱詞匯]rough a.粗糙的；粗略的，大致的；粗野的，粗暴的[衍生詞匯] roughly ad.粗糙地；粗野地；大體上，大約[經(jīng)典例句]The output increased roughly 10% this month.
13.offspring后代[大綱詞匯]offspring n.子孫，后代；結(jié)果，產(chǎn)物[經(jīng)典例句]His failure was an offspring of his conceit.
14.take advantage of利用[大綱詞匯] take advantage of利用[經(jīng)典例句]You should not take advantage of her kindness.
15.diminish縮小[大綱詞匯]diminish v.縮小，減少，遞減[經(jīng)典例句]The government tried to diminish the income gap between the rich and the poor.
16.tribal部落的[大綱詞匯]tribe n.家族，部落[衍生詞匯]tribal a.家族的，部落的[經(jīng)典例句] The anthropologists focused his research on tribal customs.
17.mediocrity平凡[擴充詞匯]mediocrity n.平庸，平凡；庸人[經(jīng)典例句]Her performance was blow mediocrity.
18.species物種[大綱詞匯]species n.（物）種，種類[經(jīng)典例句]Darwin explored the origin of species.
19.transform改變[大綱詞匯]transform v.改變，變換；變壓；轉(zhuǎn)化；改造，改革transformer n.變壓器[經(jīng)典例句]A beard may transform a man beyond recognition.
20.ignorant不知道[大綱詞匯]ignorant a.無知的，愚昧的；不知道的ignorance n.無知，愚昧；不知道[經(jīng)典例句]The girl was ignorant of her father's death.
21.savage野蠻人[大綱詞匯] savage n.未開化的人；a.野蠻的，未開化的；兇惡的，殘暴的[經(jīng)典例句] Robinson Crusoe named the savage he met Friday.
22.comprehension理解力[大綱詞匯]comprehension n.理解（力），領(lǐng)悟comprehend v.理解，了解comprehensive a.綜合的，內(nèi)容廣泛的[經(jīng)典例句]The teacher had no comprehension of the boy's problem.
23.descendant后代[大綱詞匯]descendant n.后代，子孫。descend v.下來，下降[經(jīng)典例句]They are said to be descendants of an ancient family.
24.use to be過去常常[大綱詞匯]used v.（to十inf.）過去常常，過去經(jīng)常[經(jīng)典例句]He used to work for this university.
25.fierce激烈的[大綱詞匯] fierce a.兇猛的，殘忍的；狂熱的，強烈的[經(jīng)典例句]A fierce argument broke out between the two friends.
26.defective有缺陷的[大綱詞匯]defect n.缺點，缺陷[衍生詞匯]defective a.有缺點的[經(jīng)典例句]She was born with defective eyesight.
全文翻譯
做男人總是充滿危險，出生時男女比例大約是105：100，但到了成熟期，這一比例幾乎持平，而在70歲的老人中女性是男性的兩倍，但是男性死亡率普遍偏高這種情況正在改變，現(xiàn)在男嬰存活率幾乎同女嬰一樣高。這就意味著男孩到了尋找伴侶的關(guān)鍵年齡將首次出現(xiàn)男孩過?，F(xiàn)象。更重要的是，又一次自然選擇的機會不復(fù)存在了。50年前，嬰兒（尤其是男嬰）存活的機會取決于體重，過輕或過重幾乎意味著必死無疑。今日體重幾乎不起什么作用，因為大部分差異是由基因引起的，又一個進化的因素消失了。
進化自殺還有另一種方法：存活，但少生孩子?，F(xiàn)在沒有幾個人像過去那樣具有旺盛的生育力。除了在一些宗教社區(qū)之外，沒有幾名婦女有15個孩子。當(dāng)今嬰兒出生的數(shù)量同死亡年齡一樣已趨于平均化，我們多數(shù)人的子女?dāng)?shù)量大致相同。人與人之間的差異和利用差異進行自然選擇的機會再一次減少。印度可以說明正在發(fā)生的一切。這個國家給大城市里的少數(shù)人提供財富，而給其余的各部落民族以貧困。今天這種極其顯著的平均化 ——每個人的生存機會和子女?dāng)?shù)量都相同——意味著與部落相比較，自然選擇在印度中、上層已經(jīng)失去了80％的效力。
對我們來說，這意味著進化已經(jīng)結(jié)束；生物學(xué)上的烏托邦已經(jīng)降臨。奇怪的是，這一過程幾乎絲毫沒有牽涉到身體上的變化，沒有其他物種充斥著自然中如此多的空間。但在過去的10 萬年——甚至過去的100年中，我們的生活發(fā)生了變化，但我們的身體卻沒變。我們沒有進化。因為機器和社會替我們辦了這一切。達(dá)爾文有一句話描述那些對進化一無所知的人，他們“看有機的生命如同野人看船，好像看某種完全不能理解的東西”。毫無疑問，我們將記住20世紀(jì)的生活方式，盡管對其丑陋之處不得其解，但是，不管我們的子孫后代對我們離烏托邦的理想境界還差多遠(yuǎn)感到有多么驚訝，他們的樣子會同我們差不了多少。