人类能生活在水下的世界吗？
Could humans live in underwater cities?
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》节目。我是尼尔。
And I'm Rob.
我是罗伯。
From the ancient Roman sea god, Neptune, to myths of mermaids, to modern Hollywood films like Finding Nemo,
从古罗马海神尼普顿到美人鱼的神话，再到现代好莱坞电影，如《海底总动员》，
people throughout history have been fascinated by the idea of living underwater.
纵观历史，人们一直对在水下生活这个想法着迷。
In this programme, we'll be hearing about projects to create liveable underwater habitats and the challenges they face.
在本期节目中，我们将听到建造可居住的水下栖息地的项目以及其所面临的挑战。
We'll be finding out
我们将会搞清楚，
how realistic it is to believe that in a few years we could be eating breakfast whilst watching fish swim outside the kitchen window,
在未来几年内，是否有这种现实可行性——我们可以一边吃早餐，一边看着鱼儿在厨房的窗户外面游来游去，
before heading off to work in an office under the ocean...
然后我们再去位于海底的办公室工作。
And we’ll be learning some related vocabulary as well.
我们也将学习一些相关的词汇。
But first it’s time for our quiz question.
但首先是我们的测试问题时间。
One of the first adventure stories to fire the public’s imagination about the underwater world was the 1870 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
激发公众对海底世界的想象力的首批冒险故事之一是1870年的小说《海底两万里》。
But who wrote this underwater classic?
但是谁写下了这个关于海底世界的经典作品？
Was it: a) H G Wells, b) Arthur Conan Doyle, or c) Jules Verne?
是：a)赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯，b) 阿瑟·柯南·道尔，还是c)儒勒·凡尔纳？
I think I know this one, Neil.
我想我知道这个问题的答案，尼尔。
Wasn't it, a) H G Wells?
是a) 赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯吗？
OK, Rob, we'll find out later if you're right.
好的，罗伯，我们稍后将揭晓你是否正确。
Now, one of the most ambitious designs for an underwater city is Ocean Spiral,
现在，最宏大的水下城市设计之一是“海洋螺旋”，
a huge transparent globe attached to the seabed – the solid ground which lies deep below the sea level.
它是附着在海床上的一个巨大透明球体，海床是指位于海平面以下的坚实地面。
The top of the globe stands above the surface of the ocean,
这个球体的顶部处于海洋表面之上，
and running through the centre is a tower to add strength,
贯穿中心的是一座能增强能量的塔，
and to provide space for homes, offices and even an amusement park for five thousand underwater residents.
并为5000名水下居民提供住所、办公室，甚至是游乐园的空间。
Ocean Spiral has been dreamt up by the Japanese Shimizu Corporation.
“海洋螺旋”由日本清水建设公司设计。
Here's Shimizu engineer, Maksaki Takeuchi,
清水工程师Maksaki Takeuchi
explaining to BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience, the motivation behind the idea:
向BBC全球服务节目《大众科学》解释了这一想法背后的动机：
At the moment the world is facing a lot of serious problems regarding food, energy, water, natural resources...
目前，世界正面临着许多关于粮食、能源、水、自然资源的严重问题……
However we are trying to solve the issues just by using our lands.
然而，我们正试图仅通过利用土地来解决这些问题。
Our idea is to connect the sea surface and the deep sea vertically,
我们的想法是将海面和深海垂直连接起来，
and that way we believe that we can utilise the capability of the deep sea and that's the purpose of this whole project.
我们相信这样我们就可以利用深海的潜能，而那就是整个项目的目的。
The effects of human activity on the land have led some to look to the oceans for natural resources
人类活动对陆地的影响导致一些人将目光投向海洋来寻找自然资源
- naturally existing things such as minerals, oil, coal and other energy sources that can be used by people.
——自然存在的东西，如矿产、石油、煤炭和人类可以使用的其它能源。
This search deep underwater is happening vertically
这种水下深处搜索是垂直进行的
- at a ninety degree angle straight up or down from the ground, as opposed to horizontally, or flat across the Earth's surface.
——向上或向下与地面呈90度角，而不是保持水平或与地表平行。
But as yet, Shimizu Corporation's plans for an underwater city are still in the planning stages
但到目前为止，清水公司的水下城市计划仍处于规划阶段
- no part of the project has yet been built and the total cost is thought to exceed 26 billion dollars.
——项目尚未完成，而且总成本被认为将超过260亿美元。
In fact, the longest anyone has spent living under the sea is only 73 days.
事实上，任何人在海底生活的最长时间只有73天。
That record was set by Roger Garcia,
这一纪录由罗杰·加西亚创下，
ex-military diver and head of The Aquarius, currently the world's only underwater research station.
他是前军事潜水员以及目前世界上唯一的水下研究站“水瓶座”的负责人。
Here's Roger Garcia, explaining to BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience,
罗杰·加西亚向BBC全球服务节目《大众科学》解释了
what happens to the human body after living underwater for so long:
长时间生活在水下，人们的身体会发生什么变化：
Perhaps a change in their voice,
也许人们的声音会发生变化，
not much 'cos we're not very deep, that's because the air becomes denser.
跟我们所处的地方水不是很深没多大关系，那是因为那里空气变得更密集。
Physiologically the most important thing though,
但从生理上来讲，最重要的事情是，
is that since you are in this case at two and a half times atmospheric pressure you do take on more inner gas,
由于你在这种情况下是处于两个半的大气压强下，你确实会吸入更多的充气，
and in this case - inside The Aquarius we just breathe normal air
而且在这种情况下——在水瓶座内部，我们只是呼吸正常的空气
- you're gonna take on more nitrogen and depending on how long you stay in The Aquarius,
——而你会吸入更多的氮，这取决于你在“水瓶座”待多长时间，
that's going to incur some sort of decompressed obligation.
那将引发减压。
In addition to engineering challenges, living underwater for long periods of time also affects the human body.
除了工程学挑战，长期生活在水下也会对人体产生影响。
One example is the bends – or decompression sickness,
减压病就是一个例子，
a serious medical disorder created by nitrogen bubbles in the muscles when returning to the surface of the sea too quickly.
它是一种严重的医学疾病，当过快回到海面时，肌肉中会产生氮气泡，进而引发这种疾病。
The bends, and changes to the voice, are examples of how underwater living changes the body physiologically
减压病和声音的变化都是水下生物如何从生理学上改变人们身体的例子
– relating to how the bodies of living humans and animals function.
——与活着的人类和动物的身体机能有关。
As divers descend deep below the ocean's surface, there is an increase in atmospheric pressure
当潜水员下潜到海洋表面以下时，大气压强就会增加，
– the normal air pressure within the Earth's atmosphere.
大气压强是地球大气的正常气压。
The deeper they dive, the higher the pressure.
人们潜得越深，压强就越大。
Physiological reactions like the bends are caused by divers incorrectly readjusting to normal atmospheric pressure.
像减压病这样的生理反应是由潜水员错误地将气压重新调整到正常大气压强引起的。
Well, Neil, with so many difficulties,
好吧，尼尔，有这么多的困难，
it's no surprise that H G Wells's fantasy of living under the sea is still science-fiction.
难怪赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯的海底生活幻想仍是科幻小说。
Ah, but are you sure it was H G Wells, Rob?
啊，但是你确定是赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯吗，罗伯？
In my quiz question, I asked you who wrote the classic underwater adventure Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
在我的测验问题中，我问你谁写了《海底两万里》这个经典冒险故事。
Yes, and I said a) H G Wells.
是的，我说是a) 赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯。
Which was… the wrong answer!
那是错误答案！
It was, in fact, c) Jules Verne, the French author who also wrote Around the World in Eighty Days.
实际上是c)法国作家儒勒·凡尔纳，他还写了《环游世界八十天》。
In this programme, we've been discussing the challenge of living underwater,
在本期节目中，我们一直在讨论生活在水下的挑战，
going down vertically – at a 90 degree angle – to the seabed – the solid ground hundreds of metres under the sea.
垂直向下——呈90度角——到海床——海底几百米深的坚实地面。
Ocean explorers search underwater for natural resources – useful materials like coal and oil.
海洋探险者在水下寻找自然资源——像煤和石油这样的有用材料。
But they face many physiological problems – problems relating to how the human body functions,
但他们面临许多生理问题——与人体机能有关的问题，
such as the bends – a painful medical condition caused by returning too quickly to atmospheric pressure
比如减压病——因太快返回大气压强下而导致的一种痛苦的身体状况，
– the Earth's usual air pressure.
大气压强是指地球正常气压。
That's all for this programme,
以上就是本期节目的全部内容，
but we hope you'll be diving back into 6 Minute English very soon.
希望你下次继续收听《六分钟英语》。
Bye for now!
再见了！
Bye!
拜！