2015考研英语阅读英文原刊《经济学人》：手的进化

　　One is the way the fingers curl back on themselves, which leaves no empty space inside thefist.

　　一个是握拳时手指紧密地弯曲，中间不留任何空隙，

　　That is a product of the precise lengths of the component bones of each finger, which is onereason a chimpanzee cannot form a proper fist.

　　这可是每根手指骨以精确的尺寸构建的产物，这是黑猩猩的手无法做到的。

　　The other is the buttressing role of the thumb, which adds yet further stiffness.

　　另外一个因素是大拇指的支撑作用使得拳头更加坚硬。

　　Again, this requires the thumb to be of precisely the right length, and to originate inprecisely the right place at the side of the palm.

　　当然，大拇指的精确尺寸以及所处的位置两者相结合才能使之完美地发挥了作用。

　　In combination, Dr Morgan and Dr Carrier's machine indicted, these features make aproperly formed fist almost four times as rigid as a chimpanzee-style fist—for when achimp curls its fingers up it leaves a gap through the middle of the fist, fatally weakeningthe structure; and the thumb plays no buttressing role.

　　摩根与卡里尔两位教授综合利用了测量出的各种数据，他们认为正是以上所描述的两种因素让人拳头的硬度是黑猩猩拳头硬度的四倍，当黑猩猩的手握成一个拳头时，牠弯曲的手指中有一个空隙，这是一个致命性的缺陷，而且灵长类动物的大拇指也不起到支撑拳头的作用。

　　All this suggests that fists are indeed proper evolutionary adaptations, with their own historyof natural selection, rather than being just the coincidental by-products of humanity'shandiness with a tool.

　　综上所述，人手之所以能形成拳头是大自然物竞天择的结果，而不是人类碰巧使用工具所进化的副产品。

　　In fact, it is probably easier for the gripping role of the hand to adjust to the geometricalrequirements of the punching role of the fist than the other way round.

　　实际上，很可能人手的抓取功能是为了适应拳头的几何结构而进化过来的，而不是抓取功能的副产品。

　　Which makes perfect sense, for it has long been the case that the species is divided betweenthose who prosper by making things with their hands, and those who rely on their fists, orthe threat of them, to take what the makers have made.

　　这就说明了，在很长一段时间里，物种之间的差异是根据使用手的不同方式开始，一些使用双手制造物品、一些利用拳头自我保护或者使用武力抢夺前者所制造的物品。

　　词语解释

　　1.come into 进入;加入

　　We don't really know where Hortense comes into allthis...

　　我们真的不清楚霍滕斯在这中间起什么作用。

　　It's an unrestricted journey, and rules of any sortdon't come into it.

　　这是一次没有任何限制的旅行，所有的规则都不起作用。

　　2.suit for 相适合

　　She says she plans to respond with a suit for sexual discrimination.

　　她说，她准备提起性别歧视的诉讼。

　　I needed my suit for the next morning, not folksy aphorisms or your musings on why thecaged bird sings.

　　明天一早，我要的是我的西装而不是那些和颜悦色的人生格言或者阁下有关笼中鸟为何唱歌的沉思。

　　3.possible to 可能的

　　It isn't possible to verify his allegations.

　　他的这些说法是不可能核实的。

　　It is still possible to eat tofu in long-established restaurants in kyoto.

　　现在你依然可以在京都历史悠久的餐馆里吃豆腐。

　　4.driving force 动力

　　The advanced countries are no longer the global driving force: they are importinginflation.

　　发达国家已不再是全球经济发展的动力：它们在进口通胀。

　　In part that was because counter-terrorism had become the driving force for the washingtonsecurity establishment.

　　从某种程度上说，反恐怖主义是华盛顿建立安全体系的源动力。

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