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旁白：听一段动物学课的讲座。

NARRATOR:Listen to part of a lecture in a zoology class.

女教授：好的。我们一直在谈论鸟类、现代鸟类及其环境。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:OK, we’ve been talking about birds, modern birds, and their environments.

但是,一些关于古代鸟类的事情可能会很有意思，尤其是一种叫做始祖鸟的鸟类。

But it might be interesting to say something about ancient birds, especially the one called archaeopteryx.

我知道这个词很难讲，但它的意思是古老的翅膀。

Difficult word, I know. But all it means is “ancient wing.”

呃，第一只始祖鸟是在1861年发现的，在德国采石场的一块形成了化石的石头上。

Uh, the first “archaeopteryx” was discovered in 1861, fossilized in a piece of stone from a quarry in Germany.

从古生物学家的角度来看，这一发现非常幸运。

From a paleontologist’s point of view, this was a real stroke of luck.

嗯，这个古鸟的脆弱的骨头不仅保存得非常好——这对鸟类来说是非常罕见的，这也是为什么我们在化石记录中找不到很多化石的原因，但这块化石的细节确实不同寻常，你甚至可以检测到它上面羽毛的印记。

Uh, not only were the fragile bones of this ancient bird extremely well-preserved—and that’s pretty rare for a bird—which is why we don’t find very many of them in the fossil record, but the fine details of this fossil were really quite extraordinary—you could even detect impressions of the feathers on it.

男学生：为什么这种特殊的化石会出现这样的细节？

MALE STUDENT:Why was it that details like that showed up in this particular fossil?

女教授：嗯，我之前提到过，始祖鸟化石是在采石场发现的，你知道，人们在那里切割石头，在这个案例中，是特别精细的石灰石。关键是构成这种石灰石的颗粒非常精细，以至于石灰石以精美的细节保存了大部分化石。正如我所说，揭示了细节的印象，甚至一片羽毛上的最细的线条。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Well, I mentioned before that the archaeopteryx fossil was found in a quarry—you know, where people cut stone—in this case, exceptionally fine-grained limestone. And the point is… the particles that this limestone was made of were so fine that the limestone preserved much of the fossil in exquisite detail, and, as I said, revealed impressions of details even as small as the lines in a feather.

但这非常罕见。如此脆弱的古鸟类化石一般不多，更不用说始祖鸟化石了。

But that’s pretty rare. There are not many fossils of ancient birds in general, being so fragile, much less archaeopteryx fossils.

所以我们知道的不如想知道的多。但是有很多意见。

So we don’t know for sure as much as we’d like to, but there are lots of opinions.

就像，说蒙娜丽莎，你们看过那幅画的复制品，对吧？蒙娜丽莎。

It’s like, say, the Mona Lisa… you guys have seen copies of that painting, right? The Mona Lisa?

好吧，其中一件很棒的事情是，每个看到这幅画的人都会根据自己的偏见对它的理解有所不同。

Well, one of the great things about it is that each person who sees that painting understands it a little differently, according to their own biases.

你可能会说始祖鸟是科学界的蒙娜丽莎。

You might say that the archaeopteryx is a scientific Mona Lisa.

女教授：哦，好吧，研究现代鸟类的鸟类学家倾向于将始祖鸟视为我们今天所见鸟类的早期祖先。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Oh… well, ornithologists, who study modern birds, tend to see the archaeopteryx as an early ancestor of the birds we see today.

但是研究化石和古代生命形式的古生物学家指出它与某些恐龙物种有相似之处。

But paleontologists, the ones who study fossils and forms of ancient life, point out its similarity to some dinosaur species.

我的意思是，它在某些重要方面与现代鸟类非常不同。我的意思是，它没有喙，尾巴像爬行动物一样长而瘦，而不是像现代鸟类那样短而粗。

I mean, it is very different from modern birds in some important ways—I mean, there’s no beak, the tail is long and bony the way a reptile’s is, rather than short and stubby like a modern bird’s.

它在所谓的翼指末端有爪子，现代鸟类中通常不存在。

And it has claws at the ends of what are called its wing fingers … they’re generally absent in modern birds.

女学生：所以鸟类学家认为这是一只鸟，而古生物学家说不是？

FEMALE STUDENT:So ornithologists think it’s a bird, and paleontologists say it isn’t?

女教授：哦，我说了吗？哦，不，不，对不起。这不是争论的内容。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Did I say that? No … no … I’m sorry, that’s not what the debate’s about.

始祖鸟有羽毛，有羽毛的生物被归类为鸟类。

The archaeopteryx had feathers, and creatures with feathers are classified as birds.

女学生：那么争论的焦点是什么？

FEMALE STUDENT:So … then … what is the debate about?

女教授：好吧，好吧，就像我说的，嗯，即使没有喙，有尾巴和爪子，它仍然被归类为鸟类。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:OK. Well, like I said, even with the lack of a beak, and with its tail and claws, it’s still classified as a bird.

这个争论是，好吧，从进化论上讲，始祖鸟处于哪个位置呢？

The debate is ... well, evolutionarily speaking, where does archaeopteryx fit?

对于研究那个时期其它恐龙的古生物学家来说，嗯，在很多方面都没有什么不寻常的。

For the paleontologist who studies other dinosaurs of that period, it’s, well, in a lot of ways, nothing all that unusual ...

女教授：除了羽毛，说得没错。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Except for the feathers, exactly.

古生物学家根据其更广泛的进化关系来看待始祖鸟，嗯，他们认为它几乎是恐龙和现代鸟类之间的一种联系，或者至少与其中一种密切相关。

Paleontologists see the archaeopteryx in terms of its wider evolutionary relationships … um, they see it as a kind of link, almost, between dinosaurs and modern birds, or at least closely related to one.

而对于鸟类学家来说，始祖鸟是一种具有特殊特征的鸟类，有记录以来最早的鸟类。

And for the ornithologists, the archaeopteryx is a bird with exceptional features, and the earliest bird on record.

鸟类学家的一个基本信念是鸟类进化了，嗯，或者说它们的进化与它们发展飞行能力密切相关。

A basic belief of ornithologists is that birds evolved… uh, that their evolution is closely related to their developing the ability to fly.

但是我之前提到的一些特征，没有像鸟一样的尾巴，爪子，这些并不能很好地支持始祖鸟可以飞行的概念。

But some of those features I mentioned earlier—the lack of a bird-like tail, the claws—these don’t do much to support the notion that the archaeopteryx could fly.

但话又说回来，它确实具有其他类似现代鸟类的特征。所以它可能会从地面升起，但只是非常难看。一旦它进入空中，它可能并不太优雅。

But then again, it did have other modern bird-like features, so it probably could rise up off the ground, but only very awkwardly, and it probably wasn’t too graceful once it got into the air.

不过，实际上，至于始祖鸟是否会飞，我们并没有确凿的证据。

Actually, though, as to whether the archaeopteryx could fly, we don’t really have conclusive evidence one way or the other.

男学生：那么你同意古生物学家的观点吗，教授？还是鸟类学家？

MALE STUDENT:So do you agree with the paleontologists, professor, or the ornithologists?

女教授：嗯，最近的研究是基于在中国发现的一些化石。

FEMALE PROFESSOR:Well, the most recent research is based on some fossils being found in China.

它几乎不完整，但我发现它的结论确实令人信服。

It’s hardly complete, but I find its conclusions really compelling.

嗯，显然，始祖鸟的羽毛可能不是为了飞行而进化的，而是为了展示，嗯，雄性用五颜六色的羽毛来吸引配偶，或者，为了保暖。

Uh, apparently, the feathers of the archaeopteryx may have evolved not for flight, but either for display … um, males using colorful feathers to attract a mate … or for insulation.

羽毛对于在寒冷的温度下保存体温非常有用。

And, feathers are very useful for conserving body heat in cold temperatures.

According to the professor, why was the first archaeopteryx fossil of unusually high quality?

Why does the professor mention the Mona Lisa?

What point does the professor make about the tail of the archaeopteryx?

What is the professor’s attitude toward the recent research on fossils discovered in China?

NARRATORListen to part of a lecture in a zoology class. FEMALE PROFESSOROK, we’ve been talking about birds, modern birds, and their environments. But it might be interesting to say something about ancient birds, especially the one called archaeopteryx.Difficult word, I know. But all it means is “ancientwing.”  Uh, the first “archaeopteryx” was discovered in 1861, fossilized in a piece of stone from a quarry in Germany. From a paleontologist’s point of view, this was a real stroke of luck. Uh, not only were the fragile bones of this ancient bird extremelywell-preserved—and that’s pretty rare for a bird—which is why we don’t find very many of them in the fossil record, but the fine details of this fossil were really quite extraordinary—you could even detect impressions of the feathers on it. Amazing, huh?  Yes, Mike?MALE STUDENTWhy was it that details like that showed up in this particular fossil?FEMALE PROFESSORWell, I mentioned before that the archaeopteryx fossil was found in a quarry—you know, where people cut stone—in this case, exceptionally fine-grained limestone. And the point is… the particles that this limestone was made of were so fine that the limestone preserved much of the fossil in exquisite detail, and, as I said, revealed impressions of details even as small as the lines in a feather.But that’s pretty rare. There are not many fossils of ancient birds in general, being so fragile, much less archaeopteryx fossils. So we don’t know for sure as much as we’d like to, but there are lots of opinions. It’s like, say, the Mona Lisa… you guys have seen copies of that painting, right? The Mona Lisa? Well, one of the great things about it is that each person who sees that painting understands it a little differently, according to their own biases. You might say that the archaeopteryx is a scientific Mona Lisa. MALE STUDENTHow so?FEMALE PROFESSOROh… well, ornithologists, who study modern birds, tend to see the archaeopteryx as an early ancestor of the birds we see today. But paleontologists, the ones who study fossils and forms of ancient life, point out its similarity to some dinosaur species. I mean, itis very different from modern birds in some important ways—I mean, there’s no beak, the tail is long and bony the way a reptile’s is, rather than short and stubby like a modern bird’s. And it has claws at the ends of what are called its wing fingers … they’re generally absent in modern birds.FEMALE STUDENTSo ornithologists think it’s a bird, and paleontologists say it isn’t?FEMALE PROFESSORDid I say that? No … no … I’m sorry, that’s not what the debate’s about. The archaeopteryx had feathers, and creatures with feathers are classified as birds.FEMALE STUDENTSo … then … what is the debate about?FEMALE PROFESSOROK. Well, like I said, even with the lack of a beak, and with its tail and claws, it’s still classified as a bird. The debate is ... well, evolutionarily speaking, where does archaeopteryx fit? For the paleontologist who studies other dinosaurs of that period, it’s, well, in a lot of ways, nothing all that unusual ...MALE STUDENTExcept for the feathers …FEMALE PROFESSORExcept for the feathers, exactly. Paleontologists see the archaeopteryx in terms of its wider evolutionary relationships … um, they see it as a kind of link, almost, between dinosaurs and modern birds, or at least closely related to one.And for the ornithologists, the archaeopteryx is a bird with exceptional features, and the earliest bird on record. A basic belief of ornithologists is that birds evolved… uh, that their evolution is closely related to their developing the ability to fly. But some of those features I mentioned earlier—the lack of a bird-like tail, the claws—these don’t do much to support the notion that the archaeopteryx could fly. But then again, it did have other modern bird-like features, so it probably could rise up off the ground, but only very awkwardly, and it probably wasn’t too graceful once it got into the air. Actually, though, as to whether the archaeopteryx could fly, we don’t really have conclusive evidence one way or the other.MALE STUDENTSo do you agree with the paleontologists, professor, or the ornithologists?FEMALE PROFESSORWell, the most recent research is based on some fossils being found in China. It’s hardly complete, but I find its conclusions really compelling. Uh, apparently, the feathers of the archaeopteryx may have evolved not for flight, but either for display … um, males using colorful feathers to attract a mate … or for insulation. And, feathers are very useful for conserving body heat in cold temperatures.

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