The effects of a warmer world are visible in animals' bodies
地球變暖的影響正體現(xiàn)在動物身體上
For humans, adapting to climate change will mostly be a matter of technology. More air conditioning, better-designed houses and bigger flood defences may help ameliorate the effects of a warmer world. Animals will have to rely on changing their bodies or their behaviour.
對人類而言，適應(yīng)氣候變化在大多情況下終究是技術(shù)問題。更多的空調(diào)系統(tǒng)、設(shè)計(jì)得更加巧妙的房屋以及更大的防洪設(shè)備或許就能幫助減少地球變暖的影響。而動物將不得不依賴于改變它們的身體或行為（來適應(yīng)氣候變化）。
In a paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, a team led by Sara Ryding, a PhD candidate at Deakin University, in Australia, shows that is already happening. Climate change is already altering the bodies of many animal species, giving them bigger beaks, limbs and ears.
在一篇發(fā)表于《生態(tài)學(xué)與進(jìn)化趨勢》的文章中，澳大利亞迪肯大學(xué)的在讀博士生薩拉·萊丁帶領(lǐng)的團(tuán)隊(duì)證明，這種現(xiàn)象已經(jīng)在發(fā)生。氣候變化已經(jīng)在改變許多動物物種的身體，使它們的喙、四肢和耳朵變得更大。
In some species of Australian parrot, for instance, beak size has increased by between 4% and 10% since 1871. Similar trends are seen in mammals, with species of mice, shrews and bats evolving bigger ears, tails, legs and wings.
例如，在某些種類的澳大利亞鸚鵡身上，喙的大小從 1871 年起增大了 4% 到 10%。類似的趨勢也出現(xiàn)在哺乳動物中：一些種類的老鼠、鼩鼱和蝙蝠進(jìn)化出了更大的耳朵、尾巴、腿和翅膀。
All that dovetails nicely with evolutionary theory. "Allen's rule", named for Joel Asaph Allen, who suggested it in 1877, holds that warm-blooded animals in hot places tend to have larger appendages than those in temperate regions.
所有那些現(xiàn)象都和進(jìn)化論非常吻合。喬爾·阿薩夫·艾倫在 1877 年提出了“艾倫法則”（以艾倫命名）。這項(xiàng)法則認(rèn)為，炎熱地區(qū)的溫血動物往往比溫帶地區(qū)的長有更大的附器。
Such adaptations boost an animal's surface area relative to its body volume, helping it to shed excess heat. Being richly endowed with blood vessels, and not covered by insulating feathers, beaks make an ideal place for birds to dispose of heat.***
這樣的適應(yīng)性變化增加了動物相對其體積的表面積，幫助它消散過多的熱量。鳥喙長有大量的血管，且不被隔熱的羽毛覆蓋，成為鳥類理想的散熱器官。
Studying a broader range of animals will help firm up exactly what is happening. Much of Ms Ryding's data concern birds, with less information available for other taxa. But it seems clear that the world of the future is not just going to be hotter than humans are used to. The animals living in it will look different, too.
更大范圍地研究動物將有助于明確現(xiàn)在到底在發(fā)生什么。萊丁女士的大部分?jǐn)?shù)據(jù)和鳥類有關(guān)，而關(guān)于其它物種的可用信息較少。但以后的局面似乎很明顯，未來的世界不僅將比人類所習(xí)慣的要熱，生活在其中的動物也將改變模樣。
主編：迎迎
品控：Pita
審核：Seika
重點(diǎn)詞匯
visible
/?v?z?bl/
adj. 可看見的
例句：It's visible to the naked eye.
反義詞：invisible（adj. 看不見的，隱形的）
adapt
/??d?pt/
v. 適應(yīng)
搭配短語：adapt to sth. (適應(yīng)某事)
例句：We need to adapt quickly to the new system.
defence
/d??fens/
n. 防御；防御設(shè)施
搭配短語：flood defence（防洪設(shè)施）
ameliorate
/??mi?l.j?.re?t/
v. 減輕，減少
詞根詞綴：melior（更好的）
英文釋義：to make a bad situation better or less harmful
搭配短語：to ameliorate depression
詞義辨析：ameliorate, improve
ameliorate 使用的語境更加正式，強(qiáng)調(diào)從“不好”向“好”的轉(zhuǎn)變；improve 單純表示 to become better，既可以是“雪中送炭”，也可以是“錦上添花”。
alter
/?ɑ?l.t?/
v. 改變
詞義辨析：alter, change
alter 通常指“輕微地、不易察覺地改變”，而 change 可以表示任何變化。文章選擇 alter 體現(xiàn)出了用詞嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，強(qiáng)調(diào)了氣候變化對動物身體的影響是漫長、細(xì)微的過程，而不是一兩天就能出現(xiàn)的。
beak
/bi?k/
n.（鳥）喙
dovetail
/?d?v.te?l/
v. 吻合，切合
相關(guān)詞匯：dove（n. 鴿子）
相關(guān)詞匯：tail（n. 尾巴）
詞性拓展：dovetail（n. 燕尾榫，鳩形榫）
搭配短語：dovetail with
例句：My vacation plans dovetail with his.
appendage
/??pen.d?d?/
n. 附肢，附器；附加物，附屬物
相關(guān)詞匯：append（v. 附加，增補(bǔ)）
搭配短語：to append a note at the end of the letter
temperate
/?tem.p?.?t/
adj. 氣候溫和的；溫帶的；（性格）溫和克制的
例句：He is temperate in eating and drinking. （（性格）溫和克制的）
relative to
關(guān)于，涉及；相對于，相較于
例句：If you have any questions relative to payment, please contact us.（關(guān)于，涉及）
近義詞：compared with
例句：The position of something is relative to other things. （相對于，相較于）
shed
/?ed/
v. 去除，擺脫
英文釋義：to get rid of something that you no lonvger need or want
搭配短語：shed pounds
excess
/?ek.ses/
adj. 過量的
搭配短語：excess eating
endow
/?n?da?/
v. 賦予（某種品質(zhì)
搭配短語：be endowed with sth.
例句：She was endowed with good looks.
insulate
/??n.s?.le?t/
v. 使……隔熱，隔音，絕緣；使……于外界隔離
搭配短語：to insulate our home from the noise（使……隔音）
dispose of
丟棄，處理
搭配短語：dispose of nuclear waste
firm up
明確
相關(guān)詞匯：firm（adj. 明確的）
搭配短語：a firm plan
taxon
/?t?ks?n/
n. （種、科、綱等）分類單位
相關(guān)詞匯：taxa（/?t?ks?/，taxon 的復(fù)數(shù)形式）
