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In 1979, in the book The Sinking Ark, the author Norman Myers suggested that human activities were causing about two extinctions a week on the planet.
1979年，在《快要沉沒的方舟》一書里，作者諾曼.邁爾斯認(rèn)為人類活動每周導(dǎo)致地球上的2種物種的滅絕。
By the early 1990s he had raised the figure to some six hundred per week.
到了20世紀(jì)90年代初，他將這個數(shù)字提高到每周近600種。
That's extinctions of all types— plants, insects, and so on as well as animals.
這種滅絕包括各種生物植物、昆蟲等等，還有其他動物。
Others have put the figure even higher—to well over a thousand a week.
別的人將這個數(shù)字估計得更高——每周達(dá)1000多種。
A United Nations report of 1995, on the other hand, put the total number of known extinctions in the last four hundred years at slightly under 500 for animals and slightly over 650 for plants
另一方面，聯(lián)合國發(fā)表于1995年的一個報告中指出，在過去400年中，已知的動物滅絕種數(shù)將近500種，植物650多種
while allowing that this was "almost certainly an underestimate," particularly with regard to tropical species.
并且指出這個統(tǒng)計“幾乎可以肯定是低估了”，尤其對熱帶物種來說更是如此。
A few interpreters think most extinction figures are grossly inflated.
不過也有為數(shù)不多的人認(rèn)為，大多數(shù)滅絕韻數(shù)據(jù)中有明顯夸大的成分。
The fact is, we don't know. Don't have any idea.
實際情況是，我們不知道。我們一點兒也不知道。
We don't know when we started doing many of the things we've done.
我們不知道我們已經(jīng)做的許多事是什么時候開始做的。
We don't know what we are doing right now or how our present actions will affect the future.
我們不知道我們目前在做什么，也不知道我們目前的行動對將來有什么影響。
What we do know is that there is only one planet to do it on, and only one species of being capable of making a considered difference.
我們知道的是，我們只擁有一個星球，只有一種生物具有改變她的命運的能力。
Edward O. Wilson expressed it with unimprovable brevity in The Diversity of Life: "One planet, one experiment."
正如愛德華.O.威爾遜在他的《生命的多樣性》一書中以無與倫比的簡潔語言所表達(dá)的那樣：“一個星球，一次實驗。”
If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here—and by "we" I mean every living thing.
如果說這本書有什么寓意的話，那就是我們來到這個地球上，實在是十分的幸運——這里的“我們”，我指的是所有的生物。
To attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement.
在這個宇宙中，獲得任何一種生命都是一個奇跡。
As humans we are doubly lucky, of course: We enjoy not only the privilege of existence
當(dāng)然，作為人類，我們更是雙倍的運氣。我們不僅享有存在的恩典，
but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better.
而且還享有獨一無二的欣賞這種存在的能力，甚至還可以以多種多樣的方式使其變得更加美好。
