字神帝國英語天地

 今日主題：The extinction of men 男性滅絕

 凱妃老師&派老師共同推薦：雅思聽力最好的課外教材：BBC
 康康精選雅思會考的主題，堅持每天精聽一定會進步的哦!!

 建議方法：
1. 先聽兩三遍 (不看文稿)
2. 再一句一句聽寫 (每句都要聽寫數遍，直到寫出85%以上的字)
3. 最後check文稿，看哪聽不出來，單字沒背過，還是發音不熟。
4. 堅持天天聽，就能每天進步哦。

 MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://static.iyuba.com/sounds/minutes/2.mp3

 只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

 中英文稿：
Hello and welcome to Six-Minute English from BBC Learning English, I’m Neil and with me today is Rosie.
歡迎來到6分鐘BBC英語學習欄目。
Hi there.
大家好。
Well, today we’re talking about men.
今天我們將聊聊男性。
That sounds interesting.
這個話題聽起來很有趣。
It is very interesting especially if you’re a man because it seems we’ve had our existence extended.
這個話題很有趣，尤其如果你是男性的話，因為似乎我們將存在延伸了。
I’m sorry?
啥意思？
Well, some previous scientific research had suggested that the Y chromosome, which is responsible for men’s sex organs and hormones, is rotting away!
以前一些科學研究表明決定男性性器官和男性荷爾蒙的是Y染色體，這是錯誤的！
Oh dear. Are you going to make it till the end of the programme, Neil?
哦， 天啊。你能否讓它撐到本節目的結尾呢，尼爾？
Ah yes – even the most pessimistic findings suggested that men had 100thousand years left, so I think 6 minutes is ok! Before we get into this story though, I have a quiz question for you, Rosie. Are you ready?
是的，即使是最悲觀的發現也顯示男性10萬餘年後才會滅亡，所以我想6分鐘足夠了！在我們進入這個故事之前，我有一個問題要問你，羅西。準備好了嗎？
Yes, I am.
是的
It’s a simple question. What is the ratio of men to women in the world? Is it a) Equal – so 100 males to every 100 females. Is it b) 101 males to every 100 females. c) 100 males to every 105 females.
這是個簡單問題。那麼到底世界上男人對女人的比例是什麼？是A)100男人對100女人。或者B)101男人對100女人。C)100男人對105女人。
Well, I have absolutely no idea. So, I am going to guess and I am going to say c) 100 males to every 105 females.
我不知道。那麼我會猜C)100男人對105女人。
OK, we’ll find out at the end of the programme.
那麼，我會在節目最後公佈答案。
So, tell me more about this new research into the possible extinction of men.
那麼，請告訴我更多關於男性滅絕可能性的研究。
Well it now seems that men can breathe a sigh of relief. Scientists compared the decline in the male human’s Y chromosome – remember that’s the thing that’s responsible for deciding the sex of a child – with that of the rhesus monkey.
現在，似乎男性們放鬆地喘了一口氣。決定孩子性別的是X和Y染色體，科學家將男性“Y染色體”缺失程度與猿“Y”染色體的缺失程度做比較。
OK. That’s the monkey that we separated from 25 million years ago.
好吧。這種猿2500萬年是人類的祖先。
That’s right. And their conclusion was that the Y chromosome is depleted butit’s still got all of the vital bits.
的確。他們的結論是Y染色體已被廢棄，但仍然有全部的重要資訊。
Lucky you! Here’s Jennifer Hughes from the Whitehead Institute in CambridgeMassachusetts. She was in charge of the research: I think that the odds of the Y losing any more genes are pretty slim. It appears that it’s been stable for 25 million years and that is a good indication that’s it going to be stable for many many millions of years to come and the genes that remain on the Y probably have very important functions and therefore natural selection is doing a very good job of preserving those genes.
你很慶幸吧！有請麻塞諸塞州劍橋城懷特黑德研究院的詹妮弗休斯從。她負責這項研究：我認為染色體丟失更多基因的可能性很小。2500萬年來它呈現出穩定狀 態，這可以很好的證實它在接下來的幾百萬年裡仍舊穩定，而且Y染色體上保留的基因十分重要，因此自然選擇在篩選基因過程中十分出色。
She said the odds of the Y chromosome losing any more genes are prettyslim – meaning it’s unlikely. Genes are the parts of cells which have the information which passes characteristics from a parent to a child.
她指出Y染色體丟失基因的概率很小，幾乎不太可能。基因是細胞中攜帶家長遺傳給孩子的資訊的載體。
So it sounds like us males are safe for many millions of years to come.
所以，這聽起來男性在數百萬年內還是安全的。
She also added that natural selection is doing a very good job of preserving the genes.
她還補充說，自然選擇在保護基因過程中做的十分出色。
Natural selection is the way animals die when they are weak or living in unsuitable surroundings. Meanwhile the stronger ones continue to live. Let’s have another listen to that interview with Jennifer Hughes, who’s in charge of the research: I think that the odds of the Y losing any more genes are pretty slim. It appears that it’s been stable for 25 million years and that is a good indication that’s it going to be stable for many many millions of years to come and the genes that remain on the Y probably have very important functions and therefore natural selection is doing a very good job of preserving those genes.
自然選擇是動物如果弱勢或生活環境不合適就會被淘汰的方式。與此同時，強者繼續生存。讓我們聽聽負責這項研究的詹妮弗休斯的講解:我認為Y染色體丟失更多 基因的概率很小。2500萬年來它呈現出穩定狀態，這可以很好的證實它在接下來的幾百萬年裡仍舊穩定，而且Y染色體上保留的基因十分重要，因此自然選擇在 篩選基因過程中十分出色。
Now here’s an interesting fact, Rosie. Did you know that men’s sex chromosomes are not as sophisticated as female ones?
羅西，這個事實非常有趣。你知不知道男性的染色體不像女性的一樣複雜呢？
No I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t come as a surprise to me!
不，我不知道，但我並不覺得很驚訝！
I thought you might say that. But you know what – I’m happy having less sophisticated chromosomes if it means men continue to live for a little longer. Now there’s only one way to end this programme, Rosie, and that is to imagine a world without men.
我認為你應該提到過它。但你知道嗎，如果較為簡單的染色體意味著男性可以活的更長久我很高興可以擁有它。現在只有一個方法結束節目，羅西，那就是想像一下沒有男人的世界。
OK, well for a start more would get done.
是的，開始精彩就需要做很多後續工作。
Are you suggesting that men are lazy?
你是在暗示男人很懶？
Well, they can be. My boyfriend, for example, had never used a washing machine until he was 30 years old.
是的，他們會是這樣子。例如我男朋友，直到30歲才開始使用洗衣機。
Right, well we’re getting into stereotypes here! So how about this one - if there were only women in the world, you’d never get into the bathroom.
好吧，我們現在的談論太有成見了！那麼談這個方面吧，如果世界上只有女人，你就永遠不會走進浴室。
OK, I’ll give you that one. I agree that women do spend longer in the bathroom than men.
好吧，我和你談論這個。我認為女性在浴室裡花費的時間要比男性多很多。
And who’s going to catch spiders and mice for you?
那是誰為了你抓捕蜘蛛和老鼠呢？
Ah, now that is absolutely not true! My boyfriend is terrified of mice. In fact he ran away from one in the kitchen just last night.
哦，這對我來說絕對不正確！我男朋友害怕老鼠。事實上，昨晚由於廚房有老鼠他逃了出來。
Well, to be honest, I don’t really like mice either, I must say. But what about lifting heavy things? I am always expected to do heavy lifting, which I hate by the way.
老實說，我必須說我也不喜歡老鼠。那搬運重物呢？總是有人讓我幫忙搬運重物，但我討厭這種工作。
Yes I confess that men are useful for that. And also for opening jars with the lids too tightly screwed on. And on a more serious note, I think there would probably be far fewer wars if there were only women. I think women would be more likely to talk problems over than resort to violence.
我承認在這方面男人是有用的。在開固定的太緊的罐頭方面也很有用。但我想指出，我認為如果只有女人或許會有更少的戰爭。我認為女性更傾向於談論問題而不是採取暴力。
Well you might be right there but it’s difficult to say because most of the world’s leaders are men of course. OK Rosie, this entertaining debate must come to an end. We need an answer to the question. I asked what the ratio is of men to women in the world. Is it a) Equal – so for every 100 males there are 100 females. b) 101 males to every 100 females. c) 100 males to every 105 females. What did you say?
你也許是正確的，但很難說，因為世界上大多數領導人當然都是男性。好吧羅西，這個有趣的話題該有個了結了。我們需要回答問題。我的問題是，世界上的男女比例是多少，是A)100男人對100女，B)101男人對100女人，C)100男人對105女人。你的答案是什麼？
I said c) 100 males to every 105 females
我選擇的是C)100男人對105女人。
And you were completely wrong. It’s 101 males to every 100 females. Do join us again for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Bye for now!
你是錯誤的。答案是101男人對100女人。請繼續收聽我們的6分鐘英語節目。再見！
Bye bye!
再見！！