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1、SH40 翻译：宇宙的未来 (史蒂芬霍金)Translation: The Future of the Universe (Stephen William Hawking)(assembled/translated by alexcwlin; reviewed/edited by Adam Lam)本文是霍金 1991 年 1 月在剑桥大学的一次讲演录。This article is the script of a speech by Stephen Hawking at Cambridge University in January, 1991.-这篇讲演，从古代巫师的预言，谈到近代宗教预言
2、，再过渡到对宇宙未来的讨论，In this speech, Hawking talked about predictions from ancient-time oracles to modern-day prophets, and continued on to discuss future of the Universe.主要探讨了宇宙未来的两种命运：一是继续膨胀下去，一是收缩以至于坍缩成一个点。The discussion delved mainly into two possibilities that would happen to the Universe in the futur
3、e: one would be continuous expansion and the other would be contraction to as little as a speck.膨胀还是收缩，取决于宇宙的平均密度。Whether expansion or contraction would be the case depends entirely on the average density of the Universe.运用天体物理学理论，对宇宙的未来作出科学的论断，By applying theories of astrophysics, we could come up
4、with a scientific inference on the Universes future.这是科学家与巫师不同之处。This is where scientists and oracles differ.-节选自霍金讲演录黑洞、婴儿宇宙及其他(湖南科学技术出版社 1995 年版)。杜欣欣、吴忠超译。The following is an extraction from Hawkings speech collection “Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays” (Hunan Science and Technology
5、Press, 1995 Edition) as translated by Du Xinxin and Wu Zhongchao.史蒂芬 霍金，英国理论物理学家，1942 年 1 月生于英国的牛津。Stephen Hawking is a British theoretical physicist born in Oxford, England in January 1942.先后在牛津大学物理系和剑桥大学物理系学习，He studied in physics faculties of Oxford University and Cambridge University at differen
6、t times.23 岁获博士学位。At the age of 23, he obtained a Ph.D. Degree.21 岁时，患上一种运动神经细胞病，以致全身不能动弹，When he was 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease and became completely paralysed over time.不能说话。Also he lost his ability to speak.他身残志坚，Despite his disability, he remained strong ment
7、ally.在大爆炸、黑洞等宇宙学理论上取得了举世瞩目的成就，被誉为当代的爱因斯坦。His achievements on Big Bang and Black Holes Theories received world-wide attention, and he was hailed as modern-day Einstein.他的科普著作时间简史在全世界行销数千万册，极大地增进了人们对宇宙的认识。His popular scientific publication “A Brief History of Time” sold several tens of millions copies
8、 and greatly enriched peoples understanding of the Universe.现任英国剑桥大学卢卡逊数学讲座教授。Currently he serves as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.本文是霍金 1991 年 1 月在剑桥大学的一次讲演录。This article is the script of a speech which he made in January, 1991 at Cambridge University.-这篇讲演的主题是宇宙的未来，或者不如
9、说，科学家认为将来是什么样子的。In this lecture Im supposed to tell you about the future of the universe, or rather, what scientists think the future will be.预言将来当然是非常困难的。Of course, predicting the future is very difficult. 我曾经起过一个念头，要写一本题为昨天之明天：未来历史的书。I once thought I would like to have written a book called Yester
10、days Tomorrow - A History of the Future. 它会是一部对未来预言的历史，几乎所有这些预言都是大错特错的。It would have been a history of predictions of the future, nearly all of which have been very wide of the mark. 但是尽管有这些失败，科学家仍然认为他们能预言未来。But I dont suppose it would have sold as well as my history of the past.(尽管预言宇宙的未来有困难，但科学家仍未
11、失去信心。)(Even though predicting the future is difficult, yet scientists have not lost faith.)-在非常早的时代，预言未来是先知或者女巫的职责。Foretelling the future was the job of oracles or sibyls.这些通常是被毒药或火山隙溢出的气体弄得精神恍惚的女人。These were often women who would be put into a trance by some drug or by breathing the fumes from a vo
12、lcanic vent. 周围的牧师把她们的咒语翻译出来，Their ravings would then be interpreted by the surrounding priests. 而真正的技巧在于解释。The real skill lay in the interpretation.古希腊的德勒菲的著名巫师以模棱两可而臭名昭著。The famous oracle at Delphi in ancient Greece was notorious for hedging its bets or being ambiguous. 当这些斯巴达人问道，在波斯人攻击希腊时会发生什么时，这
13、巫师回答道：要么斯巴达会被消灭，(古代巫师的预言，诀窍在于可以随意作出解释。) 要么其国王会被杀害。When the Spartans asked what would happen when the Persians attacked Greece, the oracle replied: Either Sparta will be destroyed or its king will be killed.我想这些牧师盘算，如果这些最终都没有发生，则斯巴达就会对阿波罗太阳神如此之感恩戴德，以致忽视其巫师作错预言的这个事实。I suppose the priests reckoned that
14、 if neither of these eventualities actually happened, the Spartans would be so grateful to the god Apollo that they would overlook the fact that his oracle had been wrong. 事实上，国王在捍卫特莫皮拉隘道特莫皮拉隘道, 一般译作“温泉关” 的一次拯救斯巴达并最终击败波斯人的行动中丧生了。In fact, the king was killed, defending the pass at Thermopylae (normal
15、ly translated as “Hot Spring Pass”), in an action that saved Sparta and led to the ultimate defeat of the Persians.(公元前 480 年，波斯国王薛西斯一世率领大军五十多万、战舰千艘，越过达达尼尔海峡，水陆两路进犯希腊。(Note: In 480 A.D., Persian King Xerxes the First lead an army of 500,000 men and a thousand battleships to cross Dardanelles Straits and attack Greece simultaneously from water and land.斯巴达国王列奥尼达斯率领 300 名斯巴达士兵在温泉关顽强抵抗波斯军，全部战
