随着科学技术的飞速发展和全球化进程的不断加快，科普 文章 在向社会大众普及科学技术知识，提高公众科学素养等方面发挥着举足轻重的作用。下面是我带来的科普类英语文章，欢迎阅读!
科普类英语文章
生物与环境平衡的危机
The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight. Only in the present century has one species man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.
During the past quarter century this power has not only become increasingly great but it has changed in character. The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable. In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world the very nature of its life. Chemicals sprayed on croplands or forests or gardens lie long in soil, entering into living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death. Or they pass mysteriously by underground streams until they emerge and combine into new forms that kill vegetation, sicken cattle, and work unknown harm on those who drink from once pure wells. "Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation," as a scientist has said.
It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth. Given time not in years but in millennia life adjusts, and a balance has been reached. But in the modern world there is no time.
The rapidity of change follows the impetuous pace of man rather than the deliberate pace of nature. Radiation is now the unnatural creation of man’s tampering with the atom. The chemicals are the synthetic5 creations of man’s inventive mind, having no counterparts in nature.
To adjust to these chemicals would require not merely the years of a man’s life but the life of generations. And even this, were it by some miracle possible, would be futile, for the new chemicals come from our laboratories in an endless stream; almost five hundred annually find their way into actual use in the United States alone. Among them are many that are used in man’s war against nature. Since the mid 1940’s over 200 basic chemicals have been created for use in killing insects, weeds, and other organisms described as "pests."
It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. I contend, furthermore, that we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern for the integrity of the natural world that supports all life.
地球上生命的历史一直就是一部生物与其环境相互作用的历史。在很大程度上，地球上动植物的形态以及习性都是由外部环境所塑造的。考虑到地球上生命存在的整个时间，相反作用，即生命对其周围环境的实际改变作用，却相对很小。只有在当前这个世纪(指20世纪)才有一个物种--人类，获得了强大的力量，改变了其所生存的世界的自然状态。
在过去的1/4世纪中，这种力量不仅日趋强大，而且其性质也发生了变化。在人类破坏环境的种种行为中，最令人担忧的是人类向大气、土壤、河流以及海洋中排放危险甚至致命物质，而当今这种污染在很大程度上是无法挽救的。在当今这种对环境的普遍污染中，化学制品与辐射狼狈为奸，改变着地球的自然状态，也就是改变着地球上生命的自然状态。喷洒到农田、森林或者花园里的化学物质长期滞留于土壤中，渗入有机体内，并彼此相传，形成了一个中毒与死亡的链条。化学物质还神秘地通过地下水传递，最终以新的形式出现并结合，使植物毒死，牲畜害病，并使饮用一度纯净的井水的人遭受了不明之害。正如一位科学家所言：“人类甚至对自己创造的恶魔都不认识。”
地球历经了许多亿年才创造了栖息其上的生命。经过了一定时间--不是以若干年计而是以若干千年计的时间--生命开始适应环境，并形成了一种与环境的平衡。但是在现代世界中，时间这一因素已经没有了。
环境改变的速度不再顺从大自然从容不迫的节奏，而是顺从人类急切匆匆的步伐。辐射是当今人类通过支配原子而得到的一种非自然的创造物。化学制品则是人类有发明创造力的头脑创造出来的合成物，在自然界本无相应的东西。
为了适应这些化学制品，人类需要付出的时间不会只是一个人一生的时间，而是几代人的时间。而即使这样，就算出现奇迹成为可能，这种适应也是徒劳的，因为新的化学制品从我们的实验室中源源不断地涌出。仅在美国，每年就有大约500种化学制品投入使用，其中许多是用于人类对自然的战争中。从20世纪40年代中期起，人类已经创造了200多种基本化学制品用来消灭昆虫、野草以及其他所谓的“有害生物”。
我不是说人类决不能使用化学杀虫剂。我要说的是，我们不分青红皂白地将这些有毒的、具有强大生物功能的化学制品，交给了那些对这些制品的潜在危害基本上或者完全无知的人去使用。我们使众多的人接触这些有毒物质，却没有征得他们的同意，并常常将他们蒙在鼓中。我还要说的一点是，我们允许使用这些化学制品，却事先很少或者根本没有调查它们对土壤、水、野生生物以及人类自身造成的影响。我们缺乏对万物赖以生存的自然界生态统一的关心，对此，我们的后代是不可能原谅的。
科普类英语文章
基因技术能否使人更聪明?Get Smart
Many people dream of having a smarter brain. Princeton neurobiologist Joseph Z. Tsien found the key. In September he announced that he’d built a better mouse by altering a gene that affects learning and memory. A similar process of gene manipulation might conceivably be used one day to boost intelligence in humans.
The secret lies in a feature of brain cells called the nmda receptor, which Tsien likens[1] to a cylindrical tube or window that mediates[2] the flow of information. When the window is open, chemicals called neurotransmitters flow through easily and memory is registered and stored. But as organisms mature, the window begins to close. (This may explain why children lose their facility for learning new languages when they reach sexual maturity and why some people suffer memory loss as they age.)
Tsien noticed that the receptor worked more efficiently when teamed[3] with the gene NR2B, so he introduced extra NR2B genes into a batch of fertilized mouse eggs. In a normal mouse, the memory window is open for just 150-thousandths of a second. In Tsien’s specially engineered mice, the window opens for 250-thousandths of a second, long enough to make a remarkable difference in memory retention. When he pitted[4] his mice against common mice, they won paws down. Ordinary mice could recognize a Lego block for 12 hours, but smart mice could remember the block for up to three days. "That’s a profound enhancement," Tsien says.
Can it be done with humans? Maybe, but genetic engineering will have to make some extraordinary advances first. And some thorny ethical issues will have to be resolved. Meanwhile, Tsien promises to keep his furry little geniuses locked up in a lab, far from your larder. "Otherwise," he says, "you might need a smart cat or a smart mousetrap to catch them."
许多人都希望自己能变成更聪明。普林斯顿神经生物学家Joseph Z. Tsien就找到了这把开启智慧之门的钥匙：他于九月宣布，通过改变影响学习和记忆能力的基因培养出了一只聪明的老鼠。类似的基因处理技术有望在未来日子里运用到人脑，以推动人类智慧的飞跃。
该技术的奥秘就在于名为nmda感受器的脑细胞的功能。Tsien将其比作一个传递信息流的圆柱通道或窗口。当窗口开放时，某种称为神经传递素的化学物质就能轻易流过，记忆因此登记并存储了下来。然而，当器官成熟时，这扇窗口就开始关闭。(这也能解释为何 儿童 长大后(性器官成熟之时)会失去掌握新语言的能力，以及为何某些人年老时会患失忆)。
Tsien注意到，当感受器与名为NR2B的基因协作时效率会更高。因此，他将NR2B基因植入一批老鼠的受精卵中。一只普通老鼠的记忆之窗仅开放千分之150秒。而经Tsien植入基因的老鼠，记忆之窗能开放千分之250秒，这已经能够使其 记忆力 发生惊人的改变。当他让自己的老鼠与普通老鼠互斗时，它们竟能轻而易举地取胜。普通老鼠能够保留关于Lego block的记忆12小时，而聪明的老鼠居然能将记忆保持三天。“这可是一个意义深远的进步。”Tsien这样说。
那么，人类也能接受这种基因移植吗? 或许可以，但前提是基因工程得首先做出非凡的成就，还必须解决一系列棘手的伦理问题。Tsien保证他一定会将那些披着毛皮的小天才锁入实验室，远离人们的食品柜。“否则，”他说，“为了捉住他们，人们就不得不去寻找更聪明的猫或者功能更强的捕鼠器了。”
科普类英语文章
食用转基因食品安全吗?Food Safe To Eat?
Traditional plant breeding involve s crossing varieties of the same species in ways they could cross naturally.For example，disease-resistant varieties of wheat have been crossed with high-yield wheat to combine these properties.This type of natural gene exchange is safe and fairly predictable.
Genetic engineering(GE)involves exchanging genes between unrelated species that cannot naturally exchange genes with each other.GE can involve the exchange of genes between vastly different species――e.g.putting scorpion toxin genes into maize or fish antifreeze genes into tomatoes.It is possible that a scorpion toxin gene，even when it is in maize DNA，will still get the organism to produce scorpion toxin――but what other effects may it have in this alien environment?We are already seeing this problem――adding human growth hormone genes to pigs certainly makes them grow――but it also gives them arthritis and makes them cross-eyed，which was entirely unpredictable.
It will be obvious，for example，that the gene for human intelligence will not have the same effect if inserted into cabbage DNA as it had in human DNA――but what side-effect would it have?In other words，is GM food safe to eat?The answer is that nobody knows because long-term tests have not been carried out.
Companies wanting a GM product approved in the UK or USA are required to provide regulatory bodies with results of their own safety tests.Monsanto’s soya beans were apparently fed to fish for10weeks before being approved.There was no requirement for independent testing，for long-term testing，for testing on humans or testing for specific dangers to children or allergic people.
The current position of the UK Government is that“ There is no evidence of long-term dangers from GM foods.”In the US，the American Food and Drug Administration is currently being prosecuted for covering up research that suggested possible risks from GM foods.
传统的植物培育 方法 ，是依照植物自然杂交的方式，进行相同物种的人工杂交。比如，抗病小麦同高产小麦杂交，形成了一种具有双重特性的新的小麦品种。这种自然的基因交换既安全，又具有相当的可预见性。
基因工程是在彼此毫无关系的物种之间，相互交换在自然条件下无法交换的基因。它可在有巨大差异的物种之间进行基因交换。比如，将蝎子毒素基因注入玉米，或者将鱼防冻基因注入西红柿。即使在玉米DNA中，蝎子毒素基因依然可能获得有机组织产生蝎子毒素。但是在这种异质的环境中，这种基因产品会有什么其他作用吗?我们实际上已经发现这个问题：将人类生长荷尔蒙基因植入猪的体内，一定会使猪的生长加速，但是同时也使猪患上了关节炎和内斜视，而这一切是完全无法预测的。
打个比方，人类的智力基因显而易见在人体DNA内和注入卷心菜DNA后的作用是不同的。但将它植入卷心菜中会产生什么样的副作用呢?换句话说，食用转基因食品安全吗?没有人知道答案，因为人们尚未进行长期的测试。
在英国或者美国，一个公司如果希望其转基因产品获得批准，它必须向管理机构提供本公司转基因产品安全测试的结果。Monsanto的大豆在获得批准之前，曾用了10周时间进行喂鱼试验。目前，尚无要求对转基因产品进行独立测试、长期测试、人体测试，或者就其对儿童及过敏者所造成的特定危险进行测试。
英国政府目前的态度是：“尚无证据表明食用转基因食品存在长期性的危险。”在美国，人们正在起诉美国食品药品管理局掩盖转基因食品安全性的研究结果，这些研究结果表明，食用转基因食品可能导致危险。
翻译如下
科普文章
popular
science
articles或
popular
science
writing
例句
医学英语科普文章是随着医学的发展而形成的一种文体形式，有其自身的特点。
English
popular
science
writing
in
medicine
is
a
special
style
which
has
its
own
writing
characteristics.
科普 教育 对我国小康社会、和谐社会的建设有着重要的意义。下面是我带来的科普类的中英文 文章 ，欢迎阅读!
科普类的中英文文章1
放下手机!多玩手机会影响心情
Checking your mobile phone while having a drink with friends or taking a call over dinner, isn't just annoying for those around you - it could be making you unhappy.
和朋友吃饭或喝饮料时玩手机，不仅会让你的朋友感到生气，还会使你不快乐。
A study found that we spend more than a quarter of our leisure time distracted, with everything from barking dogs to road works disturbing concentration.And mobile phones were the worst offenders.
一项研究发现，我们每天三分之一的空闲时间都在开小差，例如狗叫、道路施工等情况都会分散我们的注意力。而手机是最容易让我们分心的物品。
The gadgets not only proved the biggest attention-grabber –they also seemed to affect people's happiness.
研究发现，手机不仅是最容易分散我们注意力的物品，而且还可能影响人们的幸福感。
The University College London researchers are not sure why this is but say it is possible that we feel upset that are unable to control the urge to fiddle with our phone.
伦敦大学学院的研究者们并不清楚为什么会这样。他们猜测，可能是因为无法控制拨弄手机的冲动，所以会使人因此沮丧。
In contrast, we realise we have no control over external distractions like road works and so they affect us less.
相反，我们觉得自己无法控制诸如道路施工等让人分心的情况，所以这些情况对我们影响不大。
Whatever the reason, they said that it is clear that we live in an 'age of distractions'.
但不管怎样，我们的确生活在一个“容易分心的时代”。
The survey of 2,000 people by fashion technology firm Mous, suggests almost half of our biggestirritations are technology-related.
这项研究由莫斯时尚技术公司发起，对2000人进行了调查;结果显示：令人烦恼的事情中，有将近一半都是和科技相关的。
We hope these findings will help highlight how important it is to carve out time where attention is undivided and to enjoy spending quality time together.'
我们希望这些发现能够帮助人们认识到，是时间要专心地享受高质量的生活了。
科普类的中英文文章2
左撇子影响身心健康?!
Things You Never Knew About Being Left-Handed
关于左撇子你不知道的事
by Amanda MacMillan
——阿曼达麦克米兰
With just 10% of the population being left-handed, it can be easy for everyone else to forget we're living in a right-handed world. But aside from making it tough to cut a straight line with a pair of scissors designed for righties, being a southpaw can also have some subtle effects on our physical and mental health.
由于左撇子在人口中比例仅为10%，所以人们很容易忽略这样一个事实，即自己正生活在一个左撇子的世界。除了能够轻易地将自己同一般人区分开来之外，左撇子的习惯对个人的身体和心理健康还有着微妙的影响。
The brains and bodies of lefties may operate differently than those of right-handed people (and in mixed-handed people, who may have different dominant hands for different tasks). "Handedness seems to be determined very early on in fetal development, when a lot of other things about your future are being determined as well," says Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin. Here's a look at some of the most common facts about being left-handed, and what it might really mean for your health.
习惯用右手的人，其大脑和身体的运转方式可能和左撇子有所不同(对双撇子来说，不同任务中他们会习惯用不同的手。)“人的许多特点在胎儿时期就已经形成了，偏手性似乎也不例外，”德克萨斯州大学奥斯汀分校的心理学教授、博士罗纳德杨说。下面我们会探讨有关左撇子的一些常识以及左撇子对健康的影响。
It's not just genetics
左撇子不一定都是遗传因素导致的。
Scientists aren't exactly sure why some people are left-handed, but they know that genes are responsible about 25% of the time, says Yeo. Left-handedness does tend to run in families, he says, "but noticeably less than other inherited traits, like height or intelligence."
科学家们并不确定为什么有些人是左撇子，但是他们确信，左撇子的遗传因素占到25%。“左撇子的确会在家族内部遗传，但与体重和智力等其他遗传特性相比，其遗传几率却要小很多。”罗纳德杨教授说。
It's linked to stress in pregnancy
左撇子与怀孕期间的压力有关。
In one British study, the fetuses of super-stressed pregnant women were more likely to touch their faces more with their left hands than their right. This could be the first signs of a left-handed child, say the researchers. Other evidence supports that theory. In one 2008 Swedish study of moms and their 5-year-old children, women who were depressed or stressed during their pregnancies were more likely to have mixed- or left-handed kids. In other studies, babies with low birth weight, or born to older mothers, were more likely to be lefties as well.
英国一项研究显示，压力较大的孕妇生出的孩子更倾向于用左手摸脸。这可能是左撇子在婴幼儿时期的第一个征兆。而其他研究结果也证实了这一结论。2008年，瑞典的一项研究显示，孕期较为压抑或压力较大的妇女，她们的宝宝成为左撇子或双撇子的可能性更大。其他研究还显示，出生时体重较低的婴儿或高龄产妇生产的婴儿成为左撇子的几率更大。
