美麗新世界 Brave New World 第1章(7)

He rubbed his hands. For of course, they didn'tcontent themselves with merely hatching outembryos: any cow could do that.

他搓搓手。因為當然，他們并沒有以孵化出胚胎為滿足：孵化胚胎是無論哪條母牛都能干的事。

"We also predestine and condition. We decant ourbabies as socialized human beings, as Alphas orEpsilons, as future sewage workers or future …"

“我們也預(yù)定人的命運，設(shè)置人的條件。我們把嬰兒換瓶為社會化的人，叫做阿爾法或愛撲塞隆，以后讓他們掏陰溝或是……”

He was going to say "future World controllers," but correcting himself, said "future Directors ofHatcheries," instead.

他原打算說“主宰世界”，卻改了口道：“做孵化中心主任。”

The D.H.C. acknowledged the compliment with a smile.

孵化中心主任笑了笑，接受了贊美。

They were passing Metre 320 on Rack 11. A young Beta-Minus mechanic was busy withscrew-driver and spanner on the blood-surrogate pump of a passing bottle.

他們正從三百二十米處的十一號架前經(jīng)過。一個年輕的比塔減技術(shù)員正忙著用螺絲刀和扳手處理路過的血泵——那是用以泵出瓶里的代血劑的。

The hum of the electric motor deepened by fractions of a tone as he turned the nuts.

他擰緊了螺絲，馬達的嗡嗡聲極輕微地加大了。

Down, down … A final twist, a glance at the revolution counter, and he was done.

往下，往下……擰了最后一下，他看了一下旋轉(zhuǎn)柜臺，任務(wù)完成。

He moved two paces down the line and began the same process on the next pump.

他沿著流水線前進了兩步，在下一個血泵前重復(fù)起了同樣的程序。

"Reducing the number of revolutions per minute," Mr. Foster explained. "

“每分鐘旋轉(zhuǎn)數(shù)一減少，”福斯特先生解釋道，

The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals;therefore gives the embryo less oxygen.

“代血劑的循環(huán)就減慢了，流經(jīng)肺部的時間也隨之延長，這樣，輸送給胚胎的氧氣就減少了。

Nothing like oxygen-shortage for keeping an embryo below par." Again he rubbed his hands.

要降低胚胎規(guī)格沒有比減少氧氣更好的辦法了。”他又搓了搓手。

"But why do you want to keep the embryo below par?" asked an ingenuous student.

“可你為什么要降低胚胎規(guī)格?”一個聰明的學(xué)生問道。

"Ass!" said the Director, breaking a long silence. "

“傻孩子!’長時間的沉默，

Hasn't it occurred to you that an Epsilon embryo must have an Epsilon environment as well asan Epsilon heredity?"

最后，主任才說，“你就沒有想到愛撲塞隆胚胎必須有愛撲塞隆環(huán)境和愛撲塞隆遺傳嗎?”

It evidently hadn't occurred to him. He was covered with confusion.

那學(xué)生顯然沒有想到過，感到惶惑。

"The lower the caste," said Mr. Foster, "the shorter the oxygen." The first organ affected wasthe brain.

“種姓越低，”福斯特先生說，“供氧越少。最早受到影響的是頭腦，

After that the skeleton. At seventy per cent of normal oxygen you got dwarfs. At less thanseventy eyeless monsters.

然后是骨骼。供氧量只達正常量百分之七十就形成侏儒。低于百分之七十就成了沒有眼睛的怪胎。”

"Who are no use at all," concluded Mr. Foster.

“那就完全是廢品了。”福斯特先生總結(jié)說。

Whereas (his voice became confidential and eager), if they could discover a technique forshortening the period of maturation what a triumph, what a benefaction to Society!

而同時，他們要是能找到一種縮短成熟期的技術(shù)，對社會又是多么大的貢獻呀!(他說話時帶著機密的口氣，而且迫切。)

"Consider the horse."

“設(shè)想一下馬吧。”

They considered it.

他們設(shè)想了一下。

Mature at six; the elephant at ten. While at thirteen a man is not yet sexually mature; and isonly full-grown at twenty.

馬六年成熟;象十年成熟;而人到十三歲性還沒有成熟，等到充分成熟已經(jīng)二十歲了。

Hence, of course, that fruit of delayed development, the human intelligence.

當然，發(fā)育遲緩的結(jié)果是智力發(fā)育也遲緩。

"But in Epsilons," said Mr. Foster very justly, "we don't need human intelligence."

“但我們在愛撲塞隆們身上，”福斯特先生非常公正地說，“并不需要人類的智慧。”

Didn't need and didn't get it. But though the Epsilon mind was mature at ten, the Epsilon bodywas not fit to work till eighteen.

“本來就不需要，而且也得不到。但是愛撲塞隆們到十歲時心智就已成熟，而身體呢，不到十八歲卻成熟不了。

Long years of superfluous and wasted immaturity.

讓非成熟期占去許多年是不必要的，也是浪費。

If the physical development could be speeded up till it was as quick, say, as a cow's, what anenormous saving to the Community!

如果體力的發(fā)展能夠加速，比如能夠跟母牛一樣快，那對社會會是多大的節(jié)約呀!”

"Enormous!" murmured the students. Mr. Foster's enthusiasm was infectious.

“了不起的節(jié)約!”學(xué)生們喃喃地說。福斯特先生的熱情帶有傳染性。