美麗新世界 Brave New World 第1章(4)

"For in nature it takes thirty years for two hundredeggs to reach maturity.

“因?yàn)樵谧匀粻顟B(tài)下，要讓兩百個(gè)卵子成熟需要三十年之久。

But our business is to stabilize the population atthis moment, here and now.

但我們現(xiàn)在的任務(wù)是穩(wěn)定人口，穩(wěn)定在此時(shí)此地的水平。

Dribbling out twins over a quarter of a century–whatwould be the use of that?"

花四分之一個(gè)世紀(jì)去生產(chǎn)少數(shù)幾個(gè)多生子——那能有什么用處?”

Obviously, no use at all. But Podsnap's Techniquehad immensely accelerated the process of ripening.

顯然毫無(wú)用處。但是潑孜納普技術(shù)卻大大加速了成熟的過(guò)程。

They could make sure of at least a hundred and fifty mature eggs within two years.

他們有把握在兩年之內(nèi)至少生產(chǎn)出二百五十個(gè)成熟的卵子。

Fertilize and bokanovskify–in other words, multiply by seventy-two–and you get an average ofnearly eleven thousand brothers

然后讓它們受精，再波坎諾夫斯基化——換句話說(shuō)，乘以七十二，于是你得到差不多一萬(wàn)一千個(gè)兄弟姐妹，

and sisters in a hundred and fifty batches of identical twins, all within two years of the sameage.

一百五十批恒等多生子女，全都在兩年之內(nèi)出生，年齡一樣大。

"And in exceptional cases we can make one ovary yield us over fifteen thousand adultindividuals."

“在特殊的例外情況下我們可以用一個(gè)卵子培養(yǎng)出一萬(wàn)五千個(gè)成年人。”

Beckoning to a fair-haired, ruddy young man who happened to be passing at the moment.

主任向一個(gè)淺色頭發(fā)的壯健青年招了招手——那人正好路過(guò)。

"Mr. Foster," he called. The ruddy young man approached. "Can you tell us the record for asingle ovary, Mr. Foster?"

“福斯特先生。”他叫道。那壯健的青年走了過(guò)來(lái)。“你能夠告訴我們一個(gè)卵子的最高記錄是多少么?”

"Sixteen thousand and twelve in this Centre," Mr. Foster replied without hesitation.

“在本中心是一萬(wàn)六千零一十二個(gè)。”福斯特先生毫不猶豫地回答。

He spoke very quickly, had a vivacious blue eye, and took an evident pleasure in quotingfigures.

他長(zhǎng)著一對(duì)快活的藍(lán)眼睛，說(shuō)話迅速，顯然很以引述數(shù)字為樂(lè)。

"Sixteen thousand and twelve; in one hundred and eighty-nine batches of identicals.

“一萬(wàn)六千零一十二個(gè)，共是一百八十九批恒等多生子。

But of course they've done much better," he rattled on, "in some of the tropical Centres.

但是在赤道的有些孵化中心”他滔滔不絕地說(shuō)了下去，

Singapore has often produced over sixteen thousand five hundred; and Mombasa has actuallytouched the seventeen thousand mark.

“成績(jī)還要好得多。新加坡的產(chǎn)量常常超過(guò)一萬(wàn)六千五百個(gè);而蒙巴薩實(shí)際上已達(dá)到一萬(wàn)七千的指標(biāo)。

But then they have unfair advantages. You should see the way a negro ovary responds topituitary!

但是他們的條件優(yōu)越。你要是能看看黑人卵子對(duì)新液的反應(yīng)就好了!

It's quite astonishing, when you're used to working with European material.

你若是習(xí)慣于使用歐洲材料的話，黑人卵子的反應(yīng)會(huì)叫你大吃一驚的。

Still," he added, with a laugh (but the light of combat was in his eyes and the lift of his chin waschallenging), "still, we mean to beat them if we can.

不過(guò)，”他笑了笑，又說(shuō)(但眼里卻有戰(zhàn)斗的光彩，翹起的下巴也帶有挑戰(zhàn)意味)，“不過(guò)，只要有可能我們還是想超過(guò)他們。

I'm working on a wonderful Delta-Minus ovary at this moment. Only just eighteen months old.

目前我正在培養(yǎng)一個(gè)驚人的德?tīng)査勇炎?，只有十八個(gè)月時(shí)間，

Over twelve thousand seven hundred children already, either decanted or in embryo. And stillgoing strong. We'll beat them yet."

卻已經(jīng)有一千二百七十個(gè)孩子，有的已經(jīng)換瓶，有的還處于胚胎狀態(tài)，可仍然健壯。我們還有可能超過(guò)蒙巴薩。”

"That's the spirit I like!" cried the Director, and clapped Mr. Foster on the shouder.

“我喜歡的就是這種精神戶主任拍了拍福斯特先生的肩膀，叫道，

"Come along with us, and give these boys the benefit of your expert knowledge."

“跟我們一塊走走吧，讓孩子們有幸獲得你的專門(mén)知識(shí)。”

Mr. Foster smiled modestly. "With pleasure." They went.

福斯特先生客氣地笑了笑。“樂(lè)意效勞。”便一起走了。

In the Bottling Room all was harmonious bustle and ordered activity.

裝瓶室一片繁忙，卻節(jié)奏和諧，井井有條。

Flaps of fresh sow's peritoneum ready cut to the proper size came shooting up in little lifts fromthe Organ Store in the sub-basement.

切成適當(dāng)大小的新鮮母豬腹膜片從大樓次底層的器官庫(kù)里由小電梯里送出來(lái)，吱的一聲，然后是咔噠!

Whizz and then, click! the lift-hatches hew open; the bottle-liner had only to reach out a hand,take the flap, insert, smooth-down,

電梯孵化器打開(kāi);裝瓶線上的人只須伸出一只手，抓住腹膜片，塞進(jìn)瓶里，按平，

and before the lined bottle had had time to travel out of reach along the endless band, whizz,click!

已經(jīng)裝好的瓶子還沒(méi)有沿著運(yùn)輸線走開(kāi)，吱，咔噠!

another flap of peritoneum had shot up from the depths, ready to be slipped into yet anotherbottle, the next of that slow interminable procession on the band.

又一塊腹膜片已經(jīng)從下面冒了出來(lái)，只等著被塞進(jìn)另一個(gè)瓶子——那緩慢的傳送帶上的無(wú)窮的行列里的下一個(gè)瓶子。