人类与自然:剪不断的纠葛
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We cannot command Nature except by obeying her.
―Francis Bacon (弗兰西斯・培根)
Graced by beautiful rings and ridges on their shells, diamondbacks1) look like a field of galaxies on the move. They inhabit neither freshwater nor sea, but the brackish2) slurry3) of coastal marshes. Mating in the spring, they need to lay their eggs on land, so in June and July they migrate to the sandy dunes of Jamaica Bay4). The shortest route leads straight across the tarmac5) at Kennedy International Airport.
Never mess with6) a female ready to give birth. On June 29, 2011, more than 150 diamondback terrapins scuttled7) across Runway No. 4, delaying landings, halting takeoffs, foiling8) air traffic controllers, crippling9) timetables and snarling10) traffic for hours. Cold-blooded reptiles they may be, but they are also ardent and single-minded.
Don’t the plucky11) turtles notice the jets? Probably not as monsters. Even with polka-dot necks stretched out, diamondbacks don’t peer up very high. And unlike, say, lions, they don’t have eyes that dart after fast-moving prey. So the jets probably blur into background―more of a blowy weather system than a threat. But planes generate a lot of heat, and the turtles surely find the crossing stressful.
Mounted on the shoreline of Jamaica Bay and a federally protected park, indeed almost surrounded by water, J.F.K. occupies land where wildlife abounds, and it’s no surprise that planes have collided with gulls, hawks, swans, geese, and osprey. Or that every summer there’s another turtle stampede12), sometimes creating two-hour delays.
People around the world became obsessed with the plight of the quixotic13) turtles, a drama biblical in its proportions (slow, sweater-necked Davids vs. steely Goliaths)14). It defied reason that small reptiles would take on15) whirring leviathans16) whose gentlest tap may crush them and whose breath can blow them to kingdom come.
Many people also felt a quiver of disquiet, of something elemental out of place. Supposedly, in our snug17), walled-in cities, we’re keeping nature in check, growing docile plants, adopting pets and erecting a buffer18) of steel and cement. If wild turtles can find their way into suburbia, can larger animals be far behind, ones with fangs and teeth, whose red eyes pierce the night?
The answer is yes; it happens more often than one supposes. Chicago is home to hundreds of coyotes, which have been tracked near strip malls19), in parks, and even in residential neighborhoods. In 2010, New Jersey hosted a six-day black bear hunt. Moose regularly pay house calls in Alaska, stomping20) into yards and onto porches, looking for grub. Giant antlers and all21), they can leap chain-link fences. On many a golf course in Florida, alligators create an extra water hazard22), and lakeside settlers know to keep their Chihuahuas indoors. Mountain lions forage23) in Montana cities; cougars stalk joggers in California; elk stroll through housing tracts in Colorado. At least one Brooklyn woman found a 7-foot-long python in her toilet. We forget that the animal kingdom is a circle of neighbors who often drop by unannounced.
The myth of our sprawly, paved-over cities and towns is that we’ve driven native animals out and stolen their habitat. Not entirely true. We may drain the marshes, level forests and replace meadows with malls, exiling some animals. But because we also need nature, we create a new ecology that happens to be very hospitable to wild animals. In some ways, it’s more inviting than wilderness. We install ponds, lawns, groves of edible trees. We leave garbage on the curb and design flowerbeds that are well-watered and well-fed, serving a smorgasbord24) of delicacies25).
We can’t help ourselves; we evolved to feel part of nature’s web. So we erect walls to keep nature out and take pride in scrubbing26) dirt and dust from our homes. Then we fill our houses with bouquets of flowers, adopt pets and scent absolutely everything that touches our lives. We seat windows in our walls, install seasons (air-conditioning and heat) and fasten at least one noonday sun in every room to shower us with light. Confusing, isn’t it?
In my hometown upstate27), we’re blessed by lots of wild animal visitors, from star-nosed moles and foxes to eagles, otters and skunks. White-tailed deer are so numerous that they qualify as residents. Each year, I line up behind a dozen cars on a busy highway as a caravan28) of Canada goose chicks waddles across in a single line between guardian geese, apparently unfazed29) by motorized honking.
Like the turtles at J.F.K., they remind us that, even with egos of steel and concrete plans, we’re easily humbled by nature in the shape of snowflakes, goslings or turtles―all able to stop traffic. They also remind us how conflicted we really are about nature.
钻纹龟的背甲上长着漂亮的圆圈和棱脊，它们一起爬动的时候呈现出一片璀璨，非常夺目。钻纹龟既不生活在淡水里，也不生活在海中，而是栖息于海滨沼泽地那微咸的泥浆里。春天的季节过后，它们要去陆地产卵。所以，在六七月份的时候，它们会迁徙到牙买加湾的沙丘地，而迁徙的最短路线就是横穿肯尼迪国际机场的柏油跑道。
永远都别招惹准备产仔的雌性动物。2011年6月29日这天，150多只钻纹龟从机场的4号跑道匆匆爬过，造成飞机落地晚点，起飞中断，空中交通管制员们束手无策，飞机时刻表乱成一团，交通瘫痪长达数小时。虽然钻纹龟不过是冷血的爬行动物，但是它们也满怀热情，一门心思地只想着一件事情。
难道这些勇往直前的乌龟没有注意到周围的喷气式飞机吗？估计它们没把这些飞机当成什么庞然大物。即便钻纹龟把满是圆点花纹的脖子使劲朝前伸，它们能看到的高度仍然有限。而且，与狮子之类的动物不同，它们的眼睛无法跟踪快速移动的猎物。所以，在它们眼里，喷气式飞机可能只是背景中模糊的一团，更像是大风类的天气现象，而不是一个危险事物。不过，飞机会产生大量热量，所以从机场穿行的乌龟一定不轻松。
肯尼迪国际机场坐落于牙买加湾的海岸线上，那里有一个受联邦政府保护的公园。机场几乎四面环水，其所占据的这块地方野生动物资源非常丰富，所以，飞机撞上海鸥、老鹰、天鹅、野鹅和鱼鹰这样的事都不足为怪。同样不足为怪的是，每年夏天乌龟一窝蜂地迁徙都会造成交通瘫痪，有时会导致长达两小时的交通延误。
这些具有堂吉诃德精神的乌龟们所处的困境让全世界的人都感到困惑。从力量对比的悬殊程度来看，这简直是一出圣经故事(一边是行动迟缓、穿着龟领毛衣的大卫们，一边是钢筋铁骨的巨人歌利亚们)。这些轰隆作响的庞然大物只消轻轻一碰就能让小乌龟粉身碎骨，吹一口气就能把它们送上西天，但这些小小的爬行动物却毫无畏惧地跟大飞机叫上了板，这真是匪夷所思。
许多人为此还感到心中一颤，他们体会到一丝不安，觉得有什么事从根子上出了问题。我们一直相信，在温暖舒适、高墙围守的城市里，我们将自然掌控在自己手中：种植温顺的植物，豢养宠物，建起一个用钢筋和水泥铸就的缓冲地带。可是如果野生龟能够爬进市郊，那些爪尖牙利、眼睛在夜里闪着红光的大型动物们离城市还会远吗？
答案是它们一样会闯进市郊。这种情况发生的频率比人们想象的要高。芝加哥是数百只丛林狼的大本营，在商业街、公园甚至居民区附近都曾发现过它们的踪迹。2010年，新泽西州组织了一次为期六天的猎捕黑熊行动。在阿拉斯加，驼鹿是上门常客，经常闯进院落，踏入门廊，到处寻找食物。它们尽管顶着巨大的鹿角，有着诸多不便，居然也能跃过铁链连接的栅栏。在佛罗里达的许多高尔夫球场上，短吻鳄为水障碍区增添了新的挑战。而住在湖边的人们都明白，他们得把自己的吉娃娃狗关在屋子里。在蒙大拿州，北美山狮觅食的足迹遍布州内各个城市；在加利福尼亚州，美洲豹常尾随慢跑者；在科罗拉多州，美洲大角鹿常出没于居民区。在布鲁克林，至少有一位女士在卫生间发现过一条七英尺长的蟒蛇。我们忘记了一个事实：动物王国是一群常常不请自来的邻居。
关于规模恣意扩张和道路整饬有序的城镇，我们抱有这样一个谬见：我们已经赶走了原本在当地土生土长的动物，盗走了它们的栖息地。但这并不完全符合事实。我们也许排干了沼泽地的淤水，将森林夷为了平地，用购物中心代替了草地，将某些动物驱逐了出去。但是，因为我们也需要自然，我们创造了一个新的生态环境，而这一新环境却碰巧非常适合野生动物生存。从某些方面来讲，它比荒野更有吸引力。我们在这个新的生态环境中“安置”了池塘、草坪以及小树林，林中的树木就是某些动物的食物。我们把垃圾扔在路边，还设计了花圃，殷勤灌溉，精心施肥，这无异于为动物们布下了什锦盛宴。
我们这么做也是情非得已。我们已渐渐习惯将自己看做是大自然网络中的一部分。所以，我们一方面竖起高墙把自然关在门外，以把家里打扫得一尘不染为荣；又在家里摆满鲜花，养上宠物，再想方设法把与我们生活密切相关的所有一切弄得芳香扑鼻。我们在墙上开了窗户，在房间里装上了季节(空调和暖气)，并且每个房间至少装一盏正午的太阳，使我们永沐光明。挺自相矛盾的，不是吗？
在我位于北部的家乡，我们常常有幸碰到许多野生动物来访，从星鼻鼹和狐狸到老鹰、水獭和臭鼬。这里的白尾鹿数量非常多，简直有资格取得那里的常住居民身份。每一年，我的车都会困在一溜堵在繁忙高速公路的汽车后面，因为公路上有一群加拿大黑雁幼崽正排成一列，从负责守卫的黑雁中间摇摇摆摆地穿过，完全无视旁边震天响的汽车喇叭声。
像肯尼迪国际机场的乌龟一样，它们提醒着我们，就算我们心高气傲，满脑子都是使用钢筋混凝土的规划，但大自然轻而易举地就能让我们威风扫地――即使它只是以雪、黑雁幼崽或是乌龟的形式出现都能让我们的交通陷于停滞。同时，它们也在提醒我们，人类对自然的态度是多么自相矛盾。
1. diamondback [ˈdaɪəməndˌbæk] n. 钻纹龟。钻纹龟栖息于近海或河海交界处的沼泽地，背甲上有同心圆年轮和沟痕。
2. brackish [ˈbrækɪʃ] adj. 含盐的，有盐味的
3. slurry [ˈslʌri] n. 泥浆，浆
4. Jamaica Bay：牙买加湾，大西洋岸的浅水湾，位于纽约的东南方向。
5. tarmac [ˈtː(r)mæk] n. 用柏油碎石铺的停机坪
6. mess with：〈美俗〉与(危险或有害的东西)打交道
7. scuttle [ˈskʌt(ə)l] vi. 急速奔跑
8. foil [fɔɪl] vt. 阻止，妨碍
9. cripple [ˈkrɪp(ə)l] vt. 使……丧失功能
10. snarl [snː(r)l] vt. 使混乱
11. plucky [ˈplʌki] adj. 有勇气的
12. stampede [stæmˈpiːd] n. (畜群的)乱窜；(人群的)蜂拥
13. quixotic [kwɪkˈsɒtɪk] adj. 堂吉诃德式的
14. 这里指的是《圣经》里一个以弱胜强的故事。大卫(David)，即后来统一了以色列的大卫王，是以色列的一个牧童，而歌利亚(Goliath)是中东古国腓力士的巨人勇士。未披战衣的大卫用弹弓和石头将头戴铜盔、身穿铠甲的巨人歌利亚打死了。
15. take on：接受……的挑战，同……较量
16. leviathan [ləˈvaɪəθən] n. 庞然大物
17. snug [snʌ] adj. 建筑牢固的，温暖舒适的
18. buffer [ˈbʌfə(r)] n. 缓冲地带
19. strip mall：单排商业区，沿公路商业区
20. stomp [stɒmp] vi. 跺脚，重踩
21. and all：其他，等等
22. water hazard：水障碍区，指高尔夫球场中有水的区域。
23. forage [ˈfɒrɪdʒ] vi. 寻食
24. smorgasbord [ˈsmɔː(r)əsˌbɔː(r)d] n. 大杂烩
25. delicacy [ˈdelɪkəsi] n. 美味佳肴
26. scrub [skrʌb] vt. 擦净
27. upstate [ʌpˈsteɪt] adv. 在州的北部地区(或边远地区)
28. caravan [ˈkærəvæn] n. 旅行队
29. unfazed [ʌnˈfeɪzd] adj. 不被打扰的，不被折磨的