【双语阅读】天使原来不能飞？

A leading biologist has compared the physiology of flighted species with the representations of spiritual and mythical creatures in art – and found the angels and fairies that sit atop of Christmas trees did not get there under their own steam.
一位顶级生物学家通过比较真实的飞行物种与虚构的艺术形象的生理构造，得出这样的结论：天使和精灵们并非依靠自身的力量而坐上圣诞树顶的。

Prof Roger Wotton found that flight would be impossible for angels portrayed with arms and bird-like feathered wings.
Roger Wotton教授发现，被描绘成拥有手臂和羽毛翅膀的天使其实是飞不起来的。

“Even a cursory examination of the evidence in representational arts shows that angels and cherubs cannot take off and cannot use powered flight,” said Prof Wotton. “And even if they used gliding flight, they would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off - such high winds that they would be blown away and have no need for wings.”
他说：“即使对具象派的艺术作品做一个粗略的检查，也足够找到证据，证明天使和胖乎乎的小天使无法起飞，也无法使用动力飞行的方法。即便用滑翔，他们也需要利用相当大的风速帮助起飞，而在这样的狂风中他们完全不需要翅膀，直接就被吹走。”

Angels, cherubs and putti (babies with wings) adorn some the world’s most famous religious paintings and architecture, hovering in the air to witness the deeds of God and men.Their power to capture the imagination is so strong that a survey last year revealed that most Americans believe in angels, and 68 per cent of the 36,000 adults polled thought that angels and demons were at work in the world.
天使，小天使，丘比特点缀着世界上最著名的宗教绘画和建筑。他们在空中盘旋，见证上帝和人类的一举一动。他们极大地激发了人们想象力，以至于去年一项调查显示大部分美国人都相信天使的存在，36，000名接受调查的成年人中，68%认为天使和魔鬼真有其事。

According to the latest study, birds’ wings evolved from the forearms of their ancestors and over time their whole body shape was determined by the covering of feathers. The reduced density of the bird skeleton provided a light but strong frame.
根据最新研究，鸟类的翅膀是从它们祖先的前臂进化而来。一直以来，它们的身体造型由覆盖的羽毛决定。减轻了的骨架密度则提供了轻巧而坚固的身体框架。

But angels have normal-sized bodies and cherubs and putti are often given additional weight, portrayed as chubby babies with tiny wings. They also lack the powerful muscles which allow birds to beat their wings.
然而天使的身材是正常尺寸，小天使和丘比特则超重，因为他们被描绘成胖乎乎的小孩，只带着小小的翅膀。他们还缺少鸟类用以振翅的强健肌肉。

Fairies come under similar scrutiny in the paper.They are generally shown with insect wings, often those of damselfly or butterflies. Both insects have complex flight mechanisms with major muscles in the thorax, the chest region, which power the flapping of wings.
精灵、仙女也接受了同样的严密审查。她们经常以背负昆虫翅膀的形象露面，最多见的是蜻蜓和蝴蝶的翅膀。这两种昆虫都有复杂的飞行机制，胸部有为翅膀振动提供动力的肌肉

“The distortion of the thorax needed for flight in fairies with butterfly wings would be exceedingly uncomfortable,” said the academic. “For sure, fairies don’t fly.”
这位学者说：“有蝴蝶翅膀的仙女如需飞翔，胸部的变形会很难受。所以可以肯定，仙女也是不能飞的。”