How to build a nuclear warning for 10,000 years' time
如何打造一个万年有效的核辐射警告
"This place is not a place of honor," reads the text. "What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger."
“此地并非历史遗迹，”一段文字写道，“此处的物品很危险，我们唯恐避之不及。此消息是一条危险警告。”
It sounds like the kind of curse that you half-expect to find at the entrance to an ancient burial mound. But this message is intended to help mark the site of the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP). The huge complex of tunnels and caverns is designed to contain the US military's most dangerous nuclear waste.
这听起来像是你也许会在古墓入口见到的诅咒。但这条信息实则被用于标记美国核废物隔离试验厂（WIPP）的所在地。这个由隧道和洞穴构成的巨大建筑群是为存放美国军方最危险的核废料而设计的。
When the facility is full, the caverns will be sealed with concrete and soil. The sprawling complex of buildings that currently mark the site will be erased. In its place will be "our society's largest conscious attempt to communicate across the abyss of deep time".***
当填埋场填满后，这些洞穴便会用混凝土和泥土密封起来，而目前占据这一地点的庞大建筑群也将被夷为平地。取而代之的，将是“人类社会主动跨越地质深时的鸿沟而进行的一次最宏大的沟通挑战”。
Welcome to the world of nuclear semiotics. Nuclear physicists, engineers, anthropologists, sci-fi writers, artists and others have come together in the very broad, esoteric field of research into the way that future humans — and anything that comes after us — might be warned of our deadly legacy.***
欢迎来到“核符号学”的世界。核物理学家、工程师、人类学家、科幻作家、艺术家和其他人士都聚集在了这一极其宽泛又深奥的研究领域，一同探索我们该如何向未来的人类——未来的一切生命体——警示我们留下的“致命遗产”。
Sadly, the idea to cover the site with a forest of massive concrete thorns was not taken up. Neither was the idea of breeding cats that would change colour when exposed to radiation.
遗憾的是，有想法提出用巨大的荆棘状混凝土块来覆盖核废料站点，并未得到采纳。还有一个落选方案提出要培育遇到辐射就会变色的猫。
"The most successful approach would have a number of systems that complement each other, such as a combination of physical markers with information about the site stored in numerous archives," says James Pearson, who worked on the RK&M Initiative.
“最成功的办法应该是设计多个互补的系统，例如使用实体标记，同时辅以储存在多个档案库中的填埋场介绍信息，”曾参与 RK&M 倡议工作的詹姆斯·皮尔森说道。
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It is also about trying to integrate the facilities into future societies.
另一重点是尝试让这些设施融入未来的社会。
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"You don't have to try to scare people away by looking menacing and symbolising danger. You need to inform people of what's there, so they can then make an informed decision for themselves."
“我们不一定要通过外观的震慑感和危险符号把人吓跑，而是需要告知人们这里有什么，以便让他们自行作出知情的决策。”
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主编：大仔、Ruth
品控：宇轩
审核：Karen
重点词汇
repulsive
/rɪˈpʌl.sɪv/
adj. 令人厌恶的；排斥的
相关词汇：repulse（v. 使反感，使憎恶）
例句：Some people are repulsed by the smell of durians.
例句：The smell of durians is repulsive to some people.
curse
/kɝːs/
n. 诅咒；祸根
英文释义：something that causes trouble or harm（祸根）
例句：Presenteeism is the curse of the modern office worker.（祸根）
burial mound
墓冢
相关词汇：burial（n. 埋葬）
相关词汇：bury（v. 埋葬）
相关词汇：funeral（n. 葬礼）
词义辨析：burial, funeral
funeral 是指葬礼仪式，强调纪念意义，或宗教、民俗上的习惯。burial 则是指下葬入土。
complex
/ˈkɑːm.pleks/
n. 建筑群
词性拓展：complex（adj. 错综复杂的）
搭配短语：an ancient palace complex
cavern
/ˈkæv.ɚn/
n. 大洞穴；溶洞
近义词：cave
sprawling
/ˈsprɑː.lɪŋ/
adj. 面积巨大的；蔓延扩展的
相关词汇：sprawl（v. 伸展四肢躺下，坐下）
搭配短语：sprawl out on the bed
例句：The city sprawls over 200 square miles.
erase
/ɪˈreɪz/
v. 抹除；擦掉；消灭
搭配短语：to erase the writing
搭配短语：to erase sth. from the memory
搭配短语：to erase poverty
in someone's / something's place
取而代之；在……的位置上
例句：I'm going to lead the meeting in her place.
conscious
/ˈkɑːn.ʃəs/
adj. 有意的，主动的；有意识的，神志清醒的
英文释义：determined and intentional（有意的，主动的）
abyss
/əˈbɪs/
n. 鸿沟；深渊
例句：The country is on the brink of an abyss.
anthropologist
/ˌæn.θrəˈpɑː.lə.dʒɪst/
n. 人类学家
相关词汇：anthropology（n. 人类学）
sci-fi
/ˈsaɪ.faɪ/
n. 科幻小说；科幻作品
相关短语：science fiction（科幻小说）
搭配短语：a sci-fi movie（科幻电影）
esoteric
/ˌes.əˈter.ɪk/
adj. 深奥的，难懂的
英文释义：to be understood by only a few people with a special knowledge or interest
thorn
/θɔːrn/
n. 荆棘，刺
搭配短语：a thorn in one's flesh / side（肉中刺，眼中钉）
例句：The House Speaker has been a thorn in the president's side.
take up
接受
搭配短语：take up an offer
搭配短语：take up a challenge
breed
/briːd/
v. 培育；孕育，导致
例句：Success breeds complacency.（导致）
例句：Lack of information breeds false rumours.（导致）
complement
/ˈkɑːm.plə.ment/
v. 补充，与……相辅相成
例句：The team needs players who complement each other.
archive
/ˈɑːr.kaɪv/
n. 档案库；档案
词性拓展：archive（v. 存档）
搭配短语：to archive data（存档数据）
相关短语：to retrieve data（调出数据）
integrate
/ˈɪn.t̬ə.ɡreɪt/
v. 使融入
搭配短语：to integrate learning with play
相关词汇：integrated（adj. 综合的）
搭配短语：an integrated solution
menacing
/ˈmen.ə.sɪŋ/
adj. 威胁性的，凶险的
相关词汇：menace（n. / v. 威胁，恐吓）
例句：Excessive drinking is a social menace.
例句：Excessive drinking is menacing our society.
informed
/ɪnˈfɔːrmd/
adj. 知情的，了解情况的
相关词汇：inform（v. 告知）
搭配短语：to inform sb. of / about sth.
搭配短语：to keep sb. informed of / about sth.