提到保护生物多样性，人们最先想到的往往是大熊猫、老虎这类形象鲜明的动物。
When biodiversity protection comes up, what people picture first is usually a vividly recognizable animal such as the giant panda or the tiger.
可真正支撑起整个生态系统的，多半是些其貌不扬的角色：土壤里的真菌、河底的贝类、草丛中的昆虫。
But what actually holds up a whole ecosystem is mostly a cast of unglamorous players: fungi in the soil, shellfish on the riverbed, insects in the grass.
有生态学家把物种比作飞机机翼上的铆钉：掉一颗两颗似乎无关紧要，可谁也说不清哪一颗是最后一颗。
One ecologist likens species to the rivets on an aircraft wing: losing one or two seems to matter little, yet nobody can say which one will be the last.
上世纪九十年代，黄石公园重新引入了狼，结果不仅鹿群数量得到控制，河岸的植被也随之恢复，河道形状竟然发生了改变。
In the nineties, Yellowstone reintroduced wolves; not only were the deer herds brought under control, but the riverbank vegetation recovered along with them, and the shape of the river channel itself unexpectedly changed.
这个例子说明，物种之间的联系远比我们想象的紧密。
The example shows that the links between species are far closer than we imagine.
然而，仅仅强调“有用”，未必是最稳妥的辩护。
And yet stressing "usefulness" alone is not necessarily the safest line of defense.
倘若一个物种被证明毫无经济价值，难道就可以任其消失吗？
If a species were proven to have no economic value whatsoever, would we then be free to let it vanish?
以人类的用途为唯一尺度，本身就是一种傲慢。
To take human usefulness as the only yardstick is in itself a form of arrogance.
保护生物多样性，与其说是在拯救别的生命，不如说是在为自己保留一条尚未走过的退路。
Protecting biodiversity is less a matter of rescuing other lives than of keeping in reserve, for ourselves, a road of retreat we have not yet had to walk.
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Key words 生词
支撑zhīchēngto hold up; to sustain
其貌不扬qí mào bù yángplain-looking; unimpressive in appearance
无关紧要wúguān jǐnyàoof no consequence; insignificant
稳妥wěntuǒsafe and reliable; secure
毫无háowúutterly without; not the slightest
傲慢àomànarrogant; arrogance
Grammar note 语法点
以……为…… — take … as …
A compact literary frame meaning 'take A as B', used for standards, goals and principles: 以质量为标准, 以人为本.
这家公司一向以质量为生命。 — This company has always treated quality as its lifeblood.
难道……吗？ — surely you don't mean…?
A rhetorical question that expects the answer 'no'; the writer uses it to make an objection feel obvious rather than to ask for information.
难道我们要等到损失无法挽回时才行动吗？ — Are we really going to wait until the loss is beyond repair before acting?
不仅……，也…… — not only …, but also …
Adds a second, often more surprising, consequence to the first. In written style 也 may be replaced by 还 or 甚至 for a stronger climb.
这项措施不仅降低了成本，也改善了工作环境。 — The measure not only lowered costs but also improved the working environment.
Check yourself 小测验
1. What does the ecologist in the text compare species to?
2. What followed the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone?
3. Why does the author doubt "usefulness" as a defense of biodiversity?
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