原文视听

Maybe we've all been judging the obese too harshly.
也许我们对肥胖者的评价过于尖刻了
Chronic weight gain is a modern-day phenomenon.
慢性增重是一种当代的现象
But could an ability to store fat
然而储存脂肪的能力真的
have actually played a crucial role in our evolution?
在我们的进化历程中起到了关键作用吗
According to obesity geneticist Dr Eric Ravussin,
根据肥胖遗传学家埃里克·鲁瓦森博士的理论
our hunter-gatherer ancestors
我们以采集狩猎为生的祖先
had to live off whatever they could find.
必须靠食用他们能找到的东西为生
Sometimes that wasn't much.
有时那些是不够的
Which is when fat as an
也就是说 脂肪作为
efficient storage system really came into its own.
有效的储存系统 应该得到应有的重视
Populations went through periods of feast and famine.
人们会经历食物充足以及饥荒的时期
During the periods of famine,
在饥荒的时期
maybe two-thirds or
或许三分之二甚至
three-quarters of the population would disappear.
四分之三的人口会死于饥荒
But those who were chubbier
而那些丰满的人
or those fatter babies would survive and then
或者说是肥胖的婴儿则会活下来
procreate themselves and pass on these genes.
繁衍后代 将自己的基因传递下去
So, according to this theory,
根据这一理论
at times of famine it was
饥荒的时期
literally a case of the survival of the fattest.
实际上是胖者生存的时期
The cycles of feast and famine
在饥饿与富足的循环中
that humankind has been
人类则要经历
subjected to was an important natural selective
重要的自然选择过程
, in which all the
在这一过程中
babies or the people a little bit chubbier
丰满的成人或者是婴儿
would survive the periods of famine and
可以在饥荒的情况下生存下来
then be able to gain the weight during the period of feast.
而在食物充足的时候 他们会增加体重

重点解释

But could an ability to store fat have actually played a crucial role in our evolution?然而储存脂肪的能力真的在我们的进化历程中起到了关键作用吗

play a role:起作用；扮演角色

He was invited to play a role in this TV play.

他被邀请在这个电视剧里扮演一个角色。

According to obesity geneticist Dr Eric Ravussin,our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to live off whatever they could find.根据肥胖遗传学家埃里克·鲁瓦森博士的理论，我们以采集狩猎为生的祖先，必须靠食用他们能找到的东西为生

according to:按照；根据

He ranged the books according to size.

他照大小顺序排列这些书。

live off:依赖 ... 生活

Most of the Asians live off rice.

多数亚洲人以大米为主食。

I live off the money from my first book.

我靠我第一本书赚的钱生活。

humankind has been subjected to was an important natural selective process人类则要经历重要的自然选择过程

be subjected to:受到； 经受

She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.

她受到侮辱和羞辱。

This country was once subjected to foreign rule.

这个国家一度曾受外国统治。