Only39% of Americans believe 'the universe began with a huge explosion'

只有39%的美国人相信“宇宙大爆炸起源理论”

With the possible exception of 'is the earthflat?', it is (according to Discover magazine at least) the most basic questionin science: 'does the earth orbit the sun?'

除了“地球是平的吗？”这个问题可能是个例外，那就是（至少根据探索杂志）那个最基本的科学问题了：“地球是绕着太阳转吗？”

The good news is that 74 per cent of Americansknow the answer.

好消息是有74%的美国人知道答案。

The very bad news is that means 26 per centreally don't.

坏消息是，这意味着26%的美国人真的不知道答案。

These results, which appear in the NationalScience Foundation (NSF) survey of 2,200 Americans, will form part of a reportset to be presented to Barack Obama and lawmakers in congress, and are likelyto once again raise the issue of educational standards in the United States.

这个结果来自于国家科学基金（NSF）对2200个美国人的调查，部分报告将提交给奥巴马和国会的立法者们，可能会再次挑起美国教育标准的问题。

Other startling results from the survey includedthat only 39 per cent of Americans believe "the universe began with a hugeexplosion". And fewer than half of the people surveyed (48 per cent)agreed that "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlierspecies of animals".

其他令人吃惊的调查结果包括只有39%的美国人相信“宇宙大爆炸起源理论”。不到一半的（48%）被调查者认同“目前所知，人类是某种远古动物进化来的”。

Meanwhile, 51 per cent of Americans knew thatantibiotics don't kill viruses.

同时，51%的美国人知道抗生素不能杀灭病毒。

The study also demonstrated that a total of 42per cent of Americans thought astrology was either "very scientific"or "sort of scientific".

研究也表明，总共有42%的美国人认为占星术也是非常或有几分科学道理的。

The survey, as reported by Agence France-Presse,is carried out every couple of years in order to analyse whether America ismaking educational progress.

据法新社报告，这个调查每两年进行一次，以分析美国的教育是否有了进步。

Despite the somewhat negative findings of thestudy there is a significant glimmer¹ of hope.

尽管有一些负面的发现，但是也有一丝希望。

The survey revealed that nearly 90 per cent ofAmericans believed the benefits of science outweigh² any dangers. 30 per centbelieve science deserves more funding from government, and around 90 per centexpressed an interest in learning about medical discoveries.

此次调查显示，90%的美国人相信科学的益处大于危险。30%相信政府应该在科学上有更多的投入，大于90%表示对了解医学发现感兴趣。