Charles soon became a keen collectorcollector n.收藏家， 征收者. He collected anything that caught his interest： insects， seashells， coins and interesting stones. He said later that his collection prepared him for his work as a naturalist.
He was not a very clever boy， but Charles was good at doing the things that interested him. He also took pleasure in carrying out experiments. But he could not learn Latin and Greek which in those days were an important part of education.
He was a disappointment to his father， who was sure that he would bring nothing but shame to himself and his family.
姐姐卡罗琳教会了他许多人生第一课。他是个懒惰又淘气的孩子，8岁那年母亲去世后他总算进了学校，人人都为此而高兴。
不久查尔斯爱上了收集，收集所有他感兴趣的东西：昆虫呀、海贝呀，还有硬币和奇形怪状的石头。他后来说这些收集为他成为博物学家打下了基础。
查尔斯并不是个特别聪明的孩子，但只要感兴趣的事情他都做得很棒。他还喜欢做各种试验，但却学不好拉丁文和希腊文，这在当时的教育中可是很重要的一部分。父亲对他颇感失望，认定他只会一事无成，辱没家门。
In 1825， when Charles was sixteen， his father sent him to EdinburghEdinburgh n.爱丁堡 to study medicine， saying：“As you like natural history so much， perhaps we can make a doctor of you.”
But Charles found the lectures boring， and the dissectionsdissection n.解剖， 切开frightening. But at Edinburgh he was able to go to natural history lectures. In 1826 he read a paper on seaworm to the Natural History Society. This paper was his first known work on this subject.
Then his father decided to send Charles to CambridgeCambridge n.剑桥(英国城市， 剑桥大学所在地) University to study to become a priest. With hard work， he did quite well. And， in the countryside around Cambridge， he was able to shoot， fish and collect insects.
1825年，查尔斯16岁，父亲将他送到爱丁堡学医，说“既然你如此喜欢博物学，或许我们可以把你培养成一名医生。”
但是查尔斯却烦透了那些讲座，也惧怕解剖，不过在爱丁堡他可以去听博物学方面的讲座。1826年，他在博物学社宣读了一篇有关海船蛀虫的文章，这是该领域中他第一篇为人所知的作品。
随后他父亲决定送他去剑桥大学学习，将来当一名牧师。由于刻苦努力，他学得相当不错，而且得以在剑桥附近的乡村射猎、钓鱼以及收集各种昆虫。
He seemed likely to become a country priest like hundreds of others， sharing his time between his work and his interest in natural history and country life. He had a deep faith in God and a lasting interest in religion. At this time he did not doubt that every word of the BibleBible n.《圣经》 was true.
Then a letter from Captain Robert FitzRoy changed his life. FitzRoy was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship called the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship， and Darwin was recommended. That voyage was the start of Charles Darwins great life work.
In those days a great many people believed that every word written in the Bible was true. Darwin hoped that the plants and animals that they found in the course of their voyage would prove the truth of the Bible story of the great Flood.
看来，他像数以百计的其他学生一样可能成为一位乡村牧师，工作的同时，还可以兼顾自己对博物学和乡村生活的兴趣。他笃信上帝，对宗教有不减的热情。当时他毫不怀疑《圣经》字字真实。
可是一封来自罗伯特·菲茨洛伊船长的信改变了他的一生。菲茨洛伊计划驾驶“贝格尔号”海船做一次环球航行，他想要一位博物学家加盟，有人推荐了达尔文。此次航海成为查尔斯终生伟业的起点。
那时很多人笃信《圣经》。达尔文希望航海过程中发现的各种动植物能证明《圣经》中有关那场洪水的文字确有其事。
He began to observe everything. When they got to Rio de Janeiro in South America， Charles was overcome with joy to see so many different creatures， so much life and colour. His notebooks were full of detailed observations.
Then they reached dry land at Punta Alta. There Darwin discovered his first fossilsfossil n.化石， 僵化的事物adj.化石的， 陈腐的， 守旧的. Why， he wondered， were there horse bones at Punta Alta， when there had been no horses in the New World until Cortez brought his from Spain？
第17章 Father of Modern Biology： Charles Darwin现代生物学之父查尔斯·达尔文(2)
They came to Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America. It was a strange place， with terrible storms. Its people grew no food， and they slept on the wet ground. Darwin observed their looks and habits.
“How can people be so different， if all are descended from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden？” Charles wondered.
他开始对万物进行观察。他们到达南美洲的里约热内卢时，看到种类如此繁多的生物，那么生机盎然而色彩斑斓，查尔斯欣喜若狂，他的笔记本上全是详细的观察记录。
随后他们到了Punta Alta 的干旱地带，达尔文在那儿发现了首批化石。奇怪的是，Cortez将马从西班牙带进美洲之前，Punta Alta是没有马的，为什么却有马骨化石呢？
他们又去了南美洲南端的火地岛。那是个奇异的地方，狂风暴雨不断，当地人不种粮食作物，而且在湿漉漉的地上席地而眠。达尔文仔细观察他们的相貌和习惯。