本期外刊閱讀選自2020年4月9日《Newscientist》上關於猴子至少兩次從非洲到南美。現在根據這一話題文章分別改成小貓釣魚,語篇的難度為適中,適合作熱點話題的培優專練。
一、外刊閱讀:小貓釣魚
原文為
命題為
Monkeys made their way from Africa to South America at least twice
一、外刊閱讀:語法填空
A. slightly B. originally C. fascinating
D. originated E. diverse F. shape
G. indicates H. extinctI. identify
J. thought K. stemming
Two lineages(血統) of ancient monkey migrated from Africa to South America more than 30 million years ago. But we aren’t sure which ones got there first.
Monkeys (31) ______ in Africa and the first group known to have reachedSouth America are thought to have migrated thereup to 40 million years ago, when the land masses were probably between 1500 and 2000 kilometresapart, around a quarter of the distance now.
But recent fossil discoveries, including that of fossilised teeth from asecond lineage of African monkey, tell a(n) (32) _______ different story.
Erik Seiffert at the University of Southern California and his colleaguesanalysed the fossilised teeth, which were (33) ______ discovered in Santa Rosa,Peru. 「This discovery was just so incredibly(34) ______, I was very excited,」says Seiffert.
He and his colleagues analysed four fossilised teeth and discovered thattheir (35) ______ doesn’t match that of the only previously known groupofancient monkeysfrom SouthAmerica, called platyrrhines. Instead, the teeth look much more like those of a(n)(36) _______ group of African monkeys called the parapithecids.
「Mammalian teeth are extremely (37) ______ in shape, and so, forpalaeontologists, are almost like fingerprints that sometimes allow us to (38)______ species from only a single tooth or even a partial tooth,」 saysSeiffert.
If they do belong to this group, it will be the first time parapithecidfossils have been discovered in South America, says Seiffert. It suggests thatthe ancestors of platyrrhine monkeys aren’t the only ones who made thetrans-Atlantic voyage, he says.
Both lineages are thought to have crossed the ocean on a large raft offloating vegetation. Fossil dating (39) _______ that the second lineage ofmonkey made it across the Atlantic Ocean between 35 and 32 million years ago.This time frame coincided with a major drop in sea level that could have helpedthe animals to migrate by shortening their journey.
The team estimates that two lineages existed alongside each other for 11.5million years. It isn’t clear which group got there first. The oldestplatyrrhine fossil is about 34 million years old, younger than previously (40)_______, and closer to the age of the newly discovered parapithecid fossils,says Seiffert.
「Thereis no reason to think that platyrrhines arrived earlier than parapithecids,」says Seiffert. 「In fact, the two lineages could have come over around the sametime.」
二、參考答案
三、原文連接
四、核心詞彙
(注意:
diverse
diversely
diverseness
diversities
diversity
extinct
extinction
extinctions
fascinate
fascinated
fascinates
fascinating
fascination
fascinations
fossil
fossilisation
fossilise
fossilised
fossilises
fossilising
fossilization
fossilize
fossilized
fossilizes
fossilizing
fossils
identify
identifiable
identification
identifications
identified
identifier
identifiers
identifies
identifying
identities
identity
unidentifiable
unidentified
incredible
incredibly
indicate
indicated
indicates
indicating
indication
indications
indicative
indicator
indicators
migrate
migrated
migrates
migrating
migration
migrations
migratory
nonmigratory
transmigration
original
originality
originally
originals
unoriginal
originate
originated
originates
originating
originator
originators
shape
misshape
misshaped
misshapen
misshapes
misshaping
shaped
shapeless
shapelessly
shapelessness
shapelier
shapeliest
shapeliness
shapely
shaper
shapers
shapes
shaping
unshapely
slight
slighter
slightest
slighting
slightly
stem
stemmed
stemming
stems
think
rethink
rethinking
rethinks
rethought
thinker
thinkers
thinkin
thinking
thinks
thought
thoughtful
thoughtfully
thoughtfulness
thoughtless
thoughtlessly
thoughtlessness
thoughts
unthinkable
unthinking
unthinkingly
unthought
五、原文翻譯
Monkeys made their way from Africa to South America at least twice
猴子至少兩次從非洲到南美
Two lineages(血統) of ancient monkey migrated from Africa to South America more than 30 million years ago. But wearen’t sure which ones got there first.
三千多萬年前,有兩種古老猴子的血統從非洲遷徙到南美。但我們不確定是誰先到的。
Monkeys originated in Africa and the first group known to have reachedSouth America are thought to have migrated thereup to 40 million years ago, when the land masses were probably between 1500 and 2000 kilometresapart, around a quarter of the distance now.
猴子起源於非洲,已知第一批到達南美洲的猴子被認為是在4000萬年前遷徙到那裡的,當時的陸地距離大概在1500到2000公裡之間,大約是現在距離的四分之一。
But recent fossil discoveries, including that of fossilised teeth from asecond lineage of African monkey, tell a slightly different story.
但最近的化石發現,包括非洲猴子第二世系牙齒化石的發現,講述了一個稍有不同的故事。
Erik Seiffert at the University of Southern California and his colleaguesanalysed the fossilised teeth, which were originally discovered in Santa Rosa,Peru. 「This discovery was just so incredibly fascinating, I was very excited,」says Seiffert.
南加州大學的埃裡克·塞弗特和他的同事分析了這些牙齒化石,它們最初是在秘魯的聖羅莎發現的。「這個發現真是令人難以置信的迷人,我非常興奮,」塞弗特說。
He and his colleagues analysed four fossilised teeth and discovered thattheir shape doesn’t match that of the only previously known group ofancient monkeysfrom SouthAmerica, called platyrrhines. Instead, the teeth look much more like those ofan extinct group of African monkeys called the parapithecids.
他和他的同事分析了四顆牙齒化石,發現它們的形狀與之前已知的南美洲唯一的一組古猴子普拉蒂爾萊茵的形狀不符。相反,牙齒看起來更像是一種已經滅絕的非洲猴子群的牙齒。
「Mammalian teeth are extremely diverse in shape, and so, forpalaeontologists, are almost like fingerprints that sometimes allow us to identifyspecies from only a single tooth or even a partial tooth,」 says Seiffert.
塞弗特說:「哺乳動物的牙齒形狀極其多樣,因此,對古生物學家來說,它們幾乎就像指紋,有時能讓我們從一顆牙齒甚至一顆部分牙齒上識別物種。」
If they do belong to this group, it will be the first time parapithecidfossils have been discovered in South America, says Seiffert. It suggests thatthe ancestors of platyrrhine monkeys aren’t the only ones who made thetrans-Atlantic voyage, he says.
如果它們真的屬於這個群體,這將是第一次在南美洲發現女屍化石,塞弗特說。他說,這表明,並不是只有普拉蒂爾萊茵猴子的祖先才進行了跨大西洋航行。
Both lineages are thought to have crossed the ocean on a large raft offloating vegetation. Fossil dating indicates that the second lineage of monkeymade it across the Atlantic Ocean between 35 and 32 million years ago. Thistime frame coincided with a major drop in sea level that could have helped theanimals to migrate by shortening their journey.
這兩種血統都被認為是乘著一大群漂浮的植物漂洋過海的。化石年代測定表明,第二代猴子在3500萬至3200萬年前橫渡大西洋。這一時間段恰逢海平面大幅下降,原本可以通過縮短動物的遷徙行程來幫助它們遷徙。
The team estimates that two lineages existed alongside each other for 11.5million years. It isn’t clear which group got there first. The oldestplatyrrhine fossil is about 34 million years old, younger than previously thought,and closer to the age of the newly discovered parapithecid fossils, saysSeiffert.
該研究小組估計,這兩個血統在1150萬年內共存。不清楚是哪一組先到的。塞弗特說,最古老的普拉蒂爾萊茵化石大約有3400萬年的歷史,比以前認為的要年輕,而且更接近新發現的準化石的年齡。
「There is no reason to think that platyrrhines arrived earlier thanparapithecids,」 says Seiffert. 「In fact, the two lineages could have come overaround the same time.」(389)
「沒有理由認為普拉蒂爾萊茵比帕皮西德更早到達,」塞弗特說。「事實上,這兩個血統可能同時出現。」
往期菁華
2020新冠疫情高考英語考點專題