英语听力精选进阶版 7266

科学家们说，他们在意大利北部的阿尔卑斯山地区发现了一种有史以来保存完好的最古老昆虫琥珀。这一国际科研成果刊登在最新发表的《国家科学院学报》上。

High in the Dolomites of northeastern Italy, Italian researchers chipping away at rocks formed more than 200 million years ago found two miniscule mites¹ and a fly preserved in tiny drops of amber². Highly-magnified photographs of the creatures show the mites, in particular, to be perfectly³ preserved. At 230 million years old, they're about 100 million years older than the oldest previous find of their kind.

The bugs⁴ probably fed off the leaves of the tree in whose resin⁵ they were eventually preserved. Researchers say the discovery shows the mites' ability to adapt to changing evolutionary⁶ conditions. For film lovers, though, it has striking echoes of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster, Jurassic Park, in which a team of scientists use the DNA⁷ of a mosquito preserved in amber to recreate dinosaurs⁸ with predictably terrifying results.

Quiz 听力测试

What have scientists found?

Two mites and a fly.

How many years have they been preserved?

230 million years.

What does the phrase ‘striking echoes’ mean?

It means there are surprising similarities.

Who was the film director of Jurassic Park?

Stephen Spielberg.

Glossary 词汇表

chipping away at 剥落，敲凿（化石）

miniscule 极小的

preserved 完好保存的

magnified 放大的

resin 树脂，松香

adapt 适应

striking echoes 惊人的相似之处

predictably 可预见地

1 mites   

n.（尤指令人怜悯的）小孩( mite的名词复数 )；一点点；一文钱；螨

参考例句：

• The only discovered animals are water bears, mites, microscopic rotifers. 能够发现的动物只有海蜘蛛、螨和微小的轮虫。 来自辞典例句
• Mites are frequently found on eggs. 螨会经常出现在蛋上。 来自辞典例句

2 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

6 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》