英语听力：探索发现 2012-09-14 长毛象王国 Mammoth—3

 The Yukon and its neighbor, modern-day Alaska, were once part of the land that was Beringia. Stunning¹ though this region is today is just a shadow of the world that was encountered by the First Americans. Underground, the soil is frozen solid, as it has been ever since the Ice Age. Locked within this permafrost are vital clues to help us to recreate the ancient wildlife of Beringia. Even today, Alaska’s rivers wash intriguing² traces of the past out of permanent frost. So who did this titanic³ tusk⁴ belong to? Beringia’s largest resident, the woolly mammoth⁵. Weighing six tons or more, the woolly mammoth was about the size of a bull African elephant today. And it had equally impressive ice age neighbors, some of which survive here almost unchanged, and some of which can still be found elsewhere. Although 14,000 years is long enough to see enormous climate changes, in revolutionary terms, it’s just the blink of an eye. Beringia was a world with familiar North American animals lived alongside prehistoric⁶ giants.

1 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

2 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

4 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

5 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

6 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。