英语听力精选进阶版 7266（在线收听）

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 mites and a fly preserved in tiny drops of amber. Highly-magnified photographs of the creatures show the mites, in particular, to be perfectly preserved. At 230 million years old, they're about 100 million years older than the oldest previous find of their kind.

The bugs probably fed off the leaves of the tree in whose resin they were eventually preserved. Researchers say the discovery shows the mites' ability to adapt to changing evolutionary conditions. For film lovers, though, it has striking echoes of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster, Jurassic Park, in which a team of scientists use the DNA of a mosquito preserved in amber to recreate dinosaurs 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