VOA慢速英语2019 尼斯湖水怪可能是一条鳗鱼（在线收听）

Loch Ness Monster May Be an Eel

Scotland’s famous Loch Ness monster could possibly be a large eel, scientists announced last week. The scientists made the announcement after they completed a study of genetic material from the Loch’s cold waters.

科学家上周宣布，苏格兰著名的尼斯湖水怪可能是一条大鳗鱼。科学家们完成了该湖冷水中遗传物质的研究后宣布了这一消息。

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a substance found in the cells of plants and animals. DNA is made up of genes, which carry a huge amount of information.

脱氧核糖核酸，或称DNA，是一种存在于动植物细胞中的物质。DNA是由携带大量遗传信息的基因组成的。

The scientists said their DNA results ruled out the presence of large animals such as dinosaurs. But there was a lot of eel DNA in the water, said Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from the University of Otago in New Zealand.

科学家们说，他们的DNA结果排除了恐龙等大型动物存在过在这片水域中的可能性。但新西兰奥塔哥大学的遗传学家尼尔·格默尔说，海水中含有大量鳗鱼DNA。

We don't know whether these samples we've collected are from a giant beast or just an ordinary one - so there's still this element of 'we just don't know,' he said.

他说:“我们不知道我们收集的这些样本是来自巨型动物还是普通动物，所以仍然有‘我们不得而知’的成分。”

Gemmell noted, however, that nobody had ever caught something as big as a giant eel in the Loch. Eels are long, bony fish that look like snakes. They are usually thin and have soft skin.

然而，格默尔指出，从来没有人在湖中钓到过像巨型鳗鱼一样大的东西。鳗鱼是一种长而多骨的鱼，看起来像蛇。它们通常很瘦，皮肤很柔软。

The international team of scientists collected water samples of what they are calling environmental DNA, or eDNA. Scientists have also used eDNA sampling as a tool to study sea life like whales and sharks.

国际科学家小组收集了他们所谓的环境DNA 或称eDNA的水样，还利用eDNA样本来研究鲸鱼和鲨鱼等海洋生物。

The Reuters news agency describes how eDNA works: Whenever a creature moves through its environment, it leaves behind very small amounts of DNA from skin, scales, hair and waste. Scientists can capture the DNA, then try to identify the order of the genetic information. They can identify an animal by comparing the captured DNA to large computer databases.

路透社描述了eDNA的作用原理:当一种生物在它所处的环境中移动时，它会从皮肤、鳞片、毛发和废物中留下非常少量的DNA。科学家可以获得这些DNA，然后通过这些DNA确定遗传信息的顺序。他们可以通过将获得的DNA信息与大型计算机数据库进行比较来识别动物类别。

The Loch Ness monster has a long history.

尼斯湖水怪有着悠久的历史。

Saint Columba, a member of a Christian religious community, is said to have banished a "water beast" to the bottom of the River Ness in the 6th century.

据说基督教社区的一员圣哥伦巴在公元6世纪时曾将一只“水兽”放逐到尼斯河的底部。

The most famous picture of the Loch Ness monster was taken in 1934. It shows a head on a long neck coming out of the water.

尼斯湖水怪最著名的照片问世于1934年。照片上是露出水面的长着长脖子的一个头。

This photograph is known as the "surgeon's photo." It was a hoax. Investigators said it actually shows a model of a sea monster connected to a child's toy submarine.

这张照片就是著名的“外科医生的照片”。调查人员说这是个骗局，它实际上是一个与儿童玩具潜艇相连的海怪模型。

There have been many unsuccessful attempts to find the Loch Ness monster.

人们曾多次试图寻找尼斯湖水怪，但都没有成功。

In 2003, the British Broadcasting Corporation paid for scientific research that used sonar beams and satellites to study the full length of the loch.

2003年，英国广播公司出资进行科学研究利用声纳波束和卫星来研究整个湖的长度。

The most recent attempt was three years ago. An unmanned vehicle found a creature, but not the one it was looking for. The discovery was, in fact, a model used in the 1970 film "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." It sank nearly 50 years ago.

最近的一次调查是在三年前。一辆无人驾驶汽车探测到一个生物，但不是原本计划要搜寻的目标。事实上，这一发现是1970年电影《福尔摩斯私生活》中一个场景的原型。它沉没在大约近50年前。

Words in the Story

beast – n. an especially large or dangerous animal

ordinary – adj. average; not special

sample – v. to test, study, or question something to get information

scale – n. one of many small thin plates that cover the bodies of some animals (such as fish or snakes)

database – n. a set of information of records kept on computers

banish - v. to cause (something) to go away

hoax – n. an act that is meant to trick people

sonar beam – n. sound waves, or beams of sound, that show where things are underwater