【英语时差8,16】人类，家鼠，与他们的栖息地

Yaël: We often hear about how human activity and expansion can endanger wildlife habitats. But can you think of any animals that might be threatened by the disappearance¹ of humans? Don: It must be something that depends on humans for food or shelter. What about rats? Y: You're on the right track. I was thinking of house mice. Have you heard the story of the extinct St. Kilda House Mouse? D: No. Y: St. Kilda is a small group of islands about one-hundred miles off the west coast of Scotland. The isolated² archipelago was inhabited by humans for more than two thousand years, from the Bronze Age until 1930. In 1930 the few remaining residents of St. Kilda were permanently³ evacuated⁴ because of sickness, crop failure and casualties of World War I. Scientists believe that as early as 500 BC, Norse settlers arrived in St. Kilda and brought along a few unwanted stowaways⁵--European house mice. Isolated from their mainland relatives, these house mice evolved over time into a distinct species, larger and shaped differently from their ancestors. St. Kilda is also home to a unique subspecies of field mouse, that probably also arrived as stowaways and evolved into a new species. But the St. Kilda house mouse needed the warm houses, farms and dropped food crumbs⁶ of its human neighbors to survive. Within three years of the humans evacuating⁷, all the St. Kilda house mice had died off. In contrast, the field mice survived and are still living on St. Kilda today. D: Is that because they didn't depend on humans for food or shelter? Y: Exactly. D: Wow. What a fascinating example of evolution in action!

1 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 stowaways   

n.偷乘船[飞机]者( stowaway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Smuggling guns, ammunition and drugs or assisting stowaways. 七私运枪械、弹药、品或协助偷渡人口者。 来自互联网
• Officious immigration and customs officers scrutinised documents and searched cabins for stowaways or illicit goods. 一本正经的边境和海关官员仔细检查文件，在车厢里搜索偷渡者和走私货物。 来自互联网

6 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

7 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？