Lesson 26 The past life of the earth

Lesson 26 The past life of the earth 歌词

歌曲 Lesson 26 The past life of the earth
歌手 英语听力
专辑 新概念英语(第四册)
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[00:01.51] Lesson 26
[00:03.68] The past life of the earth
[00:12.17] What is the main condition for the preservation of the remains of any living creature?
[00:19.84] It is animals and plants which lived in or near water whose remains are most likely to be preserved,
[00:26.93] for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is quick burial,
[00:31.97] and it is only in the seas and rivers, and sometimes lakes,
[00:36.10] where mud and silt have been continuously deposited,
[00:39.68] that bodies and the like can be rapidly covered over and preserved.
[00:45.37] But even in the most favourable circumstances
[00:48.33] only a small fraction of the creatures that die are preserved in this way
[00:52.96] before decay sets in or, even more likely, before scavengers eat them.
[00:59.09] After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something else,
[01:04.21] whether it be plant or animal, dead or alive,
[01:08.09] and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided.
[01:12.95] The remains of plants and animals that lived on land are much more rarely preserved,
[01:18.68] for there is seldom anything to cover them over.
[01:22.41] When you think of the innumerable birds that one sees flying about,
[01:26.84] not to mention the equally numerous small animals like field mice and voles
[01:32.14] which you do not see,
[01:34.00] it is very rarely that one comes across a dead body, except, of course, on the roads.
[01:41.03] They decompose and are quickly destroyed by the weather or eaten by some other creature
[01:48.57] It is almost always due to some very special circumstances that traces of land animals survive,
[01:55.47] as by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse,
[02:01.63] like the Siberian mammoths,
[02:03.85] when the whole animal is sometimes preserved, as in a refrigerator.
[02:09.58] This is what happened to the famous Beresovka mammoth
[02:13.45] which was found preserved and in good condition.
[02:17.24] In his mouth were the remains of fir trees--the last meal that he had before he fell into the crevasse and broke his back.
[02:25.79] The mammoth has now been restored in the Palaeontological Museum in St.Petersburg.
[02:32.42] Other animals were trapped in tar pits,
[02:34.95] like the elephants, sabre-toothed cats, and numerous other creatures that are found at Rancho la Brea, which is now just a suburb of Los Angeles.
[02:45.86] Apparently what happened was that water collected on these tar pits
[02:50.59] and the bigger animals like the elephants ventured out on to the apparently firm surface to drink,
[02:57.01] and were promptly bogged in the tar.
[03:00.12] And then, when they were dead, the carnivores,
[03:03.85] like the sabretoothed cats and the giant wolves,
[03:07.53] came out to feed and suffered exactly the same fate.
[03:11.71] There are also endless numbers of birds in the tar as well.
[00:01.51]
[00:03.68] 地球上的昔日生命
[00:12.17] 什么是任何生灵遗迹保存的主要条件?
[00:19.84] 只有生活在水中或水边的动植物尸体最有可能被保存下来
[00:26.93] 因为保存的必要条件之一是迅速掩埋
[00:31.97] 所以只有在海洋和江河里,有时在湖泊里
[00:36.10] 在那里泥沙不停淤积
[00:39.68] 尸体之类的东西才能被迅速地覆盖而保存下来
[00:45.37] 即使是在最有利的环境中
[00:48.33] 死去的生物中也只有一小部分
[00:52.96] 能在开始腐烂前或更可能在被食腐动物吃掉之前,被这样保存下来
[00:59.09] 因为一切生物都是靠吃别的东西来活命的
[01:04.21] 不管这种东西是植物还是动物,死的还是活的
[01:08.09] 因此,生物偶尔才能避免被吃掉的命运
[01:12.95] 曾在陆地上生活过的动植物的遗体被保存下来的更为罕见
[01:18.68] 因为陆地上几乎没有什么东西覆盖它们
[01:22.41] 你可以想象出天上有看得见的飞来飞去,数不清的鸟
[01:26.84] 更不用说同样众多的老鼠和田鼠之类的
[01:32.14] 那些不显眼的小动物
[01:34.00] 但是,除非在路上,很少有人遇到这些动物的尸体
[01:41.03] 因为它们腐败之后很快就被风化掉,或被别的动物吃掉了。
[01:48.57] 几乎总是由于某些特殊的条件,陆地动物的遗体才被存下来
[01:55.47] 如掉进难以到达的洞穴,或掉进冰河裂缝里
[02:01.63] 就像这些西伯利亚长毛象
[02:03.85] 有时整个动物像被放在冰箱里一样被保存下来
[02:09.58] 著名的那林索夫卡长毛象就是这样被保存下来的
[02:13.45] 而且保存得很好
[02:17.24] 它嘴里还留着冷杉 -- 它掉进冰河裂隙-- 它掉进冰河裂隙折断脊椎柱之前的最后一顿饭
[02:25.79] 这头长毛象已被修复,现存于圣彼得堡古生物学博物馆
[02:32.42] 有的动物掉进天然沥清坑里被保存下来
[02:34.95] 如在兰桥.拉.布里 -- 现在是洛杉矶的郊区发现的大象现在是洛杉矶的郊区发现的大象、剑齿虎和许多其他动物
[02:45.86] 显然,事情的经过是这样:沥青坑里积存了水,
[02:50.59] 大象那样的大动物冒险到似乎坚固的水面上去饮水
[02:57.01] 立即掉进了沥青坑
[03:00.12] 大象死后,一些食肉动物
[03:03.85] 如剑齿虎和大灰狼
[03:07.53] 就来吃大象,结果遭到了同样的命运
[03:11.71] 沥青坑里还有无数只鸟的尸体
Lesson 26 The past life of the earth 歌词
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