It is animals and plants which lived in or near water whose remains are most likely to be preserved, for one of the necessary conditions of preservation is quick burial, and it is only in the seas and rivers, and sometimes lakes, where mud and silt have been continuously deposited, that bodies and the like can be rapidly covered over and preserved. But even in the most favourable circumstances only a small fraction of the creatures that die are preserved in this way before decay sets in or, even more likely, before scavengers eat them. After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something else, whether it be plant or animal, dead or alive, and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided. The remains of plants and animals that lived on land are much more rarely preserved, for there is seldom anything to cover them over. When you think of the innumerable birds that one sees flying about, not to mention the equally numerous small animals like field mice and voles which you do not see, it is very rarely that one comes across a dead body, except, of course, on the roads. They decompose and are quickly destroyed by the weather or eaten by some other creature. It is almost always due to some very special circumstances that traces of land animals survive, as by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse, like the Siberian mammoths, when the whole animal is sometimes preserved, as in a refrigerator. This is what happened to the famous Beresovka mammoth which was found preserved and in good condition. 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. The mammoth has now been restored in the Palaeontological Museum in Leningrad. Other animals were trapped in tar pits, like the elephants, sabretoothed cats, and numerous other creatures that are found at Rancho la Brea, which is now just a suburb of Los Angeles. Apparently what happened was that water collected on these tar pits, and the bigger animals like the elephants ventured out on to the apparently firm surface to drink, and were promptly boggedin the tar. And then, when they were dead, the carnivores, like the sabre-toothed cats and the giant wolves, came out to feed and suffered exactly the same fate. There are also endless numbers of birds in the tar as well.

New words and expressions 生詞短語

remains: 更多指人;body:(人和動物)都可以 to pay the last respects to his remains 向遺體告別 preservation n.保存 preserved vegetable 腌菜 preserved bean curd She is well-preserved. 她保養(yǎng)得非常好。poorly/badly preserved set in vi. 開始 Winter has set in early this year. Fatigue sets in when one grows old. scavenger n.食尸動物 1. dustman 清道夫,清潔工 2. obscene writer vegetarian: 吃素的 He is a vegetable. (乏味之人) carnivorous: 吃肉的 numerous a. 許多的(數(shù)量多) numeric (about number)關(guān)于數(shù)字的. numbered a. 1.編號的 numbered card 2.時日無多的 mouse: n. as poor as a church mouse to play cat and mouse with sb. e.g. The policeman played cat and mouse with the thief. She is a mouse. (膽小的)/He is a chicken. rat: cat n.貓科動物 feline: 貓科的 They live a cat and dog life. (水火不容) rain cats and dogs (北歐神話中,貓是風(fēng)神,狗是雷神) I cat a nap only 15 minutes. cat’s paw: 犧牲品,受人利用;cat walk vole: 野鼠,鼴鼠 decompose vt. 腐爛 decay: 逐漸哀老;decompose: 分解;rot: 腐爛 inaccessible a.不能到達(dá)的 accessible The book is accessible to beginners. /The goal is inaccessible. access n. Students should have access to a wide range of readings. attain: attainable/unattainable approach: approachable/unapproachable Siberia: 西伯得亞 Siberian a. cold currents 寒流 warm currents 暖流 mammoth n. 猛瑪 mammoth parade 盛大游行 palaeontological a.古生物學(xué)的 pal(a)e=old palaeoanthropology 古人類學(xué) ontology: 物種起源學(xué) palaeolith 舊石器時代 neolith: 新石器時代 palaeography 古文書,古文書學(xué) LeningradStalingrad: Volgograd pit n.坑 A fall in the pit, a gain in the wit. (吃一塹,長一智) pitfall: 意外的挫折或困難 pit (casino) boss: 賭場老板 saber: 馬刀 saber-toothed NY(New York) LA (Los Angeles) Chicago venture vi. 冒險(xiǎn) I venture to buy some stocks. Nothing Ventured, Nothing gained. (不入虎穴,焉得虎子) bog vt.&vi. joint venture 合資企業(yè) I’m bogged/troubled/plunged/sunk. Notes on the text 課文注釋 likely=possibly deposited=saved=piled up 堆積 mud (from the seashore) the man and the like: 就他那樣的人(否定意義) cover over: 全部覆蓋 第一段:強(qiáng)調(diào)句 1. 加原因狀語 2. 加地點(diǎn)狀語 favourable=good=ideal small fraction 小部分 that die 已死的或?qū)⒁�死�? feed on: 靠……為生 I feed on rice./I feed rice. (F) I feed the baby. live by: 通過 live by the hands 自力更生 live by the mountains live on=feed on dead or alive 連綴形容詞要做后置定語 ecological chain: 生物鏈 the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest chance=accidental 偶爾 chance meeting 邂逅 chance company 萍水相逢 on land 陸路seldom=hardlyinnumerable=numerous see sb doing sth. fly about: 四外飛翔 go about: 轉(zhuǎn)一轉(zhuǎn) not to mention: 更不用說 = let alone= not to speak of it is very rarely…(強(qiáng)調(diào)句,強(qiáng)調(diào)狀語) come across=run into 帶 other,一般用單數(shù)詞,any(some)other: 任何一個 traces=remains as…as… when: 時間狀語(接 by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse…) refrigerator: refrige preserved: 做主語的賓語補(bǔ)足語in good condition: 完好狀態(tài) tar pits: 焦油坑 collected=assembled 匯集 the carnivores: 肉食動物