Wild Europe - Genesis 肇始之初- 6

Parts of Pangaea were periodically flooded by shallow seas. But time and again this water evaporated, leaving layer upon layer of salt. Today these massive deposits lie buried deep beneath the Netherlands, Poland, Northern England and the Austrian Alps. They've been mined for millennia¹. Salt is a major ingredient for the chemical industry. It's also used, albeit² controversially, to deice Europe's roads in winter, thousand of tons a day.

This particular mine, in Krakow in Poland, is made up of over 300 kilometers of tunnels. It’s so vast that miners have carved an entire underground cathedral out of the salt, even the chandeliers.

After tens of millions of years of baking under the desert sun, Europe changed once again. This is the Jura in Eastern France. The slopes here are blessed with fertile well-drained soils, perfect for vineyards. And scattered³ among the vines are clues to the next waves of change that began to sweep across Europe some 200 million years ago.

A fossil ammonite, a marine⁴ creature, and mussels, even the ancient relatives of squid. This area was once under the sea. These waters teemed⁵ with life. As well as ammonites , marine reptiles⁶ called Ichthyosaurs were common. They fed on fish, breathed air, and gave birth to life young. They were the dolphins of their time. All these creatures swam where there are now thousands of vines. And it's this region of France that has lent its name to one of the most familiar periods in the earth's history.

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words and expressions

millennia:millennium的复数, 一千年

albeit:conj.虽然
eg:Albeit fair, she was not sought after.
尽管她很美,可没有人追求她。

chandelier: A branched, decorative⁷ lighting⁸ fixture⁹ that holds a number of bulbs or candles and is suspended from a ceiling树枝形的装饰灯

be blessed with: 在...方面有福气,幸运地享有

ammonite:The coiled, flat, chambered fossil shell of an extinct cephalopod mollusk¹⁰ that was abundant in the Cretaceous Period.菊石

mussel: marine or freshwater bivalve mollusk that lives attached to rocks etc.贻贝, 蚌类

squid :widely distributed fast-moving ten-armed cephalopod mollusk having a long tapered body with triangular tail fins鱿鱼, 乌贼

Ichthyosaur:any of several marine reptiles of the Mesozoic having a body like a porpoise with dorsal and tail fins and paddle-shaped limbs鱼龙

1 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

2 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 teemed   

v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ideas of new plays and short stories teemed in his head. 他的脑海里装满了有关新的剧本和短篇小说的构思。 来自辞典例句

6 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

8 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

9 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

10 mollusk   

n.软体动物

参考例句：

• I swear I have never seen such a mollusk with thorns all over its body.我敢发誓我从来没有见过这种全身长满棘刺的软体动物。
• The colour varies with the mollusk and its environment.颜色因母体及其环境的不同而异。