新托福听写训练 第19期

Listen to a talk in a geology¹ class.

I often hear my friends say that the days pass much more quickly than they used to. But geologically² speaking just opposite is true. In fact, a complete day which now lasts 24 hours actually used to be much shorter only about 18. How do we know that? Because of a number of

finally strata³ rocks like these, rocks form belong ancient shorelines almost a billion years ago. The tiny lines of these samples show us layers of light and dark formed by dust blown over the shoreline from the landsite. Alternating⁴ was the mud and sand deposited⁵ by the waves. So the space between one dark strata and next represents the time between one month high tide and the next. And very in fitness⁶ of layers show us the circle of the seasons as well. Together the data indicate there were fewer months for year way back them. That means that the moon was moving more slowly than as it revolved⁷ around the earth. So what caused the moon do speed up so much over the last billion years? It must be the tides, think about it. As the gravity of the moon pulls on the oceans to form the tides, all that the water is also pulling on the moon and with each rotation⁸ makes the moon move a tiny bit faster. And at the same time like the brakes on the wheel of the bicycle, the drag caused by the moon's gravity makes the earth turn just a tiny bit slower. And so after a billion years or so, one rotation meaning one day, takes a lot longer than it once did.

1 geology   

n.地质学，（某地）地质

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• In his lecture on geology,he touched on the subject of climate.他在关于地质学的报告中，也涉及气候问题。

2 geologically   

adv.从地质上来说

参考例句：

• This paper discusses geologically and geochemically the genesis of Erentaolegai Silver deposit. 本文从地质学及地球化学两方面探讨了额仁陶勒盖银矿床的成因。 来自互联网
• Geologically, not all volcanoes are the same. 从地质学来说，并不是所有火山都是相同的。 来自互联网

3 strata   

n.地层（复数）；社会阶层

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。

4 alternating   

adj. 交互的

参考例句：

• This is an alternating current generator. 这是一台交流发电机。
• The measurement of alternating potential difference may be perturbed by stray current. 交变电位差的测量可能受到游散电流的影响。

5 deposited   

存放( deposit的过去式和过去分词 )； （尤指小心地或准确地）放置； 付（保证金）； （把硬币）放入（自动售货机）

参考例句：

• It was deposited in the vaults of a bank. 它存在一家银行的保险库里。
• He deposited the money under [in] the name of his son. 他挂着他儿子的名（在银行）存款。

6 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

7 revolved   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The fan revolved slowly. 电扇缓慢地转动着。
• The wheel revolved on its centre. 轮子绕中心转动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。