英语听力：自然百科 Dung Heats

 The picturesque¹ Western Cape² mountain range at the southern tip of Africa lays claim to one of the world's most diverse floral kingdoms. And researchers are scouring³ the mountains in search of the droppings and urine of a small local inhabitant which could give a glimpse into historic global climate change patterns. The Rock Hyrax, also known as the Rock Rabbit, superficially resembles a guinea pig with small ears and tail. Hyraxes are very social animals and can be commonly found in large groups basking⁴ in the sun at the top of the mountain. And, they're a bit of a tourist attraction. The furry⁵ little animal is actually a distant relative of the elephant and the manatee⁶. But it is the fossilized excrement⁷ of the rock rabbit that has researchers excited. And they're found high in sheltered rock formations, protected from sun and rain. Some of their dung heaps, known as middens, are over 40,000 years old.

 

Some of these middens are really really old and this one will probably be about 30 to 40 thousand years old. We come across a lot that are, say, 25 thousand years old. And we still need to date this one, but the chances are that it's going to be really old.

 

Lead researcher Brian Chase says Hyrax dung heaps are especially useful since the animals have a habit of using the same latrine from one generation to the next. The heaps usually consist of hair, excrement, dust, pollen⁸ and their characteristic highly viscous⁹ urine. When the urine crystallizes, it acts like glue that holds the heaps together. The rock rabbits middens are built up over thousands of years, creating a time capsule carrying vital information on the climate and vegetation of that period in time.

 

The hyraxes, there is some evidence to suggest that they do use the same latrine preferentially. But these, more often than not, are found under massive overhangs in very protected areas. And the hyraxes are very scared animals, they are often eaten by pretty much everything, so they need to be high off the ground away from leopards¹⁰ and such but protected from eagles. And that's very conducive¹¹ to the preservation¹² of the middens because in fact if you rained on this, it will dissolve entirely¹³.

 

Samples from within the dung heaps can be taken and sent for radio carbon dating. According to the Associated Press, high resolution stable carbon and nitrogen isotope¹⁴ test results reveal that 20,000 years ago, the sea-level in the Western Cape was more than 300 feet below what it is now, around the time when global ice sheets were at their maximum extent. The middens show how the landscape responded to the climate change.

 

Because of the continuous deposition¹⁵, you can actually get a picture of how those have changed over timing¹⁶. You can see how the climate changes through water availability and nitrogen isotopes¹⁷. And then you can see how the vegetation has changed through the pollen. So you can see the climate dries and, and the grasses start to go away in Namibia and you get more trees and then the succession of various vegetation types.

 

Southern Africa and other stretches of the continent became colder as the ice age approached, and were very dry. The global climate has cycles and patterns, characterized by a series of lengthy¹⁸ ice ages and shorter, warmer periods such as the current one. And one little furry mountain animal is unknowingly helping¹⁹ the climatologists learn more about those patterns.

1 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

2 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

3 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

4 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

6 manatee   

n.海牛

参考例句：

• We watched dolphin,manatee,sea lion and whale shows.我们看了海豚、海牛、海狮和鲸的表演。
• One of the most extraordinary river creatures is Amazonian manatee.其中河里最特别的生物之一要数亚马孙海牛。

7 excrement   

n.排泄物，粪便

参考例句：

• The cage smelled of excrement.笼子里粪臭熏人。
• Clothing can also become contaminated with dust,feathers,and excrement.衣着则会受到微尘、羽毛和粪便的污染。

8 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

9 viscous   

adj.粘滞的，粘性的

参考例句：

• Gases are much less viscous than liquids.气体的粘滞性大大小于液体。
• The mud is too viscous.You must have all the agitators run.泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。

10 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

11 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。

12 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 isotope   

n.同位素

参考例句：

• The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases.同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
• How to apply a radio isotope?如何运用放射性同位素？

15 deposition   

n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物

参考例句：

• It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。
• This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

16 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

17 isotopes   

n.同位素；同位素( isotope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the many isotopes of carbon 碳的诸多同位素
• Tritium is one of the mildest radioactive isotopes. 氚是最和缓的放射性同位素之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

19 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。