剑桥雅思报考指南 第27期:OG06 Recording 29

 听力文本

Recording¹ 29

录音29

What I appreciate most about my work is the fact that I can turn the fossils I find into information we can actually use.

我对于自己的工作中最欣赏的一点是，我能把我找到的化石转化成我们能真正利用的信息。

So, how do we extract that information? Well, first we need to run the fossil through a special machine. That gives me a date for the fossil.

那么，我们是怎么提取信息的呢？首先，我们要用一种特殊的机器扫描化石。这会让我得到化石的日期。

From then on, I begin to work out what type of animal it was, what it ate and how it interacted with the landscape.

接着，我开始研究这是什么种类的动物，以什么为食，和大自然如何互动。

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to be awarded a grant from a government-funding body. Palaeontology isn't only about the past. It can help with current issues too.

今年早些时候，我很幸运，获得了一家政府资助机构的拨款。古生物学不仅仅是关于过去的，也能帮助（我们解决）当前的问题。

For example, I plan to use these funds to excavate² new areas and try to find out how ancient creatures evolved during their own period of climate change, just as animals today have to.

举个例子，我计划利用这些资金去挖掘新的地区，试着找出古生物在它们各自的气候变化时期是如何进化的，正如现在的动物要做的一样。

In another project, I'm going to study fossil collections that are housed in museums around Australia.

在另一个项目中，我会研究澳大利亚各博物馆的化石收藏。

I'm doing that to try to find out when Australia's mega-fauna became extinct-that is, all the giant mammals, lizards³ and birds.

我这么做是为了找出澳大利亚的巨型动物群是什么时候灭绝的—巨型动物就是各种体型巨大的哺乳动物、类蜥蜴爬行动物和鸟类。

That will help us to finally find out what caused these extinctions. Was it nature or was it humans?

这有助于我们最后找出灭绝的原因。是自然原因还是人为原因？

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。

3 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句