Hominids get older as the years go by．This year，it seems，we’ve turned 7 million，or at least that’s the suggestion made hy a skull unearthed in the Djourah Desert in Chad．①The ancient skull is butting up against theories of human evolution because of its incredible antiquity and unexpected human features．
A group of geologists，sedimentologists，paleontologists，and anthropologists reported the find last 3uly．“The main thing in this discovery is the age，”says Michel Brunet， a paleoanthropologist at the University of Poitiers in France who led the team．The specimen itself-a nearly complete skull，two portions of the jaw，and a handful of teeth--can’t be dated directly because it wasn’t found in the kind of sediment that allows radioactive dating；however，Brunet was able to come up with an age by comparing the bones with those found at similar sites in Kenya and Ethiopia。②
The fossil’s humanlike face and teeth and chimpsize cranium are so different from any other known homihid that Brunet and his team have denominated it a new species：Sahelanthropus tchadensis．The French team nicknamed the fellow Toumai；in Goran，the language local to the site，the word means hope of life．The hybrid of familiar face and tiny brain means Toumai probably lived j ust after the time when chimps and hominids were going their separate ways．“My colleagues once thought that chimpanzees and humans diverged around 5 million or 6 million years ago?！眘ays Brunet．“But with T0umai，it’s quite clear that the divergence is older—at least 7 million years，and maybe a little bit More．”The evidence that he was more hominid than ape can be found in the details．The area behind the skull’s thick brow ridge(which suggests it was a male)is relatively flat．“In apes，chimps，and gorillas, you have a big depression just behind this brow ridge，”says Brunet．“It’s quite clear that the Toumai Sranium is completely different．”Toumai’s small canines are further proof that he was more like us than Toumai but but a much more chimplike face．Evolution doesn’t usually reverse itself，so it’s unlikely that we evolved from a chimp face to a human face to a chimp face and then back to human again．The implication of this find is that many different species of hominid have walked the earth and so our story may be more complex than previously imagined．[415 words]
1．The skull discovered in Chad proves that______．
A．the theory of human evolution is outdated
B．theories of human evolution are nothing but pseudo science
C．the age of hominid is much longer than we usually believe
D．great scientific discoveries are usually unexpected
2．We learn from this passage that,______．
A．only a paleoanthropologist is interested in the age of an ancient skull
B．the age of the skull unearthed in Chad is too old to be dated
C．radioactive dating is rarely used to date the age of ancient skull
D．radioactive dating is not the only way to date the age of ancient skull
3．Which of the following can be used to prove that Toumai was more hominid than ape?
A．Toumai means“hope of life”
B．The skull of Toumai has a humanlike face and teeth．
C．It’s clear that apes and humans diverged at least 7 million years ago．
D．It was once thought that apes and humans diverged around 5 million or 6 million years ago．
4．According to this passage，Lucy，a．k．a(chǎn)．Australopithesus a farensis, ______．
A．could not be the oldest ancestor of humans
B．was the oldest ancestor of humans
C．wasn’t a species of hominid D．had been evolved from Toumai
5．The best title for this passage should be______．
A．An Ancient Skull
B．From Chimp to Human
C．Different Species of Hominid
D．H umans Celebrate Millionth Birthday
難句透析
①This year，it seems，we’ve turned 7 million，or at least that’s the suggestion made by a skull(unearthed in the Djourab Desert in Chad)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整句是由“or”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。在第一個分句中，“it seems”是插入語。方括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“suggestion”。圓括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“skull”。
【釋義】似乎，從出現(xiàn)原始人類至今為止已過去了700萬年。至少這是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的頭骨所表明的情況。
②”The specimen itself a nearly complete skull，two portions of the jaw，and fl handful of teeth can’t be dated directly[because it wash’t found in the kind of sediment(that allows radioactive dating)]；however，Brunet was able to come up with fin age[by comparing the bones with those(found at similar sites in Kertya and Ethiopia)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整句是由分號連接的兩個分旬組成的并列句。第一個方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是由“because”引導(dǎo)的原因狀語從句。第二個方括號所標(biāo)示的介詞短語用做狀語。第二個圓括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“those”
【釋義】標(biāo)本是一副幾乎完整的頭骨、兩片顎、還有一些牙?，F(xiàn)在不能直接追溯標(biāo)本本身的年齡，因為這個標(biāo)本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年齡的沉積物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的。但是，布魯耐特能夠把這些頭骨和在肯尼亞和埃塞俄比亞相似地點所發(fā)現(xiàn)的頭骨做比較而推斷出其年齡來。
③Evolution doesn’t usually reverse itself，so it’S unlikely[that we evolved from fl chimp faca to a human face to a chimp face and then back to human again]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整旬是由“so”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。在第二個分句中，“it”是形式主語，方括號所標(biāo)示的主語從句是真正的主語。
【釋義】進化通常不會逆轉(zhuǎn)；我們不可能從黑猩猩臉進化成人臉，又返回黑猩猩臉，再變成人臉。
④The implication of this find is[that many different species of hominid have walked the earth] and so our story may be more complex than previously imagined．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】在本句中，“find”是名詞。方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是由“that”引導(dǎo)的表語從句。破折號后面的部分是對整句的補充說明。
【釋義】這個發(fā)現(xiàn)的意義在于，地球上曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)過許多不同的原始人種。所以，我們的問題比原來所想象的要復(fù)雜得多 全文翻譯
人類隨著時間的流逝而老去。似乎，從出現(xiàn)原始人類至今為止已過去了700萬年。至少這是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的頭骨所表明的情況。這枚頭骨由于其不可思議的古老年代以及預(yù)料之外的人類特征，對現(xiàn)有的人類進化理論提出了挑戰(zhàn)。
一支由地質(zhì)學(xué)家、沉積物學(xué)家、古生物學(xué)家和人類學(xué)家組成的小組于今年7月份發(fā)布了這一發(fā)現(xiàn)。古人類學(xué)家邁克爾·布魯耐特說，“這項發(fā)現(xiàn)中最主要的就是年代的測定，”布魯耐特來自法國巴瓦蒂耶大學(xué)，他也是該小組的領(lǐng)頭人。標(biāo)本是一副幾乎完整的頭骨、兩片顎、還有一些牙?，F(xiàn)在不能直接追溯標(biāo)本本身的年齡，因為這個標(biāo)本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年齡的沉積物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的。但是，布魯耐特能夠把這些頭骨和在肯尼亞和埃塞俄比亞相似地點所發(fā)現(xiàn)的頭骨做比較而推斷出其年齡來。
這枚化石具有人類的臉型和牙齒，而擁有和黑猩猩相似的頭蓋骨，由于其與其他所有已知人類的巨大差異，布魯耐特和他的小組為其創(chuàng)建了一個新的物種并命名為：薩赫勒人乍得種。這支法國研究小組還以當(dāng)?shù)氐耐林Z言格蘭語將頭骨戲稱為圖邁，意為“生命的希望?！备鶕?jù)相似的臉型和細小的腦結(jié)構(gòu)這樣的混合特征?？梢耘袛鄨D邁大概生活在黑猩猩和人類剛剛分化之后的年代。布魯耐特說，“我的同事們曾認為黑猩猩和人類的分化大約發(fā)生在500至600萬年前，但是圖邁的出現(xiàn)明確地說明了分化的時間要更早——至少是在700萬年前或許還更早一些?！蔽覀兛梢詮募毼⑻幙闯鏊谌祟惗窃愁?。頭骨的厚厚的眉脊后面的一塊區(qū)域(厚眉脊也提示他是雄性的)相對來講比較平整?！霸谠澈?、黑猩猩和大猩猩來說，這個區(qū)域是深深凹陷的，”布魯耐特說，“很明顯，圖邁的頭蓋骨完全不同?！眻D邁的小犬齒也進一步證明他更像我們而非猿類。
非常的有300萬年歷史的化石露西，也被稱為南方古猿阿法種，其頭蓋骨比圖邁的要大，而臉型更偏近黑猩猩。進化通常不會逆轉(zhuǎn)；我們不可能從黑猩猩臉進化成人臉，又返回黑猩猩臉，再變成人臉。這個發(fā)現(xiàn)的意義在于，地球上曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)過許多不同的原始人種。所以，我們的問題比原來所想象的要復(fù)雜得多。
超綱詞匯
antiquity n．古代，古老；古代的遺跡
Australopitheeus afarensis n．[古生]南方古猿
Canines adj．／n．犬的，似犬的，犬科的，犬齒的
Chad n．乍得湖(非洲中北部，在乍得、尼日爾、尼日利亞、喀麥隆等國接界處)
chimp n．(非洲)黑猩猩
Chimpanzee n．[動]非洲的小人猿，黑猩猩
cranium n．頭蓋，頭蓋骨
Diverge vi．(道路等)分叉；(意見等)分歧,脫離
Ethiopia n．埃塞俄比亞(非洲東部國家)
Gorilla n．大猩猩；壯而殘暴的男人；<俚>歹徒(尤指使用暴力者)
Hominid n．原始人類
Hybrid n．／adj．雜種；混血兒；混合物
Kenya n．肯尼亞
paleoanthropologist 古人類,學(xué)家
paleontologist n．古生物學(xué)者
sediment n．沉淀物
sedimentologist n．沉淀學(xué)者，沉積,學(xué)家
參考答案：1．C 2．D 3．B 4．A 5．D
。
A group of geologists，sedimentologists，paleontologists，and anthropologists reported the find last 3uly．“The main thing in this discovery is the age，”says Michel Brunet， a paleoanthropologist at the University of Poitiers in France who led the team．The specimen itself-a nearly complete skull，two portions of the jaw，and a handful of teeth--can’t be dated directly because it wasn’t found in the kind of sediment that allows radioactive dating；however，Brunet was able to come up with an age by comparing the bones with those found at similar sites in Kenya and Ethiopia。②
The fossil’s humanlike face and teeth and chimpsize cranium are so different from any other known homihid that Brunet and his team have denominated it a new species：Sahelanthropus tchadensis．The French team nicknamed the fellow Toumai；in Goran，the language local to the site，the word means hope of life．The hybrid of familiar face and tiny brain means Toumai probably lived j ust after the time when chimps and hominids were going their separate ways．“My colleagues once thought that chimpanzees and humans diverged around 5 million or 6 million years ago?！眘ays Brunet．“But with T0umai，it’s quite clear that the divergence is older—at least 7 million years，and maybe a little bit More．”The evidence that he was more hominid than ape can be found in the details．The area behind the skull’s thick brow ridge(which suggests it was a male)is relatively flat．“In apes，chimps，and gorillas, you have a big depression just behind this brow ridge，”says Brunet．“It’s quite clear that the Toumai Sranium is completely different．”Toumai’s small canines are further proof that he was more like us than Toumai but but a much more chimplike face．Evolution doesn’t usually reverse itself，so it’s unlikely that we evolved from a chimp face to a human face to a chimp face and then back to human again．The implication of this find is that many different species of hominid have walked the earth and so our story may be more complex than previously imagined．[415 words]
1．The skull discovered in Chad proves that______．
A．the theory of human evolution is outdated
B．theories of human evolution are nothing but pseudo science
C．the age of hominid is much longer than we usually believe
D．great scientific discoveries are usually unexpected
2．We learn from this passage that,______．
A．only a paleoanthropologist is interested in the age of an ancient skull
B．the age of the skull unearthed in Chad is too old to be dated
C．radioactive dating is rarely used to date the age of ancient skull
D．radioactive dating is not the only way to date the age of ancient skull
3．Which of the following can be used to prove that Toumai was more hominid than ape?
A．Toumai means“hope of life”
B．The skull of Toumai has a humanlike face and teeth．
C．It’s clear that apes and humans diverged at least 7 million years ago．
D．It was once thought that apes and humans diverged around 5 million or 6 million years ago．
4．According to this passage，Lucy，a．k．a(chǎn)．Australopithesus a farensis, ______．
A．could not be the oldest ancestor of humans
B．was the oldest ancestor of humans
C．wasn’t a species of hominid D．had been evolved from Toumai
5．The best title for this passage should be______．
A．An Ancient Skull
B．From Chimp to Human
C．Different Species of Hominid
D．H umans Celebrate Millionth Birthday
難句透析
①This year，it seems，we’ve turned 7 million，or at least that’s the suggestion made by a skull(unearthed in the Djourab Desert in Chad)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整句是由“or”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。在第一個分句中，“it seems”是插入語。方括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“suggestion”。圓括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“skull”。
【釋義】似乎，從出現(xiàn)原始人類至今為止已過去了700萬年。至少這是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的頭骨所表明的情況。
②”The specimen itself a nearly complete skull，two portions of the jaw，and fl handful of teeth can’t be dated directly[because it wash’t found in the kind of sediment(that allows radioactive dating)]；however，Brunet was able to come up with fin age[by comparing the bones with those(found at similar sites in Kertya and Ethiopia)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整句是由分號連接的兩個分旬組成的并列句。第一個方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是由“because”引導(dǎo)的原因狀語從句。第二個方括號所標(biāo)示的介詞短語用做狀語。第二個圓括號所標(biāo)示的過去分詞短語用做后置定語，修飾“those”
【釋義】標(biāo)本是一副幾乎完整的頭骨、兩片顎、還有一些牙?，F(xiàn)在不能直接追溯標(biāo)本本身的年齡，因為這個標(biāo)本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年齡的沉積物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的。但是，布魯耐特能夠把這些頭骨和在肯尼亞和埃塞俄比亞相似地點所發(fā)現(xiàn)的頭骨做比較而推斷出其年齡來。
③Evolution doesn’t usually reverse itself，so it’S unlikely[that we evolved from fl chimp faca to a human face to a chimp face and then back to human again]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】整旬是由“so”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。在第二個分句中，“it”是形式主語，方括號所標(biāo)示的主語從句是真正的主語。
【釋義】進化通常不會逆轉(zhuǎn)；我們不可能從黑猩猩臉進化成人臉，又返回黑猩猩臉，再變成人臉。
④The implication of this find is[that many different species of hominid have walked the earth] and so our story may be more complex than previously imagined．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】在本句中，“find”是名詞。方括號所標(biāo)示的部分是由“that”引導(dǎo)的表語從句。破折號后面的部分是對整句的補充說明。
【釋義】這個發(fā)現(xiàn)的意義在于，地球上曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)過許多不同的原始人種。所以，我們的問題比原來所想象的要復(fù)雜得多 全文翻譯
人類隨著時間的流逝而老去。似乎，從出現(xiàn)原始人類至今為止已過去了700萬年。至少這是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的頭骨所表明的情況。這枚頭骨由于其不可思議的古老年代以及預(yù)料之外的人類特征，對現(xiàn)有的人類進化理論提出了挑戰(zhàn)。
一支由地質(zhì)學(xué)家、沉積物學(xué)家、古生物學(xué)家和人類學(xué)家組成的小組于今年7月份發(fā)布了這一發(fā)現(xiàn)。古人類學(xué)家邁克爾·布魯耐特說，“這項發(fā)現(xiàn)中最主要的就是年代的測定，”布魯耐特來自法國巴瓦蒂耶大學(xué)，他也是該小組的領(lǐng)頭人。標(biāo)本是一副幾乎完整的頭骨、兩片顎、還有一些牙?，F(xiàn)在不能直接追溯標(biāo)本本身的年齡，因為這個標(biāo)本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年齡的沉積物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的。但是，布魯耐特能夠把這些頭骨和在肯尼亞和埃塞俄比亞相似地點所發(fā)現(xiàn)的頭骨做比較而推斷出其年齡來。
這枚化石具有人類的臉型和牙齒，而擁有和黑猩猩相似的頭蓋骨，由于其與其他所有已知人類的巨大差異，布魯耐特和他的小組為其創(chuàng)建了一個新的物種并命名為：薩赫勒人乍得種。這支法國研究小組還以當(dāng)?shù)氐耐林Z言格蘭語將頭骨戲稱為圖邁，意為“生命的希望?！备鶕?jù)相似的臉型和細小的腦結(jié)構(gòu)這樣的混合特征?？梢耘袛鄨D邁大概生活在黑猩猩和人類剛剛分化之后的年代。布魯耐特說，“我的同事們曾認為黑猩猩和人類的分化大約發(fā)生在500至600萬年前，但是圖邁的出現(xiàn)明確地說明了分化的時間要更早——至少是在700萬年前或許還更早一些?！蔽覀兛梢詮募毼⑻幙闯鏊谌祟惗窃愁?。頭骨的厚厚的眉脊后面的一塊區(qū)域(厚眉脊也提示他是雄性的)相對來講比較平整?！霸谠澈?、黑猩猩和大猩猩來說，這個區(qū)域是深深凹陷的，”布魯耐特說，“很明顯，圖邁的頭蓋骨完全不同?！眻D邁的小犬齒也進一步證明他更像我們而非猿類。
非常的有300萬年歷史的化石露西，也被稱為南方古猿阿法種，其頭蓋骨比圖邁的要大，而臉型更偏近黑猩猩。進化通常不會逆轉(zhuǎn)；我們不可能從黑猩猩臉進化成人臉，又返回黑猩猩臉，再變成人臉。這個發(fā)現(xiàn)的意義在于，地球上曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)過許多不同的原始人種。所以，我們的問題比原來所想象的要復(fù)雜得多。
超綱詞匯
antiquity n．古代，古老；古代的遺跡
Australopitheeus afarensis n．[古生]南方古猿
Canines adj．／n．犬的，似犬的，犬科的，犬齒的
Chad n．乍得湖(非洲中北部，在乍得、尼日爾、尼日利亞、喀麥隆等國接界處)
chimp n．(非洲)黑猩猩
Chimpanzee n．[動]非洲的小人猿，黑猩猩
cranium n．頭蓋，頭蓋骨
Diverge vi．(道路等)分叉；(意見等)分歧,脫離
Ethiopia n．埃塞俄比亞(非洲東部國家)
Gorilla n．大猩猩；壯而殘暴的男人；<俚>歹徒(尤指使用暴力者)
Hominid n．原始人類
Hybrid n．／adj．雜種；混血兒；混合物
Kenya n．肯尼亞
paleoanthropologist 古人類,學(xué)家
paleontologist n．古生物學(xué)者
sediment n．沉淀物
sedimentologist n．沉淀學(xué)者，沉積,學(xué)家
參考答案：1．C 2．D 3．B 4．A 5．D
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