听力文本

Evolutionists still clung to the theory that a fish evolved into the first five-fingered land walking ancestor
进化论者依然坚持认为因为干旱，鱼进化成了最早的五趾陆行祖先
as a result of drought, even though they knew there was a gap in the story,
尽管他们知道这一理论中还有一个很大的漏洞
but without new evidence no one could come up with a better idea.
但是如果没有新的证据，谁都无法提出更合理的解释
But then in 1981 along came palaeontology's avenging angel.
可是后来，到了1981年，古生物学界的“复仇天使”降临了
Jenny Clack had long dreamed of embarking on the quest to find out why we first walked on the land,
Jenny Clack一直梦想着找出我们涉足陆地的原因
but when she arrived in Cambridge it seemed a remote hope.
但当她来到剑桥时，看起来却是希望渺茫

I had just finished my thesis when I started work here and was looking around for another project
来这里工作时，我刚完成我的论文，正准备联系下一个项目
and a colleague of mine said don't worry, something will turn up and I didn't believe him.
我的一位同事说：“别担心，有些东西会突然出现的”，我一点都不相信他
What turned up was the notebook of a geology student who had visited Greenland in 1970.
这突然出现的东西是一位地质系学生的记录本，他曾于1970年去过格陵兰
In one corner he'd made an extraordinary note that showed though he knew about rocks, he knew little of fossils.
在一个角落里发现了他那本很特别的记录本，从中可以看出虽然他很了解岩石，但他并不了解化石
He'd written that he had found remains of ichthyostega, Jarvik's legendary first tetrapod
他写道他发现了鱼石螈的遗骸，也就是Jarvik找到的第一只颇具传奇色彩的四足动物
of which only one complete specimen existed anywhere in the world.
目前世界各地只找到了一具完整的标本
He's noted, "Ichthyostega bones and skull bones common," and
他写道：“鱼石螈骨骼和头骨很常见”
early tetrapod specimens are not common anywhere, particularly not Devonian tetrapods on a mountain in Greenland
不管在什么地方，早期四足动物标本都不是很常见，尤其是格陵兰山区并没有发现泥盆纪四足动物
and to see this in his notebook just set the bells ringing. We have to go there.
他的记录虽然语焉不详，但却是一石激起千层浪。我们必须去那儿。

词汇解析

1.cling to 坚持
He clings to the belief that one day he will be able to return to his native home.
他坚信有朝一日他会返回故乡。

2.as a result of 由于…的结果
As a result of all this, their incomes are up and land values have risen.
这一切的结果是，他们的收入增加了，土地的价值也上升了。

3.embark on 着手；涉足
He has already embarked on his new dictionary.
他已开始编他的新词典。

视频及简介

19世纪，英国生物学家赫胥黎在研究了尼安德特人的头骨以后，认为是一个具有猿脸的头骨，但决不是人与猿之间的中间缺环。这就告诉我们，人与猿之间的亲缘关系，似乎还应该有一环。1891年发现直立猿人（爪哇猿人）的骨胳，证明这个缺环确实是存在的。可是，日本的人类学家认为爪哇猿人尚不是真正的中间缺环。那么，在猿与人之间到底应该是什么样的一环呢？在埃塞俄比亚发现的早期人科动物化石，很可能是过渡物种。这一发现，弥补了原始人类进化中的一个“缺环”。