(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now the news continues.
A new study has confirmed the theory that animals have been on Earth for at least 600 million years.
The study, by Chinese scientists, described a well-preserved, rice grain-sized primitive sponge fossil recovered from 600-million-year-old rocks in southwestern China.
The scientists say the fossil is the world's earliest and most credible record of primitive animal bodies. The discovery will help to remove doubts as towhether animals have emerged on Earth 600 million years ago.
The fossilized animal is 1.2 millimeter long and 1.1 millimeters wide. It displays multiple independent characters of modern adult sponges.
The specimen is composed of hundreds of thousands of cells. Flat tile-like features on the surface resemble modern sponges. It also has a simple canal system for water inflow and outflow.
The results show that this is a primitive animal very similar to modern sponges and have lived a filter-feeding life on the shallow sea floor.
Sponges are the most primitive living animals. They have differentiated cells only, without real organs or tissues. Previously, the oldest known primitive sponge fossil only dated back to 530 million years ago, in the early Cambrian period.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
A small fish that lives on Australia's Great Barrier Reef preys on smaller fish by changing color and pretending to be an adult of their own species.
The dusky dotty-back is a small predatory fish that is found throughout the Indo-Pacific and has the ability to change color.
Its ability to vary its coloration has baffled scientists until an international research team from the University of Basel has developed a theory.
The zoologists are now able to show that dotty-backs can quickly change their color in order to mimic other fish species and chase their prey. It also helps dusky dotty-back fish to protect itself from predators.
The team says this strategy is very similar to the classic example of the wolf in sheep's skin. However, while the wolf may be found out eventually, dotty-backs are able to change back again.
中文翻译
现在继续报道新闻。
新研究证实了动物至少已在地球上生活了6亿年这一理论。
进行这项研究的中国科学家表示，中国西南部发现了一枚保存完好、米粒大小的6亿年前的原始海绵动物化石。
科学家表示，这是迄今全球发现最早且可信的原始动物实体化石。这一发现将消除学界对6亿年前地球上是否出现动物的疑问。
这枚动物化石长1.2毫米，宽1.1毫米。具有现代“成年”海绵的多项独立特征。
标本由数万个细胞组成。表面夹杂着小孔的扁平瓦片这一特征与现代海绵类似。同时标本还有让水流入和流出的简单水沟系统。
研究结果表明，这种原始动物与现代海绵非常相似，且曾在浅海过着滤食性生活。
海绵是最原始的生物。它们只有分化细胞，没有实质上的器官和组织。之前发现的最古老海绵化石为寒武纪早期的化石，距今约5.3亿年历史。
这里是NEWS Plus慢速英语。
生活在澳大利亚大堡礁的一种小型鱼类捕食幼鱼的方法是通过改变皮肤颜色伪装成该幼鱼同物种的成年个体。
棕拟雀鲷是一种生活在印度-太平洋的捕食性鱼类，拥有变色的能力。
在来自巴塞尔大学的国际研究团队提出一项理论前，它的变色能力一直令科学家感到费解。
现在动物学家可以证明，棕拟雀鲷可以迅速地改变颜色，来伪装成其它鱼种捕食该鱼种的幼鱼。这种做法也可以帮助棕拟雀鲷避免自己被其它捕食性动物攻击。
该研究团队表示，这种策略与“披着羊皮的狼”这一典型伪装例子颇为类似。但是，狼的伪装最后可能会被发现，但是棕拟雀鲷却能再次变回来。
译文属可可英语原创，未经允许，不得转载
重点讲解
重点讲解：
1. as to
关于…；
例句：Local inhabitants haven't the slightest doubt as to who is the rightful owner.
当地居民对谁是合法所有者没有丝毫疑问。
例句：He is in no doubt as to what is needed.
他很确定需要什么。
2. be composed of
组成；构成；
例句：The sea water is mainly composed of water and salt.
海水主要由水和盐组成。
例句：All animals and plants are composed of cells.
一切动植物均由细胞组成。
3. be similar to
相像的；相仿的；类似的；
例句：Mary's symptom is similar to Joseph's in some way.
玛丽的症状在某些方面和约瑟夫的类似。
例句：I came across a sentence similar to this one in structure.
我碰到过在结构上与这个相似的句子。
4. prey on
捕食；
例句：The effect was to disrupt the food chain, starving many animals and those that preyed on them.
后果是打断食物链，使许多动物和捕食它们的动物饿死。
例句：Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.
弱肉强食。
5. protect from
保护；防护；
例句：He raised his arm to protect his child from hurt.
他伸出手去，保护他的孩子免受伤害。
例句：Such laws could protect the consumer from harmful or dangerous remedies.
这样的法规可以保护消费者免受有害或者危险药品的威胁。
