常春藤生活英語：China's Mystery Mummies 中國(guó)神秘木乃伊

Major discoveries don't happen very often. Furthermore, these discoveries rarely cause scientists to re-examine something they once thought was true. This month, National Geographic Channel explores a mystery that will do just that. China's Mystery Mummies takes viewers to the Tarim Basin. This is a Chinese desert where hundreds of European-looking mummies were found. Originally, scientists thought the desert was too harsh to be habitable. So where did the mummies come from?

The mummies were first found in 1978, but people forgot about them until they were found again in a regional museum. This year, NGC follows a team of Chinese scientists as they analyze the mummies and take DNA samples. DNA will help the team find real answers about who the mummies were. Luckily, the mummies are well preserved. That is because the weather conditions in the desert are extremely dry and perfect for mummification.

Besides what the scientific tests show, the clothes and objects which were found with the mummies give clues about where they had come from. Their clothes are plaid, which was first seen in Europe. In addition, many of them have light hair.

重大的發(fā)現(xiàn)并不常發(fā)生。再者，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)鮮少能令科學(xué)家重新審視他們一度認(rèn)為是真的事物。本月份，國(guó)家地理頻道探索一個(gè)將起如此效用的謎團(tuán)。《中國(guó)神秘木乃伊》將帶觀眾一訪塔里木盆地。就在這片中國(guó)的沙漠里，上百具狀似歐洲人的木乃伊為人所發(fā)現(xiàn)。起初科學(xué)家認(rèn)為嚴(yán)峻的沙漠不適合人居住。那么這些木乃伊到底從何而來?

這些木乃伊于公元1978年尋獲，不過人們竟將其忘記，直到它們?cè)俣扔谝婚g區(qū)域性博物館中被發(fā)現(xiàn)。今年，國(guó)家地理頻道跟隨一隊(duì)中國(guó)科學(xué)家前往分析這些木乃伊，并且抽取染色體樣本。染色體將幫助這批隊(duì)伍查出木乃伊身分的真正答案。幸運(yùn)的是，這些木乃伊都保存得宜。那是因?yàn)樯衬锏奶鞖馇闆r極其干燥，最適合木乃伊化。

除了這些科學(xué)化驗(yàn)所呈現(xiàn)出的結(jié)果，跟木乃伊一同被發(fā)現(xiàn)的衣服及物品也提供線索顯示它們從何而來。他們的衣服為格子花紋，這種圖樣首見于歐洲。除此之外，它們多有淺色的頭發(fā)。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.originally　adv. 最初，原先

We originally planned to go to France, but found out we didn't have enough money.

我們?cè)扔?jì)劃去法國(guó)，不過卻發(fā)現(xiàn)我們的錢不夠。

2. harsh　a. 嚴(yán)峻的;嚴(yán)厲的

Aren't you a little too harsh with your child?

We originally planned to go to France, but found out we didn't have enough money.

你會(huì)不會(huì)對(duì)你的小孩太嚴(yán)厲了一點(diǎn)?

3.habitable 　a. 適宜居住的

This house is too old to be habitable.

這間房子太老舊了，不適合人居住。

4.regional 　a. 地區(qū)的，區(qū)域的

The effect of the typhoon was only regional.

這個(gè)臺(tái)風(fēng)只造成區(qū)域性的影響。

5. analyze　vt. 分析

Dr. Lee carefully analyzed the new virus.

李醫(yī)生仔細(xì)地分析了這種新病毒。

6.scientific 　a. 科學(xué)的

Many superstitions actually have scientific explanations behind them.

許多迷信背后其實(shí)都有科學(xué)上的解釋。

參考字詞

1. mummy　n. 木乃伊

2. basin　n. 盆地

3. conditions　n.(恒為復(fù)數(shù)，天氣)情況

4. mummification　n. 木乃伊化

5. plaid　n.(布料或衣服上的)格子圖樣

Tips In Use

...takes viewers to the Tarim Basin.

(……將帶觀眾一訪塔里木盆地。)

This is a Chinese desert where...

(就在這片中國(guó)的沙漠里……)

本文中提及不少地形名稱，以下就為各位介紹一些不同地形的英文單字：

1. cliff　n. 懸崖

2. plain　n. 平原

3. strait　n. 海峽

4. oasis　n. 綠洲

5. valley　n. 山谷

6. terrace　n. 臺(tái)地

7. plateau　n. 高原

8. volcano　n. 火山

9. peninsula　n. 半島

Enjoy Box

塔里木盆地

中國(guó)新疆的塔里木盆地，是中國(guó)最大、世界第二的內(nèi)陸盆地，東西長(zhǎng)約一千五百公里，南北最寬處約六百公里。盆地底部海拔一千公尺左右，面積五十三萬平方公里。塔里木盆地四周被天山、昆侖山、阿爾金山所圍繞，盆地中間是面積達(dá)三十三萬平方公里的塔克拉瑪干大沙漠。

這里到處是波浪起伏的茫茫沙海，金黃色的沙粒堆成各種不同形狀的沙丘。塔里木盆地地處內(nèi)陸，氣候干燥、雨量稀少，氣溫的晝夜變化和季節(jié)變化都很大。一天當(dāng)中的早晚寒冷，但一到中午，氣溫就顯著上升，因而有『早穿皮夜午穿紗，圍看火爐吃西瓜』的生動(dòng)詩句來形容此一現(xiàn)象。

發(fā)源于四周高山的河流，呈向心狀匯入盆地。小一點(diǎn)的河流在流經(jīng)礫石帶時(shí)滲入地下，成為潛流。大的河流有塔里木河、葉爾羌河、阿克蘇河、和田河等。沙漠外圍的沖積平原，有高山冰雪融水灌注，水草豐美，通過人工灌溉，成為農(nóng)產(chǎn)富饒的綠洲。盆地附近的山地蘊(yùn)藏著豐富的煤、石油和其它金屬礦。這里又是中國(guó)的產(chǎn)棉地區(qū)之一，當(dāng)?shù)禺a(chǎn)的棉花纖維細(xì)長(zhǎng)、質(zhì)地優(yōu)良。塔里木盆地曾經(jīng)是國(guó)際交通要道，漢代的絲綢由此通往羅馬，印度的佛教也由此傳入中國(guó)，對(duì)中西文化和經(jīng)濟(jì)交流有深遠(yuǎn)的影響。