2006 年 04 月 14 日 (No. 49)

 
Politics
美國會通過法案　解決新移民法爭議（2006/04/07）
Senators iron out immigration deal
泰國總理塔信雖宣佈辭職　依然大權在握（2006/04/06）
Thaksin keeps one hand on levers of power
Society
民眾食用積習已深　抑止嚼檳榔風氣成為政府棘手難題（2006/04/06）
Curbing betel chewing in Taiwan a tough nut to crack
研究顯示　媒體發送性愛訊息　導致青少年小小年紀就亂搞性關係（2006/04/05）
Survey links sexy media to teen promiscuity
Business
通用汽車釋出股份　同意將 51％ 股權賣給澤普世資金公司（2006/04/05）
General Motors offloads controlling interest in financing arm
恩隆案被告主管努力辯護　但脫罪已是希望渺茫（2006/04/03）
Sliver of hope for Enron pair
Science & Technology
美國聖路易最老猩猩健康狀況不佳　動物園給予安樂死（2006/04/03）
Saint Louis zoo euthanizes elder orangutan
美國太空人計畫嘗試在太空站外野營（2006/04/05）
Astronauts plan space station 'campout'
Entertainment
名模娜歐蜜•坎貝兒發飆　以手機丟擲管家頭部成傷遭逮捕（2006/04/03）
Naomi Campbell catches fire on housekeeper
疏遠多年互不往來　阿湯哥坦承曾於父親臨終時前去見最後一面（2006/04/06）
Cruise speaks of death bed meeting with estranged father
Sports
洋基球場新建計畫排除重重障礙終於過關（2006/04/06）
Plan for new Yankee Stadium clears hurdle
那貝斯克錦標賽　薇珀封后　魏聖美雖名列第三仍大出風頭（2006/04/05）
Webb prevails in Kraft Nabisco but Wie makes a splash
 
 
Fish Out of Water Fossil May Be Missing Link
 
 有四肢的魚化石出土　銜接水陸棲動物演化斷層
Scientists scouring the desolate wastes of northern Canada have uncovered a fossil believed to be a missing link between sea and land animals.
The amphibious creature lived 375 million years ago and has been dubbed Titaalik roseae from the Inuit word for "large shallow water fish."
  在加拿大北部無人荒地四處搜尋的科學家發現了一件化石，據信該化石代表了海洋和陸地動物之間一個消失的演化環節。這種兩棲生物生活在三億七千五百萬年前，已經依照紐特語命名為 Titaalik Roseae，意思就是「大型淺水魚」。
Titaalik has limb-like appendages and a crocodilian head and tooth-filled mouth.
However, the creature also has several distinctly fishy characteristics such as scales, fins and gills.
Scientists believe this "fish with fingers" represents a key evolutionary step in which vertebrates first emerged from the oceans to walk on dry land.
  Titaalik 擁有像是四肢的附屬肢體，並擁有一個像鱷魚的頭和滿嘴的牙齒。然而，這種生物也具有數個魚類的明顯特色，例如鱗片、魚鰭、和魚鰓。科學家認為這條「長了指頭的魚」代表了一個關鍵性的演化步驟，脊椎動物就是在此時開始從海中向陸地演進。
During the era in which it lived, much of the Canadian land mass straddled the equator and was bordered by tropical and semi-tropical seas.
The Tikaalik would have used its limbs to prop itself up and venture onto land for short periods of time.
  在它生存的年代，加拿大絕大部份的陸塊仍跨越赤道，且與熱帶和亞熱帶的海洋為鄰。Tikaalik是用它的四肢將身體撐起，然後探險到陸地來上做短暫停留。
"The Tikaalik blurs the boundary between fish and land-living animals in terms of its anatomy and its way of life," Neil Shubin, a professor of biology at the University of Chicago, told the UK newspaper The Independent.
"This animal is both fish and tetrapod; we jokingly call it a fishapod."
  芝加哥大學的生物學教授尼爾•舒賓在接受英國獨立報的採訪時表示：「Tikaalik 無論從構造和它的生活方式來看，都模糊了魚和陸地動物之間的界限。」「這種動物既是魚，也是四足動物；我們開玩笑叫它『魚足動物』」。
A tetrapod is a vertebrate with two pairs of limbs, such as an amphibian, bird or mammal.
Humans are tetrapods.
  四足動物是一種擁有兩對肢的脊椎動物，比方像兩棲動物、鳥類、或哺乳動物。人類就是四足動物。
"Most of the major joints of the fin are functional in this fish.
The shoulder, elbow and even parts of the wrist are already there and working in ways similar to the earliest land-living animals," Shubin said.
  舒賓表示：「這條魚的魚鰭裡大部分主要關節都有功用。它的肩膀、手肘、甚至一部份手腕都已經成形了，而且它們的作用都和早期的陸地動物相近」。
fossil　n. 化石
missing link　n. 缺少的環節；使連結出現斷層的事物；演化過程中的過渡生物
scour　v. 走遍（某地）
Janice scoured the mall for bargains.
珍妮斯為了購買划算的商品走遍了購物中心。
desolate　adj. 荒蕪的；無人煙的
The survivors were stranded on a desolate island.
生還者受困在一個杳無人煙的荒島上。
waste　n. 荒地；荒野
amphibious　adj. 兩棲的
Amphibious animals can live both in water and on land.
兩棲類動物在水中和陸地上都可以生活。
dub　v. 將……稱為；將……定名為
The obnoxious student was dubbed the class clown.
那個討人厭的學生被戲稱為班上的小丑。
Titaalik roseae　n. （學名） 提達力克 （音譯）
Inuit　adj. 因紐特語的； 因紐特的 （為愛司基摩其中一支主要族群）
limb-like　adj. 像四肢的；四肢般的
The robot had several limb-like appendages.
這個機器人有一些類似四肢的附屬構造。
appendage　n. 附屬器官；附屬肢體（如臂、腿、尾等）；附屬物；附加物
crocodilian　adj. 鱷魚的；鱷魚類的
Crocodilian animals have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.
鱷類動物遠從恐龍時代就已存在。
tooth-filled　adj. 長滿牙齒的
The lion opened its tooth-filled mouth and roared.
獅子張開牠佈滿利齒的大嘴發出咆哮。
distinctly　adv. 清楚地；清晰地
scale　n. 鱗
fin　n. 鰭
gill　n. 鰓
evolutionary　adj. 演化的；進化的
The computer has gone through several evolutionary changes over its history.
電腦在其歷史上曾歷經數次巨大的變革。
vertebrate　n. 脊椎動物
land mass　n. 陸塊
straddle　v. 跨立於
The bridge straddled the canyon.
這座橋的兩頭橫跨峽谷。
equator　n. 赤道
prop up　v. 支撐；支持
The nurse propped up the patient in bed.
護士將病人從床上扶起。
blur　v. 使模糊
The article blurred the line between the political parties.
這篇文章模糊了黨派間的界線。
anatomy　n. 解剖結構；身體構造
tetrapod　n. 四足動物
amphibian　n. 兩棲動物
joint　n. 關節
A fish out of water　離了水的魚
中文有「如魚得水」這句成語，英語則以相反的情況來比喻人在脫離了自己熟悉的環境或原本擅長的方式時，猶如魚兒離了水般地無助或無用武之地。但本文標題只以此片語的字面意義來描述「提達力克」這種能夠從水中登上地面，似魚又似獸的遠古生物。
Shy Sylvia felt like a fish out of water at the party.
生性靦腆的施薇雅在派對上覺得自己就像離了水的魚一般，完全不知所措。
 
 
True or False:
T
F
1 . To scour something is to search it thoroughly.
2 . If something straddles something, it is underneath it.
3 . The Titaalik roseae is a type of crocodile.
4 . A sliver is a small amount of something.
5 . A tetrapod has two pairs of limbs.
 

Choose the best word or phrase to complete each sentence.
a. euthanized b. desolate c. tough nut to crack d. offloaded e. estranged
6.
 The problem is a .
7.
 The company several unprofitable ventures.
8.
 The vet the ailing horse.
9.
 Ben was reunited with his father.
10.
 The town is located in a area of the country.

Answer

 1：T 2：F 3：F 4：T 5：T
6：【c】 7：【d】 8：【a 】 9：【e】 10：【b】
 
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