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。”says 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A．the theory of human evolution is outdated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．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
难句透析
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)]．
【结构】整句是由“or”连接的两个分句组成的并列句。在第一个分句中，“it seems”是插入语。方括号所标示的过去分词短语用做后置定语，修饰“suggestion”。圆括号所标示的过去分词短语用做后置定语，修饰“skull”。
【释义】似乎，从出现原始人类至今为止已过去了700万年。至少这是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的头骨所表明的情况。
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)]．
【结构】整句是由分号连接的两个分旬组成的并列句。第一个方括号所标示的部分是由“because”引导的原因状语从句。第二个方括号所标示的介词短语用做状语。第二个圆括号所标示的过去分词短语用做后置定语，修饰“those”
【释义】标本是一副几乎完整的头骨、两片颚、还有一些牙。现在不能直接追溯标本本身的年龄，因为这个标本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年龄的沉积物中发现的。但是，布鲁耐特能够把这些头骨和在肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚相似地点所发现的头骨做比较而推断出其年龄来。
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]．
【结构】整旬是由“so”连接的两个分句组成的并列句。在第二个分句中，“it”是形式主语，方括号所标示的主语从句是真正的主语。
【释义】进化通常不会逆转；我们不可能从黑猩猩脸进化成人脸，又返回黑猩猩脸，再变成人脸。
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．
【结构】在本句中，“find”是名词。方括号所标示的部分是由“that”引导的表语从句。破折号后面的部分是对整句的补充说明。
【释义】这个发现的意义在于，地球上曾经出现过许多不同的原始人种。所以，我们的问题比原来所想象的要复杂得多。[NextPage]
全文翻译
人类随着时间的流逝而老去。似乎，从出现原始人类至今为止已过去了700万年。至少这是在乍得的珠拉沙漠中挖掘出的头骨所表明的情况。这枚头骨由于其不可思议的古老年代以及预料之外的人类特征，对现有的人类进化理论提出了挑战。
一支由地质学家、沉积物学家、古生物学家和人类学家组成的小组于今年7月份发布了这一发现。古人类学家迈克尔·布鲁耐特说，“这项发现中最主要的就是年代的测定，”布鲁耐特来自法国巴瓦蒂耶大学，他也是该小组的领头人。标本是一副几乎完整的头骨、两片颚、还有一些牙。现在不能直接追溯标本本身的年龄，因为这个标本不是在可以用放射性方法追溯年龄的沉积物中发现的。但是，布鲁耐特能够把这些头骨和在肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚相似地点所发现的头骨做比较而推断出其年龄来。
这枚化石具有人类的脸型和牙齿，而拥有和黑猩猩相似的头盖骨，由于其与其他所有已知人类的巨大差异，布鲁耐特和他的小组为其创建了一个新的物种并命名为：萨赫勒人乍得种。这支法国研究小组还以当地的土着语言格兰语将头骨戏称为图迈，意为“生命的希望。”根据相似的脸型和细小的脑结构这样的混合特征。可以判断图迈大概生活在黑猩猩和人类刚刚分化之后的年代。布鲁耐特说，“我的同事们曾认为黑猩猩和人类的分化大约发生在500至600万年前，但是图迈的出现明确地说明了分化的时间要更早——至少是在700万年前或许还更早一些。”我们可以从细微处看出他更偏近于人类而非猿类。头骨的厚厚的眉脊后面的一块区域(厚眉脊也提示他是雄性的)相对来讲比较平整。“在猿猴、黑猩猩和大猩猩来说，这个区域是深深凹陷的，”布鲁耐特说，“很明显，图迈的头盖骨完全不同。”图迈的小犬齿也进一步证明他更像我们而非猿类。
非常着名的有300万年历史的化石露西，也被称为南方古猿阿法种，其头盖骨比图迈的要大，而脸型更偏近黑猩猩。进化通常不会逆转；我们不可能从黑猩猩脸进化成人脸，又返回黑猩猩脸，再变成人脸。这个发现的意义在于，地球上曾经出现过许多不同的原始人种。所以，我们的问题比原来所想象的要复杂得多。
超纲词汇
antiquity n．古代，古老；古代的遗迹
Australopitheeus afarensis n．[古生]南方古猿
Canines adj．／n．犬的，似犬的，犬科的，犬齿的
Chad n．乍得湖(非洲中北部，在乍得、尼日尔、尼日利亚、喀麦隆等国接界处)
chimp n．(非洲)黑猩猩
Chimpanzee n．[动]非洲的小人猿，黑猩猩
cranium n．头盖，头盖骨
Diverge vi．(道路等)分叉；(意见等)分歧,脱离
Ethiopia n．埃塞俄比亚(非洲东部国家)
Gorilla n．大猩猩；壮而残暴的男人；<俚>歹徒(尤指使用暴力者)
Hominid n．原始人类
Hybrid n．／adj．杂种；混血儿；混合物
Kenya n．肯尼亚
paleoanthropologist 古人类,学家
paleontologist n．古生物学者
sediment n．沉淀物
sedimentologist n．沉淀学者，沉积,学家
参考答案：1．C 2．D 3．B 4．A 5．D
