题目内容
In a surprising discovery about where higher life can survive, scientists have found a shrimp —— like creature and a jellyfish swimming beneath an Antarctic ice sheet.
About 180 meters below the ice where no light can get through, scientists had thought nothing much more than a few microbes (微生物) could exist.
That’s why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp – like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle (触须) they believe came from a jellyfish.
“We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there.” Said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler. “It was a shrimp you’d enjoy having on your plate.”
“We were just gaga (狂热的) over it,” he said of the 7.5cm long, orange creature starring in their two – minute video. Technically, it’s not a shrimp. It’s a Lyssianasid amphipod, which is distantly related to the shrimp.
The video is likely to inspire experts to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments. And it has scientists thinking that if shrimp – like creatures can live below 180 meters of Antarctic ice in freezing dark water, what about other cold places? What about Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter?
Cynan Ellis – Evans, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey called the finding fascinating. He said it was possible the creatures swam in from far away and don’t live there permanently.
But Kim, who is a co-author of the study, doubts it. “The site in West Antarctica is at least 19 km from open seas. Bindschadler drilled a 20 cm – wide hole and was looking at a tiny amount of water. That means it’s unlikely that two creatures swam from great distances and were captured randomly in that small of an area,” she said.
Yet scientist were puzzled at what the food source would be for these creatures. While some microbes can make their own food out of chemicals in the ocean, complex life like the shrimp can’t, Kim said.
“So how do they survive? That’s the key question.” Kim Sai.
“It’s pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything.” Kim said.
【小题1】 What does the underlined word “harsh” probably mean?
| A．cold | B．loud | C．cruel | D．ugly |
| A．swam great distances to Antarctic | B．has always lived in the region |
| C．gradually evolved from shrimps | D．has nothing in common with shrimps |
| A．it marks NASA’S first Antarctic biological study |
| B．it proves there is marine life in the Antarctic |
| C．it could inspire further study of life in harsh environments |
| D．it shows that Lyssianasid amphipod is closely related to shrimps |
| A．Complex life usually lives on other forms of life. |
| B．Scientists saw two creatures in the two – minute video. |
| C．It is possible for creatures to live 180 meters below the ice though there is no light. |
| D．Scientists captured the shrimp – like creature in a camera by drilling a hole through the ice. |
【小题1】A【小题2】B【小题3】C【小题4】B
解析
It was a lazy morning during the Christmas week. We were enjoying breakfast when the doorbell rang. It was a little girl, standing at the doorway with a piece of paper and a face that carried an expression of want, rather a common 1 during Christmas.
She murmured that the paper was her booklist and that she was going around 2 money to buy her schoolbooks. My children went inside and brought some 3 for her. This kind of incident happens very often in my hometown, 4 during Christmas.
From where I was seated, I could see her clearly. She looked about ten years old and she wore a dress too big for her. She spoke in a 5 voice and looked at me straight in the eye. Something made me get up and 6 her.
In answer to my questions, she said that her mother made hoppers and she 7 them before going to school. But the hopper money was not adequate to 8 the list; therefore, she was going from house to house asking for help.
Her voice told me the story; her eyes told me that it was 9 . I said I'd buy her what was on the list.
We drove to a nearby bookstore. She sat 10 , with a strange look on her face. When the clerk was taking all the things on the list, the little girl kept staring as if confused. Perhaps she had never 11 so many new things before. They were merely exercise books, pencils, pens and such things. She whispered her 12 to us. Strange, I hadn't been aware that giving such 13 things to one in need, could bring me such a lot of happiness.
As we drove back, I could see the little girl in the mirror. All the gifts I had given in my life never 14 up a face so much. She was grasping the parcel, smiling to herself. The total event made us all very 15 . Our Christmas became more meaningful.
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