外刊学习：中国发现寒武纪“化石宝库”

今日导读

今天的主题不是现在和未来，而是关于亿万年前的过去。回顾人类历史，对认识茫茫宇宙的好奇一直印刻在人类的基因里，这种求知欲推动着人类文明的进步，也促使着无数人回望过去，追溯地球生命的起源。而化石恰恰为探索生命的历史打开了一扇珍贵的科学之窗。今天《经济学人》的这篇新闻就是关于最近在中国发现的一个震动世界的化石宝库——清江生物群，让我们跟着 Roxy 老师一起来读一读。

新闻原文

Many strange new creatures are discovered in China

This week Xingliang Zhang of Northwest University in China reports in Science the discovery of a new site full of animals that have never been seen before.

For soft-bodied animals to be preserved, something catastrophic must take place. In the case of the world’s two most famous Cambrian sites, the Burgess Shale accumulation in Canada and the Chengjiang site in China, this catastrophe was a series of storms that dumped vast quantities of mud upon a community of animals, burying them alive.

The new site that Dr Zhang is reporting, known as Qingjiang, is similar to the others in that the animals seem to have been killed by a sudden mud burial. However, that is where the similarities end.

Qingjiang has yielded over 20, 000 specimens thus far. Of these, 4, 351 have been properly analysed and are thought to represent around 100 groups of creatures. Dr Zhang and his colleagues estimate that 54 of these groups have never been seen before.

There are some familiar animals like cnidarians, but these also raise extensive questions. Cnidarians exist widely in modern oceans and have simplistic bodies that suggest they evolved early during the rise of animal life. Given this, it was expected that when the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang sites were first excavated that cnidarians would be common in the sedimentary layers, but precisely the opposite proved true.

Qingjiang surprised Dr Zhang by being loaded with spectacularly well-preserved members of this soft-bodied group. Containing everything from delicate comb jellies to the medusae that roam the seas and sting fish with their venomous tentacles, Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time and actually thriving in some environments. Precisely what these environmental differences were though, remains the subject of intensive inquiry.

带着问题看讲解

清江生物群和另外两个世界著名化石遗址有什么差异？

在文中，medusae 指的是什么？

上亿年前的软躯体生物要如何才能保存至今？

新闻正文

Many strange new creatures are discovered in China

中国发现许多奇特的新生物

This week Xingliang Zhang of Northwest University in China reports in Science the discovery of a new site full of animals that have never been seen before.

中国西北大学的张兴亮本周在《科学》期刊上宣布，他们发现了一个全新的遗址，那里到处都埋藏着前所未见的（软躯体）动物（化石）。

For soft-bodied animals to be preserved, something catastrophicmust take place. In the case of the world’s two most famous Cambriansites, the Burgess Shaleaccumulation in Canada and the Chengjiang site in China, this catastrophe was a series of storms that dumped vast quantities of mud upon a community of animals, burying them alive.

软躯体生物要被保存下来，就必定要经历灾难性的事件。全世界最著名的两个寒武纪遗址（加拿大的伯吉斯页岩化石群和中国的澄江化石地）就是灾难的产物，这类灾难是一连串的风暴，这些风暴将大量泥浆倾倒在动物群上并将其活埋。

The new site that Dr Zhang is reporting, known as Qingjiang, is similar to the others in that the animals seem to have been killed by a sudden mud burial. However, that is where the similarities end.

张兴亮博士所报告的新遗址被称作“清江生物群”，这个遗址和其他遗址的相似之处在于，这里的动物似乎是被突如其来的泥浆活埋致死。但是，相似的地方仅此而已。

Qingjiang has yielded over 20,000 specimens thus far. Of these, 4,351 have been properly analysed and are thought to represent around 100 groups of creatures. Dr Zhang and his colleagues estimate that 54 of these groups have never been seen before.

迄今为止，清江生物群已经出土了两万多件标本。其中，（研究人员）已经完整分析了 4351 件标本，并认为它们代表了大约 100 个属种。据张博士和他的同事估计，其中有 54 个属种之前从未被发现。

There are some familiar animals like cnidarians, but these also raise extensive questions. Cnidarians exist widely in modern oceans and have simplistic bodies that suggest they evolved early during the rise of animal life. Given this, it was expected that when the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang sites were first excavated that cnidarians would be common in the sedimentary layers, but precisely the opposite proved true.

（化石标本中）有一些常见的动物，比如刺细胞动物，但是这也引起了许多疑问。刺细胞动物在现代海洋中普遍存在，它们的身体结构十分简单，这也表明它们的进化时间在动物生命兴起的早期。鉴于此，在伯吉斯页岩化石群和澄江化石地一开始被发掘时，研究人员预测，在沉积层中到处都会存在刺细胞动物，但是事实恰恰相反。

Qingjiang surprised Dr Zhang by being loaded with spectacularly well-preserved members of this soft-bodied group. Containing everything from delicate comb jellies to the medusae that roam the seas and sting fish with their venomoustentacles, Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time and actually thriving in some environments. Precisely what these environmental differences were though, remains the subject of intensive inquiry.

让张兴亮博士意想不到的是，清江生物群有大量保存极其良好的这类软躯体生物。清江生物群中包括许多动物，从小巧精致的栉水母到在海中漫游并且用毒触手蜇鱼的水母应有尽有。清江生物群揭示，这些动物在当时已经很成熟，甚至在一些生态环境中繁衍壮大。然而，这些环境差异具体是什么，仍然有待深入研究。

重点词汇

catastrophic
/ˌkætəˈstrɑːfɪk/
adj. 灾难性的；引起重大灾难的
e.g.
相关词汇：catastrophe（n. 灾难）
搭配短语：a catastrophic earthquake
搭配短语：the company’s catastrophic losses

Cambrian
/ˈkæmbriən/
adj. 寒武纪的，与寒武纪相关的
e.g.
相关词汇：Cambria
搭配短语：the Cambrian Explosion

shale
/ʃeɪl/
n. 页岩

dump
/dʌmp/
v. 倾倒；丢弃
e.g.
搭配短语：dump A upon B
例句：Some factories dump toxic chemicals into the sea.
例句：They dumped tons of salt on icy road surfaces.

specimen
/ˈspesɪmən/
n. 标本；样本
e.g.
英文释义：Specimen means an individual animal, plant, etc. used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display.
词义辨析
species, specimen
species 指的是动植物的物种，而 specimen 指的是某个物种的一个样本，用来做科研或展览。

properly
/ˈprɑːpərli/
adv.（英式英语）完全地；充分地
e.g.
例句：My computer is not working properly.（adv. 正确地，令人满意地）
英文释义：completely or fully
例句：The case wasn’t properly investigated.

cnidarian
/n(a)ɪˈdɛriən/
n. 刺细胞动物

excavate
/ˈekskəveɪt/
v. 挖掘，挖出
e.g.
词根词缀：ex-（使某物出来）
词性拓展：excavation（n.）

sedimentary
/ˌsedɪˈmentri/
adj. 沉积的
e.g.
相关词汇：sediment（n. 沉积物，沉淀物）
搭配短语：sedimentary layer

be loaded with
含有大量的…，富含
e.g.
英文释义：to contain a lot of something
例句：Most fast foods are loaded with fat.

comb jelly
/koʊm ˈdʒeli/
n. 栉水母

medusa
/miˈdjuːsə/
n. 水母
e.g.
相关词汇：medusae（medusa 复数形式）

roam
/roʊm/
v. 闲逛，漫游
e.g.
英文释义：to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction
近义词：wander
例句：Barefoot children roamed the streets.

venomous
/ˈvenəməs/
adj. 分泌毒液的；有毒的
e.g.
相关词汇：venom (n.)
词根词缀：-ous（有…性质的）
搭配短语：a highly venomous snake

tentacle
/ˈtentəkl/
n.（海洋动物的）触手，触角
e.g.
相关词汇：feeler
补充词汇知识

site
n. 遗址

preserve
v. 保存

accumulation
n. 堆积；积聚

community
n. （动植物的）群落

A is similar to B
A 与 B 相似

yield
v. 出产；出土
英文释义：to produce or provide sth.

thus far
迄今为止
近义词：so far

extensive
adj. 大量的

simplistic
adj. 过分简单的

precisely
adv. 确切地；恰恰

spectacularly
adv. 极其非常地
相关词汇：extremely

well-preserved
adj. 保存完好的

delicate
adj. 精致的，脆弱的

sting
v.（昆虫、植物或动物）叮，刺，蜇

well established
英文释义：something has existed for a long time

thrive
v. 生长发展
英文释义：to grow and develop

environment
n. 生态环境

词义辨析

venomous, poisonous

venomous 和 poisonous 是近义词，都可以指“有毒的”，两者的区别在于 venomous 更侧重于形容分泌毒液的有毒生物，如毒蛇，a venomous snake；而 poisonous 用法范围更广，既可以形容分泌毒液的有毒生物，也可以形容任何有毒物质，比如有毒的化学物质，poisonous chemicals，有毒植物，poisonous plants，等等。

长难句解析

In the case of the world’s two most famous Cambrian sites, the Burgess Shale accumulation in Canada and the Chengjiang site in China, this catastrophe was a series of storms that dumped vast quantities of mud upon a community of animals, burying them alive.

全世界最著名的两个寒武纪遗址（加拿大的伯吉斯页岩化石群和中国的澄江化石地）就是灾难的产物，这场灾难是一连串的风暴，这些风暴将大量泥浆倾倒在动物群上并将其活埋。

介词短语 in the case of 表示“就…而言”，后接名词短语 the world’s two most famous Cambrian sites，表示“就世界最著名的两个寒武纪遗址而言”。逗号后面的 the Burgess Shale accumulation in Canada and the Chengjiang site in China 是插入语，补充说明前面的 two most famous Cambrian sites 是哪两个遗址。this catastrophe was a series of storms 是本句真正的主语，storm 后面用 that 引导了一个定语从句修饰 storm。最后 burying 是现在分词做结果状语，补充说明“dumped vast quantities of mud upon a community of animals”所导致的结果。

Containing everything from delicate comb jellies to the medusae that roam the seas and sting fish with their venomous tentacles, Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time and actually thriving in some environments.

清江生物群中包括许多动物，从小巧精致的栉水母到在海中漫游，挥舞着毒触手蜇鱼的水母应有尽有。清江生物群揭示，这些动物在当时已经很成熟，甚至在一些生态环境中繁衍壮大。

句子主干是 Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time。句首的 Containing 是现在分词做伴随状语，逻辑主语是后面的 Qingjiiang。medusae 后面的 that 引导定语从句修饰 medusae，roam the sea and sting 指代水母的活动，sting fish 指（水母）会蜇别的鱼。后面的 with 表示“带有，拥有某物”，指水母用毒触手蜇鱼。主句 Qingjiang reveals 后面的 that 引导宾语从句，actually thriving 和前面的 well established 是并列成分，省略了重复的主谓语 these animals were，完整形式是 Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time and these animals were actually thriving in some environments.

学习资源

推荐的查音标网站：
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com（牛津学习者词典）

关于 cnidarian 的进化理论：
https://www.britannica.com/animal/cnidarian/Evolution

张兴亮团队在《科学》期刊上发布的论文：The Qingjiang biota—A Burgess Shale–type fossil Lagerstätte from the early Cambrian of South China

The Qingjiang biota—A Burgess Shale–type fossil Lagerstätte from the early Cambrian of South China.pdf1.4MB

疑难解答

问：为什么 group 要理解为“属种”？

答：我们的翻译参考了大部分官方媒体的通稿，在新闻的语境下，决定将 group 解释为“属种”，另外：

新闻是《经济学人》于 2019 年 3 月 21 日发布的，新闻原句：

Qingjiang has yielded over 20,000 specimens thus far. Of these, 4,351 have been properly analysed and are thought to represent around 100 groups of creatures. Dr Zhang and his colleagues estimate that 54 of these groups have never been seen before.

迄今为止，清江生物群已经出土了两万多件标本。其中，（研究人员）已经完整分析了 4351 件标本，并认为它们代表了大约 100 个属种。据张博士和他的同事估计，其中有 54 个属种之前从未被发现。

这里的数字是有一定出入的，可能是因为《经济学人》的新闻报道时间较早，只取了大约的数字，而西北大学官网里的通稿说的是：“此次发现的清江生物群，在 4351 件化石标本中，已分类鉴定出 109 个属，其中 53%为此前从未有过记录的全新属种。”

参考链接：

发布日期为 2019 年 3 月 25 日:

http://www.nwu.edu.cn/home/index/article/id/235098/mid/3890.html

发布日期为 2019 年 3 月 22 日：

http://www.nwu.edu.cn/home/index/article/id/235048/mid/389

拓展阅读

伯吉斯页岩化石群（The Burgess Shale）

伯吉斯页岩化石群以附近的伯吉斯山口命名而成，位于加拿大落基山脉的高处，地层年代约在 5.05 亿年前的寒武纪中期。伯吉斯页岩化石群是地球上最重要的化石遗址之一，也是目前最早的软组织化石群之一。从 1909 年到 1924 年，古生物学家查尔斯·沃尔科特及其研究组在此处挖掘出六万五千多件化石标本，包含了超过 120 种海洋动物种类，并且有很多属种是前所未见的，在考古学界引起轰动。伯吉斯页岩最重要的考古价值在于完好保存了大量的生物软组织。由于生物软组织的难以保存特性，大部分化石库都是脊椎动物骨骼的硬体化石库（如外壳或骨头），而伯吉斯页岩化石库比较特殊，它不仅保存了动物骨骼以外的组织、器官等软体形态的化石，还保存了水母、海葵等软躯体生物化石，对于寒武纪古生物学的研究有非常重要的价值。1980 年，该地区被列入世界自然遗产名录。

澄江化石地（Chengjiang Fossil Site）

澄江化石地位于我国云南省澄江帽天山附近，是迄今为止保存最完整的早寒武纪海洋群落的化石库。该生物群发现于伯吉斯化石群之后，自 1984 年，该地被发掘出约 5 万块化石， 涵盖了 16 个门类的 200 多个物种。澄江化石地保存了无脊椎动物和脊椎动物的硬组织和软组织，以及大量完全是软体动物的生物体，这些软体生物化石在其他地方几乎没有发现过。澄江化石地为寒武纪大爆发提供了绝好的证据，在进化生命科学上具有极为重要的意义，被国际学术界誉为“世界古生物圣地”。2012 年，该地区被列入世界自然遗产名录，是目前亚洲唯一的化石类世界自然遗产。