A lost continent消失的大陸

袁泉

1.55億年前，地球上一塊神秘的大陸從澳大利亞西部斷裂并漂移，最終消失在東南亞海平面以下至少5486米深的地方。這塊消失的大陸被稱為“阿爾戈大陸”，多年以來，科學家一直在尋找它的下落。

主題語境：自然生態 篇幅：342詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1 Geologists have long been fascinated by a missing piece of Earth＇s history—a lostcontinent called Argoland. Around 155 million years ago， the 5000kilometercontinentbroke off from Western Australia and began drifting （漂移）， leaving behind a basin deepbelow the ocean known as the Argo Abyssal Plain. But where did Argoland actually go？

2 The seabed structure suggests that the continent drifted northwestward and ended upin Southeast Asia. But surprisingly， there is no large continent hidden beneath thoseislands， only small continental fragments （碎片） surrounded by ancient oceanic basins.Using this theory， geologists at Utrecht University discovered that Argoland hadn＇t reallydisappeared but survives as a“ very extended and fragmented collection” under the islandsto the east of Indonesia.

3 Unlike other continents like Africa and South America， which broke neatly intotwo pieces， Argoland split into many smaller fragments that were dispersed， whichmade it difficult for scientists to locate and study the continent＇s geological features.However， with the advanced technology and discovery， scientists can now piece themtogether.

4 Tracing the continents is vital for understanding processes like the evolution ofbiodiversity. It could help explain something known as the mysterious Wallace Line， whichis an imaginary boundary that separates mammals， birds， and even early human species inSoutheast Asian islands. The boundary has puzzled scientists because how clearly itseparates the island＇s wildlife. To the west of the line are placental mammals like apes and elephants. But these are almost completely absent to the east， where you can findmarsupials and cockatoos—animals typically associated with Australia. Researchers havetheorized that this may be because Argoland carried its own wildlife away from Australiabefore it crashed into Southeast Asia， which helps explain why different species are foundin different nations.

5 The story of Argoland is not one of complete disappearance but of transformation. Asthe world continues to evolve， this lost continent serves as a powerful symbol of the fragilityof life on this planet， and a reminder of the importance of respecting and protecting theworld that we live in.

Reading Check

Detail

1. What do we know about Argoland？

A. It split into two pieces many years ago.

B. It broke away from the continent of Africa.

C. It sank to the bottom of the Argo Abyssal Plain.

D. It exists as fragments under the eastern islands of Indonesia.

Vocabulary

2. What does the underlined word“ dispersed” in paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. Crashed. B. Connected.

C. Distributed. D. Destroyed.

Inference

3. Why does the author mention the“ Wallace Line” in paragraph 4？

A. To introduce the early history of Argoland.

B. To stress the significance of tracing Argoland.

C. To prove the biodiversity of Southeast Asian islands.

D. To explain the evolutionary process of Australian species.

Gist

4. Which statement can summarize the main content of the text？

A. The discovery of a lost continent.

B. The boundaries of wildlife habitats.

C. The geological features of Argoland.

D. The formation of the Argo Abyssal Plain.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Text?centered chunks

be fascinated by 著迷于

break off 斷開；折斷

split into 分成

end up 最后處于

placental mammal 胎盤哺乳動物

crash into 撞到……上

Ⅱ. Difficult sentence in the text

Unlike other continents like Africa and South America， which broke neatly into twopieces， Argoland split into many smaller fragments that were dispersed， which made itdifficult for scientists to locate and study the continent＇s geological features. 與非洲和南美洲那樣整齊斷裂成兩塊的其他大陸不同，阿爾戈大陸分裂成了許多分散的小碎片，這使得科學家們很難找到并研究該大陸的地質特征。

【點石成金】本句中，第一個which引導非限制性定語從句，且which在從句中作主語；that引導定語從句，且that在從句中作主語；第二個which引導非限制性定語從句，且which在從句中作主語，指代前面的整件事情。