SSS 2011-10-13
时间：2019-01-08 作者：英语课 分类：Scientific American(十)月
英语课
This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.
A new archaeological find may signify one of the great leaps in human cultural and cognitive 1 history. Because researchers have discovered a 100,000-year-old art studio.
It was known that ochre—rock with red or yellow pigments—was used for paint even that far back in history. But there was scant 2 evidence for how it was prepared and handled.
Then, in 2008, researchers uncovered an ochre mixing kit 3 in a South African cave. They found two abalone shells, most likely used for paint mixing and storage. They also found ochre, bone, charcoal 4, grindstones and hammerstones.
The researchers say the ochre was probably rubbed on quartzite slabs 5 to create a fine powder. It was then mixed and heated with other crushed substances, including other stones or mammal-bone. Microscopic 6 striations on the inner abalone surface are likely scrape marks left during paint mixing. The research was published in the journal Science.
The paint may have been used for body adornment 7 or long-gone artwork. And the presence of this paint-production laboratory indicates that the early humans knew basic chemistry and could plan for the future. One small paint-kit for a few humans, one major leap for humankind.
Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Cynthia Graber.
adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的
- As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
- The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。
adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略
- Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
- Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。
n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物
- The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
- The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
n.炭，木炭，生物炭
- We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
- Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。
n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片
- The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句
adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的
- It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
- A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。